Resolving the Anti‐freezing/Self‐healing Trade‐off in Zn‐Ion Batteries with a Zn <sup>2+</sup> ‐Anchored Dynamic Quaternary Hydrogen‐Bond Network for Extreme‐Temperature Operation
ABSTRACT The commercialization of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries is hampered by a fundamental paradox: electrolytes with anti‐freezing properties typically lack self‐healing capability, and vice versa. Herein, we decouple this trade‐off through the ingenious design of a synergistic network within a eutectogel electrolyte. This network is governed by strong Zn 2+ coordination acting as rigid anchors, coupled with a dynamic quaternary hydrogen‐bond (HB) network involving glycerol, ClO 4 − , water, and polyacrylamide serving as flexible bridges. In this configuration, the strong Zn 2+ coordination and dense hydrogen bonds synergistically inhibit ice lattice formation to ensure anti‐freezing, while the reversible hydrogen bonds enable dynamic molecular reconfiguration for self‐healing. The resulting gel remains ice‐free at −75°C and self‐heals within 10 min even at −20°C. Concurrently, this unique structure reconstructs the Zn 2+ solvation sheath, significantly reducing the water coordination number from 3.65 to 2.62, which effectively suppresses water‐induced parasitic reactions. Coupled with robust in situ interfacial engineering, the assembled battery exhibits a high specific capacity and exceptional cycling stability (97.0% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 5 A g −1 ) over a wide temperature range of 80°C (−20°C–60°C). This work not only provides a high‐performance electrolyte for practical zinc batteries but also establishes an innovative design paradigm for resolving property conflicts in advanced functional materials.
Authors
- Tianchen Shen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7807-1966)
- Junye Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3511-6860)
- Jie Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4801-7162)
- Luyang Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1866-043X)
- Qiuya Wang
- Chen Huang
- Linlin Wang
- Shigang Lu
- Ling Zhang
Institutions
- East China University of Science and Technology (CN)
- University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Energy Materials
- Published
- 2026-02-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202506522
- Primary Topic
- Advanced battery technologies research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00