Multidentate Coordination Enables Coupled Bulk Solvation and Interfacial Regulation for Stable Zinc Metal Anodes
ABSTRACT Aqueous Zn metal batteries are fundamentally constrained by the coupled instability of Zn 2+ solvation chemistry and interfacial reactions, which induces parasitic side reactions and non‐uniform Zn deposition. Here, we report a multidentate‐coordination electrolyte strategy using N‐acetylneuraminic acid (NANA) as a multifunctional additive to regulate bulk solvation and interfacial deposition behavior in ZnSO 4 electrolyte. In the bulk electrolyte, NANA participates in the Zn 2+ solvation sheath through cooperative interactions among carboxyl, hydroxyl, and acetamide groups, weakens sulfate‐involved contact ion pairing, and reconstructs a more relaxed mixed‐solvation environment. At the interface, NANA shows strong affinity to Zn and promotes the formation of an organic‐rich interfacial layer, which suppresses parasitic reactions and homogenizes Zn 2+ flux during deposition. As a result, Zn deposition evolves toward denser and more Zn(002)‐textured growth with reduced surface roughening and by‐product accumulation. Consequently, Zn||Zn symmetric cells operate stably for 7700 h at 0.5 mA cm −2 /0.5 mAh cm −2 and 1250 h at 10 mA cm −2 /10 mAh cm −2 , while Zn||Cu cells deliver 8700 cycles with an average coulombic efficiency of 99.88%. The concept is further validated in Zn||MnO 2 full cells and pouch‐type devices. This work provides an effective coordination‐based electrolyte strategy for durable aqueous metal batteries.
Authors
- Jiarui He (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4665-2306)
- 陈含慈
- Wenwu Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7698-6713)
- Mengqi Zhu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1404-0818)
- Ho Seok Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4424-4037)
- Li Yanhong
- Xianting Zhao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-4781-2587)
- Shengyang Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6684-6381)
- Xinya Qiu
- Zhanhu Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0134-0210)
- Wei Huang
- Xianhui Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-7732-7704)
- Xinying Wang
- Di Liu
Institutions
- Fujian Normal University (CN)
- Harbin Engineering University (CN)
- City University of Hong Kong (HK)
- Northwestern Polytechnical University (CN)
- Southeast University (BD)
- Southeast University (CN)
- Sungkyunkwan University (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Functional Materials
- Published
- 2026-09-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.78567
- Primary Topic
- Advanced battery technologies research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00