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.

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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
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article

Multidentate Coordination Enables Coupled Bulk Solvation and Interfacial Regulation for Stable Zinc Metal Anodes

Jiarui He, 陈含慈, Wenwu Li, Mengqi Zhu et al.
Advanced Functional Materials
Advanced battery technologies research
article

Multidentate Coordination Enables Coupled Bulk Solvation and Interfacial Regulation for Stable Zinc Metal Anodes

Jiarui He, 陈含慈, Wenwu Li, Mengqi Zhu, Ho Seok Park, Li Yanhong, Xianting Zhao, Shengyang Huang, Xinya Qiu, Zhanhu Guo, Wei Huang, Xianhui Zhang, Xinying Wang, Di Liu
article en

Abstract

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.

Advanced Functional Materials
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)
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
Advanced battery technologies research
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