Tailoring Alkyl Chain Length to Customize Dual‐Electrode Interface for Reversible Four‐Electron Iodine Chemistry in Zn–I 2 Pouch Batteries

ABSTRACT Aqueous zinc–iodine (Zn–I 2 ) batteries show great promise for large‐scale energy storage, yet realizing four‐electron transfer for high energy density requires cooperation between zinc interface regulation and high valence iodine anchoring. Herein, the dual‐electrode interface microenvironment is customized via a series of bromide quaternary ammonium salts with varied alkyl chain length. The moderately‐sized tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) constructs a well‐ordered electric double layer that suppresses water penetration and hydrogen evolution while promoting uniform Zn 2+ deposition. Simultaneously, TEAB stabilizes I + through a synergistic coordination‐hydrophobic anchoring mechanism, preventing iodine hydrolysis and shuttling. This synergistic customization of the anode–cathode dual‐interface microenvironment successfully activates the reversible four‐electron I − /I + redox chemistry. With this design, the symmetric Zn cell operates stably for over 50 days at 5 mA cm −2 and 5 mAh cm −2 as well as shows wide‐temperature adaptability from −20°C to 50°C, the full cell retains 84.5% capacity after 8000 cycles at 1 A g −1 , and an Ah‐scale pouch cell delivers stable 428 cycles with a high‐capacity retention of 98.74% even under a heavy iodine loading of 20 mg cm −2 . This work establishes a molecular‐level design paradigm for simultaneous anode and cathode interface engineering, advancing practical high‐energy aqueous zinc–iodine batteries.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials
Published
2026-10-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.75298
Primary Topic
Advanced battery technologies research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Tailoring Alkyl Chain Length to Customize Dual‐Electrode Interface for Reversible Four‐Electron Iodine Chemistry in Zn–I 2 Pouch Batteries

Jing Ming Xu, Huibing He, Jiajun Wan, Yixin Zhang et al.
Advanced Materials
Advanced battery technologies research
article

Tailoring Alkyl Chain Length to Customize Dual‐Electrode Interface for Reversible Four‐Electron Iodine Chemistry in Zn–I 2 Pouch Batteries

Jing Ming Xu, Huibing He, Jiajun Wan, Yixin Zhang, Fei Huang, Yi Tan, Yu Xie, Jujing Chai
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aqueous zinc–iodine (Zn–I 2 ) batteries show great promise for large‐scale energy storage, yet realizing four‐electron transfer for high energy density requires cooperation between zinc interface regulation and high valence iodine anchoring. Herein, the dual‐electrode interface microenvironment is customized via a series of bromide quaternary ammonium salts with varied alkyl chain length. The moderately‐sized tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) constructs a well‐ordered electric double layer that suppresses water penetration and hydrogen evolution while promoting uniform Zn 2+ deposition. Simultaneously, TEAB stabilizes I + through a synergistic coordination‐hydrophobic anchoring mechanism, preventing iodine hydrolysis and shuttling. This synergistic customization of the anode–cathode dual‐interface microenvironment successfully activates the reversible four‐electron I − /I + redox chemistry. With this design, the symmetric Zn cell operates stably for over 50 days at 5 mA cm −2 and 5 mAh cm −2 as well as shows wide‐temperature adaptability from −20°C to 50°C, the full cell retains 84.5% capacity after 8000 cycles at 1 A g −1 , and an Ah‐scale pouch cell delivers stable 428 cycles with a high‐capacity retention of 98.74% even under a heavy iodine loading of 20 mg cm −2 . This work establishes a molecular‐level design paradigm for simultaneous anode and cathode interface engineering, advancing practical high‐energy aqueous zinc–iodine batteries.

Advanced Materials
Guangxi University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 22%
Advanced battery technologies research
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Tailoring Alkyl Chain Length to Customize Dual‐Electrode Interface for Reversible Four‐Electron Iodine Chemistry in Zn–I 2 Pouch Batteries — Jing Ming Xu, Huibing He, et al. · Advanced Materials (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS