Building Ohmic Contact Interfaces toward Ultrastable Zn Metal Anodes

Abstract

Zn metal holds grand promise as the anodes of aqueous batteries for grid-scale energy storage. However, the rampant zinc dendrite growth and severe surface side reactions significantly impede the commercial implementation. Herein, a universal Zn-metal oxide Ohmic contact interface model is demonstrated for effectively improving Zn plating/stripping reversibility. The high work function difference between Zn and metal oxides enables the building of an interfacial anti-blocking layer for dendrite-free Zn deposition. Moreover, the metal oxide layer can function as a physical barrier to suppress the pernicious side reactions. Consequently, the proof-of-concept CeO₂ -modified Zn anode delivers ultrastable durability of over 1300 h at 0.5-5 mA cm^-2 and improved Coulombic efficiency, the feasibility of which is also evidenced in MoS₂ //Zn full cells. This study enriches the fundamental comprehension of Ohmic contact interfaces on the Zn deposition, which may shed light on the development of other metal battery anodes.