Stable Zn Anodes with Triple Gradients

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are highly desirable for sustainable energy storage, but the undesired Zn dendrites growth severely shortens the cycle life. Herein, a triple-gradient electrode that simultaneously integrates gradient conductivity, zincophilicity, and porosity is facilely constructed for a dendrite-free Zn anode. The simple mechanical rolling-induced triple-gradient design effectively optimizes the electric field distribution, Zn²⁺ ion flux, and Zn deposition paths in the Zn anode, thus synergistically achieving a bottom-up deposition behavior for Zn metals and preventing the short circuit from top dendrite growth. As a result, the electrode with triple gradients delivers a low overpotential of 35 mV and operates steadily over 400 h at 5 mA cm^-2 /2.5 mAh cm^-2 and 250 h at 10 mA cm^-2 /1 mAh cm^-2 , far surpassing the non-gradient, single-gradient and dual-gradient counterparts. The well-tunable materials and structures with the facile fabrication method of the triple-gradient strategy will bring inspiration for high-performance energy storage devices.