Microzone interfacial electron structure regulation for enhanced Zn metal stability for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries stand out as ideal large-scale energy storage devices under global carbon neutrality, yet their commercialization is plagued by various stability issues of Zn anodes. Current modification strategies only offer superficial explanations, ignoring the dominant effect of the interfacial electronic structure and local electric field on Zn2+ deposition. This work employs nicotinic acid (NA) to regulate the Zn anode microzone interfacial electronic structure. Its adsorption triggers charge redistribution and forms an intrinsic interfacial electric field, reconstructing the electric double layer and modulating the d-band center to homogenize ion flux. Low-concentration NA achieves ultra-long cycling of symmetric cells, suppresses hydrogen evolution, and optimizes Zn nucleation. The cycling lifetime of ZnǁZn symmetric cells is prolonged over eight times and reaches 2500 h at 1 mA cm−2/1 mAh cm−2. The constructed PANIǁZn full cells maintain remarkable stability over 1600 cycles, demonstrating the enormous potential of interfacial electron structure modification for future high-performance aqueous zinc batteries.