Nanopore Confinement with Silanols for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) are considered ideal candidates for large-scale energy storage systems due to their high capacity, safety, and environmental friendliness, but issues such as dendrite growth, corrosion, and hydrogen evolution on the zinc anode severely restrict their cycling lifespan and reaction reversibility. In this study, a silica nanotube (SNT) material with a three-dimensional hierarchical mesoporous structure was constructed as an interfacial protection layer for the zinc anode to address these limitations. The SNT interfacial layer features a hierarchical mesoporous nanoconfinement structure, continuous ion-conducting pathways, and densely distributed nucleation sites. These structural features, together with the intrinsic hydrophilicity and electrical insulation of SNT, synergistically contribute at the interface to effectively promote the rapid desolvation of Zn2+, enhance its interfacial diffusion rate, and induce progressive and uniform nucleation and deposition on the anode surface, thereby significantly suppressing dendrites accumulation and side reactions. As a result, the SNT@Zn||SNT@Zn symmetric cell stably cycles for over 4500 h at 3 mA cm-2/1 mAh cm-2, with a cumulative capacity of up to 9.6 Ah cm-2. The SNT@Zn||Cu half-cell also exhibits a Coulombic efficiency exceeding 99%. The SNT@Zn||MnO2 full cell can operate continuously for over 4200 cycles at 1 A g-1, while maintaining a high specific capacity and an excellent rate performance, demonstrating promising practical application potential.