This research reveals a multi-level Zn2+ buffering mechanism in hydrogel layers, improving interface stability and efficiency in zinc-ion batteries.
The cycle life of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) is hindered by the unstable Zn anode interface, causing uncontrolled dendrite growth and side reactions. Herein, for the first time, a hierarchical nanostructure‐engineered hydrogel interphase layer is developed via a facile and precisely controlled copolymerization‐induced microphase separation (CIMS) strategy, which enables multi‐level Zn 2+ ‐buffering to stabilize the Zn anode interface: 1) The nanoconfinement effect, combined with the hydrophobicity ofmethylacryloyloxypropyl cage‐type polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (MP‐POSS), facilitates [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] 2+ desolvation while blocking water and SO 4 2− penetration, achieving an optimal balance between enhanced Zn 2+ transport and minimized side reactions; 2) CIMS between polar comonomers and MP‐POSS creates hierarchical molecular clusters within the hydrogel. These self‐assembled domains homogenize Zn 2+ flux and reduce interfacial concentration polarization, realizing dendrite‐free Zn deposition. After modification, symmetric cells achieve exceptionally long lifespan exceeding 5500 h (1 mA cm −2 ) and 1500 h (10 mA cm −2 ). Asymmetric cell demonstrates an impressive Coulombic efficiency of 99.6% after 3600 cycles. MnO 2 and V 2 O 5 full cells retain 85.4% and 84.7% capacity retention after 1000 (1 A g −1 ) and 2000 (5 A g −1 ) cycles, respectively. This research unveils a novel multi‐level Zn 2+ ‐buffering mechanism based on gel polymer hierarchical nanostructure engineering and provides a feasible strategy for advancing grid‐scale AZIBs.
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Yan et al. (2025) studied this question.
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