Mechanistic insights into orientation engineering of Zn metal anodes

Aqueous zinc metal batteries stand at the forefront of next-generation energy storage. Addressing zinc anode failure has sparked intensive research, with crystallographic orientation control of Zn deposits emerging as a pivotal strategy. This review establishes a unified four-dimensional mechanistic framework encompassing electrode, interface, electrolyte, and environmental factors, systematically elucidating four core mechanisms: thermodynamics-governed atomic-scale ordering, spatial symmetry-matching dictating interfacial epitaxy, electrochemical barriers steering growth pathways, and operando field tailoring. By resolving competitive conflicts among strategies through multi-source synergy, constructing quantitative phase diagrams with critical parameters to enable predictive design under extreme conditions, and performing comprehensive techno-economic analyses across varying strategies, we offer a predictive blueprint for designing (002) Zn-dominant anodes under realistic conditions.