Insights and prospects on the surface modification of zn metal anodes for aqueous rechargeable Zn-ion batteries

Due to their abundance of inexpensive features, environmental sustainability, high security, and high capacity, aqueous rechargeable Zn-ion batteries (ARZIBs) leveraging Zn metal anodes exhibit promising application prospects in large-scale energy storage and have attracted significant attention over the past few years. However, the kinetic inhomogeneity of Zn deposition and thermodynamic instability of Zn metal anodes in aqueous electrolytes lead to persistent challenges, including Zn dendritic growth, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and surface passivation, which critically compromise the electrochemical performance and service life of ARZIBs. Given the strong correlation between these challenges and the surface physicochemical properties of Zn anodes, surface modification strategies have emerged as an effective solution to address these issues, leading to significantly improved electrochemical performance and extended service life in ARZIBs. First, this review establishes a systematic framework of these surface modification strategies and their underlying interrelationships. Second, it also discussed both the advantages and limitations of surface modification techniques, focusing particularly on approaches suitable for large-scale preparation. Furthermore, both the recent advances and related objective comments on the surface modification of Zn anodes are comprehensively reviewed. Finally, this review also highlights emerging research directions and future prospects in Zn metal anode surface modification, projected to drive further advancements in this field. This review offers a novel perspective for the design and fabrication of high-performance Zn metal anodes, thereby advancing the practical application and commercialization of ARZIBs.