Multicomponent Quasi-Solid Electrolyte with an Electrospun Fibrous Scaffold for Stable Zn Plating/Stripping

Aqueous Zn metal batteries offer promising opportunities for safe and cost-effective energy storage, but nonuniform Zn deposition and unstable electrode/electrolyte interfaces remain important challenges. Here, a multicomponent quasi-solid electrolyte (QSE) was constructed by integrating quaternized poly(vinylimidazole) (Q-PVI), a hydrogen-bond-active succinic acid–urea (SA–urea) component, and an electrospun poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) fibrous scaffold. The PVC-12 membrane was selected by balancing mechanical robustness and electrolyte wettability, providing an interconnected framework for accommodating the functional electrolyte phase. In Zn∥Zn symmetric cells, a representative QSE device completed 500 plating/stripping cycles over approximately 500 h at 0.5 mA cm −2 and 0.25 mAh cm −2 , while an additional independent cell operated for more than 400 cycles. Independent testing also revealed appreciable cell-to-cell variability. Two QSE cells completed stepwise-current cycling up to approximately 4.8 mA cm −2 with recoverable polarization upon returning to lower current densities. Under matched Zn-on-Cu deposition conditions, the QSE produced distinct surface morphologies and diffraction characteristics compared with the conventional ZnSO 4 electrolyte, demonstrating electrolyte-dependent Zn growth behavior. These findings establish an integrated electrolyte architecture combining ionic association, hydrogen-bond-rich molecular interactions, and fibrous structural confinement, providing a promising materials-design approach for regulating Zn deposition in aqueous quasi-solid systems.