Sulfonate‐Functionalized Boron Nitride Interfacial Layers for Long‐Life Zinc Metal Anodes

The interfacial instability of metallic Zn associated with nonuniform Zn 2 + transport, dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, and corrosion, limits the durability of aqueous zinc‐ion batteries. In this study, a sulfonate‐bearing artificial interphase was constructed by mixing boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) with sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS), followed by scalable spray coating of the suspension onto Zn. The insulating BNNS framework afforded mechanical protection. The negatively charged sulfonate groups improved nanosheet dispersion and Zn 2+ affinity, and regulated interfacial Zn 2+ transport. An SDBS–BNNS@Zn electrode exhibited a lower Zn nucleation overpotential (24.67 mV) and interfacial activation energy (8.31 kJ mol −1 ) compared to BNNS@Zn (25.99 mV and 15.52 kJ mol −1 , respectively). Consequently, symmetric Zn cells exhibited stable plating/stripping for 1100 h at both 0.5 mA cm −2 /0.5 mAh cm −2 and 1 mA cm −2 /1 mAh cm −2 . Ex situ scanning electron microscopy after 1000 h revealed compact, plate‐like Zn deposits, and electrochemical measurements confirmed that hydrogen evolution and corrosion were suppressed. Zn||vanadium oxide full cells exhibited improved capacity, better interfacial kinetics, cycling stability, and an enhanced rate capability. This study presents a simple strategy for conversion of inert BNNSs to ion‐regulating interphases for durable Zn metal anodes.