Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Abstract Designing water‐deficient solvation sheath of Zn 2+ by ligand substitution is a widely used strategy to protect Zn metal anode, yet the intrinsic tradeoff between Zn nucleation/dissolution kinetics and the side hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) remains a huge challenge. Herein, we find boric acid (BA) with moderate ligand field interaction can partially replace H 2 O molecules in the solvation sheath of Zn 2+ , forming a stable water‐deficient solvation sheath. It enables fast Zn nucleation/dissolution kinetics and substantially suppressed HER. Crucially, by systematically comparing the ligand field strength and solvation energies between BA and the ever‐reported electrolyte additives, we also find that the solvation energy has a strong correlation with Zn nucleation/dissolution kinetics and HER inhibition ability, displaying a classic volcano behavior. The modulation map could provide valuable insights for solvation sheath design of zinc batteries and beyond.
Liu et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: