Nonepitaxial Electrodeposition of (002)-Textured Zn Anode on Textureless Substrates for Dendrite-Free and Hydrogen Evolution-Suppressed Zn Batteries

Nontoxic and safe aqueous Zn batteries are largely restricted by the detrimental dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution of Zn metal anode. The (002)-textured Zn electrodeposition, demonstrated as an effective approach for solving these issues, is nevertheless achieved mainly by epitaxial or hetero-epitaxial deposition of Zn on pre-textured substrates. Herein, the electrodeposition of (002)-textured and compact Zn on textureless substrates (commercial Zn, Cu, and Ti foils) at a medium-high galvanostatic current density is reported. According to the systematic investigations on Zn nucleation and growth behaviors, this is ascribed to two reasons: i) the promoted nonepitaxial nucleation of fine horizontal (002) nuclei at increased overpotential and ii) the competitive growth advantages of (002)-orientated nuclei. The resulting freestanding (002)-textured Zn film exhibits significantly suppressed hydrogen evolution and prolonged Zn plating–stripping cycling life, achieving over 2100 mAh cm −2 cumulative capacity under a current density of 10 mA cm −2 and a high depth of discharge (DOD) of 45.5%. Therefore, this study provides both fundamental and practical insights into long-life Zn metal batteries.