Long-life and highly stable Zn metal anodes achieved by Ag nano-coating via electron beam evaporation

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) offer advantages such as high specific capacity, affordability, and minimal assembly environment requirements, positioning them as a promising candidate for next-generation energy storage system. However, the performance of the AZIBs is greatly influenced by dendrite formation and side reactions occurring on the surface of the zinc metal anode. In this study, a high-stability Zn@Ag anode material was prepared using electron beam evaporation. The presence of Ag coating lowers the nucleation overpotential for Zn and encourages its preferential growth on the (002) crystal face, thereby inhibiting dendrite formation. The Zn@Ag symmetric battery exhibits outstanding performance in Zn deposition and stripping, achieving 2070 h at a current density of 1 mA cm −2 /1 mAh cm −2 . Additionally, it shows stable cycling for 1580 h even at a higher current of 5 mA cm −2 . Furthermore, the enhanced corrosion resistance and inhibition of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in Zn@Ag compared to bare Zn contribute to its superior stability. The full battery Zn@Ag||MnO 2 exhibits higher capacity and superior long-term cycling performance than Zn||MnO 2 . This approach offers a potential solution for optimizing design of Zn anodes in AZIBs.