Chelation and Interfacial Engineering for Long-Term Cycling and Self-Healing Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for grid-scale energy storage but suffer from Zn anode instability caused by dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, and corrosion. In this work, L-carnosine (L-C), a natural dipeptide, is introduced as an electrolyte additive to address these challenges, due to its dual ion-chelating and Zn-adsorbing capabilities. It is demonstrated that L-C can regulate Zn 2+ solvation structures by displacing water molecules via strong coordination bonds. Simultaneously, L-C can preferentially adsorb on Zn surfaces, guiding uniform Zn deposition along the (101) plane and forming a dynamic protective layer that dynamically repairs interfacial defects. This self-healing capability enables short-circuited Zn anodes to recover stable cycling for over 2000 h, while pre-scratched surfaces are fully restored during cycling. These synergistic mechanisms enable Zn||Zn symmetric cells to achieve exceptional cycling stability (>5400 h at 1 mA cm −2 , 1 mAh cm −2 ) and high-rate durability (>1100 h at 5 mA cm −2 , 5 mAh cm −2 ). Full cells, paired with NH 4 V 4 O 10 (NHVO) cathodes, retain 82.26% capacity after 2000 cycles at 5 A g −1 , highlighting practical viability. The bioinspired solvation-interfacial dual-regulation strategy provides a universal approach for designing eco-friendly, high-performance AZIBs.