Dynamic electrostatic shielding enables (101)-plane preferred deposition for durable aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Dynamic electrostatic shielding using amine/carboxyl-rich carbon quantum dots. • Negatively charged carboxyl groups homogenize Zn 2+ flux via long-range repulsion. • Amine groups anchor Zn 2+ , favoring dense (101)-oriented zinc deposition. • Ultra-long life (3700 h), high CE (99.9%), and 93.6% retention over 1500 cycles. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) suffer from dendrite growth and parasitic side reactions due to uneven interfacial ion flux and high water activity. Herein, we propose a dynamic electrostatic shielding strategy by employing amine/carboxyl-rich carbon quantum dots (FNCQDs) as a mild, low-resistance multifunctional electrolyte additive. Through integrated experimental and theoretical analyses, we reveal that negatively charged carboxyl groups (−COO − ) generate a long-range electrostatic repulsion field that homogenizes the Zn 2+ flux, while amine groups (−NH 2 ) serve as specific anchoring sites via Zn − N coordination to capture Zn 2+ and catalyze desolvation. In this optimized microenvironment, zinc deposition spontaneously favors the (101) crystal plane, enabling dense, low-polarization growth. The spatial steering and chemical trapping synergy is further reinforced by bulk electrolyte restructuring: FNCQDs modulate the solvation sheath and hydrogen-bond network, effectively suppressing water activity and parasitic reactions. Consequently, with FNCQDs-containing electrolyte, the Zn||Zn symmetric cell achieves an ultra-long cycle life exceeding 3700 h, the Zn//Cu half-cell delivers a high average coulombic efficiency of 99.9%, and the zinc utilization efficiency exceeds 95.6%. Moreover, the Zn//VO 2 full cell exhibits outstanding rate capability and a capacity retention of 93.6% over 1500 cycles at 5 A g −1 . This work establishes a dynamic electrostatic shielding paradigm for reversible metal anodes, paving a new avenue toward practical aqueous zinc-based energy storage systems. FNCQDs create dynamic electrostatic shielding: carboxyl repulsion homogenizes Zn 2+ flux, Zn − N coordination guides (101) deposition, enabling 3700 h life, 99.9% CE. Download: Download high-res image (107KB) Download: Download full-size image