Thermal-Induced Loose Solute Configuration Activates Organic Electrolyte for Zinc Metal Battery

Zinc metal batteries face issues of low coulombic efficiency and persistent side reactions due to the active H 2 O in aqueous electrolytes. Organic electrolytes that can reduce side reactions and coulombic efficiency loss still suffer from sluggish Zn 2+ transfer and difficult desolvation. We propose a thermal-induced loose solute configuration to activate rapid Zn 2+ transfer in “Zn(OTf) 2 + ACN” pure organic electrolyte. Zn metal batteries with the pure organic electrolyte realize stable and long-term cycling for over 5500 h at 5 mA cm −2 and 10 mAh cm −2 . Moreover, a practical parameter of cumulative capacity reaches 7.5 Ah cm −2 at DOD > 90%. As an application demonstration, the pouch cells assembled with our organic electrolyte can be photo-charged by illumination and drive LEDs or other portable electronics in daily life. The organic electrolyte activated by thermal-induced loose solute configuration demonstrates long-cycle lifespan and application potential, offering a new choice for electrolytes in Zn metal batteries.