Metals Advances ›› 2026, Vol. 44: 44-52.DOI: 10.1016/j.metadv.2026.02.032

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Solvation structure regulation via combined H2O-polar molecule and H2O-anion interactions toward stable zinc metal electrodes in aqueous batteries

Hui Tanga,b, Zheng Qianb,c, Deyu Wangd, Huilin Pane, Ping Cuia,b, Zhenlian Chend,*(), Xiayin Yaob,c,**(), Zhe Pengb,c,d,**()   

  1. a School of Physical Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
    b Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China
    c Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    d Key Laboratory of Flexible Optoelectronic Materials and Technology, Ministry of Education, Jianghan University, Wuhan 430056, China
    e Department of Chemistry, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
  • Received:2025-10-14 Revised:2025-11-26 Accepted:2025-11-30 Online:2026-06-10 Published:2026-02-18
  • Contact: * E-mail addresses: zhenlianchen@jhun.edu.cn (Z. Chen).
    ** Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China. E-mail addresses: yaoxy@nimte.ac.cn (X. Yao), pengzhe@jhun.edu.cn (Z. Peng).

Abstract:

Aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries (AZBs) possessing low cost and high safety offer a prominent solution for large-scale energy storage. However, the application of AZBs is still plagued by the corrosion of Zn electrode due to hydrogen evolution reactions (HERs) in aqueous electrolytes. Herein, the combination of H2O-polar molecule and H2O-anion interactions is proposed as an efficient approach to alter the solvation structure of aqueous electrolyte for stable AZBs. Using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) with a high polarity as a model molecule, its interaction with H2O can weaken the Zn2+-H2O interaction in Zn2+ solvation sheath, thereby suppressing HERs while at the expense of Zn2+ mobility. By fixing the DMSO content at a compromising value to balance the Zn2+ transport and HER suppression, a supplementary H2O-anion interaction is further experienced in the solvation structure by using bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide anion (FSI), where the interaction between FSI and the bipolar H2O molecules enables additional force to reduce the H2O number of the Zn2+ solvation sheath. Based on the combined H2O-DMSO and H2O-FSI interactions, the HERs and Zn corrosions are significantly suppressed for stable AZBs.

Key words: Aqueous Zn battery, Zn metal electrode, Solvation structure, Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), Anions