journal article·2026-05

Interface Engineering of Zinc Anodes for Zinc‐Based Flow Batteries

Yin Xiao, Jin‐Rong Wang, Sheng‐Jia Dai, Hong‐Zhou Wu, Zhuo Liu, Ling‐Hao Li, Xian‐Xiang Zeng, Xiong‐Wei Wu, Wei Ling, Shun‐Qiong Jiang

Batteries & Supercaps· Volume 9· Issue 5
Publisher page

Abstract

Zinc‐based flow batteries (ZFBs) have demonstrated significant potential for large‐scale energy storage owing to their low cost, high safety, and environmental friendliness. However, there still exist two major challenges about ZFBs: (i) the limited energy density resulting from the low solubility of active ions and (ii) dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), corrosion, and passivation of the zinc metal anode during long‐term cycling, which severely constrain the battery's cycle life and areal capacity (typically below 80 mAh cm −2 ). Fundamentally, these challenges are closely tied to the interfacial properties of the zinc electrode. Therefore, interface engineering has become crucial for enhancing the performance of zinc anodes. This review systematically summarizes recent advanced strategies developed to stabilize the zinc anode interface, encompassing electrode modification (e.g., constructing three‐dimensional hosts, introducing zincophilic coatings, and nanomaterial functionalization), electrolyte optimization (e.g., incorporating functional additives to tailor solvation structures, interfacial adsorption, and pH adjusting), and separator modification (e.g., membrane designs for physical blocking, ion flux homogenization, chemical stabilization, and ion‐selective sieving). The aim is to synergistically induce uniform zinc deposition, suppress side reactions, and stabilize interfacial properties. Ultimately, this review delineates future research directions for high‐performance ZFBs, with the aim of promoting the large‐scale practical application.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced battery technologies research · Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion · Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

School of Chemistry and Materials Science Hunan Agricultural University Changsha P.R. China

College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering National & Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for New Petro‐chemical Materials and Fine Utilization of Resources Hunan Normal University Changsha P.R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China

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