journal article·2025-10Open access

Stretchable, Adhesive, Anti‐Freezing Hydrogel Electrolytes with Dual‐Functional Water Regulation Enabled by Amide Group–Salt–Water Interactions for All‐Climate Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Yu Lin, Jing Huang, Sijun Wang, Luhe Qi, Weimin Chen, Le Yu, Chaoji Chen

Advanced Materials· Volume 37· Issue 41

Abstract

Abstract Aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising candidates for next‐generation energy storage due to their intrinsic safety and environmental compatibility. However, parasitic reactions induced by active water molecules in conventional aqueous electrolytes severely degrade electrochemical performance and cycling stability. Herein, a stretchable, adhesive, anti‐freezing hydrogel electrolyte with dual‐functional water regulation is synthesized via a one‐pot radical polymerization strategy, where acetate (Ac−) anions and hydrophilic amide (─CONH2) groups on polyacrylamide (PAM) chains synergistically regulate water activity. This design disrupts water's intrinsic hydrogen bond network and suppresses interfacial side reactions, enabling stable AZIBs operation across a wide temperature range (−20 to 100 °C). Consequently, Zn||Cu cells employing PAM‐Zn(Ac)2‐4KAc (denoted PAM‐ZnK4Ac) hydrogel electrolyte achieve an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.7% over 500 cycles, demonstrating outstanding reversibility. Meanwhile, Zn||polyaniline (PANI) cells retain 81.4% capacity after 1100 cycles at −20 °C and operate effectively up to 100 °C. This work establishes a facile yet effective strategy for preparing hydrogel electrolytes, advancing all‐climate AZIBs toward extreme‐environment energy storage and flexible electronics.
Source: crossref · Quality: baseline

Research context

OpenAlex topics: Advanced battery technologies research · Advanced Battery Materials and Technologies · Supercapacitor Materials and Fabrication

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

Affiliations

Hubei Biomass‐Resource Chemistry and Environmental Biotechnology Key Laboratory Hubei provincial Engineering Research Center of Emerging Functional Coating Materials School of Resource and Environmental Sciences Wuhan University Wuhan 430079 P. R. China

Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Process of Ministry of Education Hubei Key Laboratory for Novel Reactor and Green Chemistry Technology School of Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy Wuhan Institute of Technology Wuhan 430205 P. R. China

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China · Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

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