Spatiotemporally super-resolved dendrites nucleation and early-stage growth dynamics in Zinc-ion batteries

Safety and lifespan problems caused by the zinc dendrite formation continue to impede the application of zinc-based batteries. To address this severe issue, it is crucial to fully understand the nanoscale nucleation and early-stage dendrite growth process. However, the key dynamic process can hardly be resolved at the nanoscopic level under ambient working conditions with the current in situ/operando methods. Here, we develop a highly sensitive, super-resolution operando imaging approach for directly investigating the initial electroplating process in the zinc-air battery system. With this approach, millisecond/nanometer-resolution observation is achieved, providing nucleation rate, growth heterogeneity, and direction information at the single zinc nuclei level, and revealing nanoscopic details of early-stage dendrite growth. The spatiotemporally super-resolved observation elucidates that dynamic change in the local electrochemical environment is the key factor for the formation of the zinc dendrites. This novel straightforward approach can enable a deep understanding of the electrochemical interfacial issues and facilitate problem solving in diverse battery systems.