Realizing Long-life Zn Anode by Few-layer Graphene Ion-oriented Interface

Abstract Inspired by the nanostructured graphene-based membranes for ionic sieving, an ion-oriented interface of few-layer graphene (FLG) was rationally constructed to achieve long-life zinc (Zn) metal anode. The ion-oriented interface increased the nucleation sites and inhibited localized dendrite growth, which aided the uniform transmission of Zn ions. Moreover, the fewer oxygen-containing functional groups on the FLG surface demonstrated a lower energy barrier of ion transport and a stronger Zn ion-regulating function. The FLG@Zn anode exhibited a much larger capacity with significant stability in the cycling behavior against MnO2 cathode compared to the pristine Zn anode. Specifically, a nearly 97% capacity retention was achieved for FLG@Zn/MnO2 battery after 5000 cycles at 10 A·g–1. Our work provides a novel approach to the fabrication of high-performance Zn anode for ultra-stable aqueous batteries.