Strategies towards the challenges of zinc metal anode in rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries

Abstract Rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) have manifested great potential as an alternative to traditional electrochemical energy-storage devices. However, challenges concerned with zinc metal anode, including zinc dendrite and side reactions, severely hinder the performance of rechargeable ZIBs. Therefore, a profound comprehension of these challenges is necessary for the exploration of high-performance zinc metal anodes. Instead of simply introducing the implementation methods to improve the performance of zinc metal anode, this review overviews and categorizes the strategies towards the challenges of zinc metal anode by their essential design principles from the perspective of electrochemical and chemical reaction. Besides, the prospects of zinc anode development are proposed as well. This contribution is intended to throw light upon a systematical understanding of the strategies and provide insights into the future development of highly reversible and stable zinc metal anode for ZIBs.