Aqueous zinc (Zn) metal battery is regarded as a promising candidate with low cost and high safety for energy storage systems at large scales. However, the destabilized Zn transport at the reaction interface severely restricts the lifespan of zinc anode, and the strategies suitable for large-scale integration of the anode’s protection layer are required. Herein, an independent protective layer of Cu@CuO nanowire arrays is proposed to stabilize zinc anode with comprehensive regulation of Zn transport. Through wet-chemical etching, the nanowire structure with a geometric area of 250 cm can be synthesized in one pot. From experimental analysis and simulation results, such a layer not only homogenizes the distribution of interfacial electric field, but also enhances Zn transfer kinetics with improved ionic conductivity and increased transference number. Meanwhile, the activity of hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is decreased due to the integration of this unique layer. As a result, the protected zinc anode can be stably operated at 2 mA cm/2 mAh cm, and the stable current density can further increase to 10 mA cm. Furthermore, the protective layer is featured with superior hydrophilicity, and can be feasibly utilized for large-area pouch cells, revealing the scalability and effectiveness in practical devices. This work proposes a facile protection strategy for zinc anode from the perspective of optimizing Zn transport by large-scale integration of superior ion transport layer, showing great potential in high-performance zinc metal anode.

中文翻译：

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通过大规模集成优质离子传输层实现高性能锌金属阳极


水系锌（Zn）金属电池被认为是大规模储能系统的低成本和高安全性的有前途的候选者。然而，反应界面不稳定的锌传输严重限制了锌阳极的寿命，需要适合大规模集成阳极保护层的策略。在此，提出了 Cu@CuO 纳米线阵列的独立保护层来稳定锌阳极，并全面调节锌的传输。通过湿法化学刻蚀，可以一锅合成几何面积为250cm2的纳米线结构。从实验分析和模拟结果来看，这样的层不仅使界面电场分布均匀，而且通过提高离子电导率和增加转移数来增强锌转移动力学。同时，由于该独特层的整合，析氢反应（HER）的活性降低。结果，受保护的锌阳极可以在2 mA cm/2 mAh cm下稳定工作，并且稳定电流密度可以进一步提高到10 mA cm。此外，该保护层具有优异的亲水性，可切实用于大面积的软包电池，在实际设备中展现出可扩展性和有效性。这项工作从通过大规模集成优质离子传输层来优化锌传输的角度提出了一种简便的锌阳极保护策略，在高性能锌金属阳极中显示出巨大的潜力。