Work

Dynamic Hydrophobic Liquid Interphase Engineering: A New Paradigm for Advanced Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT The narrow electrochemical stability window of water, together with the interfacial instability at the Zn and electrolyte interface, continues to pose key barriers to the practical development of high‐energy aqueous zinc batteries. In a recent advance, Li et al. reported a hydrophobic liquid electrolyte interphase strategy enabled by low‐concentration, electrode‐philic ether additives in a conventional aqueous Zn(OTf) 2 electrolyte. The optimized additive, 1,2‐diethoxyethane, spontaneously assembles at electrode surfaces, creating a dynamic liquid interphase that selectively repels water while maintaining fast ion transport. Such an interfacial environment effectively mitigates hydrogen evolution and suppresses dendritic zinc growth. Meanwhile, the electrochemical stability window of the electrolyte is significantly expanded to 3.08 V, without sacrificing bulk ionic conductivity. In practical Zn||NaV 3 O 8 full cells, the optimized electrolyte enables stable cycling for over 500 cycles with high Coulombic efficiency (99.95%) and 80% capacity retention. This work highlights a molecular‐level interfacial design strategy that extends conventional interphase engineering toward adaptive, dynamic liquid interphases, offering new insights into advanced aqueous metal batteries.

Source: EcoEnergy

DOI: 10.1002/ece2.70131

Authors: Shuang Hao, Liang Peng, Yannan Li, Yan Zhao

Institutions: Inner Mongolia University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced battery technologies research

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China