Citation: Zhuohua Li, Qizhen Zhu, Yanze Li, Yong Yang, Yuan Ju, Mengyao Xu, Bin Xu. Mesoporous carbon anchored with zincophilic nitrogen and oxygen sites as protective layer for enhanced stability of Zn anodes[J]. Chinese Chemical Letters, ;2026, 37(9): 111348. doi: 10.1016/j.cclet.2025.111348 shu

Mesoporous carbon anchored with zincophilic nitrogen and oxygen sites as protective layer for enhanced stability of Zn anodes

Zhuohua Li ^a ,
Qizhen Zhu ^{a, *,} ,
Yanze Li ^a ,
Yong Yang ^a ,
Yuan Ju ^a ,
Mengyao Xu ^a ,
Bin Xu ^{a, b, *,}

a.
State Key Laboratory of Organic-Inorganic Composites, Beijing Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Process and Technology for Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, China
b.
Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chemical Reaction Engineering, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan'an University, Yan'an 716000, China

zhuqz@mail.buct.edu.cn

xubin@mail.buct.edu.cn

Received Date: 16 April 2025
Revised Date: 14 May 2025
Accepted Date: 19 May 2025
Available Online: 19 May 2025

Figures(5)

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries are promising candidates for large-scale energy storage, but their practical application is hindered by the issues of Zn dendrite growth and side reactions. To address these challenges, a mesoporous carbon anchored with zincophilic nitrogen and oxygen sites (NOPC) is prepared by pyrolyzing NH₄Cl-incorporated ZIF-8 and constructed as a protective layer on Zn anode. In the NOPC layer, the zincophilic nitrogen and oxygen sites facilitate uniform Zn²⁺ nucleation, while the abundant mesopores homogenize Zn²⁺ flux, effectively enabling dendrite-free deposition. Moreover, the NOPC layer suppresses interfacial side reactions by isolating the Zn surface from active H₂O. Remarkably, the Zn anode protected by the NOPC layer achieves an ultralong cycle life exceeding 6000 h at 1 mA/cm² and 1 mAh/cm², and maintains a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.8% for 4600 cycles, indicating superior stability and reversibility. When paired with NaV₃O₈·1·5H₂O cathode, the full cell displays a capacity retention of 85.1% after 3000 cycles at 5 A/g. This study demonstrates that the engineering of zincophilic sites and meso-porosity in carbon-based protective layers represents an effective strategy for enhancing the performance of aqueous zinc-ion batteries.
- Mesoporous carbon,
- Nitrogen and oxygen sites,
- Protective layer,
- Zn anodes,
- Aqueous zinc-ion batteries
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