The current boom of safe and renewable energy storage systems is driving the recent renaissance of Zn‐ion batteries. However, the notorious tip‐induced dendrite growth on the Zn anode restricts their further application. Herein, the first demonstration of constructing a flexible 3D carbon nanotube (CNT) framework as a Zn plating/stripping scaffold is constituted to achieve a dendrite‐free robust Zn anode. Compared with the pristine deposited Zn electrode, the as‐fabricated Zn/CNT anode affords lower Zn nucleation overpotential and more homogeneously distributed electric field, thus being more favorable for highly reversible Zn plating/stripping with satisfactory Coulombic efficiency rather than the formation of Zn dendrites or other byproducts. As a consequence, a highly flexible symmetric cell based on the Zn/CNT anode presents appreciably low voltage hysteresis (27 mV) and superior cycling stability (200 h) with dendrite‐free morphology at 2 mA cm−2, accompanied by a high depth of discharge (DOD) of 28%. Such distinct performance overmatches most of recently reported Zn‐based anodes. Additionally, this efficient rechargeability of the Zn/CNT anode also enables a substantially stable Zn//MnO2 battery with 88.7% capacity retention after 1000 cycles and remarkable mechanical flexibility.

Large-area manganese oxide nanorod arrays (MONRAs) and herringbones (MOHBs) were successfully synthesized on F-doped SnO 2 coated glass (FTO) substrates by a simple electrochemical method. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements demonstrated that the MONRAs and MOHBs exhibited excellent specific capacitance and good cycling stability in 0.5 M Na 2 SO 4 aqueous solution. For example, the specific capacitance of the MONRAs achieves as high as 660.7 F g À1 at a scan rate of 10 mV s À1 and 485.2 F g À1 at a current density of 3 A g À1 , respectively. Furthermore, the presented method may be extended to allow similar MONRs with a specific capacitance of 583.6 F g À1 to grow on flexible Ti foil, which may have great potential application in fabricating flexible supercapacitors.

Free-standing CeO(2) nanorods with different morphology grew directly on Ti substrates via an electrochemical assembly process, and their absorption edges show a remarkable red-shift to the visible region. Moreover, photoelectrochemical cell (PEC) measurements demonstrate these CeO(2) nanorods exhibit a photovoltaic response under visible light illumination (λ≥ 390 nm).

Carbon composites with embedded metal/metal oxides represent a group of versatile electrochemical catalysts that has attracted extensive research attention. However, the beauty of this concept is marred by the severe carbon evaporation and the aggregation of metal species during their synthetic process, leading to the diminishment in active sites and catalytic durability. To address this issue, this study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing Al2O3 nanolayer to trap volatile carbon and nitrogen species and alleviate the aggregation of Co species during the pyrolysis of the Zn/Co‐ZIFs (ZIF = zeolitic imidazolate framework). With the confinement effect of an Al2O3 nanolayer, the derived Co3O4‐embedded N‐doped porous carbon grown on carbon cloth presents outstanding bifunctional catalytic activity with a small potential difference of 787 mV between the half‐wave potential of the oxygen reduction reaction and an overpotential at 10 mA cm−2 of the oxygen evolution reaction. More impressively, an advanced flexible rechargeable zinc–air battery in all‐solid‐state configuration is assembled, which achieves the maximum power density of 72.4 mW cm−3 and good cycling stability. The insights produced in this work will provide guidance for the rational design of metal/carbon hybrid catalysts and low‐cost renewable energy systems.

A facile solvothermal reduction strategy is demonstrated to introduce oxygen defects into ultrathin Co3O4 nanosheets (R–Co3O4), which function as an advanced cathode for Zn//Co batteries.