Aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries (AZBs) are widely considered as a promising candidate for next‐generation energy storage owing to their excellent safety features. However, the application of a Zn anode is hindered by severe dendrite formation and side reactions. Herein, an interfacial bridged organic–inorganic hybrid protection layer (Nafion‐Zn‐X) is developed by complexing inorganic Zn‐X zeolite nanoparticles with Nafion, which shifts ion transport from channel transport in Nafion to a hopping mechanism in the organic–inorganic interface. This unique organic–inorganic structure is found to effectively suppress dendrite growth and side reactions of the Zn anode. Consequently, the Zn@Nafion‐Zn‐X composite anode delivers high coulombic efficiency (ca. 97 %), deep Zn plating/stripping (10 mAh cm−2), and long cycle life (over 10 000 cycles). By tackling the intrinsic chemical/electrochemical issues, the proposed strategy provides a versatile remedy for the limited cycle life of the Zn anode.

The lithium–sulfur (Li–S) battery is considered a promising candidate for the next generation of energy storage system due to its high specific energy density and low cost of raw materials. However, the practical application of Li–S batteries is severely limited by several weaknesses such as the shuttle effect of polysulfides and the insulation of the electrochemical products of sulfur and Li2S/Li2S2. Here, by doping nitrogen and integrating highly dispersed cobalt catalysts, a porous carbon nanocage derived from glucose adsorbed metal–organic framework is developed as the host for a sulfur cathode. This host structure combines the reported positive effects, including high conductivity, high sulfur loading, effective stress release, fast lithium‐ion kinetics, fast interface charge transport, fast redox of Li2Sn, and strong physical/chemical absorption, achieving a long cycle life (86% of capacity retention at 1C within 500 cycles) and high rate performance (600 mAh g−1 at 5C) for a Li–S battery. By combining experiments and density functional theoretical calculations, it is demonstrated that the well‐dispersed cobalt clusters play an important role in greatly improving the diffusion dynamics of lithium, and enhance the absorption and conversion capability of polysulfides in the host structure.

Flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) can be seamlessly integrated into flexible devices, such as flexible displays, wearable devices, and smart cards, to provide power for steady operation under mechanical deformation. An ideal flexible battery should have high flexibility, high energy density, and high power density simultaneously, which are often in conflict with each other. In this Perspective, we analyze the flexible batteries based on structural designs from both the component level and device level. Recent progress in flexible LIBs, including advances in porous structures for battery components, superslim designs, topological architectures, and battery structures with decoupling concepts, is reviewed. In the end, perspectives on the future of flexible batteries are presented and discussed.