This tutorial review presents an introduction to the fundamentals, challenges, recent advances and prospects of rechargeable zinc-ion batteries.

The hydrophobic internal cavity and hydrophilic external surface of cyclodextrins (CDs) render promising electrochemical applications. Here, we report a comparative and mechanistic study on the use of CD molecules (α-, β-, and γ-CD) as electrolyte additives for rechargeable Zn batteries. The addition of α-CD in aqueous ZnSO 4 solution reduces nucleation overpotential and activation energy of Zn plating and suppresses H 2 generation. Computational, spectroscopic, and electrochemical studies reveal that α-CD preferentially adsorbs in parallel on the Zn surface via secondary hydroxyl groups, suppressing water-induced side reactions of hydrogen evolution and hydroxide sulfate formation. Additionally, the hydrophilic exterior surface of α-CD with intense electron density simultaneously facilitates Zn 2+ deposition and alleviates Zn dendrite formation. A formulated 3 M ZnSO 4 + 10 mM α-CD electrolyte enables homogenous Zn plating/stripping (average Coulombic efficiency ∼ 99.90%) at 1 mA cm −2 in Zn|Cu cells and a considerable capacity retention of 84.20% after 800 cycles in Zn|V 2 O 5 full batteries. This study provides insight into the use of supramolecular macrocycles to modulate and enhance the interface stability and kinetics of metallic anodes for aqueous battery chemistry.

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This minireview looks at recent electrodeposition strategies for metal (hydro)oxide design and water oxidation applications, unveiling the unique properties and underlying principles of electrodeposited metal (hydro)oxides in the OER.