Aqueous zinc metal batteries are noted for their cost-effectiveness, safety and environmental friendliness. However, the water-induced notorious issues such as continuous electrolyte decomposition and uneven Zn electrochemical deposition remarkably restrict the development of the long-life zinc metal batteries. In this study, zwitterionic sulfobetaine is introduced to copolymerize with acrylamide in zinc perchlorate (Zn(ClO4)2) solution. The designed gel framework with hydrophilic and charged groups can firmly anchor water molecules and construct ion migration channels to accelerate ion transport. The in situ generated hybrid interface, which is composed of the organic functionalized outer layer and inorganic Cl− containing inner layer, can synergically lower the mass transfer overpotential, reduce water-related side reactions and lead to uniform Zn deposition. Such a novel electrolyte configuration enables Zn//Zn cells with an ultra-long cycling life of over 3000 h and a low polarization potential (~ 0.03 V) and Zn//Cu cells with high Coulombic efficiency of 99.18% for 1000 cycles. Full cells matched with MnO2 cathodes delivered laudable cycling stability and impressive shelving ability. Besides, the flexible quasi-solid-state batteries which are equipped with the anti-vandalism ability (such as cutting, hammering and soaking) can successfully power the LED simultaneously. Such a safe, processable and durable hydrogel promises significant application potential for long-life flexible electronic devices.

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Silicon oxycarbide (SiOC) is considered as a potential anode material in lithium-ion batteries because of its high theoretical capacity and good structural stability. Despite many such assets, its low electronic conductivity causes poor rate capability and rapid attenuation of capacity. Herein, we report the fabrication of cowpea-like N-doped carbon nanofiber-encapsulated SiOC spheres (SiOC/C NFs) in which the Si−N bridging is introduced into SiOC. Our method not only demonstrates an improved electronic conductivity and a shortened ionic diffusion distance but also prevents agglomeration by avoiding direct contact with the electrolyte. As anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, this SiOC/C NF material delivers a high reversible capacity (707 mA h g −1 at 0.1 A g −1 after 100 cycles), a good rate performance (468 mA h g −1 at 1.6 A g −1 ), and an excellent cycling stability (570 mA h g −1 at 0.4 A g −1 after 800 cycles). Moreover, the full cell of LiFePO 4 // SiOC/C NFs exhibits excellent electrochemical properties, which demonstrates its prospect of great potential as an anode material for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.