future is not such bright. Therefore, the drawbacks of these organic-based batteries systems motivate us to explore the alternative battery with low-cost, high safety, and long-cycle-life. [20][21][22][23] Compared to nonaqueous batteries, aqueous batteries have the advantages of low cost, better safety, high ionic conductivity, easy processing, low manufacturing cost, etc., so that they are in a better position for large-scale energy storage applications. [24][25][26][27][28] Among them, the aqueous ZIBs have attracted tremendous attention due to their distinct advantages, that is, high gravimetric and volumetric capacity (820 mAh g −1 , 5855 mAh cm −3 ) offered by Zn metal, low redox potential of zinc (−0.763 V vs a standard hydrogen electrode), good stability of zinc metal in water compared to the extremely active lithium, sodium and potassium metals, as well as its highlighted low cost and natural abundance. [3,[29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] Nevertheless, aqueous ZIBs still face several challenges that hinder their wider utilization: i) the dissolution of cathode materials and obstacles of intercalating into the host materials; [29,30] ii) the irreversible Zn stripping/plating process caused by formation of Zn dendrites and corrosion on the anode; [31,34,35,37,46] iii) the narrow electrochemical window in aqueous electrolyte; [30,33,36] iv) sluggish transport and solvation/desolvation of Zn 2+ . [15,36] All of them impact the capacity, life cycle, and rate property of aqueous ZIBs.Aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) are regarded as one of the most ideally suited candidates for large-scale energy storage applications owning to their obvious advantages, that is, low cost, high safety, high ionic conductivity, abundant raw material resources, and eco-friendliness. Much effort has been devoted to the exploration of cathode materials design, cathode storage mechanisms, anode protection as well as failure mechanisms, while inadequate attentions are paid on the performance enhancement through modifying the electrolyte salts and additives. Herein, to fulfill a comprehensive aqueous ZIBs research database, a range of recently published electrolyte salts and additives research is reviewed and discussed. Furthermore, the remaining challenges and future directions of electrolytes in aqueous ZIBs are also suggested, which can provide insights to push ZIBs' commercialization.The ORCID identification number(s) for the author(s) of this article can be found under https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202104640.

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Owing to the sustainability, environmental friendliness, and structural diversity of biomass-derived materials, extensive efforts have been devoted to using them in high-energy rechargeable batteries. Alkali-metal–selenium batteries, one of the high-energy rechargeable batteries with a reasonable cost compared to up-to-date lithium-ion batteries, have also attracted significant attention. Therefore, a timely and comprehensive review of the biomass carbon structures/components to the mechanisms for enhancing alkali-metal–selenium batteries has been systematically introduced. In the end, advantages, challenges, and outlooks are pointed out for the future development of biomass-derived carbon materials in alkali-metal–selenium batteries. This review could help researchers think about using biomass carbon materials to improve battery performance and what other problems should be solved, thereby promoting the application of biomass materials in battery design.

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