Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) suffer from sharp
cycling deterioration
due to serious interfacial side reactions and corrosion problems on
the zinc anode. Herein, an efficacious approach to construct hydrophobic
ZnMoO4 coatings on Zn (denoted as Zn@ZMO) is proposed to
mitigate direct contact between the zinc anode and electrolyte and
enhance its cycle life. The hydrophobic ZnMoO4 layer (contact
angle = 128°) with a honeycomb-like structure is prepared by
an in situ liquid phase deposition method. The as-prepared ZnMoO4 coating exhibits persistent corrosion protection for Zn through
30 days of immersion in a 2 M ZnSO4 electrolyte, indicating
excellent stability of the ZnMoO4 layer and ensuring its
available application in AZIBs. Unique microchannels in this kind
of honeycomb-like structured coating favor Zn2+ ion diffusion
and ease of ion transport, especially at high current cycling. Its
robust surface exclusion can effectively counter other side reactions
induced by water, simultaneously. As a result, the Zn@ZMO symmetrical
cell shows a remarkable cycle lifespan exceeding 2700 h at 1 mA cm–2/1 mA h cm–2, surpassing that of
the bare zinc cell by more than 100 folds. At a current density of
5 A g–1, the Zn@ZMO//V2O5 cell
can still achieve a specific capacity of 167.0 mA h g–1 after 500 cycles with a capacity retention rate of 88%, which demonstrates
its long-term cycling stability.