Glutaric Acid-Mediated Selective Etching: Constructing (002)-Dominant and Passivation-Free Zn Anodes for Ultra-Stable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) suffer from poor Zn anode stability in aqueous electrolytes, arising from disordered Zn deposition and parasitic reactions. While artificial solid electrolyte interfaces mitigate these issues, their fabrication is complex and time-consuming. In this study, an ultrafast chemical solution reaction and selective etching are designed to in situ exfoliate a highly durable (002) plane-exposed GA@Zn layer across the non-uniform topography of the primary zinc substrate, effectively addressing these problems. Theoretical calculations combined with the experimental characterization show that a specific (002)-dominant GA@Zn layer, as a multifunctional structure, mitigates the electrodeposition "tip effect" and suppresses dendrite formation. Moreover, the surface polarization field regulates interfacial electric field distribution, guiding uniform Zn2+ diffusion and deposition, while preventing water-Zn direct contact, increasing hydrogen evolution overpotential, and eliminating side reactions. Consequently, the 4%GA@Zn symmetric cell maintains stable cycling for more than 4200 h at 2 mA cm-2, and the Znǁσ-MnO2 full battery keeps an 80% capacity retention rate after 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1. The present investigation offers a straightforward method for developing high-stability Zn anodes for advanced AZIBs.