Aqueous zinc-ion batteries have drawn increasing attention due to the intrinsic safety, costeffectiveness and high energy density. However, parasitic reactions and non-uniform dendrite growth on the Zn anode side impede their application. Herein, a multifunctional additive, ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NHP), is introduced to regulate uniform zinc deposition and to suppress side reactions. The results show that the NH 4 + tends to be preferably absorbed on the Zn surface to form a "shielding effect" and blocks the direct contact of water with Zn. Moreover, NH 4 + and (H 2 PO 4 ) À jointly maintain pH values of the electrode-electrolyte interface. Consequently, the NHP additive enables highly reversible Zn plating/stripping behaviors in Zn//Zn and Zn//Cu cells. Furthermore, the electrochemical performances of Zn//MnO 2 full cells and Zn//active carbon (AC) capacitors are improved. This work provides an efficient and general strategy for modifying Zn plating/stripping behaviors and suppressing side reactions in mild aqueous electrolyte.

The use of artificial cells has attracted considerable attention in various fields from biotechnology to medicine. Here, we develop a cell-sized vesicle-in-vesicle (VIV) structure containing a separate inner vesicle (IV) that can be loaded with DNA. We use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to successfully amplify the amount of DNA confined to the IV. Subsequent osmotic stress-induced fission of a mother VIV into two daughter VIVs successfully divides the IV content while keeping it confined to the IV of the daughter VIVs. The fission rate was estimated to be ∼20% quantified by fluorescence microscope. Our VIV structure represents a step forward toward construction of an advanced, fissionable cell model.

Hybrid capacitors exhibit promise to bridge the gap between rechargeable high-energy density batteries and high-power density supercapacitors. This separation is due to sluggish ion/electron diffusion and inferior structural stability of battery-type materials. Here, a topochemistry-driven method for constructing expanded 2D rhenium selenide intercalated by nitrogen-doped carbon hybrid (E-ReSe 2 @INC) with a strong-coupled interface and weak van der Waals forces, is proposed. X-ray absorption spectroscopy analysis dynamically tracks the transformation from ReO into ReC bonds. The bridging bonds act as electron transport channels to enable improved conductivity and accelerated reaction kinetics. The expanded interlayer-spacing of ReSe 2 layer by INC facilitates ion diffusion and ensures structural stability. As expected, the E-ReSe 2 @INC achieves an improved rate capability (252.5 mAh g −1 at 20 A g −1 ) and long-term cyclability (89.6% over 3500 cycles). Moreover, theoretical simulations reveal the favorable Na + storage kinetics can be ascribed to its low bonding energy of −0.06 eV and diffusion barrier of 0.08 eV for sodium ions. Additionally, it is demonstrated that 3D printed sodium-ion hybrid capacitors deliver high energies/power densities of 81.4 Wh kg −1 /0.32 mWh cm −2 and 9992.1 W kg −1 /38.76 mW cm −2 , as well as applicability in a wide temperature range.

Routine electrolyte additives are not effective enough for uniform zinc (Zn) deposition, because they are hard to proactively guide atomic-level Zn deposition. Here, based on underpotential deposition (UPD), we propose an "escort effect" of electrolyte additives for uniform Zn deposition at the atomic level. With nickel ion (Ni 2 + ) additives, we found that metallic Ni deposits preferentially and triggers the UPD of Zn on Ni. This facilitates firm nucleation and uniform growth of Zn while suppressing side reactions. Besides, Ni dissolves back into the electrolyte after Zn stripping with no influence on interfacial charge transfer resistance. Consequently, the optimized cell operates for over 900 h at 1 mA cm À 2 (more than 4 times longer than the blank one). Moreover, the universality of "escort effect" is identified by using Cr 3 + and Co 2 + additives. This work would inspire a wide range of atomic-level principles by controlling interfacial electrochemistry for various metal batteries.