Stable plating/stripping of metal electrodes under high power and high capacity remains a great challenge. Tailoring the deposition behavior on the substrate could partly resolve dendrites’ formation, but it usually works only under low current densities and limited capacities. Here we turn to regulate the separator’s interfacial chemistry through tin coating with decent conductivity and excellent zincophilicity. The former homogenizes the electric field distribution for smooth zinc metal on the substrate, while the latter enables the concurrent zinc deposition on the separator with a face-to-face growth. Consequently, dendrite-free zinc morphologies and superior cycling stability are achieved at simultaneous high current densities and large cycling capacities (1000 h at 5 mA/cm2 for 5 mAh/cm2 and 500 h at 10 mA/cm2 for 10 mAh/cm2). Furthermore, the concept could be readily extended to sodium metal anodes, demonstrating the interfacial chemistry regulation of separator is a promising route to circumvent the metal anode challenges.

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Low-cost and high-safety aqueous Zn ion batteries have been considered as promising alternatives to Li-ion batteries, provided that a stable Zn metal anode could be developed. The dendrite growth and...

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It is widely recognized that a high current rate (J) speeds up dendrite formation and thus shortens the cycle life of metal anodes. Here, an anomalous correlation is reported between elevated J and deposition/ stripping stability (decrease-increase-decrease), leading to the relative maximum stability at a moderate J. Complementary theoretical and experimental analyses suggest that such a complex relationship lies in high J's dual and contradictory roles in kinetics and thermodynamics. The wellknown former renders decreased Sand's time (τ) and deteriorative cyclic stability, while the commonly overlooked latter provides larger extra energy that accelerates nucleation rate (ν n ). Using Zn metal anode as a model system, the ν n and τ controlled nucleation-growth process is unambiguously revealed, both of which are closely related to J. Based on these findings, an initial high J discharge strategy is developed to produce abundant nuclei for uniform metal growth at standard J in the subsequent process. The protocol increases the Zn deposition/stripping lifetime from 303 to 2500 h under a cycling capacity of 1 mAh cm −2 without resorting to electrode/electrolyte modification. Furthermore, such a concept can be readily extended to Li/K metal anodes with significantly enhanced cycle life, demonstrating its universality for developing high-performance metal batteries.

Alloy anodes composed of microsized particles receive increasing attention recently, which outperform the nanostructured counterparts in both the manufacturing cost and volumetric energy density. However, the pulverization of particles and fracture of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) during cycling brings about fast capacity degradation. Herein, it is shown how normally considered fragile SEI can become highly elastic through electrolyte chemistry regulation. Compared to the SEI constructed in classic carbonate electrolyte, the atomic force microscopy tests reveal that the one built in ether‐based electrolyte doubles the maximum elastic strain to accommodate the repeated swelling‐contracting. Such an SEI effectively encapsulates the microsized Sb anodes to prevent the capacity loss from particle isolation. Coupled with an intercalation‐assisted alloying reaction mechanism, a sustained capacity of ≈573 mAh g−1 after 180 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 with outstanding initial Coulombic efficiency is obtained, which is among the highest values achieved in K‐ion batteries. This study emphasizes the significance of building robust SEI, which offers the opportunity to enable stable microsized alloy anodes.

Biological structures are attractive as templates to form nanoscale architectures for electronics because of their dimensions and the ability to interact with inorganic materials. In this study, we report the fabrication and electrical properties of microtubule (MT)-templated Au nanowires, and methods for assembling Au nanowire arrays based on these templates. The adsorption of MTs on silicon substrates is an effective means for preserving the conformation of the MT and provides a convenient platform for electrical measurements. To improve the metallization of MTs, a photochemical route for gold reduction is adapted, which leads to continuous coverage. The conductivity values measured on micrometer-long nanowires are similar to those reported for other biotemplated gold nanowires. A protocol for fabricating arrays of MT-templated gold nanowires is demonstrated.

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