A bifunctional nitrogen doped carbon network as the interlayer for dendrite-free Zn anode

Aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries promise attractive advantages including safety, high energy density, and low cost. However, the uncontrollable dendrite growth and intricate side-reactions impede the practical application. Herein, we report a bifunctional nitrogen doped carbon network as interlayer (NCL) in cells to suppress the dendrite growth. In physical effect, NCL can balance the interfacial electrostatic field of Zn surface and guide Zn ions to deposit uniformly. In chemical effect, the nitrogen doped carbon active sites can reconstruct the typical solvation structure of [Zn(H2O)6]2+, and further promote the de-solvation process. Benefiting from the synergetic bifunctional interlayer both physically and chemically, dendrite and side-reactions are obviously restrained during repeated Zn plating/stripping procedures. Finally, the NCL-Zn/NCL-Zn symmetric cell acquires a cycle life of over 4000 h and persists for over 125 h even at a depth of discharge (DOD) of 38%.