Boosting Cathode Activity and Anode Stability of Zn-S Batteries in Aqueous Media Through Cosolvent-Catalyst Synergy

Aqueous Zn-S battery with high energy density represents a promising large-scale energy storage technology, but its application is severely hindered by the poor reversibility of both S cathode and Zn anode. Herein, we develop a "cocktail optimized" electrolyte containing tetraglyme (G4) and water as co-solvents and I₂ as additive. The G4-I₂ synergy could activate efficient polar I₃ ^- /I^- catalyst couple and shield the cathode from water, thus facilitating the conversion kinetics of S and suppressing the interfacial side reactions. Simultaneously, it could stabilize Zn anode by forming an organic-inorganic interphase upon cycling. With boosted electrodes reversibility, the Zn-S cell delivers a high capacity of 775 mAh g^-1 at 2 A g^-1 , and retains over 70 % capacity after 600 cycles at 4 A g^-1 . The advances can also be readily generalized to other ethers/water hybrid electrolytes, showing the universality of the "cocktail optimized" electrolyte design strategy.