High-Loading Gel Cathodes Enabling Energetic Zinc Metal Batteries with Device-Level Capacities Beyond 100 Ah L^-1

Zinc metal batteries offer high theoretical capacity but are hindered by the absence of cathodes with capable of matching zinc anodes at high loadings. Herein, we present a gel cathode architecture that leverages the compatibility of hydrogels with aqueous batteries to integrate strong interfacial wettability and a porous framework. This design reduces ion transport tortuosity, accelerates interfacial kinetics, and enables an unprecedented active material loading of 60 mg cm^-2. As a result, full cells paired with zinc anodes achieve a state-of-the-art volumetric capacity of 120 Ah L^-1. Furthermore, a 1.8 Ah pouch cell validates the scalability and practical feasibility of this approach, establishing a versatile pathway for developing high-loading cathodes and advancing energetic zinc metal batteries.