Surface etching strategy assisted in-situ functional interfacial layer formation enhancing dendrite suppression for...

Dendritic growth and parasitic reactions at the zinc (Zn) anode surface critically limit the performance and durability of aqueous zinc metal batteries (AZMBs). Therefore, a surface etching strategy using leucine was proposed to in-situ regulate the Zn anode interface. During etching, the Zn (101) crystal plane is selectively preserved, and its fast reaction kinetics promote uniform Zn plating. Meanwhile, a stable leucine-zinc interfacial layer is formed on the Zn surface, which increases the contact angle with water and significantly suppresses parasitic reactions, leading to 67.8 % reduction in corrosion. In addition, the leucine-zinc interface provides abundant adsorption-active sites that accelerate the desolvation of Zn(H₂O)₆²⁺, thereby effectively inhibiting dendritic growth, with dendrite height reduced over 50 % compared with Bare Zn. Theoretical calculations reveal that the Zn (101) crystal plane exhibits the strongest affinity and electronic interaction with leucine, which promoted the formation of a stable leucine‑zinc interface layer, effectively protecting the surface from the attack of H⁺ in the etchant. As a result, the modified Zn anode (denoted as Leu@Zn) enables stable cycling for up to 2900 h at 25 mA cm^-2 in symmetric cells and the full cells assembled with MnO₂ cathode delivers a prolonged cycle life of 50,000 cycles at 5 A g^-1.