Zincophilic Natural Organic Electrolyte Additives Enable Highly Reversible Zinc Metal Anodes
Zining Mei1,2, Yuanxiong Xian1, Haoyu Zhang1
1School of Physics and Materials Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|January 28, 2026
Summary
L-theanine significantly improves aqueous zinc-ion battery (AZIB) performance by promoting uniform zinc deposition and suppressing side reactions. This natural additive enhances cycling stability and Coulombic efficiency, paving the way for commercialization.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) face challenges with disordered zinc dendrites and side reactions, limiting cycling stability and commercial viability.
- Developing effective electrolyte additives is crucial for overcoming these limitations in AZIB technology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of l-theanine as a natural electrolyte additive for enhancing the performance of AZIBs.
- To elucidate the mechanism by which l-theanine improves zinc anode stability and suppresses undesirable side reactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized l-theanine as an electrolyte additive in zinc symmetric cells, half-cells (Zn//Cu), and full cells (Zn//V2O5).
- Analyzed the effect of l-theanine on zinc deposition morphology, side reaction suppression (hydrogen evolution, corrosion), and electrochemical performance (cycling stability, Coulombic efficiency).
Main Results:
- L-theanine guided uniform Zn2+ deposition along the (002) crystal plane, suppressing dendrites and side reactions.
- Zn//Zn symmetric cells achieved 1093 hours of stable cycling (14.4x improvement).
- Zn//Cu half-cells showed 97.6% average Coulombic efficiency over 267 cycles, and Zn//V2O5 full cells demonstrated over 4000 cycles stability with excellent capacity retention across a wide temperature range.
Conclusions:
- L-theanine is a highly effective and feasible electrolyte additive for stabilizing AZIBs.
- The findings present a promising strategy for advancing the commercialization of high-performance AZIBs through improved electrolyte design.
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