Crystal Orientation Engineering of Perfectly Matched Heterogeneous Textured ZnSe for an Enhanced Interfacial Kinetic Zn Anode

Uncontrollable dendrite formation in the Zn anode is the bottleneck of the commercialization of rechargeable aqueous zinc-based batteries (RAZBs). Interface, the location of the charge transfer process occuring, can significantly affect the further morphology evolution in ways that have not yet been fully comprehended, for example, the crystal facet and orientation of the coating layer. In this study, we demonstrated that the morphology and kinetics of the Zn anode could be tuned by the crystal facet. The fabricated textured ZnSe (T-ZnSe) layer can significantly enhance the reaction kinetics and induce uniform (0002)_Zn deposition. In stark contrast, the polycrystalline P-ZnSe coating hinders the charge transfer process at the interface. With this T-ZnSe@Zn as the anode, the full cell with an I₂ cathode and a practical areal capacity (2 mAh cm^-2) can work well for 900 cycles. The effectiveness of this anode has also been testified by a pouch cell with an overall capacity of 150 mAh. This research contributes to the understanding of the interface and the feasible strategy for the practical application of the Zn anode. © 2023 American Chemical Society.