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Vol. 18 (2026)

A Rigid–Soft Graded Organic–Inorganic Interlayer for Durable and Corrosion-Resistant Zinc Anodes

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-02020-8
Zhiyu Wang
School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Junlun Cao
School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Zixuan Yang
Institute for Frontier Materials, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds Campus, Locked Bag 20000, Melbourne, VIC 3220, Australia
Jianli Cheng
School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu 611731, People’s Republic of China
Dan Liu
School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia
Weiwei Lei
School of Science, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC 3000, Australia

Corresponding Author: Weiwei Lei

weiwei.lei@rmit.edu.au

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 175

Abstract

Aqueous zinc (Zn)-ion batteries hold great promise as renewable energy storage system for carbon–neutral energy transition. However, Zn anodes suffer from poor Zn plating/stripping reversibility due to Zn dendrite growth and side reactions. Existing Zn interfacial modification strategies based on single-component or homogeneous structure are insufficient to address these issues comprehensively. Herein, we rationally designed an organic–inorganic hybrid interfacial layer with rigid-to-soft graded structure for dendrite-free and stable Zn anodes. A liquid plasma-assisted oxidation technology is developed to rapidly construct a porous ZnO inner framework in situ. This ZnO layer offers high interfacial energy, mechanical robustness, and an open structure that facilitates ion transport while firmly anchoring a subsequently coated soft polymer layer. The resulting architecture presents a structurally graded and functionally complementary interface, enabling effective dendrite suppression, continuous Zn ion transport, and enhanced corrosion resistance. As a result, a long cycling stability of more than 6000 h can be achieved at 1 mA cm−2 for 1 mAh cm–2 in symmetric cells. When used as anodes for zinc-iodine full battery, the hybrid interlayer can effectively prevent the Zn anodes from the corrosion by polyiodine, enabling stable cycling and negligible capacity decay (~ 0.02‰ per cycle) for over 10,000 cycles at 2.0 A g−1. This work demonstrates a promising interfacial design strategy and introduces a novel liquid plasma-assisted oxidation route for fabricating high-performance Zn anodes towards next-generation aqueous batteries.


Highlights:
1 A hybrid interfacial layer with a rigid-to-soft graded structure and functionally complementary composition.
2 A facile and scalable liquid plasma-assisted oxidation process for preparing the porous ZnO inner layer.
3 Good cycling stability of zinc anodes for more than 6,000 h at a current density of 1 mA cm−2 for 1 mAh cm−2 and ultra-low capacity decay (~0.02‰ per cycle) for over 10,000 cycles for zinc-iodine battery.

Keywords

Liquid plasma oxidation Zinc oxide Hybrid interfacial layer Zinc anode Aqueous zinc-iodine battery
Wang, Zhiyu, Junlun Cao, Zixuan Yang, Jianli Cheng, Dan Liu, and Weiwei Lei. 2026. “A Rigid–Soft Graded Organic–Inorganic Interlayer for Durable and Corrosion-Resistant Zinc Anodes”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (January):175. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-02020-8.
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