Biomimetic separator design through naphthalene/glass fiber integration to achieve dendrite-growth-suppressed Zn anodes for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries.

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) hold immense potential for sustainable, large-scale grid energy storage. However, the practical application of ZIBs is hindered by the instability of Zn anodes caused by uncontrollable dendrite growth and parasitic reactions with aqueous electrolytes. Herein, we propose a strategy to regulate Zn2+ flux via biomimetic separator integration. Biomimetic naphthalene/glass fiber separators (NtGF) were successfully constructed through one-step vacuum filtration. The interaction between Zn2+ and Nt molecules facilitates the preferential capture of Zn2+ by Nt molecules, which effectively boosts Zn2+ ionic conductivity, homogenizes the electric-field and Zn2+ concentration-field distributions, and thereby inhibits Zn dendrite formation while suppressing side reactions. Remarkably, symmetric Zn/NtGF/Zn cells demonstrate exceptional stability over 1480 h under current densities ranging from 0.5 mA cm-2 to 10 mA cm-2. Furthermore, the fabricated Zn/NtGF/NH4V4O10 full battery delivers a specific capacity of 266.5 mAh g-1 and retains 91.3% of its initial capacity after 1000 cycles at a high current density of 5 A g-1. This work underscores the critical role of biomimetic modification in designing advanced aqueous ZIBs.