Eutectic Electrolyte with Unique Solvation Structure for High‐Performance Zinc‐Ion Batteries

Abstract Zinc‐ion batteries (ZIB) present great potential in energy storage due to low cost and high safety. However, the poor stability, dendrite growth, and narrow electrochemical window limit their practical application. Herein, we develop a new eutectic electrolyte consisting of ethylene glycol (EG) and ZnCl 2 for dendrite‐free and long‐lifespan ZIBs. The EG molecules participate in the Zn 2+ solvation via coordination and hydrogen‐bond interactions. Optimizing the ZnCl 2 /EG molar ratio (1 : 4) can strengthen intermolecular interactions to form [ZnCl(EG)] + and [ZnCl(EG) 2 ] + cations. The dissociation–reduction of these complex cations enables the formation of a Cl‐rich organic–inorganic hybrid solid…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Award: 51832004, 52127816, 21905218
• NS
  Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province

  Award: 2019CFA001, 2020CFB519
• NK
  National Key Research and Development Program of China

  Award: 2020YFA0715000
• FR
  Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities

  Award: WUT: 2020IVB034, 2020IVA036, 2021CG014