Constructing Kosmotropic Salt‐Compatible PVA Hydrogels for Stable Zinc Anodes via Strong Hydrogen Bonds Preshielding Effect

Abstract Physical hydrogels crosslinked by noncovalent interactions are promising in flexible zinc–metal batteries for their component controllability and environmental friendliness. However, the compatibility of PVA‐based electrolyte and kosmotropic salt remains a challenge, which shows an unclear mechanism. Here, a “good‐to‐poor” solvent substitution strategy is adopted to develop a PVA hydrogel electrolyte with good compatibility with kosmotropic salt (ZnSO 4 ). Stretching the polymer conformation by preshielding the strong intrachain hydrogen bonds with good solvents and activating the polymer interchain interaction in situ with poor solvents will induce the formation of a homogeneous polymer network and…

• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Awards: 51874362, 22209208
• HP
  Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Department
• KR
  Key Research and Development Program of Hunan Province of China

  Award: 2023GK2015