Protein Interfacial Gelation toward Shuttle‐Free and Dendrite‐Free Zn–Iodine Batteries

Abstract Aqueous zinc–iodine (Zn–I 2 ) batteries hold potential for large‐scale energy storage but struggle with shuttle effects of I 2 cathodes and poor reversibility of Zn anodes. Here, an interfacial gelation strategy is proposed to suppress the shuttle effects and improve the Zn reversibility simultaneously by introducing silk protein (SP) additive. The SP can migrate bidirectionally toward cathode and anode interfaces driven by the periodically switched electric field direction during charging/discharging. For I 2 cathodes, the interaction between SP and polyiodides forms gelatinous precipitate to avoid the polyiodide dissolution, evidenced by excellent electrochemical performance, including high specific…

• AR
  Australian Research Council

  Awards: CE230100032, DP220102596, IL230100039, DE230100471