%0 Journal Article %@ 1754-5692 %A Yang, Z %A Sun, Y %A Deng, S %A Tong, H %A Wu, M %A Nie, X %A Su, Y %A He, G %A Zhang, Y %A Li, J %A Chai, G %D 2024 %F discovery:10192970 %I ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY %J Energy and Environmental Science %K Science & Technology, Physical Sciences, Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Chemistry, Multidisciplinary, Energy & Fuels, Engineering, Chemical, Environmental Sciences, Chemistry, Engineering, Environmental Sciences & Ecology %N 10 %T Amphiphilic electrolyte additive as an ion-flow stabilizer enables superb zinc metal batteries %U https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10192970/ %V 17 %X Irreversible Zn plating/stripping along with interfacial degradation seriously affect the practical applications of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Herein, 3-(hydroxy(phenyl)phosphoryl)propanoic acid (HPA) is introduced as an electrolyte additive that constructs a spherical micellar molecular network via association of amphiphilic groups and multiple coordination sites to directionally adsorb/transfer Zn2+ in aqueous electrolyte, thus serving as an ion-flow stabilizer. Moreover, the strong adsorption between HPA and the zinc surface induces the formation of an in situ organic-inorganic hybrid solid electrolyte interphase layer, which further promotes the charge transfer kinetics and suppresses interfacial parasitic reactions. As a result, an ultra-high average Zn plating/stripping efficiency of 99.91% over 2100 cycles at 4 mA cm−2 is achieved. Additionally, the symmetrical cell with HPA exhibits outstanding reversibility at an unprecedentedly high current density of 120 mA cm−2. Surprisingly, the initial coulombic efficiency of Zn//Cu cell is 71.74% after 7-day calendar aging, which is better than a cell without HPA (42.59%). Furthermore, the Zn//MnO2 cell exhibits superior capacity retention of 80% after 1100 cycles at 2 A g−1 compared to the cell without HPA (37%). This study provides an in-depth insight into understanding the molecular network regulation of aqueous-based electrolytes, thus shedding light on a universal approach toward ultra-stable battery applications. %Z This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.