Alloying Design Strategies for High-Performance Zn Anodes in Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have emerged as promising candidates for large-scale energy storage due to their inherent safety, low cost, and environmental sustainability. However, in practical applications, AZIBs are constrained by the adverse reactions originating from the zinc anodes, including dendrite formation, hydrogen evolution reaction, corrosion, and passivation, which hinder their large-scale commercialization. Nowadays, alloying strategies have been recognized as efficient approaches to address these limitations and have gained significant attention. By introducing heterogeneous elements into Zn matrices, alloying strategies can suppress dendrite formation and side reactions, modulate the interfacial kinetic process, and enhance electrochemical stability. This review systematically discusses the advantages of alloying for Zn anodes, categorizes key design strategies, such as surface modifications, composite structures, functional alloying, gradient, and layered alloy designs, and meanwhile highlights their performance improvements. Furthermore, we suggest future directions for advanced alloy development, scalable fabrication design, and integrated system optimization. Alloy engineering represents a critical pathway toward high-performance, durable Zn anodes for next-generation AZIBs and other metal-ion batteries.