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Layered Protective Interfacial Materials for Zinc Anodes in Aqueous Batteries: A Review
Review Article  ·  Published: 27 July 2026
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Journal of Advanced Materials Research
Volume 2, Issue 3, 2026: 195-213
Review Article Open Access

Layered Protective Interfacial Materials for Zinc Anodes in Aqueous Batteries: A Review

by
Yukun Fang Yukun Fang 1
Zhicheng Zheng Zhicheng Zheng 1
Kaichi Chen Kaichi Chen 1
Beinuo Zhang Beinuo Zhang 1
Zhongtao Chen Zhongtao Chen 2
Yanmei Zheng Yanmei Zheng 3 * ORCID
Pan Feng Pan Feng 1 * ORCID
Linfeng Hu Linfeng Hu 1 * ORCID
Xinli Guo Xinli Guo 1 * ORCID
1 State Key Laboratory of Engineering Materials for Major Infrastructure, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 211189, China
2 Rongxin (Nanjing) Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing 211100, China
3 Jiangsu Co-Innovation Center of Efficient Processing and Utilization of Forest Resources, International Innovation Center for Forest Chemicals and Materials, College of Chemical Engineering, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
* Corresponding Authors: Yanmei Zheng, [email protected]; Pan Feng, [email protected]; Linfeng Hu, [email protected]; Xinli Guo, [email protected]
Volume 2, Issue 3
Volume 2, Issue 3 2026
Received: 06 May 2026 Revised: 06 July 2026 Accepted: 09 July 2026 Published: 27 July 2026 CrossMark
Download PDF 1.80 MB Cite Metrics
DOI: 10.62762/JAMR.2026.360343
ARK: ark:/57805/jamr.2026.360343

Article Information

Published in Journal of Advanced Materials Research
Volume/Issue Volume 2, Issue 3, 2026
Pages 195-213

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage due to their high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical application is hindered by severe parasitic side reactions and uncontrollable dendrite growth on zinc anodes, leading to rapid performance degradation. Constructing an artificial interphase layer (AIL) on the zinc surface has emerged as an effective strategy to isolate the electrolyte and regulate interfacial electrochemistry. Among various candidates, layered materials (LMs) with two-dimensional structures offer intrinsic advantages-including tunable interlayer channels, mechanical flexibility, and high surface areas—that homogenize $Zn^{2+}$ flux and suppress dendrite growth. This review comprehensively summarizes recent progress in LMs as protective coatings for zinc anodes. We first elucidate the fundamental knowledge and core stabilization mechanisms of LM-based interphases, then survey recent advancements in LMs for AILs, covering interlayer intercalation and composite engineering. Finally, we discuss ongoing challenges and future perspectives toward practical high-zinc-utilization conditions, aiming to inspire the development of high-performance aqueous energy storage systems.

Graphical Abstract

Layered Protective Interfacial Materials for Zinc Anodes in Aqueous Batteries: A Review

Keywords

aqueous zinc-ion batteries zinc metal anode layered materials artificial interphase layer ion-confinement effect

Data Availability Statement

Not applicable.

Funding

This work was supported in part by the National Key R&D Program of China under Grant 2024YFB3715000; in part by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant 52371214 and Grant 22405127; in part by the Big Data Computing Center of Southeast University, China.

Conflicts of Interest

Zhongtao Chen is affiliated with the Rongxin (Nanjing) Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Nanjing 211100, China. The authors declare that this affiliation had no influence on the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, or the decision to publish. Xinli Guo served as an Editor-in-Chief, and Yanmei Zheng served as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Advanced Materials Research at the time of manuscript submission. To ensure the integrity of the peer-review process, neither Xinli Guo nor Yanmei Zheng was involved in the editorial handling, peer review, or decision-making process for this manuscript, which was handled independently by another editor. The remaining authors declare no conflicts of interest.

AI Use Statement

The authors declare that no generative AI was used in the preparation of this manuscript.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate

Not applicable.

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APA Style
Fang, Y., Zheng, Z., Chen, K., Zhang, B., Chen, Z., Zheng, Y., Feng, P., Hu, L., & Guo, X. (2026). Layered Protective Interfacial Materials for Zinc Anodes in Aqueous Batteries: A Review. Journal of Advanced Materials Research, 2(3), 195-213. https://doi.org/10.62762/JAMR.2026.360343
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TY  - JOUR
AU  - Fang, Yukun
AU  - Zheng, Zhicheng
AU  - Chen, Kaichi
AU  - Zhang, Beinuo
AU  - Chen, Zhongtao
AU  - Zheng, Yanmei
AU  - Feng, Pan
AU  - Hu, Linfeng
AU  - Guo, Xinli
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/27
TI  - Layered Protective Interfacial Materials for Zinc Anodes in Aqueous Batteries: A Review
JO  - Journal of Advanced Materials Research
T2  - Journal of Advanced Materials Research
JF  - Journal of Advanced Materials Research
VL  - 2
IS  - 3
SP  - 195
EP  - 213
DO  - 10.62762/JAMR.2026.360343
UR  - https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JAMR.2026.360343
KW  - aqueous zinc-ion batteries
KW  - zinc metal anode
KW  - layered materials
KW  - artificial interphase layer
KW  - ion-confinement effect
AB  - Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage due to their high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical application is hindered by severe parasitic side reactions and uncontrollable dendrite growth on zinc anodes, leading to rapid performance degradation. Constructing an artificial interphase layer (AIL) on the zinc surface has emerged as an effective strategy to isolate the electrolyte and regulate interfacial electrochemistry. Among various candidates, layered materials (LMs) with two-dimensional structures offer intrinsic advantages-including tunable interlayer channels, mechanical flexibility, and high surface areas—that homogenize $Zn^{2+}$ flux and suppress dendrite growth. This review comprehensively summarizes recent progress in LMs as protective coatings for zinc anodes. We first elucidate the fundamental knowledge and core stabilization mechanisms of LM-based interphases, then survey recent advancements in LMs for AILs, covering interlayer intercalation and composite engineering. Finally, we discuss ongoing challenges and future perspectives toward practical high-zinc-utilization conditions, aiming to inspire the development of high-performance aqueous energy storage systems.
SN  - 3070-5851
PB  - Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge
LA  - English
ER  -
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@article{Fang2026Layered,
  author = {Yukun Fang and Zhicheng Zheng and Kaichi Chen and Beinuo Zhang and Zhongtao Chen and Yanmei Zheng and Pan Feng and Linfeng Hu and Xinli Guo},
  title = {Layered Protective Interfacial Materials for Zinc Anodes in Aqueous Batteries: A Review},
  journal = {Journal of Advanced Materials Research},
  year = {2026},
  volume = {2},
  number = {3},
  pages = {195-213},
  doi = {10.62762/JAMR.2026.360343},
  url = {https://www.icck.org/article/abs/JAMR.2026.360343},
  abstract = {Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising for large-scale energy storage due to their high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical application is hindered by severe parasitic side reactions and uncontrollable dendrite growth on zinc anodes, leading to rapid performance degradation. Constructing an artificial interphase layer (AIL) on the zinc surface has emerged as an effective strategy to isolate the electrolyte and regulate interfacial electrochemistry. Among various candidates, layered materials (LMs) with two-dimensional structures offer intrinsic advantages-including tunable interlayer channels, mechanical flexibility, and high surface areas—that homogenize \$Zn^{2+}\$ flux and suppress dendrite growth. This review comprehensively summarizes recent progress in LMs as protective coatings for zinc anodes. We first elucidate the fundamental knowledge and core stabilization mechanisms of LM-based interphases, then survey recent advancements in LMs for AILs, covering interlayer intercalation and composite engineering. Finally, we discuss ongoing challenges and future perspectives toward practical high-zinc-utilization conditions, aiming to inspire the development of high-performance aqueous energy storage systems.},
  keywords = {aqueous zinc-ion batteries, zinc metal anode, layered materials, artificial interphase layer, ion-confinement effect},
  issn = {3070-5851},
  publisher = {Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge}
}

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CC BY Copyright © 2026 by the Author(s). Published by Institute of Central Computation and Knowledge. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
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