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Vol. 18 (2026)

Exposing Zn(002) Texture with Sucralose Additive for Stable and Dendrite-Free Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01954-3
Feiyu Tao
School of New Energy Engineering, Hefei Institute of Technology, Anhui 238076 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Yingke Ren
College of Science, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Hebei 050018 Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China
Li’e Mo
Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, CAS, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Anhui 230031 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Yifan Wang
Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, CAS, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Anhui 230031 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Yang Huang
Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, CAS, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Anhui 230031 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Hong Zhang
Hebei Computational Optical Imaging and Photoelectric Detection Technology Innovation Center, Hebei International Joint Research Center for Computational Optical Imaging and Intelligent Sensing, School of Mathematics and Physics Science and Engineering, Hebei University of Engineering, Hebei 056038 Handan, People’s Republic of China
Chengwu Shi
School of New Energy Engineering, Hefei Institute of Technology, Anhui 238076 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Zhaoqian Li
School of New Energy Engineering, Hefei Institute of Technology, Anhui 238076 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Jiaqin Liu
School of New Energy Engineering, Hefei Institute of Technology, Anhui 238076 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Lei Chen
School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, 212003 Zhenjiang, People’s Republic of China
Linhua Hu
Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic and Energy Conservation Materials, CAS, Institute of Solid State Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Anhui 230031 Hefei, People’s Republic of China
Yucheng Wu
School of New Energy Engineering, Hefei Institute of Technology, Anhui 238076 Hefei, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Yucheng Wu

ycwu@hfut.edu.cn

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 18 (2026), Article Number: 107

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are currently confronted with the challenge of achieving long-term cyclic stability under high current densities. This issue is primarily attributed to the excessive growth of dendrites and the occurrence of significant side reactions. Herein, sucralose (SCL), as an electrolyte additive, has been used to promote the exposure of the Zn(002) texture. The introduction of SCL can adjust the Zn2+ nucleation and diffusion along different crystal facets, promoting the exposure of the Zn(002) texture. By substituting water molecules in the [Zn(H2O)6]2+, SCL reconfigures the hydrogen bond network in the electrolyte, reconstructing the solvation structure and suppressing the hydrogen evolution reaction. Consequently, the Zn//Zn symmetric battery exhibits long-term cycling stability of over 4900 h at 1 mA cm−2–1 mAh cm−2. Even at a harsh condition of 30 mA cm−2–30 mAh cm−2 (DOD = 73.3%), it can stably cycle for 171 h. The CE of the Zn//Cu half battery reaches 99.61% at 0.2 mA cm−2 with 0.2 mAh cm−2. Employing the optimized electrolyte, after 500 cycles, a high specific capacity of 420 mAh g−1 can be retained for the NH4V4O10//Zn full battery at 500 mA g−1, corresponding to a capacity retention of 90.7%.


Highlights:
1 Sucralose (SCL) has been unveiled as an electrolyte additive to promote the exposure of the Zn(002) texture.
2 SCL has been verified to disrupt the solvation structure around zinc ions and reduce water activity on Zn anode.
3 After adding SCL additives, Zn//Zn battery achieves the cycling lifespan of 171 h at 30 mA cm−2–30 mAh cm−2 (DOD = 73.3%). Zn//Cu battery achieves a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.61% at 0.2 mA cm−2 with 0.2 mAh cm−2.

Keywords

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries Zinc anode Oriented growth (002) texture
Tao, Feiyu, Yingke Ren, Li’e Mo, Yifan Wang, Yang Huang, Hong Zhang, Chengwu Shi, Zhaoqian Li, Jiaqin Liu, Lei Chen, Linhua Hu, and Yucheng Wu. 2026. “Exposing Zn(002) Texture With Sucralose Additive for Stable and Dendrite-Free Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries”. Nano-Micro Letters 18 (January):107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-025-01954-3.
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