Issue

Vol. 19 (2027)

From Screening to Site Control: Phytic-Acid Mediated P-Tuning of M–N Coordination to Balance Iodine Adsorption and Stability in Zn–I2 Batteries

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02321-6
Yuxuan Jiang
School of Chemistry and Materials, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, People’s Republic of China
Bingxin Sun
School of Chemistry and Materials, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, People’s Republic of China
Mohsen Shakouri
Canadian Light Source, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2V3, Canada
Bin He
Department of Materials Engineering, Zhejiang Key Laboratory for Industrial Solid Waste Thermal Hydrolysis Technology and Intelligent Equipment, Huzhou Normal University, Huzhou 313000, People’s Republic of China
Wang Zhang
School of Chemistry and Materials, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, People’s Republic of China
Ran Wang
School of Chemistry and Materials, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, People’s Republic of China
Tianxiao Sun
Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Shanghai Advanced, Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201204, People’s Republic of China
Huan Pang
School of Chemistry and Materials, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, People’s Republic of China

Corresponding Author: Huan Pang

huanpangchem@hotmail.com

Nano-Micro Letters, Vol. 19 (2027), Article Number: 10

Abstract

Aqueous zinc-iodine batteries (AZIBs) show promise for grid-scale energy storage, but they are hampered by polyiodide shuttling, sluggish iodine redox kinetics, and irreversible active-site poisoning caused by uncontrolled adsorption. We provide a comprehensive screening of M1 (M1 = P, S, B) heteroatom dopants, and P is identified as the best candidate for achieving coordination-tuned, moderate adsorption that balances adsorption and catalytic activity while mitigating site poisoning. Using phytic acid as both the P source and an etchant, we create a universal in situ approach to core–shell single-atom catalysts (M2-P-CSNC, M2 = Fe, Co, Ni). The unique core–shell structure achieves stable confinement of polyiodides, rapid ion transport, and protection of active sites, while in situ P doping precisely regulates the local electronic environment and d-band center of the Fe–Nx active centers. In situ characterization confirms that Fe–P-CSNC has a strong reversible anchoring ability for polyiodides, which can significantly accelerate redox kinetics. The optimized Fe–P-CSNC/I2 exhibits almost no capacity decay after 20,000 cycles at a current density of 2 A g−1. This work’s facile heteroatom doping strategy for electronic modulation offers a reference for high-performance catalyst design in conversion-type energy storage systems.


Highlights:
1 Systematic B/S/P heteroatom screening identifies P doping as the optimal strategy to realize coordination-tuned moderate iodine adsorption, addressing the critical adsorption-catalysis imbalance in Zn-I2 batteries.
2 A universal phytic acid-assisted one-step strategy is developed to fabricate core-shell single-atom catalysts, with synchronous P doping, cavity construction and metal site atomic dispersion.

Keywords

Zinc-iodine batteries Single-atom catalyst Moderate adsorption Heteroatom doping Core–shell structure
Jiang, Yuxuan, Bingxin Sun, Mohsen Shakouri, Bin He, Wang Zhang, Ran Wang, Tianxiao Sun, and Huan Pang. 2026. “From Screening to Site Control: Phytic-Acid Mediated P-Tuning of M–N Coordination to Balance Iodine Adsorption and Stability in Zn–I2 Batteries”. Nano-Micro Letters 19 (July):10. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40820-026-02321-6.
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