Preferred Orientation of TiN Coatings Enables Stable Zinc Anodes

Metallic Zn is considered as an ideal anode while its widespread use in rechargeable aqueous batteries still faces many challenges, mostly associated with the dendritic growth and corrosion of side reactions. In this work, we demonstrate that a TiN protective coating layer preferential (200) orientation can effectively suppress both reactions; more interestingly, it regulate pattern byproduct (zinc hydroxide sulfate or ZHS) by inducing lateral growth. As result, reversible plating/stripping over 2300 h at practical current density 1 mA cm–2 achieved along nearly 100% Coulombic efficiency. This work not only establishes coatings effective but also provides insights into role ZHS well strategies to inhibit reaction ZHS.