Abstract

Mildly acidic aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries are promising for large-energy storage but suffer from the irreversibility of Zn metal anodes due to parasitic H2 evolution, Zn corrosion, and dendrite growth. In recent years, increasing efforts have been devoted to overcoming these obstacles by regulating electrolyte structures. In this review, we investigate progress towards mildly acidic aqueous electrolytes for Zn batteries, with special emphasis on how the microstructures (in the bulk phase and on the surface of Zn anodes) affect the performance of Zn anodes. Moreover, effective computational simulations and characterization measurements for the structures of bulk electrolytes and Zn/electrolyte interfaces are discussed, along with perspectives for the direction of further investigations.