Carbon armor for zinc anodes: Mitigating dendrite formations and unwanted side reactions in zinc-ion batteries

Background: Owing to their high safety and abundance, zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have gained significant attention as promising energy-storage technologies. However, these energy storage systems continue to suffer from the formation of Zn dendrites, corrosion, and parasitic side reactions during battery cycling; this severely reduces their performance and lifespan. To address these issues, researchers have investigated carbon-based protection layers to prevent such hindrances at Zn anodes. Methods: In this mini-review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current state-of-the-art in the development of carbon-based protection layers for ZIBs to prevent dendrite formation, including conventional carbon materials, carbon nanotubes, MOF-derived carbon layers, graphdiyne layers, graphene, and fiber-like carbons. Moreover, we have summarized the recent progress in these approaches to suppress dendrite formation on Zn electrodes and the formation of unwanted by-products by creating carbon protection layers. Some of the limitations and challenges of current state-of-the-art methods, including their poor cycling retention and instability, are also discussed. Additionally, this study provides insights into the future direction of research in this area. Significant findings: It was found that the use of carbon-based protection layers for Zn anodes is an effective strategy for preventing dendrite formation in ZIBs. We expect the findings of this review paper to provide a comprehensive understanding of the status and future prospects of carbon-based protection layers for Zn anodes, and hence, contribute to the development of next-generation ZIBs.