Graphene-Based Materials for Energy Storage Applications in Zinc Ion Batteries

Abstract

Zinc offers clear advantages—affordability, safety, and high capacity—that have fueled research into aqueous ZIBs as a potential successor to lithium batteries. Despite this potential, multiple intertwined issues persist: dendrite formation cannot be reliably suppressed, side reactions plague the interfaces, cathode structures tend to degrade or release active components, and the aqueous electrolyte itself suffers from a limited stable potential range. Collectively, these challenges impede practical deployment. Graphene-based materials (GBs) offer a flexible materials platform for mitigating these problems: their conductive skeletons accelerate charge transfer, their surface chemistry can regulate interfaces, and their mechanical and chemical robustness helps protect unstable components. This review first analyzes the principal failure mechanisms of ZIBs and then summarizes the roles of GBs in cathodes, anodes, electrolytes, separators, and current collectors. Remaining bottlenecks and design priorities for scalable, long-life GB-assisted ZIBs are also discussed.