# Adhesive Tape‐Inspired Polymer Coatings Enable Record‐Stable Zinc Anodes for High‐Rate Aqueous Batteries

## TL;DR

A new polymer coating inspired by adhesive tape helps make zinc batteries more stable and efficient for large-scale energy storage.

## Contribution

A dual mechanical-chemical regulation strategy using a grafted copolymer coating to stabilize zinc anodes in aqueous batteries.

## Key findings

- NRAc@Zn symmetric cells achieved over 32,000 stable cycles.
- Zn||V2O5 full cells operated stably at high current densities up to 10 A g−1.
- The coating suppresses dendrite growth and hydrogen evolution while maintaining interfacial contact.

## Abstract

The development of stable zinc anodes is critical for advancing high‐rate, long‐life aqueous zinc batteries. Here a tape‐inspired anode modification is reported using a poly (methyl methacrylate)‐grafted natural rubber (NRAc) copolymer as a conformal protective coating. The microphase‐separated architecture integrates elastic, hydrophobic NR domains with Zn2+‐coordinating PMMA nanodomains, forming mechanically adaptive and ion‐selective channels. Density functional theory and microscopy reveal that Zn2+ preferentially binds to PMMA, lowering desolvation barriers and biasing deposition toward the stable (002) facet. This dual mechanical‐chemical regulation suppresses dendrite growth and parasitic hydrogen evolution, while maintaining intimate interfacial contact under dynamic cycling. As a result, NRAc@Zn symmetric cells achieve unprecedented cycling lifetimes exceeding 32,000 cycles, while Zn||V2O5 full cells deliver stable operation at current densities up to 10 A g−1. Scaling to a 1.5 Ah pouch cell demonstrates the practical feasibility of the approach. This work establishes polymer microphase engineering, inspired by the multifunctionality of adhesive tapes, as a versatile strategy to stabilize Zn anodes and advance the deployment of aqueous Zn batteries for large‐scale energy storage.

An adhesive tape–inspired anode stabilization strategy is proposed by grafting poly(methyl methacrylate) onto natural rubber. The resulting copolymer coating exhibits elasticity, adhesion, and ion‐selective nanodomains, which lower Zn2+ desolvation barriers, guide deposition to the stable (002) facet, and ensure intimate interfacial contact, delivering over 32,000 stable cycles in symmetric Zn cells.