Advances in artificial interface design toward stable Zn anodes

Amid the global energy transition, aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have gained prominence as safe, low-cost, and resource-abundant candidates for grid-scale storage. However, their Zn anodes suffer from dendritic growth, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and corrosion/passivation, which severely limit cycling life and performance. Constructing an artificial protective layer at the interface offers an effective solution to these issues. This review first explains the formation mechanisms of dendrites, HER, and corrosion/passivation, as well as their mutually reinforcing vicious cycle. It then systematically examines the design principles, working mechanisms, and performance enhancements enabled by coatings based on conventional materials ( e.g. , carbon materials), composites, and emerging materials such as MXenes. These layers improve anode reversibility and stability by acting as physical barriers, homogenizing electric fields and ion flux, and guiding uniform Zn nucleation through zincophilic sites. Finally, the review outlines current challenges and future directions, highlighting the need for deeper mechanistic insight via in-situ characterization and theoretical calculations, the development of multifunctional synergistic systems, and the integration of machine learning, among others, to advance practical high-performance AZIBs. • Reveals the mutual deterioration mechanisms and origins of dendrite growth, HER, and corrosion. • Reviews coating design principles and synergistic protection mechanisms by material categories. • Summarizes design principles and challenges of artificial interfaces, outlining future directions.