@article{Xiang2026, 
author = {Qi Xiang and Zhengqian Jin and Teng Deng and Yaowen Yue and Kai Li and Minghao Xie and Zekai Mei and Hongyang Zhao and Juan Wang and Zhongxiao Song and Yangyang Liu and Shujiang Ding and Kai Xi},
title = {Electronegativity-programmed N-B dipolar carbon nanofiber interlayers for spatially confined iodine redox in aqueous zinc-iodine batteries},
year = {2026},
journal = {Nano Research Energy},
volume = {5},
pages = {e9120270},
keywords = {aqueous Zn–I2 batteries, electronegativity-programmed interfaces, N–B dipolar carbon, iodine redox-field confinement, polyiodide crosstalk, zinc anode stabilization},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/NRE.2026.9120270},
doi = {10.26599/NRE.2026.9120270},
abstract = {Aqueous zinc-iodine (Zn-I2) batteries are promising candidates for safe and low-cost energy storage; however, their operation is severely limited by the uncontrolled migration of soluble polyiodide intermediates. Beyond the conventional shuttle effect, this challenge arises from the spatial delocalization of iodine redox chemistry, where I-/I3-/I5- species propagate from the cathode and trigger electrochemical crosstalk with the Zn anode. Here, inspired by electronegativity-driven activation of heteroatom-doped carbon catalysts, we propose an electronegativity-programmed strategy for iodine-redox-field engineering using self-standing nitrogen–boron co-doped carbon nanofiber (NB-CNF) interlayers. The lower electronegativity of B and higher electronegativity of N relative to C induce charge-asymmetric N/B environments with dipolar character that serve as polar anchoring centers for iodine species, while the superwettable, conductive nanofiber network further integrates the immobilized intermediates into a spatially confined interfacial redox field. This design transforms bulk-diffusion-dominated iodine chemistry into a spatially regulated surface-confined and spatially regulated reaction process. The resulting redox-field confinement suppresses iodine-induced Zn degradation, enabling a smooth Zn surface with reduced roughness and stable Zn symmetric-cell cycling over 1,200 h. Consequently, Zn-I2 full cells deliver excellent rate capability, with the capacity at 50 C reaching 1.8 times that of pristine carbon nanofiber controls, 87% capacity retention after 48 h resting, and stable cycling over 10,000 cycles at 10 C. This work extends Zn-I2 battery design from molecular confinement to electronegativity-programmed spatial engineering of electrochemical redox fields.}
}