Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) are considered the most promising electrochemical energy storage technologies due to their high safety and low cost. However, their practical application is hindered by persistent challenges at the Zn anode, including thermodynamic corrosion, hydrogen evolution, and dendrite growth in aqueous electrolytes. In this work, a nonionic molecule, n-octyl β-D-glucoside (8TG), is investigated as an additive for ZnSO₄ (ZS) electrolyte system. Experimental and theoretical calculations confirm that 8TG molecules tend to adsorb on the (001) plane of zinc hydroxide sulfate (ZHS), lowering its interfacial energy and thereby inducing lateral growth to form a dense protective layer. This layer exhibits an interlayer spacing of > 8 Å and is rich in anions, which can lower the energy barrier for ion transport through an electrostatic repulsion–attraction effect. Furthermore, 8TG preferentially adsorb on the Zn₍₀₀₂₎ and Zn₍₁₀₀₎ facets during zinc electrodeposition. Through a spatial confinement effect, it guides the preferential deposition of Zn²⁺ along the Zn₍₁₀₁₎ plane, effectively suppressing dendrite growth. Benefiting from these multifunctional effects of 8TG, Zn||Zn symmetric cells achieve a lifespan exceeding 2500 h at 2 mA·cm⁻² and 1 mAh·cm⁻², and maintain stable operation over 400 h even under 10 mA·cm⁻² and 5 mAh·cm⁻². Moreover, Zn||I₂/MnO₂@activated carbon (AC) full cells assembled with 8TG additive exhibit nearly 100% capacity retention after 500 cycles. This work systematically elucidates the influence of 8TG additive on the growth orientation of ZHS and Zn dendrites, providing new insights into exploring electrolyte additives for high-performance AZIBs.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs), a novel class of crystalline porous materials constructed by covalent bonds, possess ordered porous structures via thermodynamically controlled polymerization reactions. Because of their structurally diverse, regular pore structures, high surface area, and thermal stability can be functionally tailored through different synthetic methods to meet the needs of various applications including for secondary batteries. This review summarized recent efforts that have been devoted to designing and synthesizing COF-based materials for battery applications, including electrode materials, electrolytes, and separators. Unique characteristics of COFs allow for the rational design of targeted functions, suppression of side reactions, and promotion of ion transport for batteries. This review clarified recent research progress on COF materials for lithium-ion batteries, lithium–sulfur batteries, sodium-ion batteries, potassium-ion batteries and so on. This review pointed out the structure and chemical properties of COFs, as well as new strategies to improve battery performance. Furthermore, we concluded the major challenges and future trends of COF materials in electrochemical applications. It is hoped that this review will provide meaningful guidance for the development of COFs for alkali-ion batteries.