The strong electrostatic interaction between high-charge-density zinc ions (112 C mm-3 ) and the fixed crystallinity of traditional oxide cathodes with delayed charge compensation hinders the development of high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Herein, to intrinsically promote electron transfer efficiency and improve lattice tolerance, a revolutionary family of high-entropy oxides (HEOs) materials with multipath electron transfer and remarkable structural stability as cathodes for AZIBs is proposed. Benefiting from the unique "cock-tail" effect, the interaction of diverse type metal-atoms in HEOs achieves essentially broadened d-band and lower degeneracy than monometallic oxides, which contribute to convenient electron transfer and one of the best rate-performances (136.2 mAh g-1 at 10.0 A g-1 ) in AZIBs. In addition, the intense lattice strain field of HEOs is highly tolerant to the electrostatic repulsion of high-charge-density Zn2+ , leading to the outstanding cycling stability in AZIBs. Moreover, the super selectability of elements in HEOs exhibits significant potential for AZIBs.
Keywords: aqueous zinc-ion batteries; high charge density; high entropy; high rate performance; modulated d-band.
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