Cationic Adsorption-Induced Microlevelling Effect: A Pathway to Dendrite-Free Zinc Anodes

• Gd3+ ions act as a microlevelling agent, preferentially adsorbing onto zinc protrusions to suppress dendrite growth. • The adsorbed Gd3+ ions create a water-poor electric double layer, effectively inhibiting side reactions like hydrogen evolution and corrosion. • The modified electrolyte enables zinc anodes to achieve a prolonged cycle life of 2100 hours and a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.72%. • Full cells with NH4V4O10 cathodes demonstrate excellent capacity retention of 85.6% after 1000 cycles, highlighting practical applicability.