Aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have recently attracted increasing research interest due to their unparalleled safety, fantastic cost competitiveness and promising capacity advantages compared with the commercial lithium ion batteries. However, the disputed energy storage mechanism has been a confusing issue restraining the development of ZIBs. Although a lot of efforts have been dedicated to the exploration in battery chemistry, a comprehensive review that focuses on summarizing the energy storage mechanisms of ZIBs is needed. Herein, the energy storage mechanisms of aqueous rechargeable ZIBs are systematically reviewed in detail and summarized as four types, which are traditional Zn²⁺ insertion chemistry, dual ions co-insertion, chemical conversion reaction and coordination reaction of Zn²⁺ with organic cathodes. Furthermore, the promising exploration directions and rational prospects are also proposed in this review.

与商用锂离子电池相比，水性可充电锌离子电池（ZIBs）由于其无与伦比的安全性，出色的成本竞争力以及有希望的容量优势，最近引起了越来越多的研究兴趣。然而，有争议的储能机制一直是限制ZIBs发展的一个令人困惑的问题。尽管已经为探索电池化学做出了很多努力，但仍需要进行全面的综述，重点是总结ZIB的能量存储机制。在此，系统地详细综述了水性可充电ZIBs的储能机理，并将其归纳为传统的Zn ²⁺插入化学，双离子共插入，Zn的化学转化反应和配位反应四种类型。²⁺带有机阴极。此外，本文还提出了有希望的勘探方向和合理的前景。