Safety and lifespan problems caused by the zinc dendrite formation continue to impede the application of zinc-based batteries. To address this severe issue, it is crucial to fully understand the nanoscale nucleation and early-stage dendrite growth process. However, the key dynamic process can hardly be resolved at the nanoscopic level under ambient working conditions with the current in situ/operando methods. Here, we develop a highly sensitive, super-resolution operando imaging approach for directly investigating the initial electroplating process in the zinc-air battery system. With this approach, millisecond/nanometer-resolution observation is achieved, providing nucleation rate, growth heterogeneity, and direction information at the single zinc nuclei level, and revealing nanoscopic details of early-stage dendrite growth. The spatiotemporally super-resolved observation elucidates that dynamic change in the local electrochemical environment is the key factor for the formation of the zinc dendrites. This novel straightforward approach can enable a deep understanding of the electrochemical interfacial issues and facilitate problem solving in diverse battery systems.

由锌枝晶形成引起的安全性和寿命问题继续阻碍锌基电池的应用。为了解决这个严重的问题，至关重要的是要充分了解纳米级成核和早期枝晶生长过程。然而，利用当前的原位/操作方法，在环境工作条件下，关键的动力学过程很难在纳米级解决。在这里，我们开发了高度敏感的超分辨率操作成像方法可直接研究锌-空气电池系统中的初始电镀过程。通过这种方法，可以实现毫秒/纳米分辨率的观察，可在单个锌核水平上提供成核速率，生长异质性和方向信息，并揭示早期枝晶生长的纳米细节。时空超分辨的观察表明，局部电化学环境中的动态变化是形成锌枝晶的关键因素。这种新颖，简单的方法可以使人们深入了解电化学界面问题，并有助于解决各种电池系统中的问题。