article epub_ahead yes Ao Yu author Xingqi Chang author Xuan Lu author Ren He author 366c4efa-f61c-11f0-808b-d12a4547ac69 Linlin Yang author Jiali Chai author Xiaoyu Bi author Jesús Chacón-Borrero author Karol V. Mejia-Centeno author Jordi Llorca author Eduardo Villalobos-Portillo author Qirong Liu author Jian Shang author Andreu Cabot author MaIb department Manganese-based aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have emerged as promising candidates for large-scale energy storage owing to their low cost, intrinsic safety, and the abundance of constituent elements. However, their practical deployment is still restricted by severe capacity fading caused by Jahn–Teller-induced structural instability and sluggish Zn2+ transport in the cathode. Although surface coating, heteroatom doping, and structural regulation have been widely explored to improve Mn-based cathodes, these approaches may suffer from increased interfacial resistance, compositional complexity, or limited control over the intrinsic electronic structure. In this context, oxygen-vacancy engineering offers a more direct route to modulate local coordination environments and accelerate Zn2+/H+ storage kinetics. Herein, lattice-level defect engineering of a dense Mn2O3 host is achieved through a metal–organic framework-derived synthesis followed by mild secondary annealing. The introduced oxygen vacancies regulate the local electronic structure and coordination environment, thereby facilitating Zn2+ diffusion, accelerating charge-transfer kinetics, and improving electrochemical reversibility. Combined experimental and theoretical investigations further show that oxygen-vacancy engineering enhances electronic conductivity, reduces the Zn2+ migration barrier, and enables a reversible dual-ion storage mechanism involving both H+ and Zn2+. Benefiting from these effects, the Zn‖Vo-Mn2O3 battery delivers a high specific capacity of 359 mAh g−1 at 0.3 A g−1, maintains 210 mAh g−1 at 6 A g−1, and retains 74.3% of its capacity after 10 000 cycles at 12 A g−1 after only 150 s of initial preconditioning. This work highlights oxygen-vacancy engineering as an effective route to enhancing the kinetic and structural stability of Mn-based cathodes for advanced AZIBs. Royal Society of Chemistry2026 eng 2050-7488 2050-749610.1039/d6ta05844b Yu, Ao, Xingqi Chang, Xuan Lu, Ren He, Linlin Yang, Jiali Chai, Xiaoyu Bi, et al. “Lattice-Level Defect Engineering of Dense Mn2O3 Hosts Unlocks Fast H+/Zn2+ Storage and Long-Life Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.” <i>Journal of Materials Chemistry A</i>. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ta05844b">https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ta05844b</a>. Yu A, Chang X, Lu X, et al. Lattice-level defect engineering of dense Mn2O3 hosts unlocks fast H+/Zn2+ storage and long-life aqueous zinc-ion batteries. <i>Journal of Materials Chemistry A</i>. 2026. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ta05844b">10.1039/d6ta05844b</a> A. Yu <i>et al.</i>, “Lattice-level defect engineering of dense Mn2O3 hosts unlocks fast H+/Zn2+ storage and long-life aqueous zinc-ion batteries,” <i>Journal of Materials Chemistry A</i>. Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026. A. Yu, X. Chang, X. Lu, R. He, L. Yang, J. Chai, X. Bi, J. Chacón-Borrero, K.V. Mejia-Centeno, J. Llorca, E. Villalobos-Portillo, Q. Liu, J. Shang, A. Cabot, Journal of Materials Chemistry A (2026). Yu, Ao, et al. “Lattice-Level Defect Engineering of Dense Mn2O3 Hosts Unlocks Fast H+/Zn2+ Storage and Long-Life Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries.” <i>Journal of Materials Chemistry A</i>, Royal Society of Chemistry, 2026, doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ta05844b">10.1039/d6ta05844b</a>. Yu, A., Chang, X., Lu, X., He, R., Yang, L., Chai, J., … Cabot, A. (2026). Lattice-level defect engineering of dense Mn2O3 hosts unlocks fast H+/Zn2+ storage and long-life aqueous zinc-ion batteries. <i>Journal of Materials Chemistry A</i>. Royal Society of Chemistry. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ta05844b">https://doi.org/10.1039/d6ta05844b</a> Yu A, Chang X, Lu X, He R, Yang L, Chai J, Bi X, Chacón-Borrero J, Mejia-Centeno KV, Llorca J, Villalobos-Portillo E, Liu Q, Shang J, Cabot A. 2026. Lattice-level defect engineering of dense Mn2O3 hosts unlocks fast H+/Zn2+ storage and long-life aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Journal of Materials Chemistry A. 229652026-09-20T22:01:48Z2026-10-06T10:34:27Z