Covalent organic framework film protected zinc anode for highly stable rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries

•The TpPa-SO3H COF layer coated on the Zn anode surface effectively prevents Zn metal from being directly exposed to the electrolyte, thereby suppressing the dendrites and passivation on the Zn-foil surface.•The sulfonic acid groups in TpPa-SO3H film can coordinate with Zn2+ ions and regulate the uniform deposition of Zn2+ ions to inhibit the dendrite formation.•The assembled TpPa-SO3H@Zn-foil||MnO2 cell maintained a high coulombic efficiency of 99.8% and a good capacity retention of 94.7% after 1000 cycles.