Zinc accumulation is recognized as one of the most critical issues that affect the cycle life of zinc-nickel single flow batteries (ZNBs). In this paper, a novel and very specific method has been proposed to solve the above problem. The side reactions, which are always regarded as negative factors, are promoted at negative side to balance the side reactions at positive side. A novel electrode with high reaction area and well mass transport structure has been designed to facilitate parasitic reactions at negative side. The result shows that zinc accumulation has been successfully solved by balancing positive reactions and negative reactions with this novel electrode, and no zinc accumulates on the negative electrode over 400 cycles. This paper provides an effective way to improve the cycling stability of ZNBs, which is the most troublesome for the commercialization of ZNBs. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.