Scientists continue to look for an alternative to popular lithium-ion batteries, and someday the quantity of research will definitely turn into quality. In the meantime, researchers from Australia have shared a new and potentially promising development – the RAZB zinc-ion exchange battery with an electrolyte made from ordinary water. Such batteries will be fireproof and fully recyclable, which also promises to make them more affordable.
The work devoted to the development was published in the journal Advanced Materials. In it, scientists from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), together with colleagues from other institutions, reported how they achieved sustainable operation of a battery based on zinc and water. Note that the prototype battery had a significantly smaller capacity than a similar lithium-ion cell, but was comparable to it in terms of the number of charge and discharge cycles, which in itself makes the development interesting.
By creating a zinc-ion cell with an aqueous electrolyte, scientists solved two main problems. First, it was necessary to prevent the formation of dendrites—metal spike-like deposits on the electrodes that build up as batteries operate and lead to a short circuit. Secondly, during the operation of the battery, hydrogen began to be released from the water. This process also needed to be slowed down, otherwise it would lead to battery damage.
To combat dendrites, tungsten and oxide coatings were selected for the electrodes. Experiments showed that this reduced deposits on the electrodes and increased the life cycle of the batteries. To reduce the formation of hydrogen from an aqueous electrolyte, a solution was proposed to regulate the acidity level of the solution. In general, the prototype and the chosen direction were considered successful and will continue to develop.
At the same time, researchers consider magnesium-ion batteries more promising. The prototype they created had an energy density of 75 Wh/kg. This is approximately 30% of modern mass-produced lithium-ion batteries, and you can already work with this.
Lighter than alternative metals such as zinc and nickel, magnesium provides superior energy density. It promises faster charging times and increased power to support power-hungry devices and applications.
“The next step is to increase the energy density of our aqueous batteries by developing new nanomaterials as electrode materials,” the scientists promise.
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