Producing Low-Cost, Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries for Sustainable Large-Scale Energy Storage

As global lithium-ion (LIB) battery demand escalates, rapidly depleting key resources and causing supply-chain struggles for strategic materials, experts are seeking safe, cost-effective alternatives for rechargeable energy solutions. Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) offer a promising low-cost answer, derived from readily available resources. Scientists at Flinders University are pioneering practical polymer AZIBs with organic cathodes to further advance sustainable energy storage technologies.

Associate Professor Zhongfan Jia, a nanotech researcher at Flinders University, emphasizes, "Aqueous zinc-ion batteries could have real-world applications." AZIBs could substantially fulfill the needs of electric vehicles and portable electronic devices, sectors which have heavily depended on LIBs, causing resource depletion and supply issues inclusive of metals like lithium and cobalt. Replaceable alternatives like AZIBs may mitigate environmental risks arising from millions of inadequately recycled LIBs.

Compared to lithium, zinc is more abundant (10 times as much in the Earth's crust), less toxic, and safer, positioning AZIBs as superior candidates among alternative batteries. Typically, AZIBs function with zinc metal anodes and either organic or inorganic compounds as cathodes. Though progress has been significant in enhancing zinc anodes’ stability, achieving high-performance cathodes remains a critical hurdle for AZIB development.

"Our research uses nitroxide radical polymer cathodes sourced from inexpensive commercial polymers, optimizing AZIB performance with cost-effective additives," says Associate Professor Jia, who spearheads Sustainable Polymers for Energy and Environment research. Highlighting their work, Jia notes the creation of the highest mass loading nitroxide radical polymer cathodes within AZIBs to date—a breakthrough detailed in a Journal of Power Resources article.

Led by master student Nanduni Gamage and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Yanlin Shi, the team engineered a lab-produced pouch battery employing economic polymer (approximately $20/kg), non-fluoro Zn(ClO4)2 electrolyte, and BP 2000 carbon black ($1/kg) without binders, achieving nearly 70 mAh/g capacity and a discharge voltage of 1.4 V. With a mass loading of 50 mg/cm², this battery effectively powered a small electric fan and a model car, demonstrating practical utility.

Collaborators, including Dr. Jesús Santos-Peña of Université Paris Est Creteil CNRS, alongside experts from Flinders University's Nanoscale Science and Technology Institute, contributed significantly to these advances. Additionally, their collaboration with Griffith University yielded organic radical/K dual-ion batteries—another solution reducing reliance on lithium.

By adhering to the described guidelines and utilizing zinc’s abundance, low cost, and safety, the research at Flinders University paves the way towards the scalable production of sustainable and efficient energy storage solutions.

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