3D Spiral Zinc Electrode for Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Air Battery

Abstract

Zinc metal has emerged as seeded anode material in the field of high-efficiency aqueous metal-air battery system due to the advantages of abundant reserves, strong reversibility and high capacity. Unfortunately, the conventional zinc electrodes commonly adopt a flat structure, and the dendrite accumulation and corrosion during the cycle process lead to sub-optimal efficiency and performance. Herein, the zinc electrode is designed as a three-dimensional (3D) spiral structure to improve the utilization efficiency of zinc and the quality of the battery. Compared with the zinc plate, the 3D spiral zinc electrode can shorten the movement distance of the particles in space and the operation period in time, increase the specific surface area of the reaction, reduce the resistance of mass and charge transfer, and achieve the effect of optimizing the performance of the battery system. The results show that the aqueous zinc-air battery made of 3D spiral zinc electrode exhibits better charge-discharge characteristics, higher power density and narrower voltage windows. This study demonstrates a zinc anode with simple feasibility properties and a special structure, aiming to provide a new research direction and innovation strategy for the development of high-performance rechargeable zinc-air battery systems.