Progresses, Challenges and Prospects for Aluminum Anode in Aqueous Secondary Batteries

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) dominate the current energy storage market, raising concerns about cost and safety. Due to their lower cost and enhanced safety, aqueous batteries are emerging as a prominent substitute to LIBs for grid-scale applications. Aluminum (Al) is the most abundant metal element in the Earth’s crust, offering the merits of high theoretical capacity, safety, and low production cost. However, challenges such as a narrow electrochemical stability window (ESW) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous electrolytes need to be properly addressed to achieve the practical use of aqueous batteries. This paper aims to summarize the history and progress of Al metal anodes in energy storage, followed by suggested potential pathways for the development of practical aqueous Al batteries.