To possess long-term viability and sustainability, renewable energy systems require large-scale storage containers—batteries—to hold the energy generated.
Currently lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries—used to power everything from cellphones, to electric cars, to e-bikes—are the preferred storage method. But lithium is a “rare element,” meaning it is hard to find, refine and store, which makes it costly. As such, inquisitive academics have been searching for an inexpensive alternative.
And it looks as though German researchers may have found it in zinc, according to a paper published in Advanced Energy Materials in October 2024.
Zinc-ion (Zn-ion) batteries operate just the same as Li-ion batteries. But unlike Li-ion batteries, they have a longer lifespan, lower cost and are not prone to fires. However, they are subject to the growth of zinc dendrites—needle-shaped structures that cause short circuits between the anode and cathode, shortening their life cycle.
A team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) School of Natural Sciences has developed a method they believe will extend the lifespan of zinc-ion batteries through several hundreds of thousands of charges and discharges.
Using an organic polymer called TpBD-2FU, the team was able to fabricate a protective film on the batteries’ zinc anode, allowing zinc ions to flow though while keeping water molecules out, stopping the formation of dendrites.
The group has high hopes for the new zinc-ion batteries, with doctoral student and lead author Da Lei writing, “zinc-ion batteries with this new protective layer could replace lithium-ion batteries in large-scale energy storage applications, such as in combination with solar or wind power plants.”
The results of the study were published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials in October 2024.
According to Lei, “They last longer, are safer, and zinc is both cheaper and more readily available than lithium."
Head of the research team and chair of inorganic and metal-organic chemistry at the TUM School of Natural Sciences, Roland A. Fischer added, “This is truly a spectacular research result. We have shown that the chemical approach developed by Da Lei not only works but is also controllable. Now, it's up to engineers to take up the idea and develop appropriate production processes."
