Significant progress in the development of safe and sustainable zinc-aqueous batteries

The researchers of South Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) have taken an important step towards the development of blue zinc batteries by inventing a new method. These batteries, which use water as an electrolyte, have higher safety because they do not use flammable materials.

According to the scientific news department of Tekna Technology Media, one of the main challenges in the development of zinc-blue batteries is the formation of dendrites, which over time leads to a decrease in battery capacity. But KIER researchers have managed to solve this problem effectively by using a new technology. Not using flammable electrolytes minimizes the risk of fire. According to the researchers, due to the use of two electrons per ion, the capacity of these batteries is significantly higher than that of lithium-ion batteries. Experiments have shown that batteries made with this method have a much longer cycle life than conventional blue zinc batteries.

By using copper oxide as an additive, researchers have managed to control the dendrite formation process. Copper oxide prevents the formation of dendrites by uniformly distributing it on the surface of the electrode and helps to increase the life of the battery. Dr. Jung-Jae Woo, the supervisor of this research, says: “This research provides a new solution to deal with the long-standing challenge of dendrite formation in metal batteries, especially zinc-water batteries. By using low-cost materials and simple processes such as copper oxide, we have been able to achieve significant progress in this field. Considering the numerous advantages of blue zinc batteries and the recent developments in this field, it can be expected that these batteries will find a special place in the energy industry in the future.

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