As the world’s demand for energy storage grows, the limitations of current lithium-ion batteries, such as safety concerns, high costs, and resource shortages, have pushed researchers to explore alternative solutions.
One promising option is aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs), which offer several advantages, including improved safety, lower costs, and a more environmentally friendly design.
However, AZIBs face their own challenges, such as the formation of zinc dendrites—tiny, needle-like structures that can reduce the battery’s lifespan.
To make AZIBs a more reliable option for large-scale energy storage, scientists are looking for ways to overcome these challenges.
Researchers from Tsinghua University and the University of Technology Sydney have made significant progress in improving AZIBs by focusing on one key area: the design of porous zinc anodes.
Their recent study, published in Energy Materials and Devices, reviews the latest advances in using porous zinc structures to improve battery performance and offers strategic insights into the future of this technology.
Traditional zinc anodes, which are flat and solid, have limitations. They can lead to uneven distribution of electric fields and charge buildup, which causes the growth of zinc dendrites.
These dendrites can eventually short-circuit the battery and make it unsafe to use. However, porous zinc anodes have a different structure that can help solve this problem.
Porous zinc anodes contain tiny holes and channels, providing many nucleation sites where zinc can deposit evenly.
This reduces the energy required for zinc to form and minimizes the likelihood of dendrite formation.
The porous structure also helps distribute electric fields and ion flow more evenly, which leads to more stable zinc deposition and stripping (the process of zinc moving in and out of the anode during charging and discharging).
Another advantage of porous zinc anodes is that their three-dimensional structure allows them to handle the expansion and stress that occur during zinc deposition. This increases the battery’s durability and overall performance, making AZIBs more reliable for long-term use.
The researchers highlight various methods for creating these porous zinc anodes, including etching, self-assembly, laser lithography, electrochemical methods, and even 3D printing.
Professor Dong Zhou, one of the senior researchers involved in the study, explained, “The development of porous zinc anodes is a big step forward in making zinc-ion batteries a more practical alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
By addressing the problem of dendrite growth, we are getting closer to making AZIBs commercially viable for large-scale energy storage.”
The study not only reviews the current progress but also provides strategic insights into how future research could continue to improve AZIB technology. The researchers believe that porous zinc anodes could revolutionize energy storage by enabling more efficient, longer-lasting, and safer batteries.
This is especially important as the world looks for sustainable energy solutions to integrate renewable sources like solar and wind power into the grid.
In addition to their potential for large-scale energy storage, porous zinc anodes could also lead to the development of safer and more affordable batteries for everyday use.
From electric vehicles to portable electronics, AZIBs with porous zinc anodes could offer a reliable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, helping to reduce costs and environmental impact.
By advancing zinc-ion battery technology, researchers are paving the way for cleaner and more sustainable energy storage solutions, which are crucial for the global transition toward a greener future.
Source: Tsinghua University Press.
