Optimized zinc electrode for rechargeable zinc-air batteries

摘要

In this study,two different approaches to improve the zinc anode cyclic stability are discussed:(i)optimization of the active zinc mass composition by adding different metal oxides,which aims to prevent the formation of dendrites and thus to inhibit the degradation processes and(ii)optimization of the current collector by replacing the most commonly applied tinned copper mesh with a galvanized one which aims to prevent the copper dissolution during operation of the battery.Zinc electrodes,prepared by mixing of Zn and ZnO with a binder,were pasted on both sides of the current collector and examined by charge/discharge tests in a half-cell configuration with stainless steel mesh counter electrode and reference reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)in alkaline electrolyte.The effects of different oxides(Bi2O3,In2O3,Al2O3)addition to the Zn paste and copper mesh galvanization on the electrode performance were evaluated.The results show that additives significantly influence the Zn electrode capacity(about 30 improvement)and the replacement of copper mesh with a galvanized one increases its stability and cyclic efficiency.