Anode optimization strategies for zinc–air batteries
Ruo-Bei Huang,
Meng-Yin Wang,
Jian-Feng Xiong,
Hua Zhang,
Jing-Hua Tian,
Jian-Feng Li
Affiliations
Ruo-Bei Huang
College of Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Energy, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
Meng-Yin Wang
College of Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Energy, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
Jian-Feng Xiong
College of Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Energy, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China
Hua Zhang
College of Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Energy, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China; Corresponding author.
Jing-Hua Tian
College of Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Energy, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China; Corresponding author.
Jian-Feng Li
College of Materials, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, College of Energy, State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid Surfaces, iChEM, Fujian Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China; Innovation Laboratory for Sciences and Technologies of Energy Materials of Fujian Province (IKKEM), Xiamen 361005, China; Corresponding author.
With issues of energy security and environmental crisis intensifying, we urgently need to develop energy storage systems with high energy density and high safety. Zinc–air batteries have attracted extensive attention for their energy density, safety, and low cost, but problems with the zinc anode—such as hydrogen evolution, corrosion, passivation, dendrite proliferation, and deformation—have led to zinc–air batteries with low Coulombic efficiency and short cycle life; these remain the key obstacles hindering the batteries’ further development. In this review paper, we briefly describe the reaction mechanism of zinc–air batteries, then summarize the strategies for solving the key issues in zinc anodes. These approaches are divided into three aspects: structural designs for the zinc anode; interface engineering; and electrolyte selection and optimization. We finish by offering some suggestions for future research directions to improve the zinc anode in zinc–air batteries.
