Study on the enhancement of flexible zinc-air battery performance with polyethylene glycol and nano SiO2 composite hydrogel

• Published in: Journal of electroanalytical chemistry (Lausanne, Switzerland) Vol. 974; p. 118721
• Main Authors: Qu, Xinru, Liu, Gaoyuan, Xu, Na, Zhao, Lina, Xu, Zhanlin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.12.2024
• Subjects: Composite hydrogel electrolyte; Cycle life; Energy density; Flexible zinc-air battery; Near-neutral environment; Composite hydrogel electrolyte; Energy density; Cycle life; Near-neutral environment; Flexible zinc-air battery
• ISSN: 1572-6657
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jelechem.2024.118721

•A PAM/CMC composite hydrogel (PCPS) based on PEG and nano-SiO2 was prepared and tested as a zinc-air battery electrolyte.•The PCPS hydrogel electrolyte achieved 494.6 mAh/g capacity, 0.36 V for over 40 h, and 86.3% energy efficiency over 60 cycles.•Introducing a neutral environment mitigated anode dendrite growth and carbonate deposition in zinc-air batteries.•The high-performance PCPS composite hydrogel is suitable as an electrolyte for flexible zinc-air batteries. Flexible zinc-air batteries have garnered significant attention due to their high energy density, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, issues such as poor cycle life and anode dendrite growth severely hinder their practical application. This study introduces polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a pore-forming agent and incorporates nano SiO2 into a polyacrylamide/carboxymethyl cellulose (PAM/CMC) composite hydrogel, resulting in a PAM/CMC/PEG/SiO2 (PCPS) composite hydrogel. Phase analysis and electrochemical characterization of PCPS were conducted. The hydrogel electrolyte formed in an alkaline KI environment, when assembled into a battery, achieved a capacity of 494.6 mAh/g and maintained a low potential range of 0.36 V for over 40 h, with an energy efficiency of 86.3 % for the first 60 cycles. To address the issue of dendrite growth in alkaline environments, this study also explores the performance of PCPS composite hydrogel in near-neutral environments.