Key Findings
A research team from the Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter (FJIRSM) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has developed a fluorinated graphene electrocatalyst, designated as FG-3, that raises zinc-air battery efficiency to approximately 98 percent. In laboratory tests, batteries using this catalyst operated stably for over 820 hours in ambient air and retained 97.6 percent efficiency after 1,500 charging and discharging cycles.
Technical Details
The FG-3 catalyst consists of 3.1 percent fluorine. It was produced via a controlled heating process that gradually removed fluorine to restore the material’s electrically conductive carbon structure. This specific concentration of fluorine resulted in a large surface area, evenly distributed fluorine, and improved interaction with the electrolyte. The fluorine-carbon bonds also altered the electrical properties of adjacent carbon atoms.
Performance metrics for the catalyst include:
- 97.4 percent hydrogen peroxide selectivity.
- 98 percent Faradaic efficiency.
- Peak power density of 569 milliwatts per square centimeter (mW cm-2) in non-rechargeable configurations.
- 98 percent round-trip efficiency in rechargeable versions.
Background and Context
Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) utilize zinc metal as the negative electrode and oxygen from the surrounding air at the positive electrode. While they offer higher energy density and lower costs compared to lithium-ion batteries due to the abundance of zinc, they have historically been difficult to recharge. This is due to complex chemical reactions during charging and discharging that require high energy and accelerate material degradation.
To overcome this, the team led by Wen Zhenhai, PhD, and Huang Junheng, PhD, utilized a two-electron (2e–) O2-H2O2 interconversion pathway, which offers faster intrinsic kinetics and superior reversibility compared to traditional methods.
Significance and Outlook
The study, published in Angewandte Chemie International Edition, demonstrates a strategy for creating high-performance carbon catalysts without relying on metals. The researchers believe these findings could lead to more efficient next-generation energy storage systems by providing a highly reversible pathway for oxygen and hydrogen peroxide interconversion.
Source: https://interestingengineering.com/energy/zinc-air-battery-hits-98-efficiency-820-hour-lifespan
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