All-weather Zn-MnO2 aqueous batteries: pressurized CO2 to suppress corrosion, dendrites and Mn dissolution
An aqueous battery-management approach that uses pressurized CO2 to suppress zinc corrosion, inhibit dendrite growth and suppress manganese ion dissolution in Zn-MnO2 batteries. A second approach seals CO2-containing additives in the cell for slow release of CO2 during long-cycling operation.
The problem
Aqueous Zn-MnO2 batteries are attractive systems for stationary energy storage due to the high cost to capacity ratio for materials like Zinc and MnO2, along with their high theoretical energy densities of 150 Wh/kg. However, being stationary, such batteries are subject to wide variations in temperature, and require a robust all-weather design. Approaches to reduce instability and premature cycling failure from phenomena like dendrite formation, electrolyte decomposition, and oxide cathode dissolution currently do not exist to enabling robust performance across a range of temperatures.
The solution
Researchers at the University of Tennessee have developed an aqueous battery-management approach involving the use of pressurized CO2 to suppress zinc corrosion, inhibit dendrite growth, and suppress manganese ion dissolution. Another developed approach makes use of CO2-containing additives sealed in batteries for slow-release of CO2 to maintain performance during long-cycling operations.
Benefits
- Experimentally verified unit energy density of 148 Wh/kg, along with significantly improved shelving life.
- Cycling stability of these batteries reveals nearly 70% retention for 100 cycles at 0.1C.
- Offers durable cycling under experimentally verified, real world conditions.
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