U.S. researchers develop super batteries

Stanford University scientists have developed a new type of high performance zinc air battery. Intense catalytic reactions occur inside the battery, making the battery more than many times higher in electrical performance and reliability than ordinary batteries. An article on new technologies developed by R&D personnel is published in the journal Nature Communications, and will be the basis for the creation of a low-cost energy storage device that will be widely used as a replacement for lithium-ion batteries.

The basis of the most advanced energy storage technology is a lithium ion battery. Although it has a high energy storage density, it has a relatively high cost and there is a problem of operational safety. The professor of this research said, "The metal air battery will provide a higher energy density than the traditional lithium ion battery, so most of the energy is stored outside the battery in the form of atmospheric oxygen. From an economic and technical point of view Look, the most feasible solution for metal air batteries is to use the most common zinc air battery in the chemical industry."

Zinc-air batteries work by reacting metallic zinc in the battery electrolyte with oxygen in the atmosphere. In this reaction, zinc oxide will form and generate electrical energy. The opposite process will occur under the influence of the current, zinc will be reduced to metal state, and free oxygen will also be released into the atmosphere. Zinc air battery materials are rich in resources, and the cost of zinc metal is low, and its non-flammable nature in the electrolyte water will make it have sufficient safety. However, this technology also has its drawbacks. The oxidation and reduction reactions of new batteries take longer and consume less power.