Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences recently completed a study outlining their design and development of a hydrogel electrolyte that uses urea and zinc acetate to enable zinc-ion batteries to bend without losing voltage.
The study, published in the international edition of Angewandte Chemie, sought an alternative to conventional means of improving flexibility.
Quasi-solid-state electrolytes, for instance, encounter limitations in terms of cost, durability, and environmental impact — limitations overcome by the inexpensive, eco-friendly zinc acetate compound.
That's not to say the researchers faced zero obstacles along the way.
Zinc acetate's poor solubility, according to a summary published on Tech Xplore, interferes with performance, meaning the researchers needed to cultivate a "salting out" strategy — that is, removing hydration shells around polymer chains — in order to strengthen the electrolyte's durability.
"This approach overcomes the usual limits of the low-cost [zinc acetate] salt, making it much better at resisting wear and tear," noted researcher Li Zhaoqian. "It allows the material to withstand repeated processes of zinc plating and stripping, as well as other physical stress, improving its overall durability."
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Zinc-ion batteries are used in a range of applications, from smart technology to electric vehicles and renewable power storage, serving as a much more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries, which tend to be expensive to source and contain hazardous pollutants.
As carbon pollution continues to push our planet to overheat, threatening the stability of our weather, our resources, and our public health, finding ways to improve our current clean energy techniques becomes increasingly essential.
In particular, increasing the physical flexibility of batteries "highlights its potential for application in portable and wearable electronic devices," according to Li, which are becoming more popular these days in the form of watches, rings, and even clothing.
As it stands, zinc-ion batteries are less common than lithium-ion batteries because of their aforementioned limitations, despite their longevity and cost-effectiveness. However, innovations such as the product of this latest research are sure to underscore the benefits and offset the costs, facilitating their integration into various sectors.
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