Researchers across Korea recently collaborated to develop a cutting-edge current collector for zinc-ion batteries, placing an emphasis on performance, cost, and scalability. With the gradual shift to battery power from fossil fuels over the past decade — such as lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles — the push for these technologies to become more efficient and accessible is only increasing.
Published in the Advanced Energy Materials journal, the study details the use of graphene-coated stainless steel foil as an alternative to graphite foil and other conventional zinc-ion battery current collectors. While existing collectors tend to be expensive and complex to produce, in addition to lacking mechanical durability, the graphene-coated collector proposed by the researchers proved simple to make and more resistant to extreme conditions.
"This innovation overcomes the common challenges of corrosion and poor conductivity seen in water-based systems and operates stably even under high-mass loading conditions, which is essential for practical use," wrote Tech Xplore.
While zinc-ion batteries on their own are long-lasting, high-performing, and easy to source — zinc being abundant in nature — compared to their expensive and often hazardous lithium-ion counterparts, the complications of their required current collectors have precluded them from becoming more common in industrial and commercial settings. By establishing a workaround to the collector problem, the research team is setting the stage for zinc-ion batteries to become a major new storage solution for renewable energy.
"[This technology] opens the door to large-scale production," continued Tech Xplore, "bringing zinc-ion batteries closer to commercialization in the energy storage sector."
Per Zimtu Capital Corp., Zinc-ion batteries have potential applications in everything from smart technology to electric vehicles to large-scale renewable energy storage for wind and solar power systems. As our planet continues to overheat under billions of tons of unbridled carbon pollution each year, finding ways to facilitate the transition to clean, electric power sources becomes all the more essential.
The U.S. alone sold over 1 million EVs in 2024, and while lithium-ion batteries are a step up from pollution-causing fuel combustion power, zinc-ion is pushing sustainable battery technology even further. By proving zinc-ion current collectors don't have to be impractically expensive, the latest research demonstrates the feasibility of zinc-ion more than ever before.
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