FES Funded ProjectsOutputs
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| Gel Polymer Electrolyte for Zinc-Air Batteries Operating at Low TemperaturesPoster presentation for FES Fall Symposium 2021T06-P03 University of Alberta | Activity | 2021-09-17 | | | A Study of Alkaline Gel Polymer Electrolytes for Rechargeable Zinc-Air BatteriesIn this report, hydrated hydrogels are investigated for application in rechargeable zinc-air batteries (ZABs) based on their ionic conductivities, chemical stability, electrochemical windows and mechanical properties. Three different hydrogel networks, i.e., poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(4- vinylbenzenesulfonate-co-[3-(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethylammonium chloride) (PAM), were chosen based on their chemical composition and network electrical charge difference. Since the hydrogel network affects electrolyte uptake, which in turn may influence conductivity, understanding the correlation between hydrogel species and ionic conductivity provides insight into designing an appropriate gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) for ZABs. The relationship between ionic conductivity, water uptake and temperature are discussed. In ZAB cycling tests, although GPEs have a higher bulk resistance than aqueous electrolytes, they have lower interfacial and charge transfer resistances. The total resistance values for PVA and PAA, with 6 M KOH, vary from 4 - 6 Ω, which are lower than the values for KOH solution (~11 Ω) and PAM with 6 M KOH (~14 Ω). As such, this study demonstrates that GPEs show considerable promise for use as electrolytes in ZABs.T06-P03 University of Alberta | Publication | 2019-12-10 | | | Colorimetric Voltmeter Using Colloidal Fe3O4@SiO2 Nanoparticles as an Overpotential Alarm System for Zinc-air BatteriesT06-P03 University of Alberta | Publication | 2019-10-20 | "Lelin Zheng ", Thuy (Wendy) Nguyen Thanh Tran, "Dinara Zhalmuratova ", Ivey, D., Chung, H. | | Effects of Crosslinker Concentration in Poly(Acrylic Acid)–KOH Gel Electrolyte on Performance of Zinc–Air BatteriesZinc–air batteries (ZABs) using gel polymer electrolytes suffer from low energy efficiency and poor cyclability. This issue is not only associated with the air electrode, as early failure of the battery is often due to the Zn electrode. Here, the cycle life of ZABs using alkaline poly(acrylic acid) (PAA–KOH) as the electrolyte is shown to vary by changing its crosslinking density. For ZABs using hydrogel electrolytes, understanding the failure mechanism and optimization of the hydrogel composition are key to achieving better utilization of the Zn electrode and battery rechargeability. In addition, the effects of crosslinker concentration on rheological properties, sol–gel fraction, ionic conductivity and water retention ability of the hydrogel are discussed. PAA–KOH gels with lower crosslinking concentrations are weaker, but they have higher conductivity and better water retention, whereas gels with higher crosslinking concentrations affect the diffusion of zincate ions and facilitate passivation of the Zn electrode, resulting in early failure of the battery.T06-P03 University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-04-01 | | | A Tri–Electrode Configuration for Zinc–Air Batteries Using Gel Polymer ElectrolytesTo increase the cyclability of rechargeable zinc–air batteries (ZABs) using gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs), battery design and structure need to be optimized. Two different configurations for a tri–electrode battery have been developed in this work; i.e., a planar cell and a sandwich cell. Discharge–recharge cycling tests at 5 mA cm–2 show that the sandwich cell is more suitable for ZABs than the planar cell. Various additives for the GPEs, such as cross linking agents and ZnO, have also been evaluated using the tri–electrode design. Cross linking density affects the physical state of GPEs, which in turn affects the oxygen evolution reaction as there is an adverse effect of excessive GPE/Ni foam electrode contact area because oxygen bubble may be trapped in the GPE. The addition of ZnO to the oxygen reduction reaction side of the battery enhances the cycling performance of ZABs; i.e., the battery can withstand at least 100 cycles at 5 mA cm–2 with an efficiency of 62% during the first cycle.T06-P03 University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-01-24 | | | Compositional Effects of Gel Polymer Electrolyte and Battery Design for Zinc\textendash Air BatteriesPoly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is a promising polymer host to support alkaline electrolytes in Zn-air batteries. Herein, precursors containing different concentrations of monomers, crosslinkers and additives such as zinc oxide in alkaline solution are polymerized to fabricate gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) via one-pot synthesis. The compositional effects of the GPEs on battery performance are evaluated and a more efficient cell design is demonstrated. With a vertical double air electrode configuration, ZABs using PAA-based electrolytes show unprecedented performance including high specific energy (913 Wh kgZn−1), excellent cycling stability (at least 160 cycles at 2×10 mA cm–2) and high power density output (2×135 mW cm−2). The study represents a viable option to replace aqueous electrolytes for high performing ZABs.T06-P03 University of Alberta | Publication | 2020-05-01 | Thuy (Wendy) Nguyen Thanh Tran, Drew Aasen, Dinara Zhalmuratova, Matthew Labbe, Chung, H., Ivey, D. |
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