Jiao Miaolun, Dai Lixin, Ren Hong-Rui, Zhang Mengtian, Xiao Xiao, Wang Boran, Yang Jinlong, Liu Bilu, Zhou Guangmin, Cheng Hui-Ming
Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2023 May 8;62(20):e202301114. doi: 10.1002/anie.202301114. Epub 2023 Mar 23.
The development of flexible zinc-air batteries (FZABs) has attracted broad attention in the field of wearable electronic devices. Gel electrolyte is one of the most important components in FZABs, which is urgent to be optimized to match with Zn anode and adapt to severe climates. In this work, a polarized gel electrolyte of polyacrylamide-sodium citric (PAM-SC) is designed for FZABs, in which the SC molecules contain large amount of polarized -COO functional groups. The polarized -COO groups can form an electrical field between gel electrolyte and Zn anode to suppress Zn dendrite growth. Besides, the -COO groups in PAM-SC can fix H O molecules, which prevents water from freezing and evaporating. The polarized PAM-SC hydrogel delivers a high ionic conductivity of 324.68 mS cm and water retention of 96.85 % after being exposed for 96 h. FZABs with the PAM-SC gel electrolyte exhibit long cycling life of 700 cycles at -40 °C, showing the application prospect under extreme conditions.
柔性锌空气电池（FZABs）的发展在可穿戴电子设备领域引起了广泛关注。凝胶电解质是FZABs中最重要的组件之一，迫切需要对其进行优化，以与锌阳极相匹配并适应恶劣气候。在这项工作中，为FZABs设计了一种聚丙烯酰胺-柠檬酸钠（PAM-SC）极化凝胶电解质，其中SC分子含有大量极化的-COO官能团。极化的-COO基团可在凝胶电解质和锌阳极之间形成电场，以抑制锌枝晶生长。此外，PAM-SC中的-COO基团可以固定水分子，从而防止水冻结和蒸发。极化的PAM-SC水凝胶在暴露96小时后具有324.68 mS cm的高离子电导率和96.85%的保水率。具有PAM-SC凝胶电解质的FZABs在-40°C下表现出700次循环的长循环寿命，显示出在极端条件下的应用前景。
