Kapaev Roman R, Leifer Nicole, Kottaichamy Alagar Raja, Ohayon Amit, Wu Langyuan, Shalom Menny, Noked Malachi
Department of Chemistry and BINA-BIU Center for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel (R. R. K.) (M. N.
Department of Chemistry, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, 8410501, Israel.
Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2025 Jan 27;64(5):e202418792. doi: 10.1002/anie.202418792. Epub 2024 Dec 13.
Rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs) with near-neutral electrolytes hold promise as cheap, safe and sustainable devices, but they suffer from slow charge kinetics and remain poorly studied. Here we reveal a charge storage mechanism of near-neutral Zn-air batteries that is mediated by formation of dissolved hydrogen peroxide upon cell discharge and its oxidation upon charge. This HO-mediated pathway facilitates oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at ~1.5 V vs. Zn/Zn, reducing charge overpotentials by ~0.2-0.5 V and mitigating carbon corrosion-a common issue in ZABs. The manifestation of this mechanism strongly depends on the electrolyte composition and positive electrode material, contributing up to ~60 % of the capacity with ZnSO solutions and carbon nanotubes. Enhancing the HO-mediated pathway offers a route to higher energy efficiency and durability in near-neutral ZABs, advancing practical, sustainable energy storage.
具有近中性电解质的可充电锌空气电池（ZABs）有望成为廉价、安全且可持续的设备，但它们存在充电动力学缓慢的问题，且相关研究仍很匮乏。在此，我们揭示了近中性锌空气电池的一种电荷存储机制，该机制是由电池放电时形成溶解的过氧化氢及其充电时的氧化作用介导的。这种由过氧化氢介导的途径有助于在相对于锌/锌约1.5伏的电压下发生析氧反应（OER），将充电过电位降低约0.2 - 0.5伏，并减轻碳腐蚀——这是锌空气电池中常见的问题。该机制的表现强烈依赖于电解质组成和正极材料，在使用硫酸锌溶液和碳纳米管时，其贡献的容量高达约60%。增强由过氧化氢介导的途径为提高近中性锌空气电池的能量效率和耐久性提供了一条途径，推动了实用、可持续的能量存储发展。
