Mao Lei, Li Guanjie, Zhang Binwei, Wen Kaihua, Wang Cheng, Cai Qinqin, Zhao Xun, Guo Zaiping, Zhang Shilin
School of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, 400044, P. R. China.
Adv Mater. 2024 Dec 10:e2416345. doi: 10.1002/adma.202416345.
Aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) hold great potential for green grid-scale energy storage due to their affordability, resource abundance, safety, and environmental friendliness. However, their practical deployment is hindered by challenges related to the electrode, electrolyte, and interface. Functional hydrogels offer a promising solution to address such challenges owing to their broad electrochemical window, tunable structures, and pressure-responsive mechanical properties. In this review, the key properties that functional hydrogels must possess for advancing AZBs, including mechanical strength, ionic conductivity, swelling behavior, and degradability, from a perspective of the full life cycle of hydrogels in AZBs are summarized. Current modification strategies aimed at enhancing these properties and improving AZB performance are also explored. The challenges and design considerations for integrating functional hydrogels with electrodes and interface are discussed. In the end, the limitations and future directions for hydrogels to bridge the gap between academia and industries for the successful deployment of AZBs are discussed.
水系锌电池（AZB）因其价格低廉、资源丰富、安全且环保，在绿色电网规模储能方面具有巨大潜力。然而，与电极、电解质和界面相关的挑战阻碍了它们的实际应用。功能性水凝胶因其宽电化学窗口、可调节结构和压力响应机械性能，为应对这些挑战提供了一个有前景的解决方案。在这篇综述中，从水凝胶在水系锌电池中的全生命周期角度，总结了功能性水凝胶推进水系锌电池必须具备的关键性能，包括机械强度、离子电导率、溶胀行为和可降解性。还探讨了旨在增强这些性能和改善水系锌电池性能的当前改性策略。讨论了将功能性水凝胶与电极和界面集成的挑战和设计考量。最后，讨论了水凝胶在弥合学术界与产业界差距以成功应用水系锌电池方面的局限性和未来方向。
