Researchers at the Institute of Materials Science of Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) have developed a new architecture for zinc-air batteries that increases power by up to 80% without changing the device’s core chemistry. The work was published in the journal Energy Storage Materials, in collaboration with the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and the National University of La Plata in Argentina.
Until now, it was assumed that a battery’s electrolyte could not contain conductive materials, as this would risk causing a short circuit. The team led by Nieves Casañ-Pastor showed that small metal pieces, not connected to any wire or electrode, become polarised by the internal electric field and act as wireless bipolar electrodes, creating new pathways for charge transport.
Zinc-air batteries use abundant, cheap and safe materials, but their power is limited by the slow reaction with oxygen, an obstacle this solution helps to overcome. The study forms part of Marc Mosqueda’s doctoral thesis, and the group has already observed similar effects in other energy storage technologies.
