A study of alkaline gel polymer electrolytes for rechargeable zinc–air batteries

In 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 a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Electrochimica acta 2019-12, Vol.327, p.135021, Article 135021
Main Authors: Tran, Thuy Nguyen Thanh, Chung, Hyun-Joong, Ivey, Douglas G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alkaline electrolyte
Aqueous electrolytes
Battery performance
Charge transfer
Chemical composition
Conductivity
Electrolytes
Functional groups
Gel polymer electrolyte
Hydrogels
Ion currents
Ionic conductivity
Mechanical properties
Metal air batteries
Organic chemistry
Polyacrylic acid
Polymers
Polyvinyl alcohol
Rechargeable batteries
Zinc-air battery
Zinc-oxygen batteries
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Summary:In 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 different charged functional groups in the polymer network. 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 to 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. [Display omitted]
ISSN:0013-4686
1873-3859
DOI:10.1016/j.electacta.2019.135021