changeadminA newly developed electrolyte additive can contribute to the development of safer, longer-lasting, and more affordable rechargeable zinc batteries.
Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are emerging as a low-cost, safe, and sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries.
Zinc is significantly more sustainable than lithium primarily due to its abundance, water-based (aqueous) chemistry, and well-established recycling infrastructure.
While lithium mining is geographically concentrated and causes severe water stress, zinc is globally distributed, safe from thermal runaways, and endlessly recyclable.
However, AZIB’s commercialisation is hindered by zinc dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), corrosion, and poor cycling stability. This study addresses these critical challenges through interface engineering rather than expensive material redesign.
The work provides a practical and scalable strategy for extending battery life while maintaining safety and low cost, which is essential for large-scale renewable energy storage applications.
Researchers have been working on ways to increase zinc anode stability and on the importance of the electric double layer, particularly the Inner Helmholtz Plane, where electrochemical reactions actually occur.
Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST), an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), have developed an electrolyte additive, 1,3-bis (1,3-dicarboxypropyl)-1H-imidazole-3-ium chloride (BDIM), that selectively adsorbs on zinc metal surfaces and regulates the Inner Helmholtz Plane (IHP) of aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs).
They dissolved Glutamic acid in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and water, then added glyoxal, formaldehyde, and acetic acid. The mixture was heated at 70 °C under nitrogen for 24 hours and then extracted and lyophilised to obtain a crystalline powder of BDIM.
The additive BDIM contains multiple oxygen- and nitrogen-donor sites that strongly interact with zinc metal. During battery operation, BDIM preferentially adsorbs on the negatively polarised zinc surface and occupies the Inner Helmholtz Plane.
This absorption displaces water molecules from the interface, reducing water-induced side reactions such as hydrogen evolution and corrosion, and suppressing dendrite formation.
A tiny, lab-made electrode called an ultramicroelectrode (UME) was combined with fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) to probe new insights into zinc-deposition mechanisms.
The UME, with dimensions below about 50 micrometres, exhibits a complete change in diffusion behaviour from linear to radial or hemispherical due to its extremely small size, thereby enabling high scan rates, while the FSCV helps visualise the shift in charge-transfer regime to lower scan rates upon the addition of an additive.
These helped them directly investigate interfacial charge-transfer and mass-transfer kinetics, providing a new understanding of the zinc-deposition mechanisms.
The research led by Dr Ramendra Sundar Dey, Scientist E, INST Mohali, and published in the Journal ACS Electrochemistry, can be applied directly/indirectly to AZIBs, grid-scale energy storage systems, renewable energy storage, and battery safety and lifetime enhancement technologies.
The technology can contribute to the development of safer, longer-lasting, and more affordable rechargeable batteries. Improved zinc-ion batteries can be used for renewable energy storage, backup power systems, and grid-scale energy storage.
By enhancing battery lifetime and reducing performance degradation, the technology can lower maintenance costs and improve the reliability of sustainable energy infrastructure.
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