A zinc and lignin based battery that can be used over 8,000 times. This was developed by researchers at Linköping University with the aim of providing a cheap and sustainable battery solution to countries where access to electricity is limited. The study was published in the journal Energy & Environmental Materials.
Reverant Crispin and Ziyauddin Khan, researchers at the Organic Electronics Laboratory. Image credit: Thor Balkhed/Linköping University
“Solar panels have become relatively inexpensive and many people in low-income countries have adopted them. However, near the equator, the sun sets around 6 p.m., leaving households and businesses without power. We hope that this battery technology, even with lower performance than expensive Li-ion batteries, will ultimately offer a solution to these situations,” says Reverant Crispin, professor of organic electronics at Linköping University.
His research group at the Organic Electronics Laboratory, together with researchers from Karlstad and Chalmers University, developed a battery based on zinc and lignin, two cost-effective and environmentally friendly materials. In terms of energy density, it is comparable to lead-acid batteries but without the lead, which is toxic.
Stable battery
The battery is stable, as it can be used for 8,000 cycles while maintaining around 80% of its performance. Additionally, the battery retains its charge for about a week, much longer than other similar zinc-based batteries that discharge in just a few hours.
Although zinc-based batteries are already on the market, primarily as non-rechargeable batteries, they are expected to complement and in some cases replace lithium-ion batteries in the long term when charging functionality is properly introduced.
“While lithium-ion batteries are useful when handled correctly, they can be explosive, difficult to recycle, and problematic in terms of environmental and human rights issues when specific elements like cobalt are mined. Therefore, our sustainable battery offers a promising alternative where energy density is not critical,” says Ziyauddin Khan, a researcher at LiU’s Organic Electronics Laboratory.
Cheap and recyclable
The problem with zinc batteries is mainly due to poor durability due to the reaction of zinc with water present in the battery’s electrolyte solution. This reaction leads to the generation of hydrogen gas and dendritic growth of zinc, rendering the battery essentially unusable.
To stabilize the zinc, a substance called water-based polymer salt electrolyte in potassium polyacrylate (WiPSE) is used. What the Linköping researchers demonstrated is that when WiPSE is used in a battery containing zinc and lignin, the stability is very high.
“Zinc and lignin are very cheap and the battery is easily recyclable. And if you calculate the cost per duty cycle, it becomes an extremely cheap battery compared to lithium-ion batteries,” says Ziyauddin Khan.
Scalable
Currently, batteries developed in the laboratory are small. However, researchers believe they can create large batteries, roughly the size of a car battery, thanks to the abundance of low-cost lignin and zinc. However, mass production would require the involvement of a company.
Rev Crispin says Sweden’s position as an innovative country allows it to help other countries adopt more sustainable alternatives.
“We can see it as our duty to help low-income countries avoid making the same mistakes we do. When they build their infrastructure, they should immediately start by using green technologies. If unsustainable technology is introduced, it will be used by billions of people, leading to climate catastrophe,” says Reverant Crispin.
The research was primarily funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation through the Wallenberg Wood Science Centre, Swedish Research Council, Åforsk, Swedish Government Strategic Research Area Advanced Functional Materials (AFM) at Linköping and Vinnova University via Fun-Mat II. . The long-term collaboration with Ligna Energy AB within the SESBC center is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency.
Article: Water-in-polymer salt electrolyte for long-life rechargeable aqueous zinc-lignin batteryDivyaratan Kumar, Leandro R. Franco, Nicole Abdou, Rui Shu, Anna Martinelli, C. Moyses Araujo, Johannes Gladisch, Viktor Gueskine, Reverend Crispin and Ziyauddin Khan; Energy and Environmental Materials 2024published online May 7, 2024. DOI: 10.1002/eem2.12752
Written by Anders Törneholm
Source: Linköping University
Originally published in The European Times.
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