Rechargeable Zn-Air Battery

Rechargeable Zn-air batteries have received tremendous research interest in recent years, following the search for a safer and cheaper alternative to the lithium-ion battery, which has dominated the market of electric vehicles and consumer electronics. Zn-air batteries are a promising candidate due to their low cost, material abundance, high safety, and excellent theoretical energy density. However, Zn-air batteries suffer from zinc irreversibility due to dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reaction, and passivation in aqueous electrolytes, as well as inefficient oxygen reduction and evolution processes, which severely limit their electrochemical performance and cyclic operations. To address these challenges, researchers have mainly focused on optimizing the zinc anode structure and composition and experimenting with more stable electrolyte alternatives. Substantial progress has also been made in the discovery and development of transition metals and carbon materials for bifunctional oxygen catalysts. This chapter will focus on the current barriers limiting the widespread adoption of rechargeable Zn-air batteries and highlight the main research strategies used to overcome these challenges. Although much remains to be done, Zn-air batteries are considered a promising candidate as the next leading rechargeable battery technology in the energy and electronic industries.