Research on the influence of electrolytes on the low‐temperature start‐up performance of zinc‐air battery for forklifts

In order to promote the widespread use of zinc-air batteries, operating in various extreme temperature regions around the world needs to further improve the cold start capability. It is very important to solve the problem of cold start by studying the physical phenomena in the battery during cold start and clarifying the mechanism of hindering cold start. In this study, we have researched the internal behavior in zinc-air batteries at different starting currents and temperatures during cold start. Experiments have found that 5 mol/L electrolytes freeze into ice after freezing at −30°C, while 6 to 9 mol/L solutions are still liquid after freezing. At the same electrolyte concentration, the lower the temperature, the higher the open-circuit voltage. The results show that the temperature has no obvious effect on the discharge voltage at low-current density, but has a great effect at high-current density. After several freeze-thaw cycles, cracks appear on the surface of the catalyst layer, which has a negative effect on the hydrophobicity of the gas diffusion layer. Additives can improve the interfacial ion transport performance and provide a direction for future additive research, which is very important for the practical application of water-based zinc-air batteries.