Gel Electrolyte with the Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Additive for Low-Temperature Zinc–Air Batteries

Under the background of the energy crisis and the expansion of human activities, developing low-temperature batteries is of significance to provide electricity in cold conditions. Due to their low cost and high energy density, zinc–air batteries are recognized as potential batteries to overcome the disadvantage of traditional batteries. Gel electrolytes have been widely applied in low-temperature zinc-based batteries, and their anti-deforming capability makes them compatible with flexible devices. This work illustrates an A-PAA gel electrolyte with KOH solution in flexible zinc–air batteries, and with the introduction of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), the cycling stability and specific capacity of the batteries at −20 °C increase. This work discusses the SDS compatibility with the gel and explores its improvement effect in low-temperature batteries for the first time. The result of this work can inspire the discovery of the applicability of more conventional electrolyte additives in cold conditions, which can improve low-tempeature battery performance via easy methods.