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.