Controlling the sustainability and shape change of the zinc anode in rechargeable aqueous Zn/LiMn2O4 battery

Abstract The use of thixotropic gel electrolytes in the rechargeable hybrid aqueous battery improves the battery performance but it is required to have a corrosion inhibitor in the gel electrolyte. These inhibitors are not always friendly to the environment. In this work, we use lignin – a renewable material – to neutralize strong acid sites of the fumed silica gelling agent prior to gel preparation. Linear polarization, chronoamperometry, and ex-situ scanning electron microscopy examinations show that the new gel electrolyte reduces the corrosion on zinc (up to 43%) and supports planar zinc deposit. In other words, the shape of the zinc surface is controlled and it is further confirmed by the XRD and SEM of post-battery run anodes. Moreover, the battery using this new lignin coated fumed silica based gel electrolyte exhibits a float charge current as low as 0.0025 mA after 24 h of monitoring, which is 30.6% lower than the reference. The capacity retention of gelled battery is as high as 82% after 1000 cycles at 4 C, which is 14% higher than the reference battery using reference liquid electrolyte under the same CC-CV test, complemented by lower self-discharge and higher rate capability. The results lead the team nearer to a commercializable gelled battery system.