Compositional Effects of Gel Polymer Electrolyte and Battery Design for Zinc-Air Batteries

Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) is a promising polymer host to support alkaline electrolytes in Zn-air batteries. Herein, precursors containing different concentrations of monomers, crosslinkers and additives such as zinc oxide in alkaline solution are polymerized to fabricate gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) via one-pot synthesis. The compositional effects of the GPEs on battery performance are evaluated and a more efficient cell design is demonstrated. With a vertical double air electrode configuration, ZABs using PAA-based electrolytes show unprecedented performance including high specific energy (913 Wh kg(Zn)(-1)), excellent cycling stability (at least 160 cycles at 2x10 mA cm(-2)) and high power density output (2x135 mW cm(-2)). The study represents a viable option to replace aqueous electrolytes for high performing ZABs.