Firstly, let’s talk about what is zinc air batteries?
Zinc air batteries are non rechargeable and the zinc air fuel cell are mechanically rechargeable, these are metal air battery which powered by Oxidizing zinc with oxygen from the air. This batteries give high energy density and it is not expensive. The size of this batteries have small in size which used in hearing aids and larger size is used in film camera. Before this zinc air battery used in film camera, used mercury battery. The most largest size of zinc air battery used in electric vehicles. The specific energy of this battery are 1370 Wh/kg and the energy density of this batteries are 1480-9780Wh/L. It gives 100W/kg specific power.
How does it’s work?
When these battery get discharged, the mass the zinc particles form porous anode. These are saturated with electrolytes. When oxygen from the air get react at cathode which form hydroxl ion which get converted into zinc paste and form zincate which help to release electron and migrate to the cathode.
These batteries having some properties of fuel cells as well as battery. Zinc act as fuel, the reaction rate of these can control by varying the air flow, and oxidized the zinc paste. Zinc air batteries can replace the mercury batteries, which can be used in 1970 mostly for photo cameras and hearing aids. Most probably it used in electric vehicles.
Let’s discuss about it’s advancement
Mostly demand for this battery is for electric vehicles. So that the team work on this to provide next generation secondary battery. The team work on specialty of this battery to provide high energy density, low risk of explosion. The things are Ecofriendly. Main advantage of this are do not produce pollution and these battery are made by low cost material which can be easily available from nature.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology(president of Seok- Jin Yoon) has announced that this research team was led by Dr. Joong Kee Lee, which can develop a technology to improve the electrochemical performance of zinc air battery by Utilizing the solary energy. The research team develop battery by utilizing a photoactive Bifurcational air electrocatalyst with semiconductor. It provides alternative energy which can improve the rate of oxygen reduction reaction. These photoactive bifurcational catalyst can accelerate chemical reaction which can absorb light energy. In this battery researchers team can used metal and air as anode and cathode of battery.
Oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction help to electric energy conversion of oxygen as cathode active material. The positive electrode current collector made by carbon material. The main important of this material is used to determine the energy density and all over the cell efficiency of zinc air battery.
However the team of KISTÂ has focus on p-n hetrojunction. Let discuss about the basic structure unit ; the basic structure unit of solar cell and semiconductor has used to improve the slow catalytic activity of zinc air battery. The main aim has do this all to accelerate the oxygen production and reduction reaction. While using semiconductor to interface characteristics which help in movement of electron and at the end a cathode material with hetrojunction bandgap structure was synthesized. These synthesis can be with n-type semiconductor and ap-type semiconductor.
Utilization of solar energy has important part but not only for electrochemical performance of secondary battery but also for realized to society. Hopefully this technology will become a catalyst which initiate the development of new conversion of technology in semiconductor physics and electrochemistry.
Now, discus the history of KIST; it was established in 1966 as the first government funded research Institute, the main purpose to establish national development strategy which is based on science and technology.
