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

Abstract

Abstract 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 2×10 mA cm −2 ) and high power density output (2×135 mW cm −2 ). The study represents a viable option to replace aqueous electrolytes for high performing ZABs.