Development of Rechargeable Zinc Lithium-ion Battery

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Development of inexpensive, safe, and environmentally benign energy storage technologies to replace lithium ion batteries are imperative in order to realize the immense benefits of smart grid systems both in Canada and globally. To create an efficient and reliable smart grid, storing the electricity with an electrochemical energy storage (EES) device and delivering it on demand is a high priority. Recently, aqueous zinc lithium-ion batteries (ZLIBs) have attracted significant attention as an efficient EES system. This technology is completely safe and environmentally friendly, and its cost is much lower than a typical lithium-ion battery. In a ZLIB, metallic zinc is used as the anode which is naturally an abundant metal in Canada and lithium intercalation electrodes, e.g. lithium iron phosphate is used as the cathode. Instead of organic electrolyte of typical lithium-ion battery, aqueous electrolyte will be used which reduces the overall cost, increase safety, and reduce environmental impacts. Currently, Dr. Zhongwei Chen's research group at the University of Waterloo has developed and patented a high performance and durable thick, semi-solid cathode for the ZLIB application. The present proposal entails the optimization of our patented semi-solid cathode, along with scaling up the manufacturing process while simultaneously ensuring quality control and product consistency. Electrode design and strategies will be furtherly investigated to optimize the semi-solid cathode. The strategies consist of optimization of semi-solid cathode physical parameters such as electrode loading and porosity, evaluating the capacity and durability performance in a full-cell, and eventually upscaling the fabrication process to prepare a 30Wh battery prototype for the demonstration. Successful scaling up the fabrication process can be employed by industrial manufacturers to accomplish a commercially viable rechargeable ZLIB for future generation of smart grids. It is expected that the results of the proposed research will provide the potential breakthrough required for successful rechargeable ZLIB commercialization.