Development of robust cathodes for pressurized, gravity-driven zinc-air batteries

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Off-grid communities and industrial sites, such as those in Northern Ontario, often rely on diesel powered generators for both primary and back-up power. These generators contribute to air and noise pollution and emit greenhouse gases. e-Zinc, located in Toronto-Ontario, is commercializing a low cost, safe and environmentally benign, zinc-air battery which can be integrated into micro-grids with solar/wind power and are designed to deliver energy for long-durations (> 24h). These systems can eliminate the need for diesel generators altogether. The gravity driven design of e-Zinc's battery reduces pumping and overall storage costs but leads to a unique challenge in that the air-breathing cathodes must operate under large hydrostatic pressures which can cause early mechanical failure of commercially available cathodes. In collaboration with the Pope Group at the University of Waterloo, e-Zinc aims to design a completely new cathode which can resist even higher pressures while maintaining performance. The team will investigate failure modes of the current and new cathode designs in order to map out performance limits of scaled systems. The success of this project will help e-Zinc to more rapidly commercialize which will enable improved energy utilization efficiency of micro-grids - in particular for off-grid communities. In addition to the expected economic benefits and increased job opportunities that will arise in manufacturing the new air cathodes and scaled zinc-air batteries, the expected reduction in pollution and greenhouse gases are expected to positively impact all Canadians - in particular those in off-grid communities.