Zinc Ion Batteries: Structural ENgineering for Severe Environment (SENSE)

清洁能源需要储存在一个有效和安全的配置，以帮助改善环境。目前锂离子电池在电化学储能市场仍占主导地位，但其存在成本较高、易爆炸、制造复杂等缺点。对更可持续和更安全的电池技术的需求不断增加，并且需要在恶劣环境下使用储能装置来满足实际应用。水电池系统作为下一代储能设备具有显著的潜力，因为原材料成本可以降低，电池可以在更可持续和更容易的过程中制造，并且可以避免爆炸事故。在水/水凝胶电解质中的锌离子电池由于其相对较低的成本和安全优势而成为较好的候选材料。重要的是，锌离子电池可以成为所有电池公司的现成技术，因为它们可以使用与锂离子电池相同的电池制造设施。然而，目前锌离子电池的比容量、能量和功率密度受到水合锌离子较大和二价锌离子极化程度高的制约。因此，激发了锌离子电池负极的发展。氧化锰基材料因其合适的结构、丰富且具有成本效益的特性、对环境友好的性质和大的工作电压窗而受到青睐。但氧化锰基阴极的插层通道有限、电池充放电过程稳定性差、机理不明确复杂、电子导电性低等问题还有待解决，因此氧化锰基阴极的结构创新有待进一步探索。在SENSE项目中，将通过多级结构工程设计锰基正极材料和适合锌离子电池的水凝胶电解质，以便在恶劣条件下使用它们，以创新廉价和高性能的设备。通过与学术和工业合作伙伴的合作，将使用最先进的材料和设备表征技术来了解电池行为的潜在机制。成功实现SENSE后，锌离子电池的体积能量密度为> 650 Wh -1，功率密度为> 220 W -1。其能源价格估计为50英镑/千瓦时，低于锂离子电池（126英镑/千瓦时）和镍铁电池（58英镑/千瓦时）。因此，SENSE不仅有助于提高英国电池研究和创新工作的质量，还将加强和刺激英国电池行业新技术的发展。

Clean energy needs to be stored in an efficient and safe configuration to help improve the environment. Li-ion batteries still dominate the electrochemical energy storage market, however, they have disadvantages of relatively high cost, potential explosion and complicated manufacture. The demands for more sustainable and safer battery technologies are constantly increasing and the utilisation of energy storage devices under severe environments are required to satisfy practical applications. Aqueous battery systems have remarkable potential as next-generation energy storage devices because the cost of raw materials can be reduced, the battery can be fabricated in a more sustainable and facile process and explosive accidents can be avoided. Zn-ion batteries in aqueous/hydrogel electrolyte are favourable candidates due to their relatively low cost and safety advantages. Importantly, Zn-ion batteries can be a ready-to-use technique for all battery companies as they can use the same battery fabrication facilities as Li-ion batteries. However, the specific capacity, energy and power density of current Zn-ion batteries are restricted due to the relatively large hydrated zinc ions and high polarization of bivalent zinc ions. Therefore, the development on the cathodes of Zn-ion batteries have been motivated. Manganese oxide-based materials are favourable due to their suitable structures, abundant and cost-effective properties, environmentally friendly nature and a large working voltage window. But the problems such as limited intercalated channels, poor stability during battery charge/discharge processes, unclarified and complicated mechanism and low electron conductivity of manganese oxide-based cathodes need to be solved, thus the innovation of structures for manganese oxide-based cathodes calls for further exploration. In the SENSE project, manganese-based cathode materials coupled with suitable hydrogel electrolytes for Zn-ion batteries will be designed via multi-level structural engineering to utilise them under harsh conditions, for the purpose of innovating inexpensive and high-performance devices. Through collaborations with both academic and industrial partners, state-of-the-art materials and device characterisation techniques will be used to understand the underlying mechanisms for battery behaviours.After successfully fulfilling SENSE, Zn-ion batteries can exhibit a volumetric energy density of > 650 Wh L-1 and a power density of > 220 W L-1. The energy price of which can be estimated as £50/kWh, lower than that of Li-ion batteries (£126/kWh), and Ni-Fe batteries (£58/kWh). Therefore, SENSE will not only help advance the quality of battery research and innovative efforts in the UK, but also strengthen and stimulate the development of new technologies in the UK battery industry.