Growth and inhibition of zinc anode dendrites in Zn-air batteries: Model and experiment

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2023.11.016

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2024, Vol. 67 ›› Issue (3): 268-281.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2023.11.016

Growth and inhibition of zinc anode dendrites in Zn-air batteries: Model and experiment

Cuiping He^1,2, Qingyi Gou^1,2, Yanqing Hou^1,2, Jianguo Wang³, Xiang You⁵, Ni Yang^1,4, Lin Tian⁴, Gang Xie⁴, Yuanliang Chen^1,2

1 Kunming University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming 650093, China;
2 Kunming University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming 650093, China;
3 China Copper Co. Ltd, Kunming, Yunnan 650051, China;
4 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy for Non-ferrous Metals, Kunming 650051, China;
5 Sichuan Shunying Power Battery Materials Co. Ltd, Sichuan 620076, China

Received:2023-07-01 Revised:2023-10-19 Online:2024-06-01 Published:2024-03-28
Contact: Yanqing Hou,Tel.:86-15987198926 E-mail address:hhouyanqing@163.com;Ni Yang,Tel.:15877969695 E-mail address:yangnihejiejie@126.com.
Supported by:
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22168019 and 52074141) and the Major Science and Technology Projects in Yunnan Province (202202AB080014). The authors are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Major Science and Technology Projects in Yunnan Province for their support.

Growth and inhibition of zinc anode dendrites in Zn-air batteries: Model and experiment

Cuiping He^1,2, Qingyi Gou^1,2, Yanqing Hou^1,2, Jianguo Wang³, Xiang You⁵, Ni Yang^1,4, Lin Tian⁴, Gang Xie⁴, Yuanliang Chen^1,2

1 Kunming University of Science and Technology, State Key Laboratory of Complex Nonferrous Metal Resources Clean Utilization, Kunming 650093, China;
2 Kunming University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Metallurgical and Energy Engineering, Kunming 650093, China;
3 China Copper Co. Ltd, Kunming, Yunnan 650051, China;
4 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Metallurgy for Non-ferrous Metals, Kunming 650051, China;
5 Sichuan Shunying Power Battery Materials Co. Ltd, Sichuan 620076, China

通讯作者: Yanqing Hou,Tel.:86-15987198926 E-mail address:hhouyanqing@163.com;Ni Yang,Tel.:15877969695 E-mail address:yangnihejiejie@126.com.
基金资助:
This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22168019 and 52074141) and the Major Science and Technology Projects in Yunnan Province (202202AB080014). The authors are grateful to the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Major Science and Technology Projects in Yunnan Province for their support.

Abstract

Abstract: Zinc (Zn)-air batteries are widely used in secondary battery research owing to their high theoretical energy density, good electrochemical reversibility, stable discharge performance, and low cost of the anode active material Zn. However, the Zn anode also leads to many challenges, including dendrite growth, deformation, and hydrogen precipitation self-corrosion. In this context, Zn dendrite growth has a greater impact on the cycle lives. In this dissertation, a dendrite growth model for a Zn-air battery was established based on electrochemical phase field theory, and the effects of the charging time, anisotropy strength, and electrolyte temperature on the morphology and growth height of Zn dendrites were studied. A series of experiments was designed with different gradient influencing factors in subsequent experiments to verify the theoretical simulations, including elevated electrolyte temperatures, flowing electrolytes, and pulsed charging. The simulation results show that the growth of Zn dendrites is controlled mainly by diffusion and mass transfer processes, whereas the electrolyte temperature, flow rate, and interfacial energy anisotropy intensity are the main factors. The experimental results show that an optimal electrolyte temperature of 343.15 K, an optimal electrolyte flow rate of 40 ml·min^-1, and an effective pulse charging mode.

Key words: Zn-air battery, Zinc anode, Zinc dendrite, Simulated dendrite growth, Inhibit dendrite growth, Phase-field model

摘要： Zinc (Zn)-air batteries are widely used in secondary battery research owing to their high theoretical energy density, good electrochemical reversibility, stable discharge performance, and low cost of the anode active material Zn. However, the Zn anode also leads to many challenges, including dendrite growth, deformation, and hydrogen precipitation self-corrosion. In this context, Zn dendrite growth has a greater impact on the cycle lives. In this dissertation, a dendrite growth model for a Zn-air battery was established based on electrochemical phase field theory, and the effects of the charging time, anisotropy strength, and electrolyte temperature on the morphology and growth height of Zn dendrites were studied. A series of experiments was designed with different gradient influencing factors in subsequent experiments to verify the theoretical simulations, including elevated electrolyte temperatures, flowing electrolytes, and pulsed charging. The simulation results show that the growth of Zn dendrites is controlled mainly by diffusion and mass transfer processes, whereas the electrolyte temperature, flow rate, and interfacial energy anisotropy intensity are the main factors. The experimental results show that an optimal electrolyte temperature of 343.15 K, an optimal electrolyte flow rate of 40 ml·min^-1, and an effective pulse charging mode.

关键词: Zn-air battery, Zinc anode, Zinc dendrite, Simulated dendrite growth, Inhibit dendrite growth, Phase-field model

Cuiping He, Qingyi Gou, Yanqing Hou, Jianguo Wang, Xiang You, Ni Yang, Lin Tian, Gang Xie, Yuanliang Chen. Growth and inhibition of zinc anode dendrites in Zn-air batteries: Model and experiment[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2024, 67(3): 268-281.

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Growth and inhibition of zinc anode dendrites in Zn-air batteries: Model and experiment

Growth and inhibition of zinc anode dendrites in Zn-air batteries: Model and experiment

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