Advancements in the Exploration of Gel Electrolytes for Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries

Yi Xiong (School of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing)
Jinhang Dai (School of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing)
Lingyao Kuang (School of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing)
Xiaodan Li (School of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing)
Xingxing Gu (School of Environment and Resources, Chongqing Technology and Business University, Chongqing)

Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis
2023: BCREC Volume 18 Issue 3 Year 2023 (October 2023)

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are seen as a superior substitute for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their excellent safety, low cost, and eco-friendliness. However, problems such as zinc dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reaction and electrode corrosion hinder the commercialization of batteries. Electrolyte as a link to other parts of the battery, has been widely concerned. Hydrogel is a kind of cross-linked product filled with water, which has the advantages of high theoretical capacity, good flexibility, good water retention and good mechanical properties, and becomes a potential candidate for ZIBs. By summarizing the development of hydrogel electrolytes, the cross-linking types of gel electrolytes and their applications in ZIBs were reviewed in this paper. Finally, the application of gel electrolyte in ZIBs is summarized and prospected, which brings a meaningful reference for the development of ZIBs. Copyright © 2023 by Authors, Published by BCREC Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).