TY - JOUR
T1 - Formation of H2O2 in Near-Neutral Zn-air Batteries Enables Efficient Oxygen Evolution Reaction
AU - Kapaev, Roman R.
AU - Leifer, Nicole
AU - Kottaichamy, Alagar Raja
AU - Ohayon, Amit
AU - Wu, Langyuan
AU - Shalom, Menny
AU - Noked, Malachi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Author(s). Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
PY - 2025/1/27
Y1 - 2025/1/27
N2 - Rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs) with near-neutral electrolytes hold promise as cheap, safe and sustainable devices, but they suffer from slow charge kinetics and remain poorly studied. Here we reveal a charge storage mechanism of near-neutral Zn-air batteries that is mediated by formation of dissolved hydrogen peroxide upon cell discharge and its oxidation upon charge. This H2O2-mediated pathway facilitates oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at ~1.5 V vs. Zn2+/Zn, reducing charge overpotentials by ~0.2–0.5 V and mitigating carbon corrosion—a common issue in ZABs. The manifestation of this mechanism strongly depends on the electrolyte composition and positive electrode material, contributing up to ~60 % of the capacity with ZnSO4 solutions and carbon nanotubes. Enhancing the H2O2-mediated pathway offers a route to higher energy efficiency and durability in near-neutral ZABs, advancing practical, sustainable energy storage.
AB - Rechargeable Zn-air batteries (ZABs) with near-neutral electrolytes hold promise as cheap, safe and sustainable devices, but they suffer from slow charge kinetics and remain poorly studied. Here we reveal a charge storage mechanism of near-neutral Zn-air batteries that is mediated by formation of dissolved hydrogen peroxide upon cell discharge and its oxidation upon charge. This H2O2-mediated pathway facilitates oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at ~1.5 V vs. Zn2+/Zn, reducing charge overpotentials by ~0.2–0.5 V and mitigating carbon corrosion—a common issue in ZABs. The manifestation of this mechanism strongly depends on the electrolyte composition and positive electrode material, contributing up to ~60 % of the capacity with ZnSO4 solutions and carbon nanotubes. Enhancing the H2O2-mediated pathway offers a route to higher energy efficiency and durability in near-neutral ZABs, advancing practical, sustainable energy storage.
KW - Energy storage
KW - Oxygen reduction reaction
KW - Zn-air battery
KW - near-neutral electrolyte
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85211786253
U2 - 10.1002/anie.202418792
DO - 10.1002/anie.202418792
M3 - Article
C2 - 39629883
AN - SCOPUS:85211786253
SN - 1433-7851
VL - 64
JO - Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
JF - Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
IS - 5
M1 - e202418792
ER -
