Development of Explosion-Free Zinc Metal Batteries... Also Making Clothes

Successful Development of Zinc Metal Surface Treatment Technology
Also Manufacturable in Flexible Fiber Form

Researcher Ji-Young Kim (first author, doctoral course) and Principal Researcher Joong-Ki Lee at KIST are examining microscopic images of a surface that has formed a hexagonal pyramid shape through surface treatment technology of zinc metal.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Domestic researchers have succeeded in developing a next-generation zinc metal battery with no explosion risk.

On the 11th, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that Dr. Lee Jung-gi's research team at the Energy Storage Research Division developed a next-generation zinc metal electrode secondary battery that is fundamentally free from explosion and fire hazards. This battery is safe enough to be worn on the body and can be manufactured in a fiber form, making it usable as a power source for wearable devices in the future.

Recently, due to fire accidents occurring in various electronic devices using lithium-ion batteries, demand for safe batteries has surged. The main cause of fires is flammable electrolytes, but zinc ion secondary batteries use water-based electrolytes, which have the advantage of no explosion risk. Zinc metal electrode secondary batteries are considered one of the strong candidates to replace lithium-ion batteries.

The zinc metal anode (-), a core material of conventional zinc ion secondary batteries, had a problem of continuous corrosion in water-based electrolytes. When zinc ions are stored on the metal surface, they accumulate in the form of dendrites, which are branch-like crystals, causing short circuits between electrodes and rapidly decreasing efficiency.

Dr. Lee Jung-gi's team at KIST developed a cyclic anodic oxidation method that repeatedly applies and then cuts off current flow on the metal electrode surface, successfully controlling both the oxide film surface coating and the morphology of the zinc metal simultaneously.

KIST researchers who developed a safe, human-friendly next-generation zinc-ion battery through electrode surface treatment technology. From left: Woo Juman, KIST Institute of Technology; Lee Junggi, Principal Researcher, KIST; Ji Young Kim, Researcher (PhD candidate)

Using this method, the researchers formed a hexagonal pyramid array shape on the zinc metal surface, fundamentally blocking the formation of dendrites during electrochemical reactions. Dendrites grow vertically on the metal surface, but the newly developed technology promotes horizontal growth of the zinc metal film. The zinc oxide film formed on the surface prevents direct contact with the electrolyte, thereby preventing corrosion.

The developed zinc metal secondary battery maintains nearly 100% capacity over 1000 cycles even after fully charging and discharging the total capacity in just 2 minutes. The research team manufactured the zinc metal secondary battery in a fiber form and produced textiles, enabling applications in clothing and bags. This research was conducted with support from the Ministry of Science and ICT through KIST’s major projects and mid-career researcher support programs. The results were published in the latest issue of the international materials science journal ‘Advanced Functional Materials.’

Dr. Lee Jung-gi, principal researcher at KIST, said, “The high-performance zinc metal secondary battery blocks potential risks that occur when conventional lithium-ion batteries come into contact with the human body and has excellent electrochemical performance capable of replacing existing commercial batteries. Not only does it offer high stability and improved electrochemical performance, but it also secures competitiveness in practical manufacturing process feasibility based on a simple process.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.