Development of AI-Based High-Efficiency Zinc-Air Battery Without Fire Risk

Expected to Lead the Future Energy Storage Device Market
for Electric Vehicles and Wearable Electronics

Domestic researchers have developed a next-generation high-power battery with high energy density that operates safely from fire hazards using inexpensive zinc metal and oxygen from the air.

The research team led by Professor Jeonggu Kang of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), in collaboration with Professor Byungchan Han's team at Yonsei University, Professor Sangil Choi's team at Kyungpook National University, and Professor Hyungmo Jung's team at Sungkyunkwan University, announced on the 4th that they have developed an AI-based, fire-safe, high-efficiency zinc-air battery.

From the left, Dr. Ram Babu Gising, PhD candidate Dongwon Kim, master's candidate Ahmad Muhammad, Professor Junggu Kang, master's candidate Jeduk Lee, PhD candidate Jonghwi Choi. Provided by KAIST.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB), known as the "second semiconductor," dominate the energy storage device market with a high market share but have the drawback of being vulnerable to fire. For this reason, research on "zinc-air battery" as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries has been actively conducted recently.

Zinc-air batteries have the advantage of low material costs because the zinc metal used as the anode (-) and the oxygen in the air used in the air cathode (+) for the electrode reaction are naturally abundant in the environment.

However, to realize a high-efficiency zinc-air battery, the design of bifunctional catalysts that facilitate oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions at the air cathode during charging and discharging is essential. Existing commercial catalysts are based on precious metals such as platinum and iridium, which lack price competitiveness.

Schematic diagram of the interface structure of transition metal oxide-based heterojunction (CoO-Mn3O4 Heterostructure) catalysts derived from metal-organic frameworks and the charge-discharge process of zinc-air secondary batteries based on heterojunction catalysts. Provided by KAIST

The research team led by Professor Kang developed an inexpensive transition metal oxide heterojunction catalyst material for use in zinc metal-air batteries. This material demonstrated higher activity and stability compared to precious metal-based catalysts when used in zinc-air batteries.

Using the developed bifunctional catalyst, the team constructed a zinc-air full cell and realized a high-performance energy storage device. The implemented zinc-air battery was confirmed to have an energy density surpassing that of commercially available lithium-ion batteries.

Professor Kang stated, "The next-generation catalyst material based on transition metal oxides developed in this study can contribute to the commercialization of zinc-metal air batteries due to its price competitiveness and high catalytic activity," adding, "It can be applied not only to small and medium-sized power sources but also expanded for use in electric vehicles in the future."

The research, led by PhD candidate Jonghui Choi of KAIST's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, was published on January 14 in the international journal Energy Storage Materials, which specializes in energy storage materials.

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