2024 Capability Portfolio Digital | Page 71

Clean Energy Capability Portfolio | Storage Technologies

Aqueous Zinc Battery

Development for
Stationary Storage

Aqueous zinc batteries are safe , environmentally benign , low-cost , and potentially fully recyclable , which are highly desired attributes of stationary storage systems for mass-scale implementation . Numerous novel solutions and approaches have been reported claiming to address zinc anode rechargeability concerns , and deliver exemplary cathode performance , however most are inaccurate under practically desirable cell parameters and cycling conditions . Some solutions sacrifice the core virtues like the technology ’ s safety and affordability . The UNSW research team is striving to develop scalable solutions that can bridge the gap between lab-scale demonstration and commercial development , while upholding the critical benefits of the battery technology .

Competitive Advantage

• Expertise in fundamental electrochemical research , zinc metal anode development , and materials design
• Expertise in aqueous zinc battery research – one of the early developers of the technology
• Expertise in fundamental investigations toward understanding the origin of performance bottlenecks
• Experience in beyond-lab-scale development of aqueous zinc battery technologies

Impact

• Beyond-lab-scale development of the aqueous zinc battery technology
• Development of scalable solutions to prolong battery performance under practically viable conditions
• Materials development for stable high-energy aqueous zinc battery anode and cathode

Capabilities and Facilities

• In-depth fundamental and applied electrochemical research
• Translational development of battery chemistries
• Range of prototype devices for diverse electrochemical performance assessment
• A suite of characterisation tools for fundamental investigation and post-mortem analysis

Our Collaborators

• RACE for 2030
• Australia ’ s Economic Accelerator ( AEA )

More Information

Dr Dipan Kundu
School of Chemical Engineering
UNSW Laboratory for Battery Research and Innovation
T : + 61 2 9385 4339

Successful Applications

E : d . kundu @ unsw . edu . au
• Developed proprietary electrolyte formulation for stable cycling of the zinc anode in aqueous zinc batteries
• PCT applications filed
• Secured Australia ’ s Economic Accelerator ( AEA ) seed grant for commercial development of the technology
• Developed a patented high-capacity cathode chemistry , leading to a startup in Canada ( Salient Energy )

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