Timothy N. Lambert
Sandia National Laboratories
Zinc Batteries for Stationary Storage
For energy storage to become ubiquitous in the energy grid, safe, reliable low-cost
electrochemical storage technologies that can be manufactured at high volumes with low
capital expenditures are needed. Rechargeable alkaline batteries based on the use of a
Zinc conversion anode are well suited due to Zn’s high capacity (820 mAh g-1), elemental
abundance and established materials supply chain resulting in low production costs.
Alkaline-based cells are also inherently safe and do not have the temperature limitations of
Li-ion or Pb-acid batteries, thereby removing the need for complicated thermal
management control strategies and providing for simpler systems with lower integration
costs. Coupling Zn with a similarly low cost and high-capacity conversion electrode, also
from abundant and low-cost materials, to realize the highest energy density batteries is
needed. Historically Zn/MnO2, Zn/CuO and Zn/S are primary battery chemistries; however,
MnO2 (616 mAh g-1), CuO (674 mAh g-1) or S (1675 mAh g-1) conversion cathodes are enticing
candidates if a reversible battery can be proven. This talk will cover the technical
challenges to obtaining high capacity and long cycle life in alkaline Zn-based batteries and
highlight recent progress and future directions in this area.
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, O\ice of Electricity, Energy
Storage Program. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated
Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated for the U.S. Department of
Energy (DOE) Office of Science. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory
managed and operated by National Technology and Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of Honeywell International, Inc., for the U.S. Department of
Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-NA-0003525. The
views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Department of
Energy or the United States Government. SAND2024-05498A
