Cell Designs for High-Energy Electrically Rechargeable Zinc-Air Batteries

The objective of this project is to design and fabricate electrically rechargeable zinc-air batteries. These batteries are highly promising due to their ability to store up to double the amount of energy as current commercialized lithium-ion batteries, based on both energy-per-mass and energy-per-volume measurements. This advantage, as well as their low cost and inherent safety, could enable rechargeable zinc-air batteries to replace or supplement lithium-ion batteries to boost the driving range of electric vehicles and enable widespread integration of clean renewable power sources by storing and releasing energy on demand. The main task of the project is to research and develop commercially feasible battery designs. The proposed project builds off the laboratory-scale advancements in zinc-air battery electrode materials made during the applicant’s PhD thesis at the University of Waterloo. The specific research conducted will include designing a zinc electrode material which can store several hundred battery charges, a gel-like electrolyte which resists evaporation and leakage, and a multiple-cell battery design for serving high-power applications. The intern and partner organization will aim to patent the designs, allowing the partner organization to enter license agreements or partnerships with battery manufacturers to produce industrial-size rechargeable zinc-air batteries.

Faculty Supervisor:

Michael Fowler

Student:

Zachary Cano

Partner:

Maplenergy Power Inc

Discipline:

Engineering - chemical / biological

Sector:

Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

University of Waterloo