Zinc/stainless steel mesh composite as dendrite-free anode for high-performance flexible quasi-solid-state zinc-ion batteries

The industry revolutions which spanned over the past decades in the whole world have resulted in more needs for energy. Well known rechargeable battery sources stem from lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) as a substitute are increasingly gaining popularity due to the perks it holds over LIBs such being relatively much cheaper, safer, and environmentally friendly. This is especially important in flexible electronics, such as on clothing, watches, cameras, and etcetera, where the battery is subjected to intense situations such as being bent and deformed while still being expected to perform with extreme safety. However, state-of-the-art rechargeable ZIBs still face difficulties in being brought out in large scale into the commercial market due to many challenges and drawbacks that it faces that has yet to be resolved fully, such as dendrite growth, limiting the lifetime of the battery, or the low operating voltage of the battery itself, limiting the applications of the ZIBs for example. In this Final Year Project (FYP), to make an enhanced flexible battery, the zinc anode, along with the vanadium cathode of the battery was improved accordingly and put together to showcase upgraded performance, separately, and in conjunction in the flexible battery assembled. To relieve the growth of Zn dendrites, a distinctive flexible Zn/stainless steel (Zn/SS) mesh composite anode was manufactured. This anode had better characteristics such more consistent Zn plating/stripping behaviour with low polarization. It was then characterized against bare Zn foil, using 2032-coin cells, to reveal superior and satisfactory results. To refine the vanadium cathode, V2O5·2.2H2O (E-VO), a binder-free cathode was synthesized. This cathode was characterized and exhibited better ion and electron conductivity, with higher capacity and stability as compared to a basic V2O5 cathode. Then, this enhanced cathode was put together with the Zn/SS anode to form a high performance flexible quasi-solid-state zinc-ion battery. The battery showed high capacity under distinctive bending conditions with good rate capability and stability.Bachelor of Engineering (Materials Engineering