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Advanced Ah-level zinc metal batteries
Zequan Zhao1, Qingquan Ye1, Yangyang Liu2
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Electronic Packaging and Advanced Functional Materials, Central South University, Changsha 410083, China. zhou_jiang@csu.edu.cn.
Chemical Society Reviews
|November 18, 2025
Summary
Aqueous zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) offer safe, cost-effective large-scale energy storage. Innovations in materials, manufacturing, and cell design are paving the way for practical, ampere-hour (Ah)-level ZMB systems.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Energy Storage
Background:
- Aqueous zinc metal batteries (ZMBs) are attractive for grid-scale energy storage due to safety, cost, and resource availability.
- Current limitations include zinc dendrite growth, cathode dissolution, and challenges in fabricating high-performance, scalable electrodes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review recent strategies for overcoming barriers in developing practical, ampere-hour (Ah)-level ZMBs.
- To provide a framework for advancing ZMB technology from laboratory research to market application.
Main Methods:
- Review of material modifications for Zn anodes and cathodes to enhance stability.
- Analysis of advanced electrode fabrication techniques, including dry processing and hierarchical structuring.
- Examination of cell configuration innovations like lamination and winding for improved performance.
Main Results:
- Material strategies like crystal structure tuning and interface stabilization improve electrochemical performance.
- Scalable fabrication methods enable high-mass-loading electrodes with efficient transport.
- Optimized cell configurations enhance structural integrity and electrochemical efficiency.
Conclusions:
- Integrating material innovation, scalable processing, and optimized cell architecture is crucial for practical Ah-level ZMBs.
- These advancements provide a roadmap for realizing safe, low-cost, and sustainable large-scale energy storage solutions.
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