Enhancing ionic conductivity in gel polymer electrolytes for zinc-ion batteries: A review of ionic pathway...

Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are one of the promising energy storage devices, which have the advantages of environmental friendliness, high safety and low price and are expected to be used in large-scale battery application fields. However, the practical use of ZIBs is severely hampered by issues related to zinc dendrites, corrosion, passivation, and harmful electrostatic interactions. Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) emerge as a highly promising quasi-solid-state solution that effectively address the issues of liquid electrolytes, such as leakage and zinc dendrite formation. However, the relatively low ionic conductivity of GPEs remains a major obstacle to their wide application. This review focuses on enhancing the ionic conductivity of GPEs in ZIBs by means of improving the ionic pathways. It comprehensively analyzes various strategies and their mechanisms, aiming to provide a theoretical basis and practical guidance for the research and development of more efficient ZIBs. The exploration of enhancing ionic pathways involves multiple aspects such as the introduction of nano-fillers, optimization of polymer matrix, incorporation of ionic liquids, and other emerging methods. These approaches are expected to break through the limitations of current battery performance and open up new directions for the application and innovation of ZIBs in the field of energy storage.