CIDETEC will advance research for the commercialization of rechargeable zinc-air batteries.

Lithium-ion batteries are currently one of the most widely used options for energy storage. Their use has become widespread for powering portable electronic devices, although they have numerous applications. However, this technology presents sustainability and safety issues, in addition to certain technical limitations. In this sense, rechargeable zinc-air batteries are a promising alternative to address many of these issues. These systems boast high energy density, capable of storing greater amounts of energy than current lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, their low environmental impact is due to the fact that they incorporate zinc, one of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust, and oxygen, which is always present in the atmosphere. Zinc-air batteries therefore use highly available, low-cost, and safe materials.

CIDETEC Energy Storage, through its Energy Materials Unit, has been focused for ten years on the development of low-cost zinc-air batteries for implementation in energy storage devices, thus consolidating energy from renewable sources. In this context, CIDETEC Energy Storage has developed its own technology for each and every cell component and currently has a prototype cell with a capacity of 50 Wh/kg and over 4,000 hours of use.

However, to become a fully efficient storage system, zinc-air technology still has to overcome significant obstacles affecting its development. The degradation that occurs in the cathode limits both the reversibility and the lifespan of these batteries.

In this context, the new ZABCAT project will focus on protecting metallic catalysts to address the limited durability of the air cathode in these batteries, extending their useful life and improving their performance under real-world conditions.

In the first phase of the project, the CiQUS center at the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) will conduct research to address the main technical obstacle: cathode degradation. CIDETEC Energy Storage will subsequently scale up to a pre-industrial level, integrating these materials into rechargeable zinc-air batteries to properly evaluate the prototype’s performance, with the goal of accelerating its market introduction. These new developments could triple the cell cycle time compared to currently available systems, doubling energy production and reducing costs by 30%.

The ZABCAT project is funded by Proof of Concept grants from the prestigious European Research Council (ERC) program to promote and promote the commercial exploitation of some of the advances developed in its projects. To achieve this, ZABCAT will receive €150,000 in funding for a period of 18 months.

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