Technical approach

Technical approach

HIPERZAB proposes a disruptive technology to design metal-air batteries which present several advantages like the use of aqueous electrolytes with inorganic salts, cheap and abundant active materials (e.g., zinc), and high gravimetric energy density together with long-term stability.

HIPERZAB´s methodology consists of a series of R&D activities with the main objective to obtain a prototype of a rechargeable Zn-air battery based on membrane electrode assembly. HIPERZAB requires strong and joint theoretical, computational, and experimental efforts.

The overall methodology of HIPERZAB comprises three phases:

  • Phase I: Materials and component development.
  • Phase II: Mechanism understanding.
  • Phase III: Design and integration.

SO1: Design and develop a porous 3D structured Zn/biopolymer composite electrode through electrochemical room temperature cold sintering process (RT-CSP):

Porosity ≥50%, continuous conductive network for high Zn utilisation(>650 mAh/gZn) at current densities 5-10 mA/cm2 in half cell, capacity retention (>80%) after 250 cycles

SO2: Design and develop a beyond SoA air electrode based on identification of CRM-free bifunctional electrocatalyst, thin film copolymer gas diffusion layer (GDL) and optimized electrode architecture (gas diffusion electrode, GDE):

Bifunctionally active, electrochemically stable, efficient ORR/OER oxide catalysts (Tafel slope <120 mV/dec.) able to reach current densities of 5-10 mA/cm2 with potential gap <0.6 V (ORR/OER overpotentials <0.3 V) integrated with a thin (200-1000 nm) GDL having >10 Barrer oxygen permeability and <5 g/m2/day water vapor transmission rate. GDE will perform > 250 cycles with RTE > 65% at 10 mA/cm2.

SO3: Design and develop a unique bilayer gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) combining the advantage of alkaline pH for Zn anode and slightly acid pH for air cathode by using naturally occurring biopolymers:

Chemically and mechanically stable bilayer GPE biopolymer-based with slightly acidic hydrogel (4 ≤pH ≤6) and alkaline hydrogel (pH 13-14). Overall GPE bilayer thickness of 100 μm, ionic conductivity > 5 S/cm, shear modulus > 6 GPa.

SO4: Quantify, compare, and rank final cell design against SoA on multiple environmental and cost criteria to demonstrate the feasibility of a radically economic battery technology:

Validation of battery chemistry/design as environmentally preferred solution based on non-CRMs approaching large scale manufacturing cost < 80 €/kWh.

SO5: Unravelling the correlations between materials, operating conditions, and electrochemical phenomena upon cycling through operando characterisations and multiscale modelling:

Development/application of operando techniques at component level, such as operando spectroscopic ellipsometry, electrochemical Tip-Enhanced Raman spectroscopy, to understand degradation phenomena and overpotentials in cathodes, and at cell level (active area 10x10 cm) to independently measure local current, temperature, and impedance distributions (min. 16 segments) to gain new insight into discharge/charge processes as a function of humidity, CO2, hydrostatic pressure, temperature, current density, cycling time.

SO6: Design and validate a device with a gel electrode assembly (GEA) and a structured cathode current collector under relevant use-case operations:

A two-electrode air-passive (without peripheries) electrolyte supported lab- scale device achieving total DoD > 60%, energy density > 150 Wh/kgcell, areal capacity > 24 mAh/cm2, prospective energy cost at stack level ≈0.05 €/kWh cycle.

SO7: Establish the roadmap to impact the market:

Roadmap to the market, including R&D needed to pave the way from final TRL 4 to real-scale demonstrators, and business cases definition (key target groups, timing, etc).

APPLICATIONS

 

The development of the HIPERZAB’s sustainable and safe advanced metal-air batteries will benefit different stakeholders such as raw material providers, battery/electrolyser/ fuel cell manufacturers and also end users (large energy companies, rural communities,industrial districs, municipalities..). Moreover, beyond industrial target groups, HIPERZAB will also benefit relevant EU communities, including EIC, DG RTD, DG ENER, etc; research community involved in materials development and characterization; policy makers, highly relevant to guide environmental and energy strategies at both national and EU levels; and citizens, being public acceptance of HIPERZAB of crucial importance to enlarge its market impact

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