Biomimetic Solid-State Zn2+ Electrolyte for Corrugated Structural Batteries

Mingqiang Wang; Ahmet Emre; Siuon Tung; Alycia Gerber; Dandan Wang; Yudong Huang; Volkan Cecen; Nicholas A Kotov

doi:10.1021/acsnano.8b05068

Biomimetic Solid-State Zn²⁺ Electrolyte for Corrugated Structural Batteries

ACS Nano. 2019 Feb 26;13(2):1107-1115. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.8b05068. Epub 2019 Jan 23.

Authors

Mingqiang Wang^{1

2

3}, Ahmet Emre^{1

4

2}, Siuon Tung^{1

5

2}, Alycia Gerber^{5

2}, Dandan Wang⁵, Yudong Huang³, Volkan Cecen^{1

2}, Nicholas A Kotov^{1

4

5

2

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States.
² Biointerfaces Institute , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States.
³ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering , Harbin Institute of Technology , Harbin 150001 , PRC.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States.
⁵ Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , Michigan 48109 , United States.
⁶ Michigan Institute for Translational Nanotechnology (MITRAN) , Ypsilanti , Michigan 48198 , United States.

PMID: 30608112
DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b05068

Abstract

Batteries based on divalent metals, such as the Zn/Zn²⁺ pair, represent attractive alternatives to lithium-ion chemistry due to their high safety, reliability, earth-abundance, and energy density. However, archetypal Zn batteries are bulky, inflexible, non-rechargeable, and contain a corrosive electrolyte. Suppression of the anodic growth of Zn dendrites is essential for resolution of these problems and requires materials with nanoscale mechanics sufficient to withstand mechanical deformation from stiff Zn dendrites. Such materials must also support rapid transport Zn²⁺ ions necessary for high Coulombic efficiency and energy density, which makes the structural design of such materials a difficult fundamental problem. Here, we show that it is possible to engineer a solid Zn²⁺ electrolyte as a composite of branched aramid nanofibers (BANFs) and poly(ethylene oxide) by using the nanoscale organization of articular cartilage as a blueprint for its design. The high stiffness of the BANF network combined with the high ionic conductivity of soft poly(ethylene oxide) enable effective suppression of dendrites and fast Zn²⁺ transport. The cartilage-inspired composite displays the ionic conductance 10× higher than the original polymer. The batteries constructed using the nanocomposite electrolyte are rechargeable and have Coulombic efficiency of 96-100% after 50-100 charge-discharge cycles. Furthermore, the biomimetic solid-state electrolyte enables the batteries to withstand not only elastic deformation during bending but also plastic deformation. This capability make them resilient to different type of damage and enables shape modification of the assembled battery to improve the ability of the battery stack to carry a structural load. The corrugated batteries can be integrated into body elements of unmanned aerial vehicles as auxiliary charge-storage devices. This functionality was demonstrated by replacing the covers of several small drones with corrugated Zn/BANF/MnO₂ cells, resulting in the extension of the total flight time. These findings open a pathway to the design and utilization of corrugated structural batteries in the future transportation industry and other fields of use.

Keywords: biomimetic; cartilage; dendrites; nanofibers; self-assembly; zinc.

Publication types

Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.