Effect of adding various carbon additives to porous zinc anode in rechargeable hybrid aqueous battery

Anodic behavior of porous Zn in rechargeable hybrid aqueous battery is investigated. The battery comprises porous Zn anode and LiMn2O4 cathode. The electrolytes are Li+ and Zn2+ of sulfate salt in aqueous solution. The initial discharge capacity of pure porous Zn is 114 mAh g(-1), and the capacity decreases to less than 59 mAh g(-1) after 36 cycles. Then, the effects of various carbon additives on the battery performance are studied. The results show that the adding of active carbon increases the initial discharge capacity to 150 mAh g(-1), and the capacity maintains above 60 mAh g(-1) even after 210 cycles. The reasons for improvement for the battery are investigated by Tafel, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray Diffraction. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.