Challenges in Zinc Electrodes for Alkaline Zinc-Air Batteries: Obstacles to Commercialization

Alkaline zinc-air batteries are promising energy storage technologies with the advantages of low cost, ecological friendliness, and high energy density. However, the rechargeable zinc-air battery has not been used on a commercial scale because the zinc electrode suffers from critical problems such as passivation, dendrite growth, and hydrogen evolution reaction, which limit the practical applications of zinc-air batteries. Herein, the Perspective summaries the solutions to minimize the negative effects of zinc electrodes on discharge performance, cycling life, and shelf life. The future direction of academic research based on current studies of the existing challenges is proposed.