Zinc-anode battery overcomes problem of dendrite formation

According to the college, zinc-anode batteries offer an environmentally friendlier and less costly alternative to nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries and, in the longer term, could replace lead-acid batteries at the lower-cost end of the market.

However, the challenge of dendrite formation associated with zinc had to be addressed, as dendrites (crystalline structures) cause batteries to short out.



To prevent dendrite build-up, researchers developed a flow-assisted zinc-anode battery with an advanced battery management system (BMS) that controls the charge/discharge protocol.

To demonstrate the new technology and its applications, which range from peak electricity demand reduction to grid-scale energy storage, they have assembled a 36 kilowatt-hour (kWh) rechargeable battery system.



The system is said to consist of 36 individual 1kWh nickel-zinc flow-assisted cells strung together and operated by the BMS. In peak electricity demand reduction, batteries charge during low-usage periods and discharge during peak-demand periods, when surcharges for power usage are high.



‘This is affordable, rechargeable electricity storage made from cheap, non-toxic materials that are inherently safe,’ said Dr Sanjoy Banerjee, director of the college’s Energy Institute. ‘The entire Energy Institute has worked on these batteries — stacking electrodes, mounting terminals, connecting to the inverters — and they are going to be a game changer for the electric grid.’