Get the latest tech news
Plant-based breakthrough boosts water-based zinc batteries’ performance in cold | The breakthrough prevents freezing in water-based zinc electrolytes, improving battery efficiency in cold conditions.
Scientists say fibre from konjac plant can prevent freezing in aqueous zinc-ion batteries, a promising alternative to lithium batteries.
Chinese scientists have found fibre from the konjac plant – an ingredient in noodles and jelly added to hotpot – can improve the performance of water-based zinc batteries in low temperatures by keeping their components from freezing. “A critical challenge in electrolyte development involves improving the antifreeze characteristics without compromising high-rate performance,” the scientists wrote in a paper published in the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Energy Materials on January 7. The team, led by researchers from Changsha University of Science and Technology in central China’s Hunan province, added konjac glucomannan, a cost-effective and environmentally friendly organic polymer, to their battery’s electrolyte to help disrupt the network of hydrogen bonds in water to inhibit freezing.
Or read this on r/tech
