A ZnO/PVA/CHI Composite Electrode for Rechargeable Zinc-air Battery

ZnO/PVA/CHI composite electrode with internal pore structure has been successfully prepared by cross-linking polymerization of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and chitosan (CHI). The resulting composite electrode exhibits a maximum anode dissolution current of 0.34A, 4.86 times higher than that of the pure ZnO electrode (0.07A).More importantly, the Rct of the composite electrode is 1.01Ω•cm2 for the composite electrode, which is lower than that of pure ZnO electrode (2.805Ω•cm2), attesting that the composite electrode possess a more favorable reaction rate. Moreover, the rechargeable battery assembled with composite electrode demonstrates a great improvement in charge/discharge efficiency and cycle stability. It remains over 80% of capacity retention even after 100 cycles, while that of pure electrode can only maintain this level less than 40 cycles. This proposed composting strategy herein may pay a way for the exploration of novel zinc anode for rechargeable zinc-air batteries with superior electrochemical performance.