Perpustakaan Digital ITB

The world demands portable electrochemical storage systems for commercial and sustainable technology use. The demand for lithium-ion batteries are expected to reach 2000 GWh by 2030. Research on secondary zinc-air batteries can alternatively store chemical energy because of zinc’s abundance, specific power, and low life cycle costs. However, zinc-air batteries use liquid electrolytes, which are vulnerable to leakage and water evaporation. They also suffer from the inefficiency of air catalysts and poor energy density. This research aims to develop hydrogel electrolytes and air cathodes suitable for the zinc-air battery. This research compares the performance of the zinc air battery with synthetic and non-synthetic hydrogels. This research also aims to find the optimum production method of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) which could be used in place of graphene for air cathodes. The variation of reduction methods are thermal and chemical reduction using ascorbic acid. The hydrogels will undergo water uptake tests and be analysed with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The physical appearances and densities of the rGOs will also be analysed and compared.