Progress and Prospects in Rechargeable Zinc–Air Batteries with an Emphasis on Alkaline to Near-Neutral Electrolytes

Abstract

Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) hold great promise as cost-effective, high-energy-density storage devices, particularly for applications requiring long-duration energy storage, high security, and portability. However, challenges such as irreversible zinc consumption, electrolyte contamination, and sluggish kinetics for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)/oxygen evolution reaction (OER) hinder their practical applications, leading to unsatisfactory cycle life, high overpotential, short calendar life, and inferior rate performance. In this perspective article, an overview of the status is provided and we shed light on future research directions for alkaline ZABs (AZABs) and near-neutral ZABs (NZABs). A forward-looking perspective on ZABs is presented to offer valuable insights into both fundamental research and practical implementation. This perspective aims to inspire advancements in modern AZABs, NZABs, and related electrochemical energy storage fields.