Demonstrates high capacity retention in a molten salt battery with a solid Zn/ZnCl2 anode, suggesting efficient energy storage solutions.
Metal chloride-graphite molten salt batteries are promising for safe, low-cost energy storage at moderate temperatures (<200 °C). Here, we report a Zn/ZnCl2-graphite molten salt battery that integrates a solid-state Zn/ZnCl2 redox anode with a graphite cathode based on reversible Cn/Cn[AlCl4] intercalation chemistry. In an AlCl3/LiCl/NaCl molten salt electrolyte, the Zn/ZnCl2 redox couple exhibits a low equilibrium potential of 0.28 V versus Al/Al3+ and high reversibility. A ZnCl2 anode fabricated via dry-powder calendering delivers a specific capacity of 143 mAh g–1, while the full-cell achieves 95% capacity retention over 100 cycles at 140 °C. Mechanistic investigations reveal that ZnCl2 undergoes a solid-state conversion to metallic Zn accompanied by NaCl crystallization during reduction, whereas the cathodic process proceeds through reversible formation of graphite intercalation compounds. This work establishes a cost-effective medium-temperature battery chemistry and provides insights into solid-state metal chloride redox processes for scalable and intrinsically safe energy storage.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Miao et al. (2026) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context: