A research team led by Professor Hong Seung-hyun of the Department of Electronic Chemical Materials at Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung-ryul) has developed an eco-friendly electrode manufacturing technology that improves the performance and stability of next-generation energy storage and batteries through research on surface modification of water-based zinc metal electrodes with low fire risk.

Water-based zinc batteries, which are gaining attention as next-generation batteries, store energy through the movement of zinc ions in an aqueous electrolyte environment, unlike lithium-ion batteries, which store energy through lithium ions in an organic electrolyte environment. Unlike lithium-ion batteries, which pose high risks such as thermal runaway and fire, aqueous zinc-ion batteries offer the advantage of being fire-safe due to their use of water-based electrolytes. However, they also have the drawbacks of battery electrode corrosion and strong side reactions due to the use of water-based electrolytes.

A research team led by Professor HONG JOHN from the Department of Electronic Chemical Materials at Kookmin University developed a manufacturing process for zinc anodes by layering eco-friendly network-type hydrophilic polymers on the anode surface to address these issues. The zinc electrodes demonstrated high discharge capacity and long-term charge-discharge stability.

Jeong Hyung-seop, a master's student at Kookmin University, stated, “Through this research, we have developed manufacturing technology for aqueous zinc battery electrodes, which are gaining attention as next-generation batteries, thereby contributing to South Korea's battery research technology. I am very proud of this achievement. In future research, we aim to develop not only aqueous zinc batteries but also high-stability anode-less lithium metal batteries to contribute to the advancement of South Korea's battery industry.”

The research was conducted by a team led by Hyung-Seop Jeong, a master's student at Kookmin University, in collaboration with Professor HONG JOHN's team at Kookmin University, Professor Kim Yong-Joo's team at Korea University, Professor Hong Jin-Pyo's team at Hanyang University, Professor Cha Seung-Nam's team at Sungkyunkwan University, and Professor Son Jung-In's team at Dongguk University. The research was supported by the Korea Research Foundation's Master's Student Research Encouragement Grant Program, which was first launched in June 2024, and the results were published online in the prestigious academic journal ‘Energy & Environmental Materials’ in the field of energy materials science.