Hydrogen-bonds reconstructing electrolyte enabling low-temperature aluminum-air batteries

Abstract

Aqueous aluminum-air batteries are promising candidates for the next generation of energy storage/conversion systems with high safety and low cost. However, the inevitable hydrogen evolution reaction on the metal aluminum anode and the freeze of aqueous electrolytes hinder the practical application of aluminum-air batteries at both room temperatures and subzero temperatures. Herein, we report a hydrogen-bonds reconstructing electrolyte strategy to boost aluminum-air batteries through the dipole of glycerol molecule, thus suppressing the self-corrosion of aluminum anode and lowering down the freezing point of electrolyte. This glycerol-based electrolyte endows a flow aluminum-air full battery with an outstanding specific capacity of 1886 mAh g⁻¹ and a low operating temperature of −60 °C. This finding provides a synthetic design strategy to mitigate metal corrosion and expand the application range of temperature adaptation of aqueous batteries.