(Industrial Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Engineering Division New ElectrochemicalTechnology (NET) Award) Development and Commercialization of Rechargeable Zinc Manganese Alkaline Batteries to Enable a Sustainable Low-Carbon Energy Future

Urban Electric Power Inc. (UEP), a 2013 spinoff from the City University of New York Energy Institute (CUNY-EI), manufactures and markets rechargeable large-format zinc manganese dioxide (Zn-MnO2) alkaline battery cells in Pearl River, NY. The active materials in the UEP rechargeable cells are Zn and MnO2, both of which have high energy density, low cost, good safety characteristics, and are readily available with abundant supplies. These materials are key components of primary (non-rechargeable) alkaline batteries that presently dominate the disposable battery market, showing established commercial acceptability. This technology holds enormous potential to address a variety of energy storage applications, however the traditional chemistries used in primary alkaline batteries lead to irreversible degradation of the electroactive components which makes them unsuitable for the thousands of charge/discharge cycles desired for rechargeable grid-scale energy storage systems. UEP and the CUNY-EI have achieved several breakthroughs in addressing these challenges, utilizing chemical dopants and additives to stabilize both the Zn and MnO2 electrodes, which allow for more complete utilization of the battery capacity while maintaining hundreds to thousands of cycles.