Modeling and Simulation of the alkaline Zn battery with nanostructured NiCo2O4 cathode

Alkaline zinc batteries with NiCo2O4 nanostructure as cathode exhibit good electrochemical properties due to inherent safety, low cost, high energy density, high discharge voltage and good cyclic stability. Although these batteries have been studied by experimental method, there do not appear to be many existing modeling based on fundamental governing equations, which usually can give a very deeper understanding of the involved physical phenomena. In the present work, one-dimensional model was built by the single domain method to simulate the energy storage performance of Zn-NiCo2O4 battery, in which the electrochemical reaction and species transport are taken into account in the porous electrode. The discharge curves based on this model are consistent with experimental data reported by previous literature. Moreover, the effect factors on discharge performance of this battery are also investigated. Result shows that lower mass loading, larger thickness and specific surface area can benefit to the initial discharge voltage and capacity of the Zn-NiCo2O4 battery. The usage of high-concentration electrolyte can increase the output voltage platform. Above results can give useful guidance for modeling and simulation of alkaline zinc battery based on other active materials.