Challenges in Metal-Air Batteries

Kurzfassung

Metal-air batteries combine a metal anode with a porous cathode that utilizes oxygen as a reactant. As the latter is not stored inside the battery at all times, this enables these kinds of systems to achieve very high theoretical capacities. Combined with the absence of critical raw materials, chemistry-specific advantages such as high safety, sustainability, and material abundance are obtained. This makes for these intriguing technologies to be investigated. As metal-air batteries cover a broad range of technology readiness levels (TRL) which naturally come with very specific challenges, this contribution aims to summarize and categorize said challenges along the individual components of the cells, namely, anode, cathode, and electrolyte. Specifically, we try to identify overarching themes that need to be addressed for all chemistries such as understanding mechanistic aspects of the bifunctional air electrode, the stable cyclability of the metal foil as well as the influence of electrolyte and electrode/electrolyte interfaces.