Monash Uni on the brink of zinc-air battery technology breakthrough

Engineers from Monash University have made a breakthrough that could enable zinc-air battery technology to move beyond small devices and into large-scale, high-power applications such as electric vehicles and grid storage.

The new catalyst design promises increased power, longer battery life and lower costs, using materials that are abundant and safe.

Zinc-air batteries work by oxidising zinc with oxygen from the air, making them attractive for their high theoretical energy density, safety, and the fact that zinc is less expensive than lithium or sodium.