Performance of Low-Cost Energy Dense Mixed Material MnO2-Cu2O Cathodes for Commercially Scalable Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Zinc (Zn)-based batteries have attracted significant interest for applications ranging from electric bikes to grid storage because of its advantageous properties like high abundance, non-toxicity and low-cost. Zn offers a high theoretical capacity of two electrons per atom, resulting in 820 mAh/g, making it a promising anode material for the development of highly energy dense batteries. However, the advancement of Zn-based battery systems is hindered by the limited availability of cathode materials that simultaneously offer high theoretical capacity, long-term cycling stability, and affordability. In this work, we present a new mixed material cathode system, comprising of a mixture of manganese dioxide (MnO2) and copper oxide (Cu2O) as active materials, that delivers a high theoretical capacity of ~280 mAh/g (MnO2 + Cu2O active material) (based on the combined mass of MnO2 and Cu2O) and supports stable cycling for >200 cycles at 1C. We further demonstrate the scalability of this novel cathode system by increasing the electrode size and capacity, highlighting its potential for practical and commercial applications.