An advanced PVA-based hydrogel flexible electrolyte material with high anti-dehydration and electrochemistry performance

  • Qingye Liu
  • , Chenghua Wang
  • , Chang Zou
  • , Jiangtao Li
  • , Jun Liu
  • , Yilun Liu
  • , Xueyan Sun
  • , Wei Zhao

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel as a hydrogel electrolyte faces issues such as fracture, dehydration, and poor conductivity, limiting its application in flexible zinc-air batteries. To address these, we propose a triethanolamine (TEA)-modified PVA-based hydrogel material (TPVA). TEA promoted formation of a uniform mesoporous structure and enables TPVA hydrogel to exhibit excellent mechanical properties, with an elongation at break (425%) approximately twice that of PVA (230%). Additionally, TPVA material retains excellent hydration after 120 h, demonstrating a significant enhancement in water retention. TPVA-based ZABs achieved a power density of 46.1 mW cm−3, which is 3.1 times enhancement than that of PVA-based (14.9 mW cm−3), and demonstrated significantly extended cycling stability, maintaining stable charge–discharge operation for 35.7 h, outperforming PVA system (11.5 h). Dynamic simulation revealed TEA-PVA interactions, with TPVA showing denser hydrogen bond networks and lower potential energy. This work proposes a promising approach to enhance PVA hydrogel electrolytes for flexible ZABs.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8488-8502
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Materials Science
Volume60
Issue number20
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2025

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