University of Maryland Engineers Design New Electrolytes for Aqueous Zinc Batteries

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a new electrolyte design strategy that significantly improves the efficiency and stability of aqueous zinc metal batteries, offering a promising pathway toward low-cost, safe, and long-duration energy storage.

In a study led by Distinguished University Professor Chunsheng Wang in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Dejian Dong, postdoctoral researcher, a new design strategy for aqueous Zinc electrolytes was presented in the journal Nature Nanotechnology today.

As the growing demand for power renewable systems has called for innovative energy storage technologies, Zinc batteries—which are safe, affordable, and capable of operating for long durations—have emerged as a potential candidate. But while Zinc is an abundant and inexpensive element compatible with aqueous technologies, commercialization of zinc batteries has not been possible due to design challenges, such as water decomposition, hydrogen evolution, and zinc dendrite growth, which reduce battery efficiency and cycle life.

In their study, the engineering researchers propose a new architecture that enables the electrolyte to simultaneously combine several desirable properties: strong ion pairing without salt precipitation, high ionic conductivity, and a protective layer against water-induced side reactions. Testing demonstrated remarkable performance improvements, with an average coulombic efficiency of 99.99% over 1,000 cycles, a metric that measures how well batteries retain charge during use.

“This work provides a scalable and cost-effective strategy for designing next-generation aqueous batteries,” said Wang.

Beyond zinc batteries, the insights from this study could guide the design of advanced electrolytes for other electrochemical systems, such as metal batteries and grid-scale storage technologies.

Published April 7, 2026