A Zn-S aqueous primary battery with high energy and flat discharge plateau

We demonstrate a disposable aqueous primary battery chemistry that comprises environmentally benign materials of the sulfur cathode and Zn anode in a 1 M ZnCl 2 aqueous electrolyte. The Zn-S battery shows a high energy density of 1083.3 Wh kg −1 for sulphur with a flat discharge voltage plateau around 0.7 V. When operating at a high mass loading of 8.3 mg cm −2 for sulfur in the cathode, the battery exhibits a very high areal capacity of 11.4 mA h cm −2 and areal energy of 7.7 mW h cm −2 . A primary battery with a high areal energy of 7.7 mW h cm −2 and a flat discharge plateau at around 0.7 V was developed by employing sulfur, Zn foil and 1 M ZnCl 2 aqueous solution as the cathode, anode and electrolyte, respectively.