Aqueous Zinc Batteries as an Accessible Platform for Interdisciplinary Energy Storage Innovation

Abstract

Aqueous zinc batteries (AZBs) are often discussed as safer and more sustainable alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries. This comparison is important, but it may understate another distinctive value of AZBs, namely that they provide a comparatively accessible experimental platform for battery innovation. Because many AZB components can be handled in air and aqueous media, researchers can assemble cells, test ideas, and inspect failed devices without the infrastructure required for many nonaqueous batteries. Here, we argue that this practical accessibility is itself scientifically important. It allows AZBs to serve as a testing ground for ideas from electrochemistry, materials science, physics, engineering, and data science, while also lowering the entry barrier for early‐career researchers and groups entering battery research from adjacent fields.