CalSEED Stories: Diversifying Battery Materials With EnZinc
Move over Lithium. Hello Zinc!
Lithium-ion batteries have ruled the battery space since 1980, and make up 90% of the batteries in use today. While lithium batteries have many advantages, there are also challenges with their production, concerns about the availability of lithium, safety issues related to overheating and fires, and environmental considerations regarding mining and disposal.
As a result, researchers are actively exploring alternative battery chemistries, such as zinc-based batteries like the one developed by Enzinc, to address some of these challenges and diversify the options available for energy storage. Zinc is the 4th most produced metal in the world in terms of tonnage. While lithium is less abundant and typically found in specific geological formations, much of which is not economically viable for mining.
Enzinc’s Zinc Rethink
The team at Enzinc stands at the forefront of this movement with their 3D zinc micro sponge. It is a metal-based sponge with tiny pores that effectively eradicates dendrite growth – a term used to describe the formation of needle-like structures that can cause short circuits in batteries. This breakthrough overcomes the limitations of traditional zinc batteries, which had limited cycles before failure, offering exceptional durability and efficiency. The innovation provides a significantly large surface area, delivering energy comparable to lithium-ion batteries. Enzinc’s water-based electrolyte widens the temperature range of the batteries, eliminating the need for external cooling or heating systems.
“Without scalable batteries, we cannot achieve a green grid or widespread adoption of electric vehicles. Enzinc’s breakthrough technology paves the way for a sustainable future.”
-Deborah Knuckey, Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer Enzinc
Enzinc’s technology is a game-changer, not just for one industry, but for a multitude of sectors. Its applications are as diverse as they are impressive, spanning from mobile devices to stationary energy storage. This versatility makes Enzinc a solution of choice for a wide range of industries, including electric vehicles, data centers, and residential energy storage.
“The mission of Enzinc is to democratize energy storage. We feel that energy storage is necessary for the clean energy revolution. It’s the foundation, and yet existing technologies either do not have the energy necessary, or they’re just too expensive, or they don’t meet the ethos of recyclability. And that’s what we want to do: deliver high-performance recyclable and affordable energy worldwide.”
– Michael Burz, CEO Enzinc
Enzinc’s groundbreaking work has not gone unnoticed. It has been recognized and supported by some of the most prestigious entities in the industry. From the CalSEED Concept and Prototype awards to the BRIDGE award from the California Energy Commission, EnZinc’s achievements speak for themselves. Their work has also received support from ARPA-E’s RANGE Program, further validating the credibility and potential of their technology. To learn more about these accolades and their impact, we invite you to visit their website.
