Computational analysis of the zinc utilization in the primary zinc-air batteries

A one-dimensional mathematical model is implemented in order to explore the design parameters of the zinc-air batteries. The proposed model provides a realistic prediction by considering the effect of the hydroxide ion on formation of the zinc oxide precipitates. The predicted discharge curves are in more reasonable agreement with experimental data at a typical discharging current density of 10 mA cm−2. The proposed model is subsequently used to predict the discharge performance with varying the thicknesses of the zinc anode and the microporous separator. It is demonstrated that the highest zinc utilization of 97% is obtained for the compact anode (0.61 mm thick) assembled with the sufficiently thick microporous separator (0.11 mm thick).