‘Self-healing’ battery for next-gen gadgets that overcomes safety and performance limitations of tradition batteries

The Council for Scientific and Industrial research (CSIR) had developed technology for a ‘self-healing’ rechargeable battery for next generation devices that overcomes safety and performance issues in traditional batteries.

A self-healing battery uses a water-based hydrogel as its electrolyte, enabling it to autonomously repair physical damage like cuts and cracks through dynamic molecular bonds, thereby extending the lifespan of electronics items.

A team at CSIR’s National Chemical Laboratory engineered a hydrogel polymer called PHBC-4, and formed a reinforced polymer network capable of suppressing zinc dendrite formation. Dendrites are the primary cause of short-circuiting and premature failure in conventional zinc-metal batteries.

According to scientists, rechargeable zinc-metal batteries are increasingly recognised for their safety, easy availability of raw materials and environmental compatibility, but their widespread use has been limited by dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution reactions and vulnerability to mechanical stress. Dendrites are the primary reason for short-circuiting and premature failure in conventional zinc-metal batteries.

The self-healing hydrogel electrolyte PHBC-4 overcomes these barriers by ensuring uniform zinc deposition and retaining structural integrity under deformation. A key feature of the PHBC-4 material is its ability to autonomously repair itself, recovering up to 93 per cent of its mechanical strength within five minutes.

The researchers demonstrated this by constructing a flexible pouch cell using PHBC-4 to power an LED. Even after intentionally cutting the pouch cell, the internal network reassembled and the LED continued to remain illuminated.

“Hydrogel polymer electrolytes with superior multi-functional properties are promising alternatives to aqueous electrolytes for resolving interfacial issues in rechargeable zinc-metal batteries,” the researchers said in their study that has been published in Advanced Energy Materials, Germany-based peer reviewed journal.

“In this study, an intrinsic self-healing hydrogel polymer electrolyte is synthesized and engineered through an integrated approach to enable self-healing functionality. The self-healing ability of the polymer is confirmed in a homemade pouch cell, demonstrating stable performance,” the researchers said.