The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research and Hindustan Zinc Limited signed an MoU to develop new variants of zinc materials.
| Photo Credit: special arrangement
The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), along with Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), will develop new variants of zinc materials and push for the commercialisation of zinc-based batteries.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST) said that the indigenous Zn-ion battery technologies with new variants of zinc materials could soon facilitate low-cost grid-scale energy storage and other related applications.
“Low-cost and superior performance-driven zinc-ion batteries are acclaimed as India’s innovative alternative to expensive and imported lithium-ion batteries,” it said.
In this regard, JNCASR and HZL recently signed a memorandum of understanding.
The DST said that Premkumar Senguttuvan’s group at JNCASR has built a robust research foundation in zinc-based batteries. The group’s battery characterization facility, funded by the DST, has led to significant advancements in the field.
“A direct result of the research funded by DST, the MoU between Hindustan Zinc and Prof. Premkumar’s group will leverage JNCASR’s research expertise and Hindustan Zinc’s product innovation capabilities. It will explore developing new Zinc alloys for use as anodes in Zn-ion batteries and electrolytes for their application in rechargeable batteries,” DST said.
It added that a modified electrolyte is expected to increase the life and safety of devices.
“The JNCASR team also plans to demonstrate Zn-ion pouch batteries, which are easily scalable for large-scale commercial applications. By providing innovative new product solutions, Hindustan Zinc aims to be at the forefront of the battery revolution to support the ongoing global energy transition,” it added.
It further said that the research agreement targets two major Sustainable Development Goals SDG7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG13 (Climate Action) – ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all and taking urgent action to combat climate change and its impact, marking a pivotal moment in the evolution of battery technologies.
