Energy & Green Tech
Zinc-air batteries (ZABs) are among the most promising next-generation battery technologies due to their many advantageous characteristics. Most notably, these batteries have unique half-open structures, a significant theoretical ...
May 17, 2021 feature
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Energy & Green Tech
Researchers at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have developed a new nanometric structure that can cover the surface of some silicon solar panels and improve their performance by up to 40%. This design could be ...
Feb 08, 2021
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Electronics & Semiconductors
A team of researchers from China, Germany and the U.S. has developed a way to make zinc batteries rechargeable. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes how, by using a non-alkaline electrolyte, ...
Jan 04, 2021 report
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178
Electronics & Semiconductors
Rechargeable zinc metal batteries (RZMBs) could be a viable alternative to lithium ion batteries, which are currently used to power many types of electronic devices, as well as electric vehicles. Recent studies suggest that ...
Sep 17, 2020 feature
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72
Energy & Green Tech
A research team led by Dr. Joong-Kee Lee of the Center for Energy Storage Research has developed a next-generation secondary battery that uses zinc metal as an electrode without any risk of explosion or fire. This battery ...
Sep 02, 2020
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9
Energy & Green Tech
Aqueous zinc-based batteries (ZBBs) are widely used for portable and grid-scale applications due to their high safety, low cost and high energy density.
Aug 31, 2020
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7
Engineering
A new study reveals that switching from aluminum to zinc alloys in the production of automotive parts could greatly enhance their longevity and sustainability.
Jun 08, 2020
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8
Energy & Green Tech
Lithium Australia's Envirostream Australia has announced that they have been extracting manganese and zinc from used batteries to use as a fertilizer supplement. In their press release, the company reported that they have ...
Jun 03, 2020 report
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104
Energy & Green Tech
A serendipitous discovery during research into batteries at Oregon State University holds major implications for inventing new materials with a vast range of scientific and commercial applications, the study's corresponding ...
Mar 17, 2020
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67
Engineering
Metal oxide thin-film transistors (TFTs), which are built by depositing thin films of an active metal oxide-based semiconducting material on a supporting substrate, have become widely used over the past few years, particularly ...
Jan 20, 2020 feature
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Zinc (pronounced /ˈzɪŋk/, from German: Zink and also known as spelter) is a metallic chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a first-row transition metal in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is chemically similar to magnesium because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2. Zinc is the 24th most abundant element in the Earth's crust and has five stable isotopes. The most exploited zinc ore is sphalerite, or zinc sulfide; the largest exploitable deposits are found in Australia, Canada and the United States. Zinc production includes froth flotation of the ore, roasting and final extraction using electricity.
Brass, which is an alloy of copper and zinc, has been used since at least the 10th century BC. Impure zinc metal was not produced in large scale until the 13th century in India, while the metal was unknown to Europe until the end of the 16th century. Alchemists burned zinc in air to form what they called "philosopher's wool" or "white snow." The element was probably named by the alchemist Paracelsus after the German word Zinke. German chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf is normally given credit for discovering pure metallic zinc in a 1746 experiment. Work by Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta uncovered the electrochemical properties of zinc by 1800. Corrosion-resistant zinc plating of steel is the major application for zinc. Other applications are in batteries and alloys, such as brass. A variety of zinc compounds are commonly used, such as zinc chloride (in deodorants), zinc pyrithione (anti-dandruff shampoos), zinc sulfide (in luminescent paints), and zinc methyl or zinc diethyl in the organic laboratory.
Zinc is an essential mineral of "exceptional biologic and public health importance". Zinc deficiency affects about 2 billion people in the developing world and is associated with many diseases. In children it causes growth retardation, delayed sexual maturation, infection susceptibility, and diarrhea, contributing to the death of about 800,000 children worldwide per year. Enzymes with a zinc atom in the reactive center are widespread in biochemistry, such as alcohol dehydrogenase in humans. Consumption of excess zinc can cause ataxia, lethargy and copper deficiency.
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