MnO2 Cathode Research Articles

A highly reversible, dendrite-free zinc metal anodes enabled by a dual-layered interface

Aqueous rechargeable zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are gaining increasing interest owning to their merits of high safety, cost-effectiveness, environmental benignity, and high energy. However, the uncontrolled Zn dendrite growth, gas generation, and severe corrosion stemming from the side reactions between Zn metal anodes and aqueous electrolytes significantly restrict the practical application of AZIBs. Herein, an organic-inorganic dual protection layer (Nafion/Zn3(PO4)2, NFZP), which is featured with organic layer (Nafion) on the top and inorganic layer (Zn3(PO4)2) at the bottom, is built on the surface of Zn electrodes (NFZP@Zn). The dual-layered interface can not only suppress dendrite growth but also inhibit the side reactions. The decorated NFZP@Zn electrode can maintain an ultralong plating/stripping cycling life of 2800 h with an ultralow voltage hysteresis (45 mV) at a current density of 0.5 mA cm−2. When coupled with a MnO2 cathode, the full cells with NFZP@Zn anodes demonstrated significantly improved cycling stability. This work paves the road for the future development of AZIBs.

Block Copolymer‐Derived Porous Carbon Fibers Enable High MnO2 Loading and Fast Charging in Aqueous Zinc‐Ion Battery

AbstractRechargeable aqueous Zn−MnO2 batteries are promising for stationary energy storage because of their high energy density, safety, environmental benignity, and low cost. Conventional gravel MnO2 cathodes have low electrical conductivity, slow ion (de‐)insertion, and poor cycle stability, resulting in poor recharging performance and severe capacity fading. To improve the rechargeability of MnO2, strategies have been devised such as depositing micrometer‐thick MnO2 on carbon cloth and blending nanostructured MnO2 with additives and binders. The low electrical conductivity of binders and sluggish ion (de‐)insertion in micrometer‐thick MnO2, however, still limit the fast‐charging performance. Herein, we have prepared porous carbon fiber (PCF) supported MnO2 cathodes (PCF@MnO2), comprised of nanometer‐thick MnO2 uniformly deposited on electrospun block copolymer‐derived PCF that have abundant uniform mesopores. The high electrical conductivity of PCF, fast electrochemical reactions in nanometer‐thick MnO2, and fast ion transport through porous nonwoven fibers contribute to a high rate capability at high loadings. PCF@MnO2, at a MnO2 loading of 59.1 wt %, achieves a MnO2‐based specific capacity of 326 and 184 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 and 1.0 A g−1, respectively. Our approach of block copolymer‐based PCF as a support for zinc‐ion cathode inspires future designs of fast‐charging electrodes with other active materials.

Tuning electrolyte solvation structures to enable stable aqueous Al/MnO2 battery

MnO2 is regarded as a promising cathode material owing to its low cost, environmental friendliness and high theoretical capacity. However, it is plagued by sluggish intercalation/extraction of multivalent cations into MnO2 lattice structure in diluted electrolytes, leading to short cycle life and fast capacity decay of aqueous MnO2 cathode. Here, we select Al/MnO2 aqueous battery as a demonstration and report a new approach of using concentrated aqueous electrolytes to tune the solvation structures of Al3+ cations to eliminate their intercalation into MnO2, ensuring high reversibility of MnO2 cathode in the MnO2/Mn2+ deposition/stripping chemistry. Molecular dynamics simulation and experimental analysis reveal that the radius of Al3+ solvation sheath in the concentrated aqueous electrolytes is larger than the lattice spacing of MnO2, thereby avoiding their intercalation into the MnO2 cathode. As a result, the newly developed Al/MnO2 full cell in the optimized electrolyte delivers a high discharge voltage of ∼1.9 V, large specific capacity of ∼493 mAh/g and long-term stability of over 1000 cycles. This work provides new opportunities to the development of highly reversible MnO2 cathode for aqueous multivalent metal/MnO2 batteries.

Effect of Liquid Metal Coating on Improved Cycle Performance of Anode-Free Lithium Metal Battery

Although Li-ion battery is one of the most widely used energy storage devices, there have been extensive efforts to push its limit to meet the ever increasing demands to increase its energy density for applications such as electric vehicles, portable electronics, and grid storages. Here, lithium metal anode plays a key role in the next generation energy storage devices, ultimately enabling the anode-free configuration. However, there are major challenges that need to be overcome. These include low Coulombic efficiency and the formation of dendrites. In this work, we adopted gallium-based liquid metal (LM) as a coating layer on a copper current collector to uniformly deposit lithium to prevent the dendrite formation and improve the cycle efficiency. The LM coating effectively improved the cycle performance in the anode-free configuration combined with Li(Ni,Co,Mn)O2 cathode. The effect of the LM coating was confirmed by in situ transmission electron microscopy and optical microscopy observations. LM reduced the charge/discharge overpotentials with its high affinity with lithium. It also contributed to decompose the dendritic lithium in the discharge process reducing the dead lithium disconnected from the current collector.

Stable interphase chemistry of textured Zn anode for rechargeable aqueous batteries

Despite the advances of aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries as sustainable energy storage systems, their practical application remains challenging due to the issues of spontaneous corrosion and dendritic deposits at the Zn metal anode. In this work, conformal growth of zinc hydroxide sulfate (ZHS) with dominating (001) facet was realized on (002) plane-dominated Zn metal foil fabricated through a facile thermal annealing process. The ZHS possessed high Zn2+ conductivity (16.9 mS cm−1) and low electronic conductivity (1.28 × 104 Ω cm), and acted as a heterogeneous and robust solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer on metallic Zn electrode, which regulated the electrochemical Zn plating behavior and suppressed side reactions simultaneously. Moreover, low self-diffusion barrier along the (002) plane promoted the 2D diffusion and horizontal electrochemical plating of metallic Zn for (002)-textured Zn electrode. Consequently, the as-achieved Zn electrode exhibited remarkable cycling stability over 7000 cycles at 2 mA cm−2 and 0.5 mAh cm−2 with a low overpotential of 25 mV in symmetric cells. Pairing with a MnO2 cathode, the as-achieved Zn electrode achieved stable cell cycling with 92.7% capacity retention after 1000 cycles at 10 C with a remarkable average Coulombic efficiency of 99.9%.

Universal triquinoxalinylene (3Q) molecule electrodes for ultrafast and ultrastable Li+ storage

The aqueous rechargeable batteries (ARBs) are puzzled by the limited cycle life owing to the serious side reactions and instability of the anode materials. Herein, we report the ultrastable triquinoxalinylene (3Q) molecule with multiple redox reactions as anode in aqueous Li+ electrolytes over a wide pH range, when the dissolution of anode and hydrolysis of water phenomena are suppressed. The discharged product of 3Q-Li shows relatively higher stability than that of 3Q-Li-H through the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Furthermore, the 3Q molecule shows the ultrafast Li+ storage performance (133.3 mA h g−1 at 100 A g−1) in the strong alkaline Li+ electrolyte. The assembled 3Q//Ni(OH)2 cell shows the ultrastable performance after 200 k cycles. In addition, the universal generality of 3Q anode is demonstrated in the acidic (MnO2 cathode) and neutral (LiMn2O4 cathode) electrolyte medium. This strategy provides a new route for the design of anode materials in ARBs.

Enhanced Electrochemical Properties of Na0.67MnO2 Cathode for Na-Ion Batteries Prepared with Novel Tetrabutylammonium Alginate Binder

Both the binder and solid–electrolyte interface play an important role in improving the cycling stability of electrodes for Na-ion batteries. In this study, a novel tetrabutylammonium (TBA) alginate binder is used to prepare a Na0.67MnO2 electrode for sodium-ion batteries with improved electrochemical performance. The ageing of the electrodes is characterized. TBA alginate-based electrodes are compared to polyvinylidene fluoride- (PVDF) and Na alginate-based electrodes and show favorable electrochemical performance, with gravimetric capacity values of up to 164 mAh/g, which is 6% higher than measured for the electrode prepared with PVDF binder. TBA alginate-based electrodes also display good rate capability and improved cyclability. The solid–electrolyte interface of TBA alginate-based electrodes is similar to that of PVDF-based electrodes. As the only salt of alginic acid soluble in non-aqueous solvents, TBA alginate emerges as a good alternative to PVDF binder in battery applications where the water-based processing of electrode slurries is not feasible, such as the demonstrated case with Na0.67MnO2.

A multifunctional protective layer with biomimetic ionic channel suppressing dendrite and side reactions on zinc metal anodes

A multifunctional graphitic carbon nitride (GCN) protective layer with bionic ion channels and high stability is prepared to inhibit dendrite growth and side reactions on zinc (Zn) metal anodes. The high electronegativity of the nitrogen-containing organic groups (NOGs) in the GCN layer can effectively promote the dissociation of solvated Zn2+ and its rapid transportation in bionic ion channels via a hopping mechanism. In addition, this GCN layer exhibits excellent mechanical strength to suppress the growth of Zn dendrites and the volume expansion of Zn metal anodes during the plating process. Consequently, the electrodeposited Zn presents a uniform and densely packed morphology with negligible side-product accumulation. As a result, the half-cell composed of the Cu-GCN anode can deliver a remarkable long-term cycling performance of 1000 h at 0.5 mA cm−2 and 0.25 mAh cm−2. A full cell assembled with MnO2 cathode also displays improved long-term cycling performance (150 cycles at 200 mA g−1) when the Cu-GCN@Zn composite anode is applied. This work deepens our understanding of the kinetics of ion migration in the interface layer and paves the way for next-generation high energy–density Zn-metal batteries (ZMBs).

Advances in the regulation of kinetics of cathodic H+/Zn2+ interfacial transport in aqueous Zn/MnO2 electrochemistry.

Rechargeable aqueous Zn-MnO2 energy storage systems have attracted extensive attention owing to their high theoretical capacity and non-flammable mild aqueous electrolytes. Nevertheless, the complicated reaction mechanism of a MnO2-based cathode severely restricts its further development. Therefore, it is crucial to clarify the kinetics of H+/Zn2+ interfacial transport in the MnO2 cathode for realizing controllable regulation of interfacial ion transport and then realizing high capacity and long lifespan. Recently, based on different reaction mechanisms, various strategies have been employed to improve the performance of aqueous Zn/MnO2 cells, such as surface modifications and structural engineering. Herein, we systematically summarize the recent advances in the modulation of interfacial H+/Zn2+ transport and related redox kinetics to effectively improve the electrochemical responses. Furthermore, the challenges of designing novel MnO2 cathodes have also been prospected in detail to provide possible guidelines for the development of Zn/MnO2 batteries.

The back-deposition of dissolved Mn2+ to MnO2 cathodes for stable cycling in aqueous zinc batteries.

The Mn2+ dissolution of MnO2 cathode materials causes rapid capacity decay in aqueous zinc batteries. We herein show that the dissolved Mn2+ can be deposited back to the cathode with the aid of a suitable conductive agent. The active material is thus retained for energy storage, and this MnO2/Mn2+ redox process also provides capacity. In the Mn2+ free ZnSO4 electrolyte, MnO2 delivers 325 mA h g-1 capacity at 0.1 A g-1, and 90.4% capacity retention is achieved after 3000 cycles at 5 A g-1. Our work demonstrates an effective strategy to realize stable cycling of MnO2 cathodes in aqueous zinc batteries without Mn2+ additives.

Layered Co doped MnO2 with abundant oxygen defects to boost aqueous zinc-ion storage

Zinc Manganese oxide (Zn/MnO2)-based aqueous battery is favored due to their high specific capacity, security and cost performance. Nevertheless, they usually problems of unstable cyclic structure and slow diffusion kinetics, restricting their practical application. Here, we have successfully synthesized a Co doped MnO2 cathode material with abundant defects on a carbon cloth substrate. Through a simple hydrothermal method, the Co element can be lightly intercalated in the two-dimensional (2D) layered α-MnO2 nanowires, inhibiting the structural transformation during the cycle and improve the stability of the material. Meanwhile, plasma technology facilitates the formation of oxygen vacancies in the electrode material, which not only accelerate electron diffusion but also improve the conductivity. Therefore, Zn/Co-MnO2 battery can reach a specific capacity of 511 mAh g−1 at 0.5A g−1 and the retention rate accomplish 98% at high current density. This research puts forward a strategy of element doping and physical preparation of oxygen vacancies, which provides the possibility to develop reversible Zn/MnO2-based aqueous battery cathode materials with high-performance.

Facile synthesis of Cu−intercalated MnO2 nanoflakes cathode for enhanced energy storage in zinc−ion batteries

BackgroundRechargeable aqueous zinc−ion batteries are considered sustainable energy storage systems due to low cost and inherent safety. Rational design of cathode materials for reliable energy storage receives great interest to the research field. MethodsThis work reveals advanced Cu−intercalated MnO2 (CMO) cathode can be obtained through an ion exchange treatment. Ex situ XPS, TEM, and XRD analyses are used to reveal the charge storage mechanism of CMO. Significant findingsCMO with highly porous morphology boosts ion transport kinetics and shows better utilization of electrolyte Mn2+. The ion diffusion coefficient in CMO is much higher than pristine MnO2 (MO) by a factor of ∼10 times. Moreover, CMO undergoes displacement mechanism forming metallic Cu during battery operation, leading to improved electronic conductivity. As a result, CMO exhibits promising electrochemical performance with higher capacity (236 vs. 156 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1), better rate performance (95 vs. 61 mAh g−1 at 8 A g−1), improved electrochemical reversibility (0.26 vs 0.48 V at 1.5 mV s−1), higher energy efficiency (83.7 vs. 79.0 % at 8 A g−1), reduced charge−transfer resistance (45 vs. 212 Ω), and enhanced energy storage (322.7 vs. 214.4 Wh kg−1 at 0.5 A g−1) in comparison with the MO counterpart.

Highly Reversible Cycling of Zn-MnO2 Batteries Integrated with Acid-Treated Carbon Supportive Layer.

Zn-MnO2 battery with mild-acid electrolytes has been considered as a promising alternative to Li-ion battery for safe and cost-effective energy storage systems (ESSs), and for full electrification. However, the governing mechanism of MnO2 electrochemistry has not been fully elucidated, hindering further advances in highly reversible MnO2 cathodes. Eventual Mn2+ ion dissolution into the electrolyte adversely triggers the irreversible loss of Mn2+ ions and the excessive precipitation of zinc hydroxyl sulfate (Zn4 SO4 (OH)6 ·xH2 O, ZHS), leading to irreversible capacity loss upon prolonged cycling. To overcome these drawbacks, a rationally renovated cell structure is proposed by integrating an acid-treated carbon supportive layer (aCSL) in the MnO2 cathode, which can play multifunctional roles rendering the additional reaction sites for the reversible formation/decomposition of ZHS and re-utilization of the dissolved Mn2+ ions. Furthermore, the improved affinity of the aCSL toward the electrolyte is beneficial for increasing active surface area and facilitating charge transfer at the cathode side. Benefiting from these features, compared to the conventional cell configuration, the aCSL-integrated Zn-MnO2 cell exhibits superior cycling over 3000 cycles with negligible capacity decay (85.6% retention) at a current of 3Ag-1 .

In-situ Co-precipitated α-MnO2@2-methylimidazole cathode material for high performance zinc ion batteries

Zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) are newly emerging and widely attracted energy storage devices owing to its advantages of intrinsic safety and low-cost effectiveness. Herein, we reported a nanorod-like MnO2 cathode material composited with carbon and pyrrolic nitrogen by in-situ co-precipitation method at room temperature, which was used as ZIB cathode to deliver a high specific capacity of 339 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and a long cycle stability over 2000 cycles at 1000 mA g−1, resulting in the ultrahigh coulombic efficiencies approximate to 100%. The improved performance was attributed to the enhancement of structural stability and more zinc ion insertion sites after introducing the 2-methylimidazole (2-MI) coating layer. The phase transition of α-MnO2 @2-methylimidazole (α-MnO2 @2-MI) and the formation of more porous architecture could be the origin of the continuous capacity increasing in the initial several cycles, which was proved by the results of the ex-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the scanning electronic microscope (SEM). This method can be a more realistic choice for the further commercial applications of low-cost and easily-accessed ZIBs with excellent electrochemical performance.

An elemental sulfur/CoS2- ionic liquid based anode for high-performance aqueous sodium-ion batteries

Despite having advantages of safety and dominating consumer and electric vehicle market, the progress of aqueous rechargeable battery research is hindered by low capacity anode materials. A game-changing strategy is to use an environmentally benign aqueous electrolyte with earth abundance Na-ion and sulfur. Sulfur promises to be a next-generation electrode material due to its high theoretical capacity and energy density. But the practical application of elemental sulfur in aqueous electrolyte suffer from sharp capacity decay due to the dissolution of polysulfides. Herein, we report 70 % elemental sulfur along with CoS2 and 1‑butyl‑3-methylimidazolium o,o-bis(2-ethylhexyl) dithiophosphate (BMIm-DDTP) ionic liquid (IL) as anode (S@CoS2-IL) for aqueous rechargeable sodium-ion/sulfur batteries (ARSSB) in 2 M aq. Na2SO4 electrolyte.The S@CoS2-IL anode delivers an outstanding capacity of 977 mA h g−1 (> 91 % of the theoretical capacity of elemental sulfur i.e. 1070 mA h g−1), at 0.5 C with a stable cycling performance over 100 cycles with > 98 % of capacity retention at 2 C with 100 % of coulombic efficiency. A negligible loss of S was confirmed by UV–Vis spectroscopy and potentiometric titration and anchoring of polysulfide at S@CoS2-IL anode were evidenced by NMR, ESI-mass, Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The synergy between highly active CoS2 and BMIm-DDTP IL from the dynamic coordination of dithiophosphate with CoS2 provides easy access for polysulfides anchoring and fast reaction kinetics which effectively suppresses the dissolution of discharge polysulfides and HS−. The full cell studies using S@CoS2-IL anode with standard Na0.44MnO2 cathode demonstrate an outstanding capacity of 778 mA h g−1 w.r.t the weight of S and 104.98 mA h g−1 (of total electrodes weight), which is close to the theoretical capacity of 109 mA h g−1 with 100 % coulombic efficiency and 91.8 % capacity retention over 400 cycles at 2 C. The excellent performance of this aqueous battery chemistry shows that S@CoS2-IL anode has great potential towards practical application in ARSSB.

High-performance Zn battery with transition metal ions co-regulated electrolytic MnO2

Electrolytic MnO2/Zn batteries have attracted extensive attention for use in large-scale energy storage applications due to their low cost, high output voltage, safety, and environmental friendliness. However, the poor electrical conductivity of MnO2 limits its deposition and dissolution at large capacities, which leads to sluggish reaction kinetics and drastic capacity decay. Here, we report a theory-guided design principle for an electrolytic MnO2/Zn battery co-regulated with transition metal ions that has improved electrochemical performance in terms of deposition and stripping chemistries. We start with first-principles calculations to predict the electrolytic effects of regulating transition metal ions in the deposition/stripping chemistry of the MnO2 cathode. The results indicate that with the simultaneous incorporation of strongly electronegative Co and Ni, the MnO2 cathode tends to possess more active electron states, faster charge-transfer kinetics, and better electrical conductivity than either MnO2 regulated with Co or Ni on their own, or pristine MnO2; hence, this co-regulation is beneficial for the cathode solid/liquid MnO2/Mn2+ reactions. We then fabricate and demonstrate a novel Co2+ and Ni2+ co-regulated MnO2/Zn (Co–Ni–MnO2/Zn) battery that yields significantly better electrochemical performance, finding that the synergistic regulation of Co and Ni on MnO2 can significantly increase its intrinsic conductivity and achieve high rates and Coulombic efficiencies at large capacities. The aqueous Co–Ni–MnO2/Zn battery exhibits a high rate (10C, 100 ​mA ​cm–2), high Coulombic efficiency (91.89%), and excellent cycling stability (600 cycles without decay) at a large areal capacity of 10 mAh cm–2. Our proposed strategy of co-regulation with transition metal ions offers a versatile approach for improving the electrochemical performance of aqueous electrolytic MnO2/Zn batteries in large-scale energy storage applications.

Unveiling performance evolution mechanisms of MnO2 polymorphs for durable aqueous zinc-ion batteries

MnO2-based aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) hold great promising for large-scale energy storage applications owing to their safe and sustainable nature. However, rapid capacity decay under high depth of discharge limits the applications of MnO2 cathodes. In the meantime, the reaction chemistry and degradation process of MnO2 cathodes cannot be fully understood, leading to improvement of their cycling stability lacks of robust methods. Herein, ZIB performances of MnO2 polymorphs are investigated to disclose their detailed reaction chemistry and degradation mechanisms. Ex situ characterizations at different cycles exhibit evolution of active materials (original MnO2→Mn2+→birnessite→ZnMn2O4/Mn3O4) and coexisted reactions from co-insertion, dissolution/deposition and chemical conversion mechanisms. Variational contributions from these intermediate products and different reaction mechanisms cause fluctuated performance during cycling. Initial performance activation is from enhanced activity of birnessite, while the degradation is caused by its conversion to electrochemically inactive ZnMn2O4 and Mn3O4. By optimizing tunnel structures, it is found that R-MnO2 shows low manganese dissolution with its reaction mainly achieved by intercalation/extraction of Zn2+/H+, and theoretical calculations verify its low Jahn-Teller distortion at discharged state. This specific property circumvents conversion of R-MnO2 to metastable birnessite, giving rise to a stable capacity under high depth of discharge.

A Highly Reversible Zinc Anode for Rechargeable Aqueous Batteries.

Zinc metal holds a great potential as an anode material for next-generation aqueous batteries due to its suitable redox potential, high specific capacity, and low cost. However, the uncontrollable dendrite growth and detrimental side reactions with electrolytes hinder the practical application of this type of electrodes. To tackle the issues, an ultrathin (∼1 μm) sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) is constructed onto the Zn anode surface by a facile spin-coating method. We demonstrate that the polymeric SEI simultaneously blocks the water molecules and anions, uniformizes the ion flux, and facilitates the desolvation process of Zn2+ ions, thus effectively suppressing the side reactions and Zn dendrite formation. As a result, the newly developed Zn@SPEEK anode enables a symmetric cell to stably operate over 1000 cycles at 5 mA cm-2 without degradation. Moreover, with the Zn anode paired with a MnO2 cathode, the full cell exhibits an improved Coulombic efficiency (over 99% at 0.1 A g-1), a superior rate capability (127 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1), and excellent cycling stability (capacity retention of 70% over 1000 cycles at 1 A g-1). This work provides a facile yet effective strategy to address the critical challenges in Zn anodes, paving the way for the development of high-performance rechargeable aqueous batteries.

Understanding the formation of antiphase boundaries in layered oxide cathode materials and their evolution upon electrochemical cycling

Understanding the formation of antiphase boundaries in layered oxide cathode materials and their evolution upon electrochemical cycling

Flexible and Safe Zinc/SS – Cu and Bi Incorporated Binder Free Hierarchical MnO2 Alkaline Solid-State Battery with High-Capacity Utilization and Long Cycle Life for Wearable Applications.

Wearable electronics are one of the most rapidly growing industries, due to their extended use in everyday applications resulting in an increased demand for portable energy storage devices. Despite immense success in commercialization of Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), conventional LIBs suffer from issues of cost and safety. The expanding need for cheaper, and safer energy storage devices led explorations towards alternatives. After careful considerations, Zinc (Zn)-Manganese dioxide (MnO2) based alkaline system was chosen to be investigated in this work due to its low cost, inherent safety, and high theoretical energy density. However, challenges associated with making the aforementioned system rechargeable and highly performing still remains. The work in this study is directed towards enhancing the overall performance of the Zn-MnO2 alkaline battery in addition to making it suitable for flexible and wearable applications. A highly ionically conducting polymer electrolyte ({5}CP) with excellent physical and electrochemical stability primarily comprising biopolymer chitosan is prepared by using a time and energy-efficient technique. Incorporation of this polymer electrolyte with Zn anode and MnO2 cathode enabled the successful preparation of a physically flexible cell. To obtain high cyclability and performance of the system; issues of inactive phase formations (MnxOy, ZnMnxOy), low active material availability, pronounced shape changes at the anode surface, and zincate ion transfer towards cathode were overcome by enhancing the electrochemically active layers in the system. The assembled cell comprising the enhanced fabricated layers; (i.e. a Zinc/Stainless steel mesh composite anode, a hierarchical binder-free bismuth and copper additives based MnO2 cathode, and a chitosan-based polymer electrolyte with calcium hydroxide additive) indicated excellent rate capabilities (486 mAh/g @ 0.1 A/g, 278.9 mAh/g @ 2 A/g & 172.8 mAh/g @ 5 A/g), high capacity utilization (78% of the theoretical 2-electron capacity on MnO2), long cycling stabilities (70% retention over 1000 cycles), and good energy densities (155 – 400 Wh/kg @ 0.1 – 1 A/g). Moreover, a number of destructive tests such as being bent, hammered, pressurized, and punctured were conducted on the pouch cell fabricated using the above-mentioned layers to analyze the cells’ safety, reliability, and robustness. Results indicated not much deterioration in capacities. Additionally, when the cell was bent and tested for long performance; a stable discharge capacity (270 mAh/g @ 1 A/g) was obtained after 250 cycles, thus attesting to excellent cycling stability. The successful working of the fabricated cell was validated by lighting up an LED. The successful findings presented in this study can chart new pathways to the development of safe, flexible, cost-effective, and more environmentally responsible alternative energy storage sources for wearables.