A new silicon oxycarbide based gas diffusion layer for zinc-air batteries.

Rational material designs play a vital role in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) by increasing the oxygen diffusion rate and, consequently, facilitating a longer cycle life for metal-air batteries. In this work, a new porous conductive ceramic membrane has been developed as a cathodic GDL for zinc-air battery (ZAB). The bilayered structure with a thickness of 390 μm and an open porosity of 55% is derived from a preceramic precursor with the help of the freeze tape casting technique.