Zinc−oxygen batteries are seen as promising energy storage devices for future mobile and stationary applications. Introducing them as secondary battery is hindered by issues at both the anode and cathode. Research efforts were intensified during the past two decades, mainly focusing on catalyst materials for the cathode. Thereby, zinc foil was almost exclusively used as the anode in electrochemical testing in the lab-scale as it is easy to apply and shall yield reproducible results. However, it is well known that zinc metal reacts with water within the electrolyte to form hydrogen. It is not yet clear how the evolution of hydrogen is affecting the performance results obtained thereof. Herein, we extend the studies and the understanding about the evolution of hydrogen at zinc by analyzing the zinc−oxygen battery during operation. By means of electrochemical measurements, operando gas analysis, and anode surface analysis, we elucidate that the rate of the evolution of hydrogen scales with the current density applied, and that the roughness of the anode surface, that is, the pristine state of the zinc foil surface, affects the rate as well. In the end, we propose a link between the evolution of hydrogen and the unwanted impact on the actual electrochemical performance that might go unnoticed during testing. Thereof, we elucidate the consequences that arise for the working principle and the testing of materials for this battery type.

Low-cost cell chemistries like metal-oxygen batteries are an essential component of future energy storage systems. Due to its very high theoretical energy density the system lithium-oxygen (Li-O2) is an interesting candidate.Gas analytical studies of Li-O2 cells with ether-based electrolytes are presented. The electrolytes used consist of 1M LiTFSI in DEGDME respectively TEGDME. The focus is on investigations of non-linear ageing processes such as electrolyte decomposition during cycling. All measurements were carried out using specially developed multifunctional test setups and accordingly modified test cells. Li-O2 measurements at different O2-flow rates were examined by GC-MS and in-operando MS.Next-generation battery systems typically suffer from severe gassing, which causes a loss of electrolyte and finally the cell to dry out. Consequently, the cycling stability is strongly limited. Gas analysis is a suitable method to identify decomposition and ageing reactions, to benchmark and to define operating parameters. With the GC-MS, a post-mortem analysis could be performed to identify the individual substances qualitatively. In addition, in-operando MS could be used to detect gaseous substances produced by (electro)chemical processes as a function of the state of charge.As major results, the cyclic formation of several degradation products can be demonstrated. CO2, hydrogen as well as methanol, methyl formate, methylal and 1,3-dioxolane were identified as characteristic decomposition products of DEGDME. Furthermore, the presence of many other oxygenated organic compounds can be detected, making it possible to trace the stepwise degradation of DEGDME as a function of the state of charge.These analytical studies make an important contribution to the understanding of the reaction mechanism and ageing reactions in Li-O2 cells with ether-based electrolyte. As a consequence, the shown results help to develop appropriate countermeasures in order to reduce the negative effects mentioned above and thus to ensure a higher cycling stability.This work is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in the project “Osaban” (03XP0227B) which is part of the German-Japanese battery cooperation program. The project partners are University of Kyoto (Japan) and Justus-Liebig-University Gießen (Germany). Figure 1