Electrohydrodynamic Printing Grid‐Structured Catalytic Layers with Excellent Bending Resistance for Flexible Al–air Batteries

Abstract

The catalytic film of a flexible Al–air battery is generally a brittle film formed by brushing a slurry onto the surface of carbon cloth. Fatigue bending can easily lead to cracking of the catalytic film and shedding of the active material. This study innovatively proposes a novel grid‐structured catalytic layer prepared by electrohydrodynamic printing. Experiments have verified that, compared with traditional catalytic films, the grid‐structured catalytic layer exhibits excellent bending resistance. After 10 000 fatigue bending cycles, its relative resistance is ≈1/9 that of the traditional catalytic film. The printed grid‐structured catalytic layer is applied to a flexible Al–air battery, which maintains a power density retention rate as high as 92% after the same number of bending cycles. Compared to traditional catalytic films, the electrodynamically printed grid‐structured catalytic layer proposed in this study demonstrates both excellent electrochemical performance and bending resistance. This advancement holds significant importance for the development and application of flexible metal–air batteries.