Under the supervision from Dr. Denis Yu, a cross-disciplinary team comprising undergraduates from Department of Economics and Finance, and Department of Mechanical Engineering, recently won the HK Tech 300 seed fund for the project regarding development of low-cost rechargeable Zn-MnO₂ batteries.

HK Tech 300 is a large-scale flagship innovation and entrepreneurship programme organised by CityU for aspiring entrepreneurs among CityU students, alumni, research staff and others to launch start-ups and ignite their entrepreneurship journey.

About the Team

Advisor: Dr. Denis Yu (SEE)

• Mr Shu Xue (Department of Economics and Finance)
• Mr Defei Wang (Department of Economics and Finance)
• Ms Yuanwen Luo (Department of Economics and Finance)
• Mr Taorui Wang (Department of Mechanical Engineering)
• Mr Yingxin Zhu (Department of Mechanical Engineering)

About the Project

Zinc (Zn) and Manganese Dioxide (MnO₂) are active materials that are commonly used in primary alkaline batteries. These alkaline batteries are low-cost and widely used in small electronic devices (e.g., remote controls, clocks, toys). However, they are not rechargeable and are usually disposed of after use. Not only will it waste valuable resources, making the technology non-sustainable, it would also pollutes the environment. 

In this project, the team plan to turn these primary alkaline batteries into rechargeable Zn-MnO₂ batteries and use them in electric motorcycles in place of lead-acid batteries that are more expensive and cause more damage to the environment.