Scientists develop anode-free zinc battery for storing renewable energy Zinc. (Reference image by Hi-Res Images of Chemical Elements, Wikimedia Commons). Researchers at Stanford University and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed a prototype of an anode-free, zinc-based battery that uses low-cost, naturally abundant materials. In a study published in the journal Nano Letters, scientists Yunpei Zhu, Yi Cui, and Husam Alshareef say they drew inspiration from previous explorations of “anode-free” lithium and sodium-metal batteries and decided to make a battery in which a zinc-rich cathode is the sole source for zinc plating onto a copper current collector.