Systems and methods which provide a polyacrylamide (PAM) based flexible and rechargeable zinc-ion battery (ZIB) configuration are described. Embodiments of a ZIB configuration comprise a PAM based polymer electrolyte. For example, a ZIB configuration of embodiments may comprise a manganese-dioxide (MnO2) cathode, a zinc (Zn) anode, and a PAM based polymer electrolyte. The PAM based polymer electrolyte may comprise a PAM based polymer hosting one or more solutions to form a hydrogel electrolyte (e.g., crosslinked polyacrylamide hydrogel electrolyte). For example, the PAM based polymer electrolyte may be configured as a polyelectrolyte matrix host for the one or more solutions, such as may comprise a neutral solution of zinc sulfate and manganese sulfate, to achieve a stable electro chemical performance under the repetitive deformation conditions.