Suppressing corrosion and hydrogen gas evolution in aluminum–air batteries via conductive nanocomposites

Abstract

Alternative energy sources such as Al-air batteries appear to be promising. However, the formation of a passive layer and the evolution of hydrogen gas during battery operation reduce capacity retention and cyclability. To address these issues, we used conductive nanocomposites (PANI@CNF) based on polyaniline (PANI) and carbon nanofibers to coat the Al electrode. The findings show that the PANI@CNF nanocomposites are able to reduce corrosion in Al electrode and prevent 92% hydrogen gas evolution. A battery with Al/PANI@0.8CNF electrode produces a high capacity density (2730 mAh g−1) and a high energy density (4067 Wh kg−1) at a current density of 10 mA cm−2. This study proposes a new strategy for improving the performance of Al-air batteries based on conductive nanocomposites.