Effects of heat treatment on the electrochemical performance of al based anode materials for air-battery

Abstract

Aluminum based alloy can serve as anode materials for air battery that has great potential for use in electrical vehicles and other green energy applications. In this paper, effects of heat-treating Al-0.2 Mg-0.2 Ga-0.4In-0.15Sn anode materials on their electrochemical performance and corrosion behavior have been investigated. The results show that the discharge voltage of the as-cast alloy anode at 20 mAcm−2 is higher than that of the pure Al (about 300 mV on average) in 4 M KOH solution. In general, electrochemical performance is improved with increased temperature and processing time in heat treatment. The high energy density (about 3180 Whkg−1) and discharge voltage (about 1.62 V) can be obtained with heat treatment at 550 °C for 12. SEM observation reveals that the micro cracks due to the corrosion around the grain boundaries of the Al alloy anodes appear after the discharge performance in 4 M KOH solution, which may reduce the charge transfer resistance crossing the reaction layer on the anode surface.