Electrochemical behavior of Al-In-Zn-Sn alloys with different amounts of Sn in alkaline solution

Abstract

Electric vehicles have gained considerable attention in recent years. However, the use of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) as their energy source leads to several issues such as high cost, low capacity and energy density, and safety concerns. As an alternative to LIBs, metal-air, and specifically aluminum-air batteries have been studied due to the disadvantages associated with the former. Similar to any other system, aluminum-air battery has deficiencies. Researchers aim to improve anode characteristics in this field. In recent years, aluminum alloys (with two or more components) have been commonly used to improve the electrochemical properties of aluminum-air batteries. In this study, we evaluated the electrochemical behavior of four aluminum alloys. In this regard, Al-In-Zn and Al-In-Zn-Sn with different percentages of Sn (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4wt.%) were used. According to the merits of alkaline electrolytes, a 4-molar potassium hydroxide solution was selected as the test solution. It was found that quaternary Al-In-Zn-Sn alloy with 0.4wt.% of Sn had the best overall performance, especially at high current densities.