Abstract

Neutral aqueous electrolyte-based aluminum–air (Al–air) batteries have managed to gather significant attention because of their characteristic safety and cost effectiveness. However, the formation of the passivation layer [Al(OH)3] on the aluminum anode inhibits the long-term shelf life of the battery. Herein, a novel strategy to overturn the passivation by altering the aluminum/electrolyte interface is proposed. Incorporation of synergistic reductive electrolysis mixture additives (Tiron + NaNO3) can significantly reduce the passivation of the aluminum anode. The efficacy of the Tiron + NaNO3 synergistic mixture additive has been systematically examined using half-cell and full-cell with different concentrations of the additives in 0.5% NaCl. Furthermore, dual cell performance was investigated with optimum concentration (0.005 M Tiron + 0.005 M NaNO3) of the additive in 0.5% NaCl as the anolyte and different concentrations of H2SO4 as the catholyte. It is found that the resulting pumpless dual cell battery comprising neutral electrolyte with 0.005 M Tiron + 0.005 M NaNO3 mixture additive as the anolyte and 1 M H2SO4 as the catholyte demonstrated a remarkable cell potential of 1.14 V at a current density of 1 mA g–1, which is closer to the theoretical value. Morphological investigations using optical microscopy studies and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic investigations also confirmed that the Tiron + NaNO3 additive is effective in preventing the discharge product on both anode and cathode surfaces and thus resulting in enhanced battery performance.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call