Electrochemical discharge performance of the Mg–Al–Pb–Ce–Y alloy as the anode for Mg–air batteries

Abstract

The electrochemical discharge performance of the Mg–Al–Pb–Ce–Y alloy in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution is investigated by using electrochemical techniques and compared with that of pure magnesium, AZ31, and Mg–Al–Pb alloys. The results indicate that Mg–Al–Pb–Ce–Y shows enhanced corrosion resistance at open circuit potential, and exhibits better performance than other samples when used as the anodes for Mg–air batteries. The voltage of the battery with the Mg–Al–Pb–Ce–Y anode is higher than those using Mg–Li anodes. The anodic efficiency of Mg–Al–Pb–Ce–Y at 10 mA cm⁻² reaches 60.5 ± 0.2%, which is obviously higher than those of commercial AZ and AM magnesium alloys. This enhancement in the performance of Mg–Al–Pb–Ce–Y is owing to its modified microstructure, which reduces the self-corrosion and accelerates the spalling of oxidation products during battery discharge. Furthermore, the dissolution mechanism of Mg–Al–Pb–Ce–Y is also analyzed based on the electrochemical response and microstructure characterization.