Suppression of byproduct accumulation in rechargeable aluminum–air batteries using non-oxide ceramic materials as air cathode materials

Abstract

To develop a high-capacity rechargeable aluminum–air battery with resistance toward the degradation induced by long-term charge–discharge electrochemical reactions, non-oxide ceramic materials, e.g., TiN, TiC, and TiB₂, were used as air cathode materials with the ionic liquid 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride as the electrolyte. These non-oxide materials served as air cathode materials, and the addition of conductive carbon to these air cathode materials enhanced electrochemical reactions. The accumulation of byproducts, e.g., Al(OH)₃ and Al₂O₃, has been a major obstacle in obtaining a stable rechargeable aluminum–air battery for practical applications, and the use of TiC and TiN as air cathodes led to the suppression of these accumulated byproducts. When TiC was used as an air cathode material, the battery exhibited long term stability. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the suppression of the accumulation of such byproducts on both the anode and the air cathode.