Effects of Electrochemical Deposition of Zinc on the Discharge Performance of Seawater Batteries Operating on Aluminum-Air System

• Main Authors: Sitanggang, Ruly Bayu, Nur'Aini, Syarifa, Susanto, S., Nur'Ain, Hanna Eryati, Widyastuti, W., Setyawan, Heru
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: 7075 aluminum alloy; Aluminium air battery; Aluminum alloys; Batteries; Discharges (electric); Electrochemical deposition; Electrolytes; Measurement; seawater electrolyte; Seminars
• ISSN: 2769-5492
• DOI: 10.1109/ISITIA63062.2024.10667692

A significant limitation of seawater batteries that utilize the aluminum-air system is their vulnerability to self-corrosion of the anode during the oxygen reduction reaction, which adversely affects the discharge performance of the battery. This research explored the electrodeposition of zinc on the 7075 aluminum alloy and its effectiveness as an anode in seawater batteries operating on the aluminum-air system. The aluminum alloy 7075 was prepared as an anode through the electrodeposition of zinc from an electrolyte solution containing citrate, with and without the addition of EDTA. Subsequently, the performance of the anode was evaluated in a seawater battery configured with a carbon@MnO 2 cathode and a 3.5% NaCl electrolyte. The electrochemical deposition method successfully applied a zinc coating to the 7075 aluminum alloy. This zinc coating significantly improved the performance of seawater batteries based on the air-air aluminum system. In particular, the discharge capacity and discharge energy of the coated anodes reached remarkable levels of 299.375 mAh and 177.085 mWh, respectively, tripling the performance metrics of the uncoated Al 7075 samples. However, the inclusion of EDTA in the citrate-based electrolyte slowed the zinc coating process on Al 7075, necessitating a longer deposition time to achieve optimal coating thickness compared to processes without EDTA.