Effect of second phases on discharge properties and corrosion behaviors of the Mg-Ca-Zn anodes for primary Mg-air batteries

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds 2021-04, Vol.861, p.158493, Article 158493
• Main Authors: Gong, Changwei, He, Xinze, Fang, Daqing, Liu, Baosheng, Yan, Xue
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alloys; Anode effect; Calcium; Corrosion; Corrosion effects; Corrosion resistance; Current density; Discharge; Discharge properties; Magnesium base alloys; Metal air batteries; Mg-air battery; Mg-Ca-Zn alloys; Phases; Properties (attributes); Second phases; Zinc
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2020.158493

The effect of second phases on discharge properties and corrosion behaviors of the as-cast Mg-Ca-Zn anodes for primary Mg-air batteries is investigated in this work. The results indicate that the second phases varied from Mg2Ca to Ca2Mg6Zn3 with Zn content increased. The Mg-2Zn-1Ca alloy has the best discharge properties among all prepared Mg-Ca-Zn alloys. The Mg-2Zn-1Ca alloy can discharge steadily for over 10 h at both 2 mA cm−2 and 10 mA cm−2 current densities, and its anode efficiency can be as high as 60.4% at high current densities. The enhancement of discharge properties is due to improving corrosion resistance and reducing the chunk effect. •The effect of second phases on discharge properties and corrosion behaviors of Mg-Zn-Ca anodes was investigated.•The addition of 2 wt% Zn can significantly improve the corrosion resistance and hinder the chunk effect.•The discharge process and the formation of chunk effect in the Mg-Zn-Ca anodes was investigated.