Tracing the impact of CO2 on the electrochemical and charge-discharge behavior for Al-Mg alloy in KOH and LiOH electrolytes for battery applications.

For the first time, it has been found that the electrochemical performance of the Al-Mg alloy as an anode in alkaline batteries has been markedly enhanced in the presence of CO2 and LiOH as an electrolyte. This work compares the electrochemical performance of an Al-Mg alloy used as an anode in Al-air batteries in KOH and LiOH solutions, both with and without CO2. Potentiodynamic polarization (Tafel), charging-discharging (galvanostatic) experiments, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are used. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) outfitted with an energetic-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDX) were utilized for the investigation of the products on the corroded surface of the electrode. Findings revealed that the examined electrode's density of corrosion current (icorr.) density in pure LiOH is significantly lower than in pure KOH (1 M). Nevertheless, in the two CO2-containing solutions investigated, icorr. significantly decreased. The corrosion rate of the examined alloy in the two studied basic solutions with and without CO2 drops in the following order: KOH > LiOH > KOH + CO2 > LiOH + CO2. The obtained results from galvanostatic charge-discharge measurements showed excellent performance of the battery in both LiOH and KOH containing CO2. The electrochemical findings and the XRD, SEM, and EDX results illustrations are in good accordance.