Discharge performance of Mg-Al-Pb-La anode for Mg-air battery

The discharge performance of Mg-Al-Pb-La anode was investigated by electrochemical techniques and compared with that of Mg-Al-Pb alloy. The results indicate that the Mg-Al-Pb-La anode provides enhanced corrosion resistance at open circle potential, and exhibits better discharge activity than the Mg-Al-Pb alloy. The utilization efficiency of Mg-Al-Pb-La anode is higher than that of commercial Mg-Al-Zn (AZ) and Mg-Al-Mn (AM) alloys. A single Mg-air battery with Mg-Al-Pb-La alloy as the anode and air as the cathode has an average discharge potential of 1.295 V and a discharge capacity of 1370 mA.h/g during discharge at 10 mA/cm(2), which is higher than that of batteries using Mg-Li anodes. The enhancement in discharge performance of the Mg-Al-Pb-La anode is caused by 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-La anode during the discharge process was analyzed.