Yong-Seok Lee and Kwang-Sun Ryu*
Department of Chemistry, University of Ulsan, Ulsan 680-749, Korea
To solve low cycle efficiency of the zinc anode in Zn-air batteries by corrosion, this
study examined the effects of Al as a cathodic protection additive to Zn. The Al-mixed Zn
anodes were produced by mixing Zn and Al powder (1, 2, and 3 wt. %). To compare the
effects of the Al additive, Si was selected under the same conditions. The morphology and
elemental composition of the additives in the Zn were characterized by scanning electron
microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and inductively coupled plasma ? mass spectrometry.
The anti-corrosion effects of the Al and Si-mixed Zn anodes were examined by linear
polarization. Cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge tests were conducted to evaluate the
electrochemical performance of the Al and Si-mixed Zn anodes. As a result, the Al-mixed Zn
anodes showed highest corrosion resistance and cycling performance. Among these, the 2 wt.%
Al-mixed Zn anodes exhibited best electrochemical performance.
Keyword : Zinc-air battery, Zinc anode, Aluminum, Silicon, Corrosion, Reversibility