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Electrochemical Behavior of Mg-Al-Zn-Ga Alloy as Anode Materials in 3.5 wt.% NaCl Solution

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Abstract

The microstructure and electrochemical behaviors of Mg-Al-Zn and Mg-Al-Zn-Ga alloys as anode materials were investigated by morphology observation, composition analysis, phase identification, and electrochemical tests. The experimental results suggest that Ga alloying can refine the grains of the Mg-Al-Zn alloy by promoting second-phase segregation, which comprises Mg17Al12 and GaMg2. The comparison of discharge tests indicates that adding Ga to the Mg-Al-Zn alloy can negatively shift the discharge potential, provide a high current density, promote the formation of tiny and thin products, and improve the utilization efficiency. Meanwhile, the addition of Ga can increase the corrosion resistance of Mg-Al-Zn alloy because the Ga alloying promotes the segregation of the intermetallic phases in the Mg matrix. The intermetallic phases disperse in isolate states in the Mg matrix, resulting in their falling off from the substrate once their adjacent Mg is exhausted and subsequently ceasing the micro-galvanic corrosion. The Mg-Al-Zn-Ga alloy with higher corrosion resistance performs better discharge activity than that of Mg-Al-Zn alloy in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, implying that the Mg-Al-Zn-Ga alloy is a promising anode material for seawater-activated battery.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to acknowledge the financial support of the Natural Science Foundation of ShanDong Province of China (Grant No. ZR2018BD025); National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41576114); Qingdao Innovative Leading Talent Foundation (Grant No. 15-10-3-15-(39)-zch); and Qingdao Science and Technology Achievement Transformation Guidance Plan (Applied Basic Research, Grant No. 14-2-4-4-jch). And this work was also financially supported by State Key Laboratory for Marine Corrosion and Protection, Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute, China (Project No. 614290101011703).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Corrosion and Bio-fouling, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 7 Nanhai Road, Qingdao, 266071, China

    Jiarun Li, Xiumin Ma, Zhuoyuan Chen & Baorong Hou

  2. State Key Laboratory for Marine Corrosion and Protection, Luoyang Ship Material Research Institute (LSMRI), Wenhai Road, Qingdao, 266237, China

    Jiarun Li, Zhuoyuan Chen & Likun Xu

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  1. Jiarun Li
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Correspondence to Zhuoyuan Chen.

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Li, J., Ma, X., Chen, Z. et al. Electrochemical Behavior of Mg-Al-Zn-Ga Alloy as Anode Materials in 3.5 wt.% NaCl Solution. J. of Materi Eng and Perform 27, 5460–5469 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-018-3635-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-018-3635-9

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