Effect of Aluminum Oxide on the Performance of Ionic Liquid-Based Aluminum–Air Battery

Christopher Welch, Abdul Kaleem Mohammad, Narayan S. Hosmane, Lu Zhang and Kyu Taek Cho
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Christopher Welch: Electrochemical Thermal Energy Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA
Abdul Kaleem Mohammad: Electrochemical Thermal Energy Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA
Narayan S. Hosmane: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA
Lu Zhang: Chemical Sciences and Engineering Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL 60439, USA
Kyu Taek Cho: Electrochemical Thermal Energy Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northern Illinois University, Dekalb, IL 60115, USA

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 8, 1-27

Abstract: The aluminum–air (or oxygen) battery has received intense attention in the past because of its excellent benefits such as low cost and high energy density, but due to the challenging issues such as hydrogen evolution and inactive oxide film formation on the Al surface, it could not be fully applied. In this study, 1-Ethyl 3-Methyl Imidazolium Chloride ([EmIm]Cl) and aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ) are applied to resolve the aforementioned issues. Ex situ component-level and in situ cell-level open circuit voltage (OCV) tests combined with the physics-based model analyses were conducted to investigate the electrochemical reaction behaviors of the Al–air cell. Especially, the effect of aluminum oxide formation on the anode- and cathode-side reactions were analyzed in detail. The oxide film formed at the Al surface strongly was found to significantly impede the electrochemical reaction at the surface, and the film growth was controlled by decreasing the surface tension by aggressive anions. In the cathode side, the aluminum oxide precipitated in the porous cathode electrode was found to decrease the porous reaction area and block reactant access into the reaction sites. The effects of O 2 solubility in the electrolyte, initial porosity and thickness of the porous electrode are compared in detailed, and optimal thickness is suggested.

Keywords: aluminum air battery; aluminum electrode; ionic liquid; oxide film; surface tension; oxide precipitation; porous electrode; volume average (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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