Effect of Agar as Electrolyte Additive on the Aluminum-Air Batteries

Abstract

The performance of aluminum-air battery is improved by adding agar molecules to the electrolyte (4 M NaOH). A significant suppression of the parasitic self-corrosion reaction and the improvement of fuel efficiency were obtained. The fuel efficiency is elevated up to 35.95% and the corrosion inhibition efficiency increases up to 62.8%. The physisorption of the agar molecules on the aluminum surface improved the performance of aluminum-air battery. The adsorption of agar molecules on the aluminum surface was observed from the surface analysis with SEM, Freundlich adsorption isotherm and the adsorption energies from the computational simulations. Furthermore, the optimized structure model of agar molecules on the aluminum surface was proposed. To figure out the inhibition performance of agar molecules as an electrolyte additive for aluminum-air batteries, the experimental methods such as hydrogen evolution test, electrochemical tests, surface analysis and density functional theory (DFT) with computational simulations are used in this study.

Prospects and Challenges of MXenes as Emerging Sensing Materials for Flexible and Wearable Breath‐Based Biomarker Diagnosis

“…[ 33 ] Recent theoretical and experimental investigations have shown the excellent ability of MXenes to sense and detect several gases (VOCs, polar, and or non‐polar gases) found in breath biomarkers with highly precise monitoring of the concentrations in the range of 1–5000 ppb (parts per billion). [ 64,66 ] Also, the superior electrical conductivity of MXenes, diverse stacking structures, and controllable surface terminations could provide an alternative avenue to modify the material structure, properties, and sensing performance. [ 66 ] Despite the tremendous assets owned by MXenes and recent exploration on their gas sensing properties, only a few works have addressed the prospect's application of MXenes for breath biomarkers analysis with comprehensive and systematic studies.…”

“…[ 64,66 ] Also, the superior electrical conductivity of MXenes, diverse stacking structures, and controllable surface terminations could provide an alternative avenue to modify the material structure, properties, and sensing performance. [ 66 ] Despite the tremendous assets owned by MXenes and recent exploration on their gas sensing properties, only a few works have addressed the prospect's application of MXenes for breath biomarkers analysis with comprehensive and systematic studies. [ 67,68 ] Therefore, as a proof‐of‐concept, this review focuses on the recent investigation of the sensing performance of MXenes to recognize gas phases related to biomarkers accompanied by computational modelings and calculations, as well as highlights their integration approach to flexible electronics.…”

A high-performance Al-air fuel cell using a mesh-encapsulated anode via Al–Zn energy transfer

“…Finally, the beakers were placed in a water tank at 20°C, and the total mass of the systems was measured every 5 minutes for a total of 60 minutes. According to the above test, the mass of hydrogen evolution for the Al alloy sheet per unit time could be obtained through Equation 5 , and then the hydrogen evolution rate and inhibition efficiency could be calculated as Equations 6 and 7 ( Lee et al., 2020 ): Where Δm H is the mass of hydrogen evolution per unit time (mg); m a is the total mass of the system (mg); v is the hydrogen evolution rate (mg/cm 2 s); S is the surface area of the Al alloy plate immersed in the electrolyte (cm 2 ); Δt H is the measurement time interval (5 min); η H is the inhibition efficiency per unit time (%); and v 0 is the hydrogen evolution rate in KOH solution containing 0% ZnO.…”

“…Finally, the beakers were placed in a water tank at 20 C, and the total mass of the systems was measured every 5 minutes for a total of 60 minutes. According to the above test, the mass of hydrogen evolution for the Al alloy sheet per unit time could be obtained through Equation 5, and then the hydrogen evolution rate and inhibition efficiency could be calculated as Equations 6 and 7 (Lee et al, 2020):…”

Agar Acts as Cathode Microskin to Extend the Cycling Life of Zn//α-MnO2 Batteries

“…It can be used as a thickener, a coagulant, a suspending agent, an emulsifier, a preservative, and a stabilizer. In addition, agar is also used in the field of electrochemistry as an electrolyte additive to alleviate metal corrosion, with excellent results [21][22][23][24][25]. Due to the above properties and advantages, agar may be promising for use as a cathode microskin for the Zn/MnO 2 battery.…”