The research of the influence of the anode production technology for air-aluminium chemical current sources made of aluminium-indium alloys on their power and corrosive characteristics

Аuthors

Zhuk A. Z.^1*, Ilyukhin A. S.^1**, Okorokova N. S.^2***, Sevruk S. D.^2****, Farmakovskaya A. A.^2*****

1. Joint Institute for High Temperatures of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 13, Izhorskaya str., Moscow, 125412, Russia
2. Moscow Aviation Institute (National Research University), 4, Volokolamskoe shosse, Moscow, А-80, GSP-3, 125993, Russia

*e-mail: 666zhuk@ihed.ras.ru
**e-mail: aleil@yandex.ru
***e-mail: ok.nadezhda@mail.ru
****e-mail: sds46@yandex.ru
*****e-mail: a.a.farmakovskaya@gmail.com

Abstract

The aim of the paper is the investigation of the effect of composition and production technology of anodes of air-aluminium electrochemical cells made of Al-In alloy on their energy, polarization and corrosion characteristics. We have examined the alloys produced by UIHT RAS and LLC «Scientific technical center «Metalcomposit» based on various technical processes restricted by specifications. The analysis of the alloys microstructures was made using the metallographic inverted microscope Axiovert 40 MAT. For various alloy samples the potential against standard silver-chloride reference electrode, discharge and corrosion current density were determined. The dependence of polarization and corrosion characteristics on the temperature and alkali concentration for the basic Al-In alloy containing 0,6 mass. % were also investigated.
It was shown that the original aluminium type has no effect on the alloys energy characteristics and that the amount of indium introduced into the alloy have an effect on the corrosion characteristics only when the concentration is over 0,6 mass.%. Statistically the difference between the alloys with various production technologies is of no importance.
The study of the effect of temperature and alkali concentration on the polarization characteristics (PC) of aluminium anodes made of the alloy of A95+ aluminium and 0,6 mass.% In in 4M and 8M solution of NaOH at a temperature of 298 K and 333 K has shown that the anode in the electrolyte with a higher concentration has more negative initial potential, but in current-carrying conditions becomes strongly polarized, moreover the PC inclination angle in 8M solution is bigger and at 298K the notable passivation of Al-In anode takes place at a current density of ~500А/м2.
The research of the anode corrosion behaviour in 4M and 8M alkali solutions allows to conclude that despite a lower corrosion rate in a more concentrated electrolyte the use of the 8M alkali as electrolyte of the electrochemical cell is possible only with the addition of the inhibitors, because a negative difference effect takes place in the 8M solution.

Keywords:

aluminium, anode, corrosion, polarization, characteristic, electrochemical cell, alkali, electrolyte, electric power plant

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