Surfactant-type electrolyte additive enabling efficient inhibition of zinc corrosion and passivation in alkaline Zn-MnO2 batteries

Corrosion and passivation of zinc electrode severely affect discharge performance of alkaline Zn-MnO 2 batteries. To address this issue, this work introduces dodecyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium bromide (DDBAB) as an additive in KOH electrolyte to inhibit corrosion and passivation processes of zinc electrode. Results demonstrate that DDBAB reduces contact angle at electrolyte-zinc electrode interface, thereby improving wettability of KOH electrolyte on zinc electrode surface. Scanning electron microscopy images reveal effective inhibition of corrosion on zinc electrode surface. Concurrently, the corrosion inhibition efficiency of zinc electrode reaches 98.38% in KOH electrolyte with 60 ppm of DDBAB additive. Furthermore, the presence of DDBAB positively shifts both the active dissolution potential and passivation potential of zinc electrode, thereby effectively delaying its passivation. Moreover, at a current density of 50 mA g −1 , the specific discharge capacity of battery improves by 26.80%. These results demonstrate that effective inhibition of zinc electrode corrosion and passivation is achieved by protective layer formed by DDBAB on surface. This work provides a feasible method to inhibit corrosion and passivation of zinc electrode in alkaline Zn-MnO 2 battery.