The effect of the Zn content on the electrochemical performance of Al-Zn-Sn-Ga alloys

This study investigates the discharge properties of aluminum anodic alloys. Comparison is made of the microstructure of pure aluminum, Al-1Zn-Sn-Ga, and Al-5Zn-Sn-Ga alloys as well as their electrochemical and discharge test performance. The results indicate that increasing the Zn content reduces the formation of Zn-rich and Sn-rich phases in the Al-Zn-Sn-Ga alloy matrix, thereby inhibiting the self-corrosion response of the alloy to the hydrogen evolution reaction. In addition, it is found that increasing the Zn content increases the precipitation of spherical Sn-containing nanoparticles approximately 5 nm in size in the Al-Zn-Sn-Ga alloy, enabling an effective improvement in the electrochemical performance. In addition, when the current density is increased to 150 mA/cm², there is a significant drop in the discharge potential of pure aluminum to −0.66 V, while the discharge potentials of Al-1Zn-Sn-Ga and Al-5Zn-Sn-Ga are maintained at values of −1.25 V and −1.38 V, respectively, significantly better than that of pure aluminum. The results confirm that increasing the Zn content can improve the electrochemical performance of an Al-Zn-Sn-Ga alloy system.