Enhancement of discharge properties of an extruded Mg-Al-Pb anode for seawater-activated battery by lanthanum addition

Mg-Al-Pb alloys are a typical anode material for seawater-activated batteries. The microstructure and electrochemical corrosion behavior of a Mg-Al-Pb alloy fabricated by extrusion, with and without lanthanum, were investigated in this study. The results indicated that the addition of lanthanum led to the formation of β-Al11La3 and promoted recrystallization. The extruded Mg-Al-Pb-La exhibited less dislocations and twin defects than the extruded Mg-Al-Pb, contributing to its improved corrosion resistance. A single battery with a Mg-Al-Pb-La anode and CuCl cathode exhibited a higher cell voltage than that using a Mg-Al-Pb anode. The power density of the former was 260.8 mW cm−2 discharged at 300 mA cm−2, which were higher values than those of Mg-H2O2 semi-fuel batteries.