Electrochemical behaviour and corrosion performance of Mg–Li–Al–Zn anodes with high Al composition

This study investigated the electrochemical and corrosion performance of Mg–Li–Al–Zn anodes with Al compositions of ∼3 wt.% and ∼9 wt.%. Mg–Li–Al–Zn alloy with ∼9 wt.% Al had a relatively negative open-circuit potential and a high discharge voltage in MgCl2 electrolyte, owing to the distribution of numerous AlLi particles in the matrix of the alloy. AlLi particles were believed to transform to Al particles during the corrosion of the Mg–Li–Al–Zn anode. The high-Al anode material exhibited good corrosion performance since a dense and continuous Mg(OH)2/Al composite layer covered the surface of the high-Al anode. Experimentally, increasing the Li+ concentration in the electrolyte improved the corrosion performance of the Mg anode.