Effects of Electrolyte Concentration, Temperature, Flow Velocity and Current Density on Zn Deposit Morphology

Abstract

The most critical disadvantages of the Zn-air flow battery system are corrosion of the zinc, which appears as a high self-discharge current density and a short cycle life due to the non-uniform, dendritic, zinc electrodeposition that can lead to internal short-circuit. In our efforts to find a dendrite-free Zn electrodeposition which can be utilized in the Zn-air flow battery, the surface morphology of the electrolytic Zn deposits on a polished polymer carbon composite anode in alkaline, additive-free solutions was studied. Experiments were carried out with 0.1 M, 0.2 M and 0.5 M zincate concentrations in 8 M KOH. The effects of different working conditions such as: elevated temperatures, different current densities and different flow velocities, on current efficiency and dendrite formation were investigated. Specially designed test flow-cell with a central transparent window was employed. The highest Coulombic efficiencies of 80%-93% were found for 0.5 M ZnO in 8 M KOH, at increased temperatures (50-70 °C), current densities of up to 100 mA·cm and linear electrolyte flow velocities higher than 6.7 cm·s.