Extruded Magnesium Sodium Chloride Anodes for Use in Metal-Air Batteries

Abstract:

Batteries are an important part of our everyday lives. They are used in many areas of life, such as watches, flashlights, fire alarms and other appliances, but also in infrastructure for storing energy in households or for emergency power. Metal-air batteries could be used in many of these energy storage scenarios. Magnesium (Mg)-air batteries, in particular, are a promising technology due to the large Mg deposits in the earth's crust and the relatively low extraction costs make them interesting as an alternative for other primary batteries. A weak point of Mg-air batteries is parasitic corrosion, in which hydrogen is released and additionally forms a passivation layer of Mg hydroxide which reduces the active surface. The parasitic corrosion depends on the type and concentration of the electrolyte. When using sodium chloride (NaCl) as an electrolyte, the concentration is decisive for the performance of the battery. During operation of the battery, the electrolyte is saturated with Mg hydroxide due to the discharge process and parasitic corrosion. The magnesium hydroxide (Mg (OH)₂) precipitates together with the NaCl and thus changes the concentration of the electrolyte, which leads to an uneven conduction of the ions. Thus, a new way of influencing the stabilisation of the electrolyte for Mg-air batteries was tested. For this purpose, anodes consisting of NaCl particles and Mg powder were produced by indirect extrusion. In order to investigate the functionality and application possibilities of this technology, the anodes were tested for their microstructure and performance compared to pure Mg and the conductivity of the electrolyte during the discharge of the battery. The influence of the salt particle size and the salt particle content was also investigated using different anodes and different electrolytes.

• Periodical: Key Engineering Materials (Volume 1039)
• Pages: 39-45
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-LnoeH0
• Online since: January 2026
• Authors: Klara Otto*, Janne Heydrich-Bodensieck, Paul H. Kamm, Sören Müller
• Keywords: Extrusion, Magnesium Anodes, Magnesium-Air Battery, Metal-Air Battery, NaCl Electrolyte

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