Chemical kinetics analysis of a zinc-air fuel cell

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran

2 Department of Chemistry, School of Basic Sciences, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran

Abstract

Zinc-air batteries and zinc-air fuel cells (ZAFC) are types of metal-air batteries that use zinc and oxygen from the air to generate power. They have high energy densities and are cost-effective to manufacture. During discharge, zinc particles form a porous anode saturated with electrolyte, while oxygen reacts at the cathode to form hydroxyl ions that migrate into the zinc paste and release electrons to travel to the cathode. In this study, a ZAFC was designed and produced with polyvinyl chloride (PVC) thermoplastic without any separator. The performance of the prepared air cathode in various temperatures and concentrations of the KOH electrolyte was evaluated. The results showed high current density and low Tafel slope at a high and low current density at a temperature of $318 \K$ and a concentration of 4M. The prepared ZAFC has an open-circuit potential (OCP) of 1.346 V. The current density of 166.5 mA cm^2 was obtained at the onset potential of 0.73 V. The power density and discharge capacity of the cell were 205.5 mW, and 283 mAh, respectively. These results show a high-performance single cell.

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References

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Hydrogen, Fuel Cell & Energy Storage
Volume 11, Issue 1
March 2024
Pages 39-45

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