Low-cost aluminum anodes for primary aluminum-air batteries prepared by friction stir processing

An economical Al-Mg-Si alloy, whose cost is only one-fifteenth of high-purity Al, was modified by friction stir processing towards low-cost high-performance aluminum anodes for primary aluminum-air batteries. The hydrogen evolution reaction was alleviated by the fragmentation of large precipitates and the dispersion of impurities, which was decreased to 0.257 mL/(cm²·min), and the power and energy densities increased by 36.4 % and 24.2 %, respectively. It indicated that this method provides novel opportunities to explore economical materials for primary Al-air batteries.