Electrochemical behaviors and discharge performance of Mg-Sn binary alloys as anodes for Mg-air batteries

In this work, the self-corrosion and discharge performance of the as-cast Mg-xSn (x=1, 5, 9 wt.%) anodes for primary Mg-air batteries were studied through microstructure characterization, electrochemical testing and discharge experiments. With the increase of Sn content, the volume fraction of the Mg2Sn phase increases, promoting dendrite refining. According to the electrochemical test, the Mg-1Sn anode shows a higher open circuit potential, resulting in a stronger electrochemical activity. The polarization curve and electrochemical impedance spectra show the corrosion resistance order as Mg-1Sn>Mg-5Sn>Mg-9Sn. In the discharge measurement, the Mg-1Sn anode achieves the best average discharge voltage, anode efficiency, specific capacity, and energy density under all current densities tested. At 10 mA cm-2, the energy density of Mg-1Sn is 1239.621 mWh g-1, which is higher than the Mg-5Sn anode and Mg-9Sn anode, 37% and 25%, respectively. The optimal discharge performance of the Mg-1Sn anode is mainly attributed to the high electrochemical activity and the micron-sized Mg2Sn phase dispersed in the matrix, which facilitates more uniform dissolution.

The Effect of Sn Addition on Zn-Al-Mg Alloy; Part I: Microstructure and Phase Composition

In this study, the addition of Sn on the microstructure of Zn 1.6 wt.% Al 1.6 wt.% Mg alloy was studied. Currently, the addition of Sn into Zn-Al-Mg based systems has not been investigated in detail. Both as-cast and annealed states were investigated. Phase transformation temperatures and phase composition was investigated via DSC, SEM and XRD techniques. The main phases identified in the studied alloys were η(Zn) and α(Al) solid solutions as well as Mg2Zn11, MgZn2 and Mg2Sn intermetallic phases. Addition of Sn enabled the formation of Mg2Sn phase at the expense of MgxZny phases, while the overall volume content of intermetallic phases is decreasing. Annealing did not change the phase composition in a significant way, but higher Sn content allowed more effective spheroidization and agglomeration of individual phase particles.

Enhanced Mechanical Properties of Mg-6Sn-3Al-1Zn Alloy with Bimodal Grain Size Disturbed in the Microstructure Uniformly through Changing the Rolling Temperature

The mechanical properties of Mg-6Sn-3Al-1Zn alloy were enhanced with bimodal grain size disturbed in the microstructure uniformly; the Mg-6Sn-3Al-1Zn alloys were rolled with 60% thickness reduction at different rolling temperatures. The results have shown that the Mg-6Sn-3Al-1Zn alloys are composed of Mg2Sn phase and α-Mg matrix phase. When the rolling temperature was less than or equal to 400°C, with the rolling temperature increasing, the average size and volume fraction of Mg2Sn phase and the average grain size of small grains remained unchanged, the average grain size of large grains decreased, the volume fraction of small grains increased, and the yield strength of the alloy increased. When the rolling temperature reached 450°C, the average size and volume fraction of Mg2Sn phase and the average grain size of large grains increased, and the volume fraction of small grains and the yield strength of the alloy decreased. The elongation increased with the rolling temperature increasing, but the change trend of hardness was just opposite. When the alloy was rolled at 400°C, the average sizes of small grains, large grains, and Mg2Sn phases were 3.66 μm, 9.24 μm, and 19.5 μm, respectively. The volume fractions of small grains, large grains, and Mg2Sn phases were 18.6%, 77.6%, and 3.8%, respectively. And the tensile properties reached the optimum; for example, the tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, and Vickers hardness were 361 MPa, 289.5 MPa, 20.5%, and 76.3 HV, respectively.

Effect of Sn Content on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of Biodegradable Mg–x (1, 3 and 5 wt.%) Sn–1Zn–0.5Ca Alloys

The microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of hot–rolled Mg–xSn–1Zn–0.5Ca (x = 1, 3 and 5 wt.%) alloys were investigated for possible application as biodegradable implants. The hot–rolled Mg–xSn–1Zn–0.5Ca alloys consisted of α-Mg matrix and Mg2Sn phase. The number of the Mg2Sn particles significantly increased and the grains were gradually refined (14.2 ± 1.5, ~10.7 ± 0.7 and ~6.6 ± 1.1 μm), while the recrystallized fraction significantly decreased with the increase in the Sn content, the Mg–1Sn–1Zn–0.5Ca alloy was almost completely recrystallized. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and tensile yield strength (TYS) increased slightly, reaching maximum values of 247 MPa and 116 MPa, respectively, for the Mg–5Sn–1Zn–0.5Ca alloy, and the elongation decreased with the increase in the Sn content; the Mg–1Sn–1Zn–0.5Ca alloy showed the highest elongation (15.3%). In addition, immersion tests and electrochemical measurements in Hank’s solution revealed that the corrosion rates of Mg–xSn–1Zn–0.5Ca alloys increased with the increase in the Sn content. A model of the corrosion behavior was discussed for hot–rolled Mg–xSn–1Zn–0.5Ca alloys in Hank’s solution. Among the Mg–xSn–1Zn–0.5Ca (x = 1, 3 and 5 wt.%) alloys, Mg–1Sn–1Zn–0.5Ca alloy exhibits optimal corrosion resistance and appropriate mechanical properties.

The Effect of Processing Pass on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Friction Stir Processed As-Cast Mg-6 wt % Sn Alloy

In this study, as-cast Mg-6 wt % Sn alloy is subjected to one-pass and two-pass friction stir processing (FSP). The effect of processing pass on microstructure and mechanical properties of FSP Mg-6Sn alloy is investigated. It is found that one-pass FSP leads to the breakage and partial dissolution of the Mg2Sn phase in the stir zone (SZ) and two-pass FSP leads to the further dissolution and dynamic precipitation of the Mg2Sn phase. Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) takes place in the SZ of an Mg-6Sn alloy undergoing FSP. Compared to one-pass FSP, two-pass FSP brings about further grain refinement in the SZ. A strong {0001} basal texture is developed in the SZ of a Mg-6Sn alloy from FSP and the change of the sample region or processing pass has little influence on the texture. Compared to an as-cast Mg-6Sn sample, one-pass FSP brings about significant improvement in mechanical properties. Two-pass FSP leads to the further increase in yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) but elongation (EL) is reduced. The continuous increase in strength is attributed to the grain refinement and the dissolution and dynamic precipitation of Mg2Sn phase achieved by FSP.

Effect of Zn and Ca Addition on Microstructure and Strength at Room Temperature of As-Cast and As-Extruded Mg-Sn Alloys

In this study, the effect of Zn and Ca addition on microstructure and strength at room temperature of Mg-Sn alloys was investigated by comparison of Mg-6Sn, Mg-6Sn-2Zn, and Mg-6Sn-2Zn-1Ca alloys in as-cast and as-extruded states. In the as-cast samples, α-Mg and Mg2Sn phases were the main phases of Mg-6Sn and Mg-6Sn-2Zn alloys, while the CaMgSn phase was formed in Mg-6Sn-2Zn-1Ca alloy due to the addition of the Ca element. Mg2Sn phase dissolved into the matrix during homogenization while CaMgSn phase remained. Incomplete dynamic recrystallization (DRX) took place in these alloys during hot extrusion. Fine Mg2Sn precipitates were observed in α-Mg matrix of as-extruded samples. Zn showed little influence on microstructure, whereas Ca reduced the volume fraction of un-DRXed grains and increased the size of DRXed grains. As-extruded Mg-Sn alloys exhibited typical fiber texture. The strength at room temperature of Mg-Sn alloys improved significantly after hot extrusion. The addition of Zn element was beneficial to the strength at room temperature of the Mg-6Sn alloy, while the further addition of Ca element was harmful to the strength. Among these alloys, the Mg-6Sn-2Zn alloy exhibited the best strength at room temperature in both as-cast and as-extruded states.

Impression Creep Behaviour of Extruded Mg-Sn Alloy

Mg-Sn alloys contain thermally stable Mg2Sn phase, and are proposed as heat-resistant alloys for automobile engine applications. In this study, the creep behaviour of Mg-5Sn alloy was investigated using impression creep technique. The impression creep tests were carried out under constant punching stress in the range of 80-320 MPa at temperatures 373-573 K, for dwell times up to 5 hours. The results highlight that creep of Mg-5Sn alloy was load and temperature dependent, i.e. increasing the load and temperature resulted in larger creep deformation and hence to higher creep rates. From the creep curves, the stress exponent and the activation energy were estimated and the creep mechanism was identified.

The Effect of Sn on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg-Li-Zn-Sn Alloys

The microstructure and tensile properties of the as-cast and as-extruded Mg-12Li-1Zn-xSn (x=1, 3, 5, 8, wt.%) alloys were investigated. The alloys are mainly composed of β-Li phase, Mg2Sn phase. With the increase of Sn content, the microstructure of as-cast alloys is refined. After extrusion processing, grain size is obviously refined, and the Mg2Sn phase is broken into tiny particles. The elevated-temperature tensile behavior of the alloy was investigated at 373~523k under the strain rate of 1×10-2~1.7×10-4s-1. The results indicate addition of Sn can improve the strength and plasticity, when the content of Sn is 5.0 wt.%, the as-extruded alloy possesses good superplasticity, which obtains the maximum elongation of 134.4% under a low strain rate of 1.0×10-3s-1at 523K.