Design of an effective air electrode using highly porous carbon-aerogel
on carbon cloth for oxygen intake towards improved reaction kinetics of
aluminum-air battery
Abstract
One of the greatest alternatives to Li-ion batteries is an Al-air
battery. The aluminium (Al) is more effective as a battery because of
its viability and nontoxicity. The design of cell and electrode stacking
affect the performance of Al-air battery. The present study focuses on
designing an efficient air cathode host to lengthen the battery’s
lifespan using highly porous carbon aerogel. Initially, the carbon
aerogel (CA) material is synthesized using sol-gel polymerization
process and characterized using XRD, SEM, and BET. The synthesized CA is
used to fabricate the electrode stacking using the in-house-built Al-air
cell. The performance of carbon aerogel coated on carbon cloth as air
cathode has been evaluated using a galvanostatic discharge of the
assembly at different current rates, and the specific capacity is
recorded. The highest specific capacity observed is ~
683 mAh g-1 at 2.551 mA cm -2 current density. The
acquired results demonstrate the superiority of the present electrodes
material compared to currently used air electrode. The improved
electrochemical stability and the robust pore network in CA allow oxygen
to pass through the cathode end for chemical reaction. Overall, this
enhances kinetics and makes the interactions between oxygen and aluminum
to generate higher current because of relatively faster chemical
reaction.