Excellent performance of aluminium anode based on dithiothreitol additives for alkaline aluminium/air batteries

For alkaline aluminium/air battery, two original polyol compounds of butantetraol and dithiothreitol are proposed to act as electrolyte additives. It shows that they can retard the self-corrosion of aluminium anode, and enhance its performance effectively. Dithiothreitol has a stronger ability to increase the discharge capacity than butantetraol. The improvement is mainly attributed to the suppression of the side reaction of hydrogen evolution. The formation of the six-membered ring complexes formed by dithiothreitol and aluminium ions is certified by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The surface morphology and composition of the aluminium anode are characterised by the scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. It shows that dithiothreitol can form a uniform and stable protective layer through dynamic covalent bonds on aluminium anode surface.