Corrosion and Discharge Behavior of Mg-Y-Al-Zn Alloys as Anode Materials for Primary Mg-Air Batteries

In this study, the Mg-8Y-0.8Al-xZn (x = 0.25, 0.45, 0.65 in wt.%) anode was selected as the research subject, and the relationship between its microstructural evolution and electrochemical performance was thoroughly investigated. The results indicate that an increasing zinc content leads to a distinct gradient change in the alloy phase composition. At a low zinc content (x = 0.25), the Al2Y phase is uniformly distributed within the matrix. However, when the Zn content reaches 0.45 wt.% or higher, the Mg-Y phase and Mg-Y-Zn phase become the predominant phases. When applying 20 mA·cm−2 current density, the investigated Mg-8Y-0.8Al-0.25Zn anode achieves a high specific capacity of 1030 mAh·g−1 and an anode efficiency of 51%, providing a valuable experimental foundation for the advancement of new energy storage materials and offering significant theoretical guidance for advancing metal–air battery technology.