Corrosion and discharge performance of Mg–9%Al–2.5%Pb alloy as anode for seawater activated battery

To obtain a new kind of Mg–Al–Pb alloy anode material with low content of Pb, the corrosion and discharge behavior of Mg–9%Al–2.5%Pb (hereafter in mass fraction) alloy were investigated by immersion tests and electrochemical techniques, and compared with those of Mg–6%Al–5%Pb alloy. The results indicate that Mg–9%Al–2.5%Pb alloy exhibits a lower self-corrosion rate and higher utilization efficiency in contrast with Mg–6%Al–5%Pb alloy because of the higher content of Al. As the result of the decrease of Pb content, the discharge activity of Mg–9%Al–2.5%Pb alloy is relatively weaker but still meets the requirement of anode. These results reveal that Mg–9%Al–2.5%Pb alloy with a low content of Pb can serve as a good candidate for the anode material used in seawater activated battery.