Electrochemical Properties of Zinc-LaCoO3 Electrode for Alkaline Zinc-Based Battery

The electrochemical behaviors of zinc anode in the presence of the additives added to the electrodes are presented. LaCoO3 was used as an additive to improve the electrochemical properties of the zinc anode. LaCoO3 synthesized by sol gel method (Schiff base complex) was added to Zn and ZnO powder with the weight ratios of 1:0.05 and 1:0.002 respectively. The electrochemical properties of the zinc and zinc/LaCoO3 electrodes in 6M KOH solution were investigated by voltammetric technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The cyclic voltammograms showed that zinc electrodes with LaCoO3 additive gave higher anodic currents and ZnO passivation delayed. The cathodic Tafel plot indicated that the hydrogen overpotential shifted toward more negative value. The EIS revealed that the charge transfer resistances of the zinc/LaCoO3 electrodes were higher than that of zinc electrodes.