A Conductive Additive for Zn Electrodes in Secondary Ni/Zn Batteries: The Magneli Phase Titanium Sub-Oxides Conductive Ceramic TinO2n-1

The Magneli phase titanium sub-oxides conductive ceramic particles were added to Zn electrodes for use in Ni/Zn batteries. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the basis of the conductive ceramic was Ti4O7 and transmission electron microscopy showed that the particles were uniform in shape and size. The electrochemical performance of a Zn electrode with the conductive ceramic as the conductive additive was investigated by charge/discharge cycling test, cyclic voltammetry, and Tafel plot. Compared with a Zn electrode with acetylene black and without conductive additive, the electrode with conductive ceramic showed better cycling stability, higher discharge capacity, and corrosion resistance. (c) 2012 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.