Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering

Degree Level

Undergraduate

Department

Chemical Engineering

Advisor/Mentor

Lutz-Rechtin, Tammy

Committee Member

Walters, Keisha

Abstract

The first portion of this thesis focuses on the design and component optimization of aluminum-air batteries to power a car for the Chem-E-Car competition. A range of separators, cathodes, and current collectors was evaluated to determine the optimal configuration for maximizing output. The resulting system consisted of 1000 series aluminum as the anode, cellulose separators saturated in 1 M potassium hydroxide as the electrolyte, and composite PVDF and graphite as the cathode. The improved batteries achieved a power density of 2.14 x 10-4 W/cm2 and were utilized for the Chem-E-Car competition. The second portion of the thesis investigates cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and 8-hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ) as corrosion inhibitors for an Al-air battery system. Electrochemical and hydrogen evolution reaction testing demonstrated that incorporating both additives influenced corrosion behavior and charge-transfer kinetics compared with 1 M KOH alone. The optimal CTAB concentration was 0.15 mM, with an inhibition of 44.41%. Batteries containing 2 mM of CTAB also showed promising results from electrochemical testing but were not consistent in practical amperage output over time. Surface analysis displayed the reduction of surface degradation with additives while conductivity and surface tension plotting provided insight into the non-ideal aggregation behavior of the CTAB in the system. Overall, these results suggest that CTAB and 8-HQ show promise in mitigating corrosion in alkaline aluminum-air battery systems at lower concentrations, though further optimization is needed for consistent practical performance.

Keywords

Aluminum- air batteries; additives; Chem-E-car

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