Alkaline battery is a type of battery that having a very high discharge and continuous

discharge rate at low temperature. Alkaline battery is a zinc (anode) -manganese dioxide
(cathode) with the potassium hydroxide as electrolyte. This electrolyte is used to provide a
very low internal resistance for the cell and makes the cell very conductive. The zinc anode is
in powder form to provide a large surface area. In alkaline battery:
At anode: (i) Zn + 2OH-Zn(OH)2 + 2e(ii) Zn(OH)2 + 2OH- [Zn(OH)4]2At cathode: 2MnO2 + H2O + 2e- Mn2O3 + 2OHOVERALL: Zn + 2MnO2ZnO + Mn2O3
For full discharge: Zn + MnO2 + 2H2O Mn(OH)2 + Zn(OH)3
This battery can produce electricity is due to the electrochemical reactions between the
anode, cathode. The anode (zinc) will release two or more electrons while the cathode
(manganese dioxide) will gain or consume the electrons or free ions from electrolyteto form
compound and deposit on the cathode. The net reaction betweenanode produces electron and
consume them will produce electricity. The electricity from the battery will produce
continuously until either one of them or both of them running out of substance.
Moreover, corrosion not only can apply to battery, but also can make a cohesive and
compact protective thin film on the passive metal. Metals that categorized as passive metals
are titanium, nickel, chromium, steel or iron and silicon. All of them can form the protective
film on the metal surface. In the S-shapes of passivation curve, the region where a straight
vertical line is the region of passive protection film of the metal formed. From the graph
(reference No.1), the metal tend to be in active state, where metal as non-passive metal.
Ascurrent density is increase, the rate of dissolution (rate of corrosion) where metal
undergoes corrosion and oxidation reaction is taking place. As the current density continue to
increase until a certain limit, where primary passivation potential, E pp and critical anodic
current for passivation, icis reached, the rate of corrosion will be lower to a very low value. It
does not mean that the metal at this stage is not corroding. However, it does, but in a very
slow rate. After that, once the protective film is formed on the surface of the metal, the metal
is said to be passivated. At passive region, the metal is more resistance to corrosion. For the
passive film of the metal, it can be formed by either natural process or immerse the metal into

the passivating solution. This can be done by first the metal surface must be free from
contamination and it must be a clean surface. It normally can be done by mechanically
abrasion or immerse the metal into nitric acid solution which can help to clean all the light
surface materials. At the first, the metal will corrode the metal surface slowly. Up to a point,
the metal oxide protective film will formed on the metal surface is cause the metal
passivation. The reaction of protective film form on iron surface is:
2Fe+ + 3O2- Fe2O3
Last but not least, electroplating is the utilization of the corrosion with a purpose of
coating a metal by anotherpure metal with a power supply (battery). The good example of
electroplating is the coating of corroded silver spoon by puresilver. The metal that desired to
be coated must be the cathode (deposition happened) and the pure metal should be the anode
(corrosion take place here). The electrolyte that needed must with respect to the pure metal,
anode. For example, if the anode is pure copper (Cu), then the electrolyte required is copper
(II) sulphate, CuSO4. So, now let look that the example of coating a corroded silver spoon by
a pure silver. By utilizing the technique of corrosion, the corroded silver spoon is cathode so
that the pure silver can be deposited on the spoon; pure metal of silver is anode so that it can
corrode and dissolve in the electrolyte. The electrolyte for this case is silver nitrate, AgNO 3.
Firstly, the pure silver metal at anode will corrode (oxidation) and form silver ion then
dissolve in AuNO3 electrolyte.
AgAg+ + e- [Oxidation process; pure silver corroded]
Then, the Au+ will move to cathode region and discharge itself, which undergo reduction and
deposited on the corroded silver spoon until all the corroded parts are covered by pure silver.
Ag+ + e-Ag [Reduction process; pure silver deposited]
This is how the corrosion technique is apply to electroplating, where electroplatingcan allow
the coated metal more resist to corrosion, strength of the metal is improved, conductivity of
the metal is altered and for the purpose of decorative appeal. Electroplating can also help to
save the cost of manufacturing by electroplated the corroded silver spoon in this case rather
than replacing the corroded silver spoon with the new silver spoon.

References:
1. Picture of Passivation S-Curve. Retrieved on 1st of July 2013, from
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