Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical Conductivity
Efficient thermal management is critical to the performance and acceptance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). In the event of coolant leakage, contact between conventional water–glycol coolants and polarized battery components may induce hydrogen evolution via electrolysis, posing a serious safety...
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MDPI AG
2025-05-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6168 |
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| author | Luciane Sopchenski Sander Clerick Guy Buytaert Serge Lievens Theodoros Kalogiannis Annick Hubin Herman Terryn |
| author_facet | Luciane Sopchenski Sander Clerick Guy Buytaert Serge Lievens Theodoros Kalogiannis Annick Hubin Herman Terryn |
| author_sort | Luciane Sopchenski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Efficient thermal management is critical to the performance and acceptance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). In the event of coolant leakage, contact between conventional water–glycol coolants and polarized battery components may induce hydrogen evolution via electrolysis, posing a serious safety hazard. This study investigates the impact of copper corrosion inhibitors and coolant electrical conductivity on hydrogen gas formation through linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) using copper electrodes. Results indicate that commonly used corrosion inhibitors—Tolyltriazole (TTZ), Benzotriazole (BTZ), and Sodium Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT-Na)—do not significantly reduce hydrogen evolution, even in synergistic combinations. On the other hand, lowering the coolant electrical conductivity markedly decreased hydrogen evolution, with a linear reduction in cathodic current observed in low-conductivity coolants due to the reduced ionic mobility of the electrolyte. Low-conductivity BEV coolant (86 µS/cm) presented a cathodic current density 96% lower than a high-conductivity ICE coolant (2577 µS/cm) at the same overpotential. These findings suggest that optimizing coolant conductivity is a more effective mitigation strategy than relying on corrosion inhibitor formulations. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eec5a03980a54afc80da5170f1660811 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-eec5a03980a54afc80da5170f16608112025-08-20T03:11:18ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011511616810.3390/app15116168Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical ConductivityLuciane Sopchenski0Sander Clerick1Guy Buytaert2Serge Lievens3Theodoros Kalogiannis4Annick Hubin5Herman Terryn6Sustainable Materials Engineering Laboratory, Department of Materials and Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumArteco NV, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, 9051 Gent, BelgiumArteco NV, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, 9051 Gent, BelgiumArteco NV, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, 9051 Gent, BelgiumBattery Innovation Centre, ETEC/MOBI Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumSustainable Materials Engineering Laboratory, Department of Materials and Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumSustainable Materials Engineering Laboratory, Department of Materials and Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, 1050 Brussels, BelgiumEfficient thermal management is critical to the performance and acceptance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). In the event of coolant leakage, contact between conventional water–glycol coolants and polarized battery components may induce hydrogen evolution via electrolysis, posing a serious safety hazard. This study investigates the impact of copper corrosion inhibitors and coolant electrical conductivity on hydrogen gas formation through linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) using copper electrodes. Results indicate that commonly used corrosion inhibitors—Tolyltriazole (TTZ), Benzotriazole (BTZ), and Sodium Mercaptobenzothiazole (MBT-Na)—do not significantly reduce hydrogen evolution, even in synergistic combinations. On the other hand, lowering the coolant electrical conductivity markedly decreased hydrogen evolution, with a linear reduction in cathodic current observed in low-conductivity coolants due to the reduced ionic mobility of the electrolyte. Low-conductivity BEV coolant (86 µS/cm) presented a cathodic current density 96% lower than a high-conductivity ICE coolant (2577 µS/cm) at the same overpotential. These findings suggest that optimizing coolant conductivity is a more effective mitigation strategy than relying on corrosion inhibitor formulations.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6168hydrogencoolantscorrosion inhibitorelectrical conductivity |
| spellingShingle | Luciane Sopchenski Sander Clerick Guy Buytaert Serge Lievens Theodoros Kalogiannis Annick Hubin Herman Terryn Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical Conductivity Applied Sciences hydrogen coolants corrosion inhibitor electrical conductivity |
| title | Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical Conductivity |
| title_full | Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical Conductivity |
| title_fullStr | Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical Conductivity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical Conductivity |
| title_short | Hydrogen Evolution in Battery Electric Vehicle Coolants During Accidental Leakage: The Impact of Corrosion Inhibitors and Electrical Conductivity |
| title_sort | hydrogen evolution in battery electric vehicle coolants during accidental leakage the impact of corrosion inhibitors and electrical conductivity |
| topic | hydrogen coolants corrosion inhibitor electrical conductivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/6168 |
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