## 3 Results and Discussion
### Effects of Alloy Type and Temperature on Hydrolysis Hydrogen Generation
Furthermore, with the increasing zinc content, there is a transition from Mg-10 Zn, which exhibits no reaction at all at a temperature of 300 \({}^{\circ}\)C, to Mg-20 Zn and Mg-30 Zn, which can undergo complete hydrolysis for hydrogen production at the same temperature of 300 \({}^{\circ}\)C. When compared with pure magnesium, as shown in Figure 4, the incorporation of zinc directly reduces the critical reaction temperature from 520 \({}^{\circ}\)C for pure magnesium to 330 \({}^{\circ}\)C for Mg-based alloys. Additionally, as the zinc content further increases, the reaction temperature decreases from 330 \({}^{\circ}\)C for Mg-10 Zn to 300 \({}^{\circ}\)C for Mg-20 Zn. The results indicate that with the incorporation and increase in zinc content, the temperature required for hydrogen production through hydrolysis of Mg-based metals can be effectively lowered, significantly enhancing the hydrogen production rate and improving the performance of hydrogen production through hydrolysis. This is attributed to the formation of Mg;Zn\({}_{3}\) as a secondary precipitate phase with the magnesium matrix upon the addition of zinc, even though the solid solubility of zinc in the magnesium matrix is only 6.2%, which is lower than the solid solubility of aluminum in the magnesium matrix at 12.7%. The secondary precipitate phase formed is significantly less than that of Mg\({}_{17}\)Al\({}_{12}\), but the melting point of the Mg;Zn\({}_{3}\) precipitate phase is much lower than that of pure magnesium (Mg;Zn\({}_{3}\) < Mg;Al\({}_{12}\) < Mg). Therefore, it is evident that the required reaction temperature for Mg-Zn alloys is much lower than that for Mg-Al alloys and even lower than that for pure magnesium. Similarly, with the increase in zinc content, more Mg;Zn\({}_{3}\) precipitate phases with low melting points are formed in the magnesium matrix. These precipitates can react prior to the hydrolysis of the magnesium matrix, providing more channels for the subsequent hydrolysis of fresh internal metal. This facilitates the timely diffusion of water vapor into the interior and ensures sufficient contact with the fresh metal for the completion of the hydrolysis reaction. Effectively, this avoids the hindrance of the MgO passivation layer on the material surface, which could otherwise impede the full contact between water vapor and internal metal. Consequently, the temperature required for hydrolysis can be significantly reduced, and the hydrogen production performance of magnesium-based metals through hydrolysis is notably improved. Figure 8(c1-c3) depict the temperature variations during the hydrolysis reactions of Mg-10 Zn, Mg-20 Zn, and Mg-30 Zn, respectively. At 300 \({}^{\circ}\)C, Mg-10 Zn fails to undergo hydrolysis, resulting in insignificant temperature changes. When the reaction temperature reaches or exceeds 330 \({}^{\circ}\)C, significant temperature variations are observed, with higher initial temperatures leading to more rapid and intense hydrolysis reactions, releasing more heat and reaching the maximum temperature sooner. Once the temperature peaks, the hydrolysis reaction ceases immediately, and the temperature drops linearly. Mg-20 Zn and Mg-30 Zn can completely react within the temperature range of 300 \({}^{\circ}\)C to 450 \({}^{\circ}\)C, following a similar temperature trend as Mg-10 Al. Table 4 presents the induction times and complete reaction times for Mg-10 Zn, Mg-20 Zn, and Mg-30 Zn under reaction conditions of 300 \({}^{\circ}\)C, 330 \({}^{\circ}\)C, 360 \({}^{\circ}\)C (corrected from 660 \({}^{\circ}\)C for consistency), 390 \({}^{\circ}\)C, 420 \({}^{\circ}\)C, and 450 \({}^{\circ}\)C. The results indicate that increasing zinc content and temperature significantly enhance hydrogen production kinetics. As zinc content and temperature rise, the reactions become more intense, with significantly shortened induction times and overall reaction durations, leading to a notable improvement in hydrogen production performance through hydrolysis.