Effect of surfactant and mineral additive on the efficiency of lead-acid battery positive active material

Abstract

The effect of Sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and mineral additive on the performance of the lead-acid battery positive plate has been investigated. The addition of alumina-silicate to the positive paste and STPP to the electrolyte modifies the shape and size of PbO2 crystals and improves the utilization of the positive active material (PAM). The electrochemical performance of the positive active material was determined using galvanostatic discharge and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The crystal structure and morphology of the PAM (PbO2) were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The water content of the PAM was calculated using Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique. The results showed that the addition of surfactant and mineral additive changes the morphology and the crystallite size of the PAM. We observe a remarkable improvement of the discharge capacity of the PAM when the surfactant (STPP) is added in the electrolyte. The discharge capacity increases with the decrease of the crystallite size and the charge transfer resistance Rct of the PAM. This shows that the addition of mineral additive and the surfactant together improves the electrical performance of lead-acid battery.