Role of nano-carbon additives in lead-acid batteries: a review

Abstract

Development in lead (Pb)-acid batteries (LABs) is an important area of research. The improvement in this electrochemical device is imperative as it can open several new fronts of technological advancement in different sectors like automobile, telecommunications, renewable energy, etc. Since the rapid failure of a LAB due to Pb sulphation under partial-state-of-charging, electrode grid corrosion and water loss are some major obstructions in its advancement. The doping of various carbon forms into the negative active material of an electrode has been suggested to be effective at improving the storage capacity and cyclic life of LABs by suppressing irreversible sulphation. This report is an attempt to focus on different theories related to the working mechanism of carbon and to summarize the investigation results observed by various researchers regarding the significant role of nano-carbon additives in LABs. On the basis of that, we tried to compare their performance along with the discussion on the best possible additive.

Long‐Life Lead‐Carbon Batteries for Stationary Energy Storage Applications

“…The EDL effect plays the role of fast charge/discharge rates occurring at the surface of the carbon materials that offer a burst of output power and charge acceptance with high density due to the massive amount of electricity the carbon surface accepts. [29,[82][83][84][85] Notably, carbon enlarges the surface area where electrochemical reactions occur, thus boosting the faradaic process and electrochemical charge storage activities, resulting in a sizeable active center for the electrolyte diffusion during repeated charge/discharge activity. The anode to the electrolyte contact area also expanded, significantly increasing the capacity and charge acceptance rate.…”

Applications of Carbon in Rechargeable Electrochemical Power Sources: A Review

“…There have been a few proposed mechanisms of beneficial carbon influence as an NAM additive, but three are most often recognized [27,28,32,33]. First, carbon can change the structure of the active mass and form a conductive skeleton inside it.…”

“…This process is faster than the typical faradaic process in the active mass. The capacitive effect of carbon additives leads to improved charge acceptance and power when using high-rate currents [27,28,32,33].…”

Synthesis of graphite-based lead composites and modification of their physicochemical and electrochemical properties

“…18 The use of the above-mentioned materials contributes to increment in porosity and electron conductivity as well as to inhibition of sulfation of the negative plate. 19,20 The presence of carbon also lowers the hydrogen evolution over-potential at the negative electrode. 21 Moreover, the differences in the physicochemical properties of the carbon material and the active mass of the negative electrode result in a weak bonding strength between the two components, which, to some extent, eliminates the positive impact of the carbon additive used.…”