The structure and properties of the positive active material PbO 2 are key factors affecting the performance of lead-acid batteries. To improve the cycle life and specific capacity of lead-acid batteries, a chitosan (CS)-modified PbO 2 -CS-F cathode material is prepared by electrodeposition in a lead methanesulfonate system. The microstructure and phase composition are characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The electrochemical activity of the cathode material is analyzed by cyclic voltammetry, linear sweep voltammograms, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and scanning electrochemical microscopy. The battery performance of laboratory lead-acid batteries assembled with the cathode material is analyzed by a battery tester. The results show that the PbO 2 -CS-F cathode material has the smallest grain size (21.879 nm), the highest oxygen evolution potential (2.237 V), and the highest exchange current density (3.788 Â 10 À7 A cm À2 ), smallest charge transfer resistance (5.359 Ω cm 2 ), and highest chemical activity in the series of PbO 2 cathode materials. The laboratory lead-acid battery assembled from PbO 2 -CS-F cathode material exhibist the best battery performance, with the first discharge capacities of 4257 mAh and the discharge-specific capacity after 500 cycles is 196 mAh g À1 .