A performance comparison of protective silicate-coated lead and non-coated lead electrodes in various kind electrolytes of gel valve-regulated lead-acid battery

Abstract

A novel silicate-based protective film was formed on negative electrodes and compared of the performance in various electrolyte systems of lead-acid batteries. The sodium silicate-based coating for the negative electrode component of a gel valve-regulated lead-acid (gel-VRLA) battery was applied for the first time in the literature. The battery system was produced by sodium silicate-coated negative electrodes and lead oxide positive electrodes in various kinds of electrolyte. Electrochemical characterization of cells and battery prototypes were done by cyclic voltammetric (CV) analysis, electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) analysis, and cyclic charge-discharge tests. The surface morphologies of silicate-coated electrodes were investigated by scanning electron microscopic analysis after cyclic voltammetric analysis and charge-discharge tests. The coating of silicate on the surface of negative electrodes increased the corrosion resistance of a VRLA battery according to the Tafel polarization curves. Indeed, sulfation on the negative electrode component of the battery have significantly reduced with silicate coatings of them. Besides, the prepared novel silicate-based protective film have increased the battery performance of a VRLA. Silicate-based coatings for electrodes can be used for industrial battery production for many different battery types due to their amazing anti-corrosion properties in acidic media.