Understanding the Beneficial Action of Organic Activators for the Negative Electrode of Lead-acid Batteries

Abstract

Most of the additives or activators used today for the negative electrode of lead-acid batteries are fine power of solid materials such as barium sulphate, lignin and carbon black. They are generally called as expander. We found that organic compounds soluble in the acid electrolyte are very effective in order to extend the cycle life and improve the discharge capacity. This paper describes the recent improvements and the working mechanism for the soluble organic activators.