Israel scientists have discovered adding single wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) on a lead-acid battery’s electrodes can improve its performance by more than 30%.
Researchers from Bar-Ilan University have found that electrodes containing SWCNT give prototype cells a greater specific capacity, improve cycle-life, have a lower resistivity, and a higher rate capability.
Cells using the technology achieved specific electrode capacities around 120 mAh g(-1), during 950 cycles, with cells operating at 25% depth-of-discharge, the scientists found.
This compared with CNT-free cells, which exhibited 90 mAh g(-1) and reached 200 cycles in the same experimental conditions.
Post mortem analysis on the cells using electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy indicated their stability in its anodes and cathodes during prolonged cycling.
Morphological, structural and surface area analyses seemed to prove the presence of SWCNT mitigates pronouncedly the detrimental sulfation phenomena, namely, formation of large, inaccessible PbSO4 particles upon discharge, the researchers reported.
An abstract from the paper, published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society, stated: “We suggest that their (SWCNT) presence in both positive and negative electrodes of these batteries increases the effective electronic conductivity and improves the contact among the particles, thus leading to homogeneous current distribution throughout the electrodes.”