Improving the Performance of Lead Acid Batteries using Nano-Technology

摘要

The project studies the use of nano-technology to improve the performance of lead acid batteries by synthesizing the cathode (positive electrode) of the lead acid battery using nanoparticles. A simulation was done using COMSOL Multiphysics software to predict the expected performance improvement of nano-structured electrodes when compared with the conventional electrodes. Nano-structured PbO₂ was synthesized using hydrolysis at the room temperature and conventional PbO₂ was obtained by the regular manufacturing process in battery industry. Nano-structured PbO₂ was incorporated into the cathode through three different ways and the obtained three cathodes were compared separately with the conventional cathode using Charge/Discharge Tests, SEM Analysis and Particle Size Distribution Analysis. After porosity and morphology parameters were introduced to the conventional lead acid battery positive electrode (PbO₂) in COMSOL, improved performances of state-of-charge (SOC) and voltage characteristics were obtained for discharging simulations. The results of SEM analysis and Particle Size Distribution Analysis performed on nano-structured electrodes, provided a considerable improvement. The discharging and charging tests performed using single lead acid cell provided almost same results to those were obtained using COMSOL simulations.