Few-layer graphene as an additive in negative electrodes for lead-acid batteries

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 753; p. 139273
• Main Authors: Chang, Shih-Han, Kung, Kuan-Chen, Huang, Wei-Chieh, Liu, Wei-Ren
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.07.2022
• Subjects: Graphene; Lead-acid batteries; Liquid-phase delamination; Negative electrode additives; Lead-acid batteries; Graphene; Liquid-phase delamination; Negative electrode additives
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2022.139273

•Few layer graphene (FLG) is prepared by jet cavitation process.•FLG isintroduced into negative plate for lead acid batteries (LABs).•Capacity and cycle life of LABs are dramatically improved by FLG addition.•FLG additives caninhibit sulfationproblemsin LABs. To overcome the problem of sulfation in lead-acid batteries, we prepared few-layer graphene (FLG) as a conductive additive in negative electrodes for lead-acid batteries. The FLG was derived from synthetic graphite through liquid-phase delamination. The as-synthesized FLG exhibited a layered structure with a specific surface area more than three times that of pristine synthetic graphite. The thickness of the as-synthesized FLG was determined through atomic force microscopy to be approximately 4 nm (<10 layers). To enhance the electrochemical performance of lead-acid batteries, we introduced pristine synthetic graphite and FLG into negative electrodes, denoted NAM(G) and NAM(FLG), respectively. Charge/discharge tests revealed that the initial discharge capacity of the FLG-based electrode was 4173 mAh, which was 110% higher than that of the graphite-based electrode. The cycle life of NAM(FLG) was 120 cycles, which was approximately two times higher than that of NAM(G). The impedance of NAM(FLG) was 0.226 Ω, which was significantly lower than that of NAM (16.1 Ω). Our findings indicate that incorporating FLG into the negative electrodes of batteries can result in significant performance enhancements and prolonged cycle life through the inhibition of sulfation.