Lead-Acid Battery Paste with Rubber Additive for Antimony Suppression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Lead-acid batteries face issues such as active material shedding, mossing, antimony leaching, and impurity-induced degradation, leading to reduced performance and service life, particularly in VLA and VRLA batteries.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a rubber additive, such as Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) or Standard Indonesian Rubber (SIR), into the active material paste of lead-acid batteries to enhance paste morphology and microstructure, thereby stabilizing the electrodes and suppressing antimony migration and impurity effects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If natural rubber separator is used to suppress antimony migration, then antimony suppression is improved, but separator integrity deteriorates due to oxidation and cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses sulfur as an intermediary substance that cross-links with the natural rubber polymer chains to form vulcanized rubber. This intermediary chemical process transforms the rubber from a vulnerable state to a protected state, where the cross-linked structure acts as a mediator that prevents oxidation and cracking while maintaining antimony suppression capabilities
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the rubber by adding sulfur and applying heat during curing. This parameter change transforms the natural rubber into vulcanized rubber, fundamentally altering its chemical structure and properties to achieve both antimony suppression and oxidation resistance simultaneously
2Quantity of substance
If active material paste is applied to electrode grids, then battery capacity is improved, but active material shedding and mossing increase leading to reduced service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite material by combining natural rubber with sulfur to form vulcanized rubber within the active material paste. This composite structure integrates the rubber-sulfur network with the lead oxide and other paste components, producing a unified material that provides both high capacity and long service life by preventing shedding and mossing
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-vulcanizing the rubber or adding it in vulcanizable form to the active material paste before electrode formation. This preliminary chemical preparation ensures the rubber is ready to provide structural support and prevent degradation from the outset, rather than waiting for degradation to occur
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The rubber additive improves initial capacity and extends the service life of lead-acid batteries by enhancing electrode stability and reducing degradation, allowing for longer cycle life and improved performance.
Implementation Method 1
Incorporating a rubber additive, such as Ribbed Smoked Sheet (RSS) or Standard Indonesian Rubber (SIR), into the active material paste of lead-acid batteries to enhance paste morphology and microstructure, thereby stabilizing the electrodes
Implementation Method 2
Natural rubber can be added to non-rubber-based separators as a component to impart the suppression properties to the non-rubber (i.e., polyethylene) separators
Data Source
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AI summary
Suggested is a lead-acid battery (10,200) including at least one positive plate (70), at least one negative plate (90), an active material paste (60,80), and an electrolyte (40). The positive plate comprises a positive electrode grid, the negative plate comprises a negative electrode grid and the active material paste includes a rubber additive. A suggested process of manufacturing an active material paste for a lead-acid battery includes: adding a rubber additive into a paste mixer with a lead compound to form a mix of additives; dry mixing the additives to form a dry mixture; adding water to the dry mixture; wet-mixing the water with the dry mixture to form a wet mixture; and pasting and curing an electrode grid with the wet mixture.