D. Pavlov et al., EFFECT OF HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN ON STABILITY OF EXPANDERS AND PERFORMANCE OF LEAD-ACID-BATTERIES, Journal of power sources, 46(2-3), 1993, pp. 349-359
Expanders are organic additives to the negative active mass that incre
ase plate capacity, especially at low temperatures. They operate under
constant hydrogen and oxygen attack at strongly negative potentials a
s a result of which they undergo degradation. This leads to changes in
plate capacity, which may limit the life of the battery. The aims of
the present work are: (i) to suggest a method for determining the effe
ct of hydrogen, oxygen and the potential on the stability of expanders
; (ii) to identify some of the structural groups in organic compounds
that exert an efficient expander action. The influence of Velex, Mimos
a, Quebraco, Syntan NK (SNK) and EZE-Skitan on the electrochemical cha
racteristics and the life of negative battery plates has been investig
ated. It is established that structural groups of the pyrocatechin typ
e (Quebraco and EZE-Skitan) have effective expander action. Quebraco i
ncreases the plate capacity during the first cycles. EZE-Skitan increa
ses the capacity of the plates after 50 to 60 charge/discharge cycles,
when disintegration of its structure, probably to pyrocatechin groups
, proceeds. By applying a new method for determining the expander stab
ility, it is found that expanders containing pyrocatechin structural g
roups are more easily oxidized than hydrogenated. It is concluded that
the most effective expander should be a combination of several compou
nds with different stabilities to oxidation and reduction. Appropriate
expanders should be selected for each type of battery.