EFFECT OF GELLING ON THE OPEN-CIRCUIT POTENTIAL AGAINST TIME TRANSIENTS OF PB PBSO4 ELECTRODES AT VARIOUS STATES OF CHARGE/

The technique of open-circuit potential relaxation from a prior prepol arized state has been employed to study the kinetics of the Pb/PbSO4 e lectrode in 4.8 M sulphuric acid. The significant features governing t he relaxation have been quantitatively analysed to obtain a correlatio n between state-of-charge of the electrode and its potential-recovery time constant. The effect of immobilizing the electrolyte has also bee n included due to its relevance in making sealed maintenance-free batt eries. The study provides a method for estimating the variation of exc hange current density of the Pb/PbSO4 and hydrogen evolution reactions at various states-of-charge with and without added gelling agents.