저널

Nowadays the open-type lead-acid battery for vehicle use is being replaced with the sealed-type because it needs no maintenance and has a longer cycle life. Thus researches on this battery are being conducted very actively by many advanced battery companies. There is, however, a serious problem with the maintenance free(MF) battery that its cathode electrode has a limited cycle life due to a corrosion of grid. In this study, it was aimed to improve a corrosion resistance of the cathode grid which is commonly made of Pb-Ca alloy for a mechanical strength. For this purpose, various amounts of alloying elements such as Sn, Ag and Ba were added singly or together to the Pb-Ca alloys and investigated their corrosion behaviors. Batteries fabricated by using these alloys as cathode grids were subjected to life cycle test and their corrosion layers appeared at the interface between the grids and the active materials were carefully observed in order to clarify effects of alloying elements.

Lead-Calcium;Lead/acid batteries;Grid alloys;Life cycle;Corrosion;