Gel batteries belong to a development category of lead-acid batteries. The method is to add a gelling agent to sulfuric acid to make the sulfuric acid electrolyte into a colloidal state. A battery in which the electro-hydraulic is in a colloidal state is usually called a colloidal battery. The difference between gel batteries and conventional lead-acid batteries is from the initial understanding of electrolyte gelation, to the research on the electrochemical characteristics of the electrolyte basic structure, and the application and promotion of grids and active materials.
Gel batteries belong to a development category of lead-acid batteries. The method is to add a gelling agent to sulfuric acid to make the sulfuric acid electrolyte into a colloidal state. A battery in which the electro-hydraulic is in a colloidal state is usually called a colloidal battery. The difference between gel batteries and conventional lead-acid batteries is from the initial understanding of electrolyte gelation, to the research on the electrochemical characteristics of the electrolyte basic structure, and the application and promotion of grids and active materials. Its most important feature is: use less industrial cost to manufacture better quality batteries, its discharge curve is straight, its inflection point is high, its energy and power are more than 20% larger than conventional lead-acid batteries, and its life is generally the same as that of conventional lead-acid batteries. The acid battery is about twice as long, and the high and low temperature characteristics are much better.
The difference between gel batteries and conventional lead-acid batteries is not only that the electro-hydraulic is changed to gel. For example, non-condensed hydrocolloids belong to colloidal batteries in terms of electrochemical classification structure and characteristics. Another example is the attachment of polymer materials in the grid, commonly known as ceramic grid, which can also be regarded as the application feature of colloidal batteries. Some laboratories have added a targeted coupling agent to the plate formula, which has greatly improved the reaction utilization rate of the active material of the plate. According to non-public information, it can reach a weight specific energy level of 70wh/kg.
The main component of the colloidal electrolyte is a functional compound with a particle size close to the nanometer level. It has good rheology and is easy to implement the liquid preparation and filling of the lead-acid battery. After the colloidal electrolyte enters the interior of the battery or is charged for several hours, it will gradually gel, turning the liquid electrolyte into a jelly. Various surfactants are added to the colloid, which helps to resist gelation before filling the battery, and It is helpful to prevent the sulfation of the plate after filling the battery, reduce the corrosion of the grid, and improve the reaction utilization rate of the active material of the plate.
Advantages of gel batteries:
1. High quality and long service life
The colloidal solid electrolyte can form a solid protective layer on the plate to prevent the plate from being corroded, and it also reduces the bending phenomenon of the plate and the short circuit of the plate when the battery is used under heavy load, and better prevents the active material of the plate from softening and falling off. It has a good physical and chemical protection function, and its service life is 1.5~2 times longer than that of the traditional lead-acid battery national testing standard. The colloidal electrolyte has a scientific specific gravity and is not easy to cause vulcanization of the plate. Under normal use, the number of cycles exceeds 550 times.
2. Safe to use and conducive to environmental protection.
When in use, there is no acid mist gas precipitation, electrolyte overflow, no combustion, no explosion, no corrosion of the body, and no pollution. Since the electrolyte is solid, even if the casing is accidentally broken during use, the battery can still be used normally without liquid sulfuric acid flowing out.
3. High efficiency and good performance
The self-discharge of colloidal batteries is small, which is beneficial to long-term storage; the deep discharge performance is high, which is conducive to improving the utilization rate and discharge capacity of active materials; the recovery ability of deep discharge and over-discharge is strong, and the charging acceptance capacity exceeds the national standard by more than 50%.
4. It is convenient and quick to use, without frequent maintenance.
The surface of the product is clean and free of dirt; one-time injection of electrolyte can save a lot of energy and maintenance costs.
5. Less water loss
The oxygen cycle is designed with channels for oxygen diffusion. The precipitated oxygen can chemically react with the negative electrode material, so there is less gas evolution and less water loss during the charging and discharging process.
6. Long shelf life
The plate has good sulfation resistance, reduces grid corrosion, and has a long storage period.
7. Less self-discharge
It can hinder the diffusion of water generated during the cathodic reduction process, inhibit the spontaneous reduction reaction of PbO, and thus have less self-discharge.
8. Good low temperature starting performance
Although the internal resistance of the sulfuric acid electrolyte is slightly larger, it exists in the colloid, so the internal resistance of the colloid electrolyte does not change much at low temperatures, so its low-temperature start-up performance is good.
Disadvantages of gel batteries:
The rubber particles from the early exhaust are acid-containing, and the rubber particles are easy to stick to the battery case, so some users will report that the battery is leaking acid. Although the oxygen cycle suppresses water loss, the excellent oxygen cycle also experiences heat generation, which causes the internal temperature of the battery to rise and the gel battery to run out of control.
The most important features of gel batteries are as follows:
①: The interior of the colloidal battery is mainly a SiO2 porous network structure, with a large number of tiny gaps, which can make the oxygen generated by the positive electrode of the battery migrate smoothly to the negative electrode plate, which is convenient for the negative electrode to absorb and combine;
②: The acid content of the colloidal battery is relatively large, so its capacity is basically the same as that of the AGM battery;
③: The internal resistance of colloidal batteries is relatively large, and generally do not have good high-current discharge characteristics;
④: Heat is easy to diffuse, not easy to heat up, and the chance of thermal runaway is very small;
Waste lead-acid batteries mainly include lead-calcium alloy grids, lead paste, battery shells and sulfuric acid. These components can be recycled and reused through appropriate technology, and the recycling rate exceeds 90%, which can realize the virtuous circle of “resources-products-renewable resources” between the lead-acid battery industry and its upstream and downstream.
In November 2009, the Ministry of Environmental Protection promulgated the “Clean Production Standards for the Lead Recycling Industry of Waste Lead-acid Batteries”, which put forward clear and specific requirements for the collection, transportation, reproduction, and comprehensive utilization of waste lead-acid batteries. At the same time, the state will introduce encouraging policies to guide the healthy development of the industry in the following two aspects: Formulate preferential economic policies to encourage manufacturers to adopt advanced non-polluting recycled lead technology, so as to promote the sustainable recycling of my country’s recycled lead and lead-acid battery industries Development; Secondary lead enterprises improve the level of equipment, while strengthening the cooperation between the secondary lead industry and the storage battery industry.
In 2015, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Commerce, and the Ministry of Science and Technology formulated the “Notice on Carrying Out the Pilot Work of Extending the Producer Responsibility of Electrical and Electronic Products”, and implemented the pilot system of extending the producer’s responsibility to guide product producers to undertake the recycling and recycling of products after they are discarded. Responsibility for utilization and encourage producers to implement product source control and green production, so as to maximize the efficiency of resource utilization and reduce the generation and discharge of pollutants throughout the product life cycle.
In addition, industry policies such as “Lead Battery Industry Standard Conditions” encourage production enterprises to use sales channels to establish a waste lead-acid battery recycling mechanism, and to jointly establish a waste battery recycling system with recycled lead companies that meet the requirements of relevant industrial policies. The promulgation of relevant policies and measures is bound to regulate and promote the development of the waste lead-acid battery recycling industry and guide the healthy development of the industry.
