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6 Nanomaterials for Batteries
The research of VRLA battery aims to improve specific capacity and specific
power of the battery, improve the cycle life, and improve the rapid charging capability. There are currently six research directions, namely bipolar ear wound battery
technology, horizontal VRLA battery technology, bipolar ceramic VRLA battery
technology, Pb-CVRLA battery technology, super battery technology, graphite-foam
lead-acid battery technology (Chen et al. 2017a; Kumar et al. 2017; Sawai et al. 2007;
Chang et al. 2009).
The bipolar ear wound type battery technology uses a very thin lead foil as a
polar plate. The positive electrode plate, the separator, and the negative electrode
plate are alternately stacked and tightly wound together to form a single-cylindrical
battery. This battery has been successfully used as a power battery in hybrid electric vehicles, showing a very good market prospect. The horizontal VRLA battery
technology has abandoned the grid and replaced it with a lead cloth that is woven
from glass fibers coated with Pb–Sn alloy on the surface. One end is coated with
a positive lead paste and the other end is coated with a negative lead paste. The
negative connection reduces internal resistance of the battery. The battery board
is placed horizontally, which avoids concentration polarization phenomenon and is
conducive to heat dissipation and enhanced oxygen compounding efficiency. The
bipolar ceramic VRLA battery technology uses ceramics as a separator, adopts a
bipolar structure, and has the advantages of long cycle life, small internal resistance,
high rate charge and discharge, low cost, and easy recycling. The Pb-CVRLA battery
technology is a negative electrode that incorporates activated carbon. Pb–C battery
has the advantage of long cycle life, the high specific energy and power, no sulfating
of the negative electrode, and high rate charge and discharge. At present, this technology has been applied to wind energy batteries, solar energy storage batteries, and
communication backup power batteries. Super battery technology is a combination
of super capacitors and lead-acid batteries, so that capacitors in the battery charge
and discharge process of buffering, enhance battery power and increase life. This
technology can quickly provide or absorb electricity when the vehicle accelerates
or brakes. Graphite-foam lead-acid battery technology replaces lead with a foamed
graphite material, and the active material is retained, reducing lead content by 2/3
compared to ordinary lead-acid batteries. This battery technology is comparable in
performance to advanced nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium-ion batteries,
and also has the advantages of small size, light weight, and a much lower price than
nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium-ion batteries (Soria et al. 2004).
6 Nanomaterials for Batteries
The research of VRLA battery aims to improve specific capacity and specific
power of the battery, improve the cycle life, and improve the rapid charging capability. There are currently six research directions, namely bipolar ear wound battery
technology, horizontal VRLA battery technology, bipolar ceramic VRLA battery
technology, Pb-CVRLA battery technology, super battery technology, graphite-foam
lead-acid battery technology (Chen et al. 2017a; Kumar et al. 2017; Sawai et al. 2007;
Chang et al. 2009).
The bipolar ear wound type battery technology uses a very thin lead foil as a
polar plate. The positive electrode plate, the separator, and the negative electrode
plate are alternately stacked and tightly wound together to form a single-cylindrical
battery. This battery has been successfully used as a power battery in hybrid electric vehicles, showing a very good market prospect. The horizontal VRLA battery
technology has abandoned the grid and replaced it with a lead cloth that is woven
from glass fibers coated with Pb–Sn alloy on the surface. One end is coated with
a positive lead paste and the other end is coated with a negative lead paste. The
negative connection reduces internal resistance of the battery. The battery board
is placed horizontally, which avoids concentration polarization phenomenon and is
conducive to heat dissipation and enhanced oxygen compounding efficiency. The
bipolar ceramic VRLA battery technology uses ceramics as a separator, adopts a
bipolar structure, and has the advantages of long cycle life, small internal resistance,
high rate charge and discharge, low cost, and easy recycling. The Pb-CVRLA battery
technology is a negative electrode that incorporates activated carbon. Pb–C battery
has the advantage of long cycle life, the high specific energy and power, no sulfating
of the negative electrode, and high rate charge and discharge. At present, this technology has been applied to wind energy batteries, solar energy storage batteries, and
communication backup power batteries. Super battery technology is a combination
of super capacitors and lead-acid batteries, so that capacitors in the battery charge
and discharge process of buffering, enhance battery power and increase life. This
technology can quickly provide or absorb electricity when the vehicle accelerates
or brakes. Graphite-foam lead-acid battery technology replaces lead with a foamed
graphite material, and the active material is retained, reducing lead content by 2/3
compared to ordinary lead-acid batteries. This battery technology is comparable in
performance to advanced nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium-ion batteries,
and also has the advantages of small size, light weight, and a much lower price than
nickel-metal hydride batteries and lithium-ion batteries (Soria et al. 2004).