One-dimensional nanostructures of lead and lead dioxide for application in lead-acid batteries

Abstract

Fabrication of Pb and PbO2 nanostructures was undertaken with the aim of building low cost lead acid micro-batteries with high performance. Despite environmental problems and the relatively low specific energy in comparison with other galvanic generators, lead acid batteries are still extensively used in the field of energy accumulation, owing to a well known and reliable technology. Thus, it is of high technological interest to develop procedures for fabricating these devices at a micrometer scale or less. PbO2 nanowires were grown in different electrochemical deposition conditions leading to pure -PbO2, pure -PbO2 and  mixture [1-2]. Several parameters, like temperature, electrolyte composition, deposition time and power supply (potentiostatic and galvanostatic), have been investigated to elucidate their influence on morphology, composition and structure of lead dioxide nanostructures. Pb nanowires, cathodically deposited from Pb2+ based baths, also in the presence of several additive, showed poor features in terms of geometrical regularity, and uniformity of filling of template. The unsatisfactory results, forced us to experience an “indirect” method to obtain Pb nanowires within template pores. The procedure consists of an anodic electrodeposition of -PbO2 nanowires, followed by their in-situ reduction to metallic lead [3]. Both these processes occurred at a high rate, so that the indirect method led to a complete filling of template pores with pure polycrystalline Pb in short times and with high current efficiency. References 1 R. Inguanta, S. Piazza and C. Sunseri, J Electrochem. Soc. 155 (2008) K205. 2 R. Inguanta, F. Vergottini, G. Ferrara, S. Piazza, C. Sunseri, Elettrochimica Acta, Submitted. 3 R. Inguanta, E. Rinaldo, S. Piazza, C. Sunseri, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 13 (2010) K1