Lead-acid batteries traditionally use lead-based electrodes to support the active materials in the positive and negative plates. The design, composition, and manufacturing processes of these lead electrodes significantly impact battery performance, weight, and cost.

ArcActive and Hollingsworth & Vose have combined their respective strengths—ArcActive’s expertise in fibrous media-based electrode fabrication and H&V’s leadership in fibrous glass media manufacturing—to develop an innovative electrode technology for lead-acid batteries.

This breakthrough involves using a Glass Electrode Material (GEM) structure to replace a significant portion of the lead traditionally used in electrodes. The result is a robust and scalable solution that brings several key advantages:

• Significantly improved charge acceptance that is permanent.
• Enhanced performance thanks to unique structural characteristics maximising active material/electrolyte contact.
• Increased charge recovery greatly improves partial state of charge operation by increasing the amount of charge return in limited charge situations.
• Lessens “Dead Lead” content, enables more active material per plate.
• Reducing negative polarisations during recharge decreases gas generation.

This presentation will detail the functional difference in technology behind the new electrode design and demonstrate performance improvements over conventional lead-based electrodes through comparative testing and data.