Novel imidazole-based, ionic liquid: Synthetics linked to enhancing the life cycle of lead-acid batteries

• Published in: Journal of energy storage 2022-12, Vol.56, p.105932, Article 105932
• Main Authors: Moustafa, Abdullah A., Ashmawy, Ashraf M., Ghayad, I.M., El-Zomrawy, A.A., Abdelbasir, S.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Capacity; Corrosion; Ionic liquid; Lead-acid battery; Life cycle; Pb-Ca alloy
• ISSN: 2352-152X; 2352-1538
• DOI: 10.1016/j.est.2022.105932

The goal of this study is to improve the performance of lead-acid batteries (LABs) 12 V–62 Ah in terms of electrical capacity, charge acceptance, cold cranking ampere (CCA), and life cycle by using novel ionic liquid (IL) based on the imidazole nucleus. The working electrode was a lead‑calcium (Pb-Ca) alloy. The IL compound (1-octyl-3-propyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium tetrafluoroborate) was chosen, for the first time, as a battery electrolyte additive. The electrical capacity increased from 78.95 to 100.98 % in the presence of IL inhibitor. Furthermore, by increasing the current from 14.06 to 16.12 at a given temperature and voltage, the battery's ability to receive and store energy increased. Also, a rise in the (CCA) by not having the voltage collapse and falling below 7.2 V after 30 s of exposure to the discharge current at 255 K. The number of charging and discharging cycles increased from 113 to 133, extending the life of the battery. Several studies, including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), electrochemical frequency modulation (EFM), potentiodynamic polarization (PP), and cyclic voltammetric (CV) analysis, were used to characterize the cells' electrochemical properties. The mechanism for corrosion reduction was adsorption of the IL inhibitor particles on the lead alloy's surface, forming a layer that covered the surface and closed the centers, preventing the sulfate anion attack. [Display omitted] •A novel IL compound (1-octyl-3-propyl-1H-imidazol-3-ium tetrafluoroborate) was prepared and employed as an electrolyte additive in a LAB.•The inclusion of the novel IL compound in the electrolyte significantly improved capacity, charge acceptance, cold cranking ampere, and the life cycle of the battery.•The effect of adding a novel IL compound on minimizing the corrosion rate of battery electrodes was investigated.