Lead Plating Processes and Their Application in Lightweight Grids for Lead-Acid Batteries

The “light weight and high energy” of lead-acid battery requires the development of light metal coated with lead instead of pure lead grid. Fluoroboric acid system, sulfamic acid system, citric acid system and methane sulfonic acid system can be applied in the process of lead/tin plating on the surface of light metal. The fluoride in the residual solution of fluoroboric acid system is difficult to be removed to meet the national standard. Sulfamic acid can form lead sulfate precipitation easily, and the stability of the bath and the quality of the coating will be affected. The high current density of citric acid system exerts great influence on the lead content of the coating; methane sulfonic acid system can work under high current density, and the wastewater treatment is reliable. The light-weight lead-plated grid material, coating lead or lead-tin alloy on low density copper, aluminum and carbon foam, plays an important role in the development of lightweight and high-energy technology in lead-acid batteries.