Scanning Electron Microscopy study of Macbat regeneration effect on lead-acid battery electrodes

Abstract: Electrodes from lead-acid batteries were studied using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. This to observe the effects of cycling on the batteries and how a capacity recovery process, known as Macbat regeneration, affected the active material with focus on hard sulphation. First, two new batteries were cycled for two months and electrodes from them were studied when the batteries were new, cycled, fully charged after cycling and regenerated after cycling. Then electrodes from a separate battery that had been used in industry was studied prior to and after Macbat regeneration. On the cycled batteries it was found that after the cycling of the batteries no hard sulphation were present on the electrodes. The study of the separate battery showed that the battery had hard sulphation in its electrodes and that the Macbat regeneration was able to remove hard sulphation both on the surface of the electrodes and also inside the active material.