Recent advances on electrolyte additives used in lead-acid batteries to enhance their electrochemical performances

As the oldest version of rechargeable battery, lead-acid batteries (LABs) have owned the biggest market in all types of batteries. In spite of their mature technology, LABs still encounter some shortcomings, such as low energy density and specific energy, short cycle life, corrosion of the cathode, and poor low-temperature performance. To surmount these challenges, some tactics are put forward, one of the most efficient of which is introduction of a small dose of additives into the electrolyte of LABs. Inorganic salts and acids and also ionic liquids are vastly hired as electrolyte additives to enhance the cycle life and the electrochemical performance of the batteries. In this review paper, we aim at providing a survey on the application of electrolyte additives in LABs where the recent progresses have been made until now on the usage of these compounds in electrolytes of LABs are holistically reviewed. Lastly, the challenges and prospects of using electrolyte additives in LABs are discussed.