What is the function of dilute sulfuric acid electrolyte in a lead-acid battery?
Acts as the electrolyte and allows ionic conduction between the electrodes
In a lead-acid cell the positive plate is lead dioxide and the negative plate is spongy lead, with dilute sulfuric acid filling the space between them.
The governing idea is that a battery needs an internal path for ions to complete the circuit while electrons flow through the external load.
The dilute sulfuric acid dissociates into hydrogen and sulfate ions, providing exactly that internal ionic path.
During discharge and charge these ions migrate between the plates, carrying charge inside the cell and taking part in the chemical reactions that store and release energy.
So the acid acts as the electrolyte and allows ionic conduction between the electrodes.
It is not the active material of a plate (that is the lead and lead dioxide), it is not the separator (a porous sheet does that mechanical job), and it is certainly not an insulator, since its whole purpose is to conduct ions.
Hence, the answer is Acts as the electrolyte and allows ionic conduction between the electrodes.
Similar Questions
The constant voltage charger helps in:
Watt-hour efficiency of a cell ________ Ampere-hour efficiency.
Which of the following is required for grouping 2 cells in parallel?
What is the resultant voltage generated by a 2-Li-Ion cell connected to one lead acid automobile battery in series
Batteries that cannot be recharged and are produced for single use are called?
Dry cell is a _______.
What is the type of cell used for building a laptop battery pack?
Which is NOT an advantage of a load cell?
If the nominal voltage of a given battery is 1.2 V, what is the type cell of used?
What happens when batteries are connected in series?
Important Questions from Cells and Batteries
- To significantly increase the maximum continuous discharge current (C-rate) a lithium-ion battery pack can safely supply, while maintaining its nominal voltage, which of the following architectural design modifications is most effective?
Which of the following statement is correct for primary cell with regards to secondary cell?
Which of the following is not a primary cell?
In dry cells, free electrons are released at:
The most common used primary cell is :
