In this study, the impact of graphene-doped poly(vinyl
alcohol)
hydrogels on gel-valve-regulated lead acid batteries was examined.
The gel formulations were made by adding various amounts of graphene
into the gel system comprising poly(vinyl alcohol) and sulfuric acid.
Gel formulations were subjected to an ionic conductivity study and
Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to understand ionic
mobility and material interaction, respectively. Cyclic voltammetry
(CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and potentiodynamic
polarization (PDP) were utilized to find the optimized amount of graphene
in gel formulations. Galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) techniques
were employed on a battery comprising an optimized gel electrolyte.
The battery exhibited a discharge capacity of 12.82 mAh at a current
density of 15 mA cm–2. After 500 prolonged cycles,
the battery displayed a discharge capacity of 87% at 25 mA cm–2 current density, indicating that graphene-doped hydrogels
can be a promising gel electrolyte for lead acid batteries.