Correlation Between the Electrochemical Activity and the Crystallite Size of PbO 2 : A Comparative Study Between the Chemical and the Electrochemical Routes

Lead dioxide was prepared by chemical and electrochemical routes. The chemical samples were obtained by dissolving lead tetra-acetate in distilled water at room temperature. The electrochemical samples were obtained by oxidizing cured plates in sulfuric acid containing different concentrations of surfactant. The discharge of the different samples in sulfuric acid showed that the capacity of the chemical electrodes is independent of the crystallite size. In contrast the capacity of the electrochemical powders decreases with the increase of the crystallite size. Thermal analyses of the different samples were investigated to show the difference between the two methods.