Argonne National Laboratory and RSR Technologies and East Penn Manufacturing have agreed to work together under a standard US government cooperative research and development agreement. The agreement has already started and the collaboration period will run over two phases for 15 months. 

RSR and East Penn to use Argonne’s state-of-the-art analytic technologies to accelerate lead battery research.

Tests undertaken will investigate the fundamental transport processes in lead batteries using a variety of characterization techniques available at Argonne. Scientists at Argonne who will be assigned to the project have extensive experience in synchrotron X-ray techniques, in particular for characterizing materials under controlled electrochemical conditions.

It will involve the fabrication of model electrodes and the utilization of high energy X-ray techniques, high resolution three dimensional imaging and other technologies.

“We’ve known for years that the core limitation is the utilization of lead inside the batteries. Lead based technology has significant unused performance potential that can be tapped by improving active material utilization inside the battery,” said Timothy Ellis, president of RSR Technologies in Dallas, Texas.

“The lead battery industry has not had enough access to the right analytic tools to thoroughly investigate this phenomenon. This new collaboration will enable us to use Argonne’s technical facilities so that we hopefully will uncover what has been unknown for many years.”

Bob Flicker, chief operating officer of East Penn said “We look forward to discovering new improvements in the electrochemical efficiencies that will help us even better serve a power-hungry market.”