What is the function of electrolyte?
1 Answers
Electrolyte serves two main functions in a battery: firstly, it facilitates electrochemical reactions, and secondly, it acts as a conductor. Below are the relevant details: 1. In lead-acid batteries, the electrolyte enables electrochemical reactions. During battery discharge, the electrode plates absorb sulfuric acid from the electrolyte to release electrical energy. Without electrolyte, the battery cannot discharge electrical energy. During charging, the electrode plates release the sulfuric acid absorbed during discharge, restoring them to their initial state. 2. The electrolyte in lead-acid batteries also serves as a conductor. The positive and negative electrode plates of the battery are insulated from each other, and without electrolyte, a current circuit cannot be formed. The electrolyte is prepared by adding sulfuric acid to non-conductive pure distilled water. After adding sulfuric acid, the distilled water becomes a conductive medium, allowing the external circuit to connect a load between the positive and negative electrode plates. Only when a complete current circuit is formed can current flow smoothly within the battery, enabling electrochemical reactions to occur at the electrode plates during charging or discharging.