Mechanism of the reduction of α- and β-PbO2 electrodes using an all-solid-state system

The mechanism of the reduction of α- and β-PbO2 electrodes has been studied using an all-solid-state system. PbO2 samples were prepared by electroformation of cured plates. HSbO3·xH2O was used as the solid electrolyte. Galvanostatic discharge and Coulometric measurements were carried out at room temperature. The capacity was determined by integration of I–t curves and the number of electrons was calculated using Faraday’s law. The electrochemical reduction of both α- and β-PbO2 proceeds in two stages. The results show that the electrochemical reduction of both α- and β-PbO2 takes place in the gel zones according to a proton–electron mechanism.