Battery Technology Reference · Materials · Last reviewed 2026-09-16
| Lead-acid | Lithium-ion | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive electrode | Lead dioxide paste (see lead oxide) | Cathode powder — NMC, LFP (see cathode & anode) |
| Negative electrode | Sponge lead on alloy grids | Graphite (with silicon blends emerging) |
| Electrolyte | Sulfuric acid (see specific gravity) | Lithium salt in organic solvent |
| Separator | Microporous polymer/glass mat | Polymer film (see separator) |
| Structure | Lead grid (see plate & grid) | Copper/aluminium foil current collectors |
The electrodes' materials set the voltage and the energy per kilogram; everything else — grids, foils, separators, additives — engineers the material's limits (see additives). That is why battery development is mostly materials development: a better cathode or a carbon additive changes the product more than any assembly detail.
Materials also decide cost and geopolitics: lead-acid's materials are cheap, recyclable and abundant; lithium's include nickel, cobalt and lithium itself, whose prices move markets (see lithium prices and recycling). The material map is therefore also the cost map and the supply-risk map.
My read: The materials map is the cleanest way to understand any battery — chemistry sets the electrodes, electrodes set voltage and energy, and cost and supply follow the materials — which is why materials, not brands, are the analytical starting point.
Why: Everything downstream is engineering around the material set. The analyst who knows the map reads battery news, price moves and product claims correctly — each maps back to a material, a cost and a supply chain.
My editorial view, not a purchasing guarantee.
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