Batteries and fuel cells are popular forms of portable electrical energy sources. This article discusses the operation and corrosion problems inherent in batteries and fuel cells. Batteries are classified into two groups: primary or nonrechargeable batteries and secondary or rechargeable batteries. Fuel cells are classified into five types: phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC), solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell, alkaline electrolyte fuel cell, molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC), and solid oxide fuel cell. The article presents reactions that occur during charging and discharging of lead-acid batteries, PAFCs, and MCFCs.

This article examines constructive corrosion that occurs in power-generating devices, specifically batteries. It discusses the kinetic aspects of constructive corrosion in batteries and provides examples to illustrate how the kinetics of a corrosion process varies among different battery systems. The article illustrates the constructive roles played by corrosion at anodes in batteries through the use of a zinc anode in a mercury battery and a lithium metal anode in a rechargeable lithium battery. It also outlines the destructive role played by corrosion by illustrating shelf reactions in zinc-carbon batteries and lead grid corrosion in lead-acid batteries.

This article discusses the properties, primary and secondary production, product forms and applications of various grades of lead and lead-base alloys with the aid of several tables and illustrations. It lists the Unified Numbering System (UNS) designations for various pure lead grades and lead-base alloys grouped according to nominal chemical composition. The properties of lead that make it useful in a wide variety of applications are also discussed. The largest use of lead is in lead-acid storage batteries. Other applications include ammunition, cable sheathing, cast products such as type metals, terneplate, foils, and building construction materials. Lead is also used as an alloying element in steel and in copper alloys to improve machinability. The article concludes with information on the principles of lead corrosion, corrosion resistance of lead in water, atmospheres, underground ducts, soil and chemicals.

Many nonferrous metals, including aluminum, nickel, copper, and others, are among the few materials that do not degrade or lose their chemical or physical properties in the recycling process. As a result, these metals can be recycled an infinite number of times. This article focuses on the recycling of nonferrous alloys, namely, aluminum, copper, magnesium, tin, lead, zinc, and titanium, providing details on the sources, consumption and classification of scrap, and the technological trends and developments in recycling.

This article discusses the processing, properties, and applications of various grades of lead and lead-base alloys with the aid of several tables and illustrations. It lists the Unified Numbering System (UNS) designations for various pure lead grades and lead-base alloys grouped according to nominal chemical composition. The properties of lead that make it useful in a wide variety of applications are also discussed. The largest usage of lead is in the lead acid storage batteries (in the grid plates, posts, and connector straps). Other applications include ammunition; cable sheathing; cast products such as type metals, terneplates, and foils; and building construction materials. Lead is also used as an alloying element in steel and in copper alloys to improve machinability and other characteristics. In many applications, lead is combined with stronger materials to make structures that have the best qualities of both materials such as the plumbum series.

This article focuses on the recycling of metals including iron and steel, stainless steel, superalloys, nickel, aluminum, copper, precious metals, lead, magnesium, tin, titanium, and zinc. It provides information on the identification and sorting of scrap metals and discusses the equipment and procedures used for small-scale and large-scale scrapping operations.

Tin is a soft, brilliant white, low-melting metal that is most widely known and characterized in the form of coating. This article discusses the primary and secondary production of tin and explains the uses of tin in coating, namely tinplating, electroplating, and hot dip coatings. It presents a short note on pure (unalloyed) tin and uses of tin in chemicals. The article also covers the compositions and uses of tin alloys which include solders, pewter, bearing alloys, alloys for organ pipes, and fusible alloys. It goes on to discuss the other alloys containing tin including battery grid alloys, type metals, copper alloys, dental alloys, cast irons, titanium alloys, and zirconium alloys. Finally, it presents a short note on the applications of tin powder and corrosion resistance of tin.

This article describes the various specimen preparation procedures for lead, lead alloys, and sleeve bearings, including sectioning, mounting, grinding, polishing, and etching. The microscopic examination and microstructures of lead and lead alloys are discussed. The article also provides information on the microstructures of sleeve bearing materials.

This article reviews the melt processing and casting of non-ferrous alloys, such as nickel alloys, titanium alloys, and lead alloys. It describes the lead refining steps, namely, copper drossing, softening, desilvering, zinc removal, bismuth removal, and final refining.

Lead has been deposited from a variety of electrolytes, including fluoborates, fluosilicates, sulfamates, and methane sulfonic acid baths. This article provides a discussion on these electrolytic baths and includes information on the process sequence, equipment requirements, and applications of lead plating.

This article discusses the various heat treating processes, namely, solid-solution hardening, solution treating, solution aging and dispersion hardening, for low-melting-point alloys such as lead alloys, tin-rich alloys, and zinc alloys. Heat treating of tin-rich alloys has been practiced for bearing alloys, pewterware, and organ pipe alloys. The article reviews the principles underlying these applications.

This article focuses on the electrodeposition of indium and its alloys, such as indium-antimony, indium-gallium, and indium-bismuth, in nonaqueous indium plating baths. It also provides information on the stripping of indium plate from plated components and presents an overview of the specifications, standards, and hazards of indium plating.

The rate and form of corrosion that occur in a particular situation depend on many complex variables. This article discusses the rate of corrosion of lead in natural and domestic water depending on the degree of water hardness caused by calcium and magnesium salts. Lead exhibits consistent durability in all types of atmospheric exposure, including industrial, rural, and marine. The article tabulates the corrosion of lead in various natural outdoor atmospheres and the corrosion of lead alloys in various soils. It explains the factors that influence in initiating or accelerating corrosion: galvanic coupling, differential aeration, alkalinity, and stray currents. The resistance of lead and lead alloys to corrosion by a wide variety of chemicals is attributed to the polarization of local anodes caused by the formation of a relatively insoluble surface film of lead corrosion products. The article also provides information on the corrosion rate of lead in chemical environments.

Tin is produced from both primary and secondary sources. This article discusses the chemical compositions, production, properties, microstructure and applications of tin and tin alloys. The major tin alloys discussed here are tin-antimony-copper alloy (pewter), bearing alloy, solder alloy and other alloys containing traces of tin. Data on tin consumption in the United States is presented graphically.

Electrogravimetry is the oldest electroanalytical technique in which the element of interest is deposited electrolytically onto an electrode and weighed. This article discusses the principles involved in determining the electrolysis rate of the solution, and describes different methods for the separation of ion in the electrolyte and their corresponding instrumentation. Furthermore, it explores the various types of analysis, such as the separation and quantitative determination of metal ions and internal electrolysis, and provides a detailed account of the applications of electrogravimetry with examples.

This article presents common conventions and definitions in corrosion, electrochemical cells, cathodic protection (CP), electricity, and oxidation. Evans diagrams for impressed current CP in neutral or basic environment and galvanic or sacrificial CP, in both neutral or basic environment and acidic environment, are illustrated.

This article provides a summary of the concepts discussed in the articles under the Section “Fundamentals of Corrosion” in ASM Handbook, Volume 13A: Corrosion: Fundamentals, Testing, and Protection. In this section, the thermodynamic aspects of corrosion are descried first followed by a group of articles discussing the fundamentals of aqueous corrosion kinetics. The fundamentals of gaseous corrosion are addressed next. The fundamental electrochemical reactions of corrosion and their uses are finally described.