Inverse charging as a means of reversing sulfation degradation in pure lead electrodes and in lead-acid (PbA) batteries is explored. Experiments on lightly sulfated pure lead electrodes show reductions in lead sulfate crystal size, with associated capacity and surface area increases. Inverse charging on moderately and heavily sulfated electrodes failed as a result of incomplete oxidation of sulfate crystals and subsequent loss of conductive pathways. Tests on new flooded battery electrodes were conducted using lead calcium (Pb-Ca) negative grid alloys and either lead-calcium-tin (Pb-Ca-Sn) or lead-antimony (Pb-Sb) positive electrodes. Results indicate that inverse charging yields discharge capacity growth on negative electrodes when coupled with tin-based positives, whereas PbCa- Sn positives are seen to suffer dramatic capacity declines, presumably due to tin dissolution and associated grid to active material connectivity losses. Inverse charging of Pb-Sb positive electrodes yields sustained capacity improvements. The longevity of electrode capacity improvements must be investigated. (C) 2016 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.