Abstract A nickel electrode for an alkaline electrolyte battery is shown to incorporate electrochemically active nickel material secured to an electrically conductive substrate and to have an electrochemically active substance such as silver oxide, manganese dioxide or ferric hydroxide of more positive electrochemical potential than the active nickel material dispersed in the active nickel material for retarding the evolution of oxygen at the electrode during charging of the battery. The nickel electrode is made by mixing particles of the active nickel material in its charged state together with particles of a fusible binder and with particles of the material of more positive electrochemical potential, the latter material being in its discharged state. This particulate mixture is then spread upon an electrically conductive substrate and is heated to fuse the binder particles for securing the other mixture particles to each other and to the substrate to form a porous electrode structure.
A positive electrode as set forth in claim 1 wherein said active material particles are secured in electrically conductive relation to each other and to said substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
28 words
A positive electrode as set forth in claim 1 wherein said particulate materials substantially surround said substrate for shielding said substrate from the electrolyte in a battery system.
Claim 3
Independent Claim
112 words
A method for making a positive nickel electrode for use in an alkaline electrolyte battery system comprising the steps of uniformily mixing electrochemically active particulate nickelic hydroxide together with a discrete electrochemically active particulate material selected from the group consisting of silver oxide (Ag2O), manganese dioxide (MnO2) and ferric hydroxide (Fe(OH)3) and with particles of a fusible plastic binder for dispersing said binder particles and said last named electrochemically active particles in said active nickelic hydroxide particles, spreading said particulate mixture on a foraminous electricAlly conductive substrate, and heating said particulate mixture for fusing said binder particles to said active material particles and to said substrate to form a porous electrode structure.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A method as set forth in claim 4 wherein said particulate materials are compacted prior to heating for substantially surrounding the surfaces of said substrate to form a porous electrode structure.