Method of making negative battery plates

Abstract

Abstract A negative battery plate is constructed from a light weight, non-conductive grid by providing the grid with an initial minimal degree of conductivity and then pasting the grid with relatively non-conductive metal oxide battery paste. The minimal conductivity of the grid is utilized to initiate the conversion of the metal oxide paste to the elemental metal by electrolysis in a suitable electrolyte. The grid may contain only a single conductive lug in contact with the paste or may additionally contain one or more wires connected to the lug and passing through the interior of the grid. Alternatively, a thin coating of the elemental metal may be deposited on the grid before application of the paste. In accordance with another embodiment, an inert grid filled with oxide paste may be converted to metal by pressing a separable conductive member against the grid and battery paste during electrolysis. The minimal conductivity of the freshly prepared plate is sufficient to initiate the electrolysis, and the reaction rate accelerates as the conversion to metal proceeds, due to the progressively increasing conductivity of the plate.

Inventors

• 👤 W Scholle

Bibliographic Details