Method of producing a lead dioxide battery plate

Claim 1

A METHOD OF MAKING A LEAD DIOXIDE BATTERY PLATE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. HEATING A CURRENT COLLECTOR COMPRISING LEAD AND UP TO 3 WEIGHT PERCENT ANTIMONY IN AN OXIDIZING ATMOSPHERE, TO FORM AN INTERLOCKING POROUS LAYER AT LEAST ABOUT 1/4 MIL THICK CNSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PBO ON THE CURRENT COLLECTOR SURFACE; B. APPLYING A POROUS LAYER OF POSITIVE ACTIVE MATERIAL PASTE ONTO THE PBO; C. CONTACTING THE POROUS LAYERS WITH SULFURIC ACID HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY BETWEEN ABOUT 1.05 TO ABOUT 1.15, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 15* TO 35*C, TO PENETRATE THE POROUS LAYERS AND TO SULFATE THE PBO AND ACTIVE MATERIAL LAYERS, FORMING A HOMOGENEOUS INTERMEDIATE ACTIVE MATERIAL MASS COMPRISING TETRABASIC LEAD SULFATE INTERLOCKING WITH THE CURRENT COLLECTOR; D. ANODIZING THE CURRENT COLLECTOR WITH THE INTERLOCKED INTERMEDIATE ACTIVE MATERIAL MASS IN SULFURIC ACID HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY BETWEEN ABOUT 1.05 TO ABOUT 1.15, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 15* TO 35*C, TO PRODUCE A POROUS, HOMOGENEOUS FINAL ACTIVE MATERIAL MASS COMPRISING LEAD DIOXIDE FIRMLY INTERLOCKED TO THE CURRENT COLLECTOR.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF MAKING A LEAD DIOXIDE BATTERY PLATE COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. HEATING A CURRENT COLLECTOR COMPRISING LEAD AND UP TO 3 WEIGHT PERCENT ANTIMONY IN AN OXIDIZING ATMOSPHERE, TO FORM AN INTERLOCKING POROUS LAYER AT LEAST ABOUT 1/4 MIL THICK CNSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF PBO ON THE CURRENT COLLECTOR SURFACE; B. APPLYING A POROUS LAYER OF POSITIVE ACTIVE MATERIAL PASTE ONTO THE PBO; C. CONTACTING THE POROUS LAYERS WITH SULFURIC ACID HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY BETWEEN ABOUT 1.05 TO ABOUT 1.15, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 15* TO 35*C, TO PENETRATE THE POROUS LAYERS AND TO SULFATE THE PBO AND ACTIVE MATERIAL LAYERS, FORMING A HOMOGENEOUS INTERMEDIATE ACTIVE MATERIAL MASS COMPRISING TETRABASIC LEAD SULFATE INTERLOCKING WITH THE CURRENT COLLECTOR; D. ANODIZING THE CURRENT COLLECTOR WITH THE INTERLOCKED INTERMEDIATE ACTIVE MATERIAL MASS IN SULFURIC ACID HAVING A SPECIFIC GRAVITY BETWEEN ABOUT 1.05 TO ABOUT 1.15, AT A TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 15* TO 35*C, TO PRODUCE A POROUS, HOMOGENEOUS FINAL ACTIVE MATERIAL MASS COMPRISING LEAD DIOXIDE FIRMLY INTERLOCKED TO THE CURRENT COLLECTOR.

Claim 10

A method of making a lead dioxide battery plate comprising the steps of: A. hetaing in air a current collector consisting essentially of at least 99.5 weight percent lead, having a relatively smooth surface, at a temperature between about 220* to 320*C for 1/2 to 100 hours, to form a porous layer on the current collector about 1/4 to 20 mils thick consisting essentially of PbO, said lead surface being pierced by wedge-like, interlocked PbO formations to a depth of about 1/4 to 3 mils; B. applying a porous layer of a lead active material mixture comprising tetrabasic lead sulfate onto the PbO; C. contacting the layers with sulfuric acid having a specific gravity between about 1.05 to about 1.15, at a temperature between about 15* to 35*C, so that the sulfuric acid permeates the layers to sulfate the PbO and tetrabasic lead sulfate material, to form a homogeneous, uniform, continuous, intermediate active material mass interlocking with the current collector, there being substantially no PbO residue to insulate the active material from the lead current collector; D. anodizing the current collector with the interlocked intermediate active material mass in sulfuric acid having a specific gravity between about 1.05 to about 1.15, at a temperature between about 15* to 35*C in a suitable container, to produce a porous, homogeneous final active material consisting essentially of lead dioxide firmly interlocked into the current collector by wedge-like, PbO2 formations about 1/4 to 3 mils deep.

Claim 11

A method of making a lead dioxide battery plate comprising the steps of: A. hetaing in air a current collector consisting essentially of at least 99.5 weight percent lead, having a relatively smooth surface, at a temperature between about 220* to 320*C for 1/2 to 100 hours, to form a porous layer on the current collector about 1/4 to 20 mils thick consisting essentially of PbO, said lead surface being pierced by wedge-like, interlocked PbO formations to a depth of about 1/4 to 3 mils; B. applying a porous layer of a lead active material mixture comprising tetrabasic lead sulfate onto the PbO; C. contacting the layers with sulfuric acid having a specific gravity between about 1.05 to about 1.15, at a temperature between about 15* to 35*C, so that the sulfuric acid permeates the layers to sulfate the PbO and tetrabasic lead sulfate material, to form a homogeneous, uniform, continuous, intermediate active material mass interlocking with the current collector, there being substantially no PbO residue to insulate the active material from the lead current collector; D. anodizing the current collector with the interlocked intermediate active material mass in sulfuric acid having a specific gravity between about 1.05 to about 1.15, at a temperature between about 15* to 35*C in a suitable container, to produce a porous, homogeneous final active material consisting essentially of lead dioxide firmly interlocked into the current collector by wedge-like, PbO2 formations about 1/4 to 3 mils deep.