Metal-air cathode and cell having a hardened current collecting substrate

Claim 2

A current collecting substrate in an air cathode of an electrochemical metal air cell having a metal anode, comprising: (a) a metal structure the metal structure being capable of being connected to electrical circuitry, the structure having been hardened by one of the steps of sandblasting, shotblasting, plastic deformation of the structure at a temperature less than the recrystallization temperature range of the metal thereof, and heating the structure to above the transformation temperature of the metal thereof followed by quenching the structure to a temperature below the transformation temperature of the metal thereof, the hardened metal structure being selected from the group consisting of a metal screen, a planar metal member having at least one hole suitable for air ingress disposed therethrough, a woven nickel cross bonded screen, an expanded nickel screen, a support structure comprising a plurality of wires, and a planar support structure comprising a plurality of interconnected member.

Claim 3

The current collecting substrate of claim 1, wherein the metal-air cell thereof is a button cell.

Claim 4

The current collecting substrate of claim 1, wherein the metal anode thereof comprises zinc.

Claim 5

The current collecting substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate is made of metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, Nickel 200, silver, cobalt, titanium, copper, gold, palladium, platinum, steel, stainless steel, and plating-substrate combinations and alloys thereof.

Claim 6

The current collecting substrate of claim 1, wherein the substrate has disposed thereupon a catalytically active layer comprising activated carbon and manganese dioxide, the catalytically active layer being impregnated with an alkaline electrolyte.

Claim 7

The current collecting substrate of claim 5, wherein the substrate and the catalytically active material are interposed between a porous barrier layer and an hydrophobic polymeric air diffusion layer.

Claim 8

The current collecting substrate of claim 1, wherein the metal structure thereof is a metal screen comprising wire having a diameter between about 0.002 and about 0.015 inches.

Claim 9

An electrochemical metal-air button cell, comprising: (a) an electrically conductive cathode container having an inner sidewall and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having at least one air ingress hole projecting therethrough; (b) an electrically conductive anode container having an outer sidewall; (c) a metal anode disposed within the anode container; (d) an electrically insulative sealing grommet disposed tightly between the outer sidewall of the anode container and the inner sidewall of the cathode container, the grommet preventing the passage of electrical current therebetween, the grommet further having a bottom edge disposed between the outer sidewall of the anode container and the inner sidewall of the cathode container, and (e) a disc-shaped air cathode having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface being in close proximity to the bottom inner surface of the cathode container, the outer peripheries of the top and bottom surfaces being compressed between the bottom edge of the sealing grommet and the bottom inner surface of the cathode container, the top surface being in close proximity to the metal anode, comprising: (i) a disc-shaped metal screen having an outer peripheral edge and capable of being connected to electrical circuitry, and (ii) a catalytically active layer impregnated with alkaline electrolyte disposed upon the screen, wherein the outer peripheral edge of the screen is in physical and electrical contact with the inner sidewall of the cathode container, the screen having been hardened by one of the steps of sandblasting, shotblasting, plastic deformation of the screen below the recrystallization temperature range of the metal thereof, and heating the screen to above the transformation temperature of the metal thereof followed by quenching the screen below the transformation temperature of the metal thereof.

Claim 10

An electrochemical metal-air button cell, comprising: (a) an electrically conductive cathode container having an inner sidewall and a bottom surface, the bottom surface having at least one air ingress hole projecting therethrough; (b) an electrically conductive anode container having an outer sidewall; (c) a metal anode disposed within the anode container; (d) an electrically insulative sealing grommet disposed tightly between the outer sidewall of the anode container and the inner sidewall of the cathode container, the grommet preventing the passage of electrical current therebetween, the grommet further having a bottom edge disposed between the outer sidewall of the anode container and the inner sidewall of the cathode container, and (e) a disc-shaped air cathode having a top surface and a bottom surface, the bottom surface being in close proximity to the bottom inner surface of the cathode container, the outer peripheries of the top and bottom surfaces being compressed between the bottom edge of the sealing grommet and the bottom inner surface of the cathode container, the top surface being in close proximity to the metal anode, comprising: (i) a disc-shaped metal screen having an outer peripheral edge and capable of being connected to electrical circuitry, and (ii) a catalytically active layer impregnated with alkaline electrolyte disposed upon the screen, wherein the outer peripheral edge of the screen is in physical and electrical contact with the inner sidewall of the cathode container, the screen having been hardened by one of the steps of sandblasting, shotblasting, plastic deformation of the screen below the recrystallization temperature range of the metal thereof, and heating the screen to above the transformation temperature of the metal thereof followed by quenching the screen below the transformation temperature of the metal thereof.

Claim 11

The electrochemical metal-air button cell of claim 8, wherein the metal screen comprises metal selected from the group consisting of nickel, Nickel 200, silver, cobalt, titanium, copper, gold, palladium, platinum, steel, stainless steel, and plating-substrate combinations and alloys thereof.

Claim 12

A current collecting substrate in an air cathode of an electrochemical metal air cell having a metal anode, comprising: (a) a metal structure capable of being connected to electrical circuitry, the structure having been hardened by one of the steps of sandblasting, shotblasting, plastic deformation of the structure at a temperature less than the recrystallization temperature range of the metal thereof, and heating the structure to above the transformation temperature of the metal thereof followed by quenching the structure to a temperature below the transformation temperature of the metal thereof, such that the metal structure provides the advantage of additional volume for more electrochemically active material.

Claim 13

A current collecting substrate in an air cathode of an electrochemical metal air cell having a metal anode, comprising: (a) a metal structure capable of being connected to electrical circuitry, the structure having been hardened by one of the steps of sandblasting, shotblasting, plastic deformation of the structure at a temperature less than the recrystallization temperature range of the metal thereof, and heating the structure to above the transformation temperature of the metal thereof followed by quenching the structure to a temperature below the transformation temperature of the metal thereof, such that the metal structure provides the advantage of additional volume for more electrochemically active material.

Claim 14

The current collecting substrate of claim 10, wherein the metal-air cell thereof is a button cell.

Claim 15

The current collecting substrate of claim 10, wherein the substrate has disposed thereupon a catalytically active layer comprising activated carbon and manganese dioxide, the catalytically active layer being impregnated with an alkaline electrolyte.

Claim 16

The current collecting substrate of claim 10, wherein the metal structure thereof is a metal screen comprising wire having a diameter between about 0.002 and about 0.015 inches.