Electrode Designs for High Energy Density, Efficiency, and Capacity in Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries

A secondary alkaline battery comprising:

• an anode;
• and
• a cathode, wherein the cathode comprises:
• a current collector;
• and
• a cathode mixture electrically coupled to the current collector, wherein the cathode mixture comprises:
• manganese oxide (MnO2);
• a metal compound comprising:
• tin, a salt of tin, aluminum, a salt of aluminum, iron, a salt of iron, magnesium, a salt of magnesium, vanadium, a salt of vanadium, or any combination thereof;
• a bismuth compound comprising bismuth, a salt of bismuth, or any combination thereof;
• and
• a conductive carbon.

A battery comprising an electrode comprising

• a metal substrate that is at least partially plated by copper, a copper alloy, or any combination thereof;
• a positive electrode comprising a cathode material, wherein the cathode material comprises a manganese compound and a bismuth compound;
• a negative electrode comprising an anode material, wherein the anode material comprises zinc, a zinc compound, or any combination thereof;
• an alkaline electrolyte;
• and
• a polymeric separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode;
• wherein the metal substrate is permeable to the alkaline electrolyte on a side of the metal substrate facing the polymeric separator, and wherein the metal substrate is in electrical contact with either the cathode material or the anode material.