# US 2018/0323429 A1 · Electrode Designs for High Energy Density, Efficiency, and Capacity in Rechargeable Alkaline Batteries

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- Number: US 2018/0323429 A1
- Document ID: US20180323429A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 15/771,802
- Filed: 2016-10-28
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Earliest claimed: 2015-10-29
- Assignees: Research Foundation of the City University of New York
- Applicants: Research Foundation of the City University of New York
- Inventors: Gautam G. YADAV; Michael NYCE; Sanjoy BANERJEE
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180323429A1

## CPC

- H01M 4/50: of manganese
- H01M 4/24: Electrodes for alkaline accumulators
- H01M 4/62: Selection of inactive substances as ingredients for active masses, e.g. binders, fillers
- H01M 4/622: {being polymers}
- H01M 4/626: {Metals}
- H01M 4/74: Meshes or woven material; Expanded metal
- H01M 10/24: Alkaline accumulators
- H01M 4/244: {Zinc electrodes}
- H01M 4/625: {Carbon or graphite}
- H01M 4/661: {Metal or alloys, e.g. alloy coatings (H01M4/669 take precedence)}
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- Y02P 70/50: Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

## Abstract

A secondary alkaline battery includes an anode, a cathode, and an electrolyte. The cathode includes a current collector, a cathode mixture in electrical contact with the current collector. The cathode mixture comprises: manganese oxide, a copper compound comprising copper, a salt of copper, an alloy thereof, or any combination thereof, a bismuth compound comprising bismuth, a salt of bismuth, or any combination thereof, and a conductive carbon. The secondary alkaline battery can also include a first composition in contact with the current collector and disposed between the current collector and the cathode mixture that includes copper, a salt of copper, an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A secondary alkaline battery comprising:
an anode;
a cathode; and
an electrolyte, wherein the cathode comprises:
a current collector;
a cathode mixture in electrical contact with the current collector, wherein the cathode mixture comprises:
manganese oxide;
a copper compound comprising copper, a salt of copper, an alloy thereof, or any combination thereof;
a bismuth compound comprising bismuth, a salt of bismuth, or any combination thereof; and
a conductive carbon.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery of claim 1, further comprising a first composition in contact with the current collector and disposed between the current collector and the cathode mixture, wherein the first composition consists essentially of copper, a salt of copper, an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the manganese oxide (MnO2) is selected from the group consisting of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD), chemically modified manganese oxide (CMD), birnessite (δ) MnO2, alpha (α) MnO2, beta (β) MnO2, epsilon (ε) MnO2, lambda (λ) MnO2, and gamma (γ) MnO2.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the copper compound is copper (I) oxide, copper (II) oxide, a copper hydroxide, a copper nitrate or a copper chloride, a gliding metal, cartridge brass, phosphor bronze, yellow or high brass, manganese bronze, naval brass, muntz metal, aluminium bronze, beryllium copper, free-cutting brass, nickel silver, cupronickel, ounce metal, compositional metal, gunmetal or red brass.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the copper compound is present in the cathode mixture as a powder.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the bismuth compound is a bismuth oxide, a bismuth hydroxide, a bismuth nitrate, a bismuth chloride, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the bismuth compound is present in the cathode mixture as a powder.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the cathode mixture further comprises a binder, wherein the binder is free of polytetrafluoroethylene.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the cathode mixture further comprises a binder, wherein the binder is a cellulose-based hydrogel that is cross-linked with a polymer.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 9, wherein the cellulose-based hydrogel is methyl cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose (HPMC), hydroxyethylmethyl cellulose (HEMC), carboxymethylhydroxyethyl cellulose or hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC).

### Claim 11 (depends on 9)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 9, wherein the polymer is selected from the group consisting polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinylacetate, polyaniline, polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinylidene fluoride and polypyrrole.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the conductive carbon is TIMREX Primary Synthetic Graphite, TIMREX Natural Flake Graphite, TIMREX Dispersions; ENASCO 150G, 210G, 250G, 260G, 350G, 150P, 250P; SUPER P, SUPER P Li, carbon black, acetylene black, single walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, or graphene.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the cathode mixture further comprises a binder, and wherein the manganese oxide (MnO2) is present in the cathode mixture in a concentration of between 0-95 wt. %, the copper compound is present in the cathode mixture in a concentration of between 0-95%, the bismuth compound is present in the cathode mixture in a concentration of between 0-95 wt. %, the conductive carbon is present in the cathode mixture in a concentration of between 5-95 wt. % and the binder is present in the cathode mixture in a concentration of between 1-10 wt. %.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the cathode is a pasted electrode or a rolled electrode.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, further comprising a polymeric separator disposed between the cathode and the anode.

### Claim 16 (depends on 1)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 1, wherein the current collector is nickel, nickel-coated steel, tin-coated steel, copper plated nickel mesh, copper plated nickel foil, nickel plated copper mesh, nickel plated copper foil, silver coated copper mesh, silver coated copper foil, copper, magnesium, aluminum, tin, iron or a mesh with half nickel and half copper.

### Claim 17

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.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 17, further comprising a first composition comprising copper, a salt of copper, an alloy thereof, or any combination thereof disposed between the cathode mixture and the current collector.

### Claim 19 (depends on 18)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 18, wherein the metal compound and its salts can be in powder form or metallic form.

### Claim 20 (depends on 17)

The secondary alkaline battery claim 17, where the current collector is plated with copper, a copper alloy, or any combination thereof.

### Claim 21

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.

### Claim 22 (depends on 21)

The battery of claim 21, wherein the cathode material is selected from the group consisting of: manganese dioxide mixed with bismuth, a bismuth derivative mixed with conductive carbon, copper, and any combination thereof.

### Claim 23 (depends on 21)

The battery of claim 21, wherein the anode material comprises zinc mixed with zinc oxide and a binder.

### Claim 24 (depends on 21)

The battery of claim 21, wherein the manganese compound is selected from the group consisting of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD), chemically modified manganese oxide (CMD), birnessite (δ), alpha (α), beta (β), epsilon (ε), lambda (λ), gamma (γ) forms of MnO2, and any combination thereof.

### Claim 25 (depends on 21)

The battery of claim 21, wherein the metal substrate forms a pocket-shaped assembly, and wherein the pocket-shaped assembly encloses either the cathode material or the anode material which is in electrical contact with the metal substrate.

### Claim 26 (depends on 25)

The battery of claim 25, wherein a metal of the metal substrate is nickel, nickel plated on steel, iron, aluminum, magnesium, gliding metal, cartridge brass, phosphor bronze, yellow or high brass, manganese bronze, naval brass, muntz metal, aluminum bronze, beryllium copper, free-cutting brass, nickel silver, cupronickel, tin, tin coated steel, silver coated steel ounce or compositional metal and gunmetal or red brass.

### Claim 27 (depends on 25)

The battery of claim 25, wherein the copper, the copper alloy, or the combination thereof is plated on the metal substrate.

### Claim 28 (depends on 25)

The battery of claim 25, wherein the copper, the copper alloy, or the combination thereof covers the entire metal of the metal substrate in the pocket-shaped assembly, an inner surface of the pocket-shaped assembly, or (3) an outer surface of the pocket-shaped assembly facing the polymeric separator.

### Claim 29 (depends on 21)

The battery of claim 21, wherein the cathode material further comprises conductive carbon in the cathode material.

### Claim 30 (depends on 29)

The battery of claim 29 wherein the cathode material comprises MnO2 in an amount of 0-95 wt. %, bismuth or derivatives of bismuth in an amount of 0-95 wt. %, and conductive carbon in an amount of 5-95 wt. %.

### Claim 31 (depends on 21)

The battery of claim 21, wherein the positive electrode further comprises a current collector, and wherein the current collector is in the form of an expanded mesh, metal foam, perforated mesh, a perforated foil, or a pocketed assembly.