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US 5,397,658 AGranted
Edge coated anode current collector cells and methods
AssigneeRayovac Corporation
InventorThomas L. Dunham
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pre-form of an anode current collector for an alkaline electrochemical cell is plated at its edges with tin, zinc, or a combination of tin and zinc, to protect the anode current collector from chemically reacting with the anode paste, and forming hydrogen gas in the cell. The anode current collector, thus protected, is placed in an alkaline electrochemical cell with an anode paste preferably containing no mercury, without incurring deleterious swelling of the resulting cell.
Claims45
An anode current collector, comprising:
- (a) an electrically conductive substrate having a base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- and
- (b) a second metallic coating on said edges, said second metallic coating comprising material selected from the group consisting of zinc, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin.
An anode current collector, comprising:
- (a) an electrically conductive substrate having a base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides, but not on said edges;
- and
- (b) a second metallic coating on said edges, and in surface-to-surface contact with said base layer at said edges, said second metallic coating comprising tin.
An electrochemical cell, comprising:
- (a) a cathode;
- (b) an electrolyte;
- and
- (c) an anode, including an anode current collector, said anode current collector comprising
- (i) an electrically conductive substrate having a base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- and
- (ii) a second metallic coating on said edges, said second metallic coating comprising material selected from the group consisting of zinc, tin, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin.
4 more elements
A method of making an anode current collector, comprising:
- (a) selecting an electrically conductive substrate material comprising a base layer having opposing major sides, and surfaces on said major sides, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- (b) cutting out a current collector pre-form from said substrate material, and thereby creating one or more exposed edges of said base layer on said current collector pre-form, said exposed edges not being coated by said first metallic coating;
- and
- (c) after cutting out said current collector pre-form, applying a second metallic coating material in surface-to-surface contact with said base layer at said exposed edges, and thereby coating said exposed edges of said base layer with said second metallic coating material, said second metallic coating material being selected from the group consisting of zinc, tin, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin.
1 more element
A method of making an electrochemical cell, comprising:
- (a) making an anode current collector by (i) selecting an electrically conductive substrate material comprising a base layer having opposing major sides, and surfaces on said major sides, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- (ii) cutting out a current collector pre-form from said substrate material, and thereby creating one or more exposed edges of said base layer on said current collector pre-form, said exposed edges not being coated by said first metallic coating;
- and (iii) after cutting out said current collector pre-form, applying a second metallic coating material in surface-to-surface contact with said base layer at said exposed edges, and thereby coating said exposed edges of said base layer with said second metallic coating material, said second metallic coating material being selected from the group consisting of zinc, tin, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin;
- (b) assembling said anode current collector with an anode terminal, to make an electrochemical cell anode;
- and
- (c) assembling said electrochemical cell anode with electrolyte and a cathode, to make said electrochemical cell.
3 more elements
An anode current collector consisting essentially of:
- (a) an electrically conductive substrate having a base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides, but not on said edges;
- and
- (b) a second metallic coating on said edges, and in surface-to-surface contact with said base layer at said edges, said second metallic coating comprising tin.
An electrochemical cell, consisting essentially of:
- (a) a cathode;
- (b) an electrolyte;
- and
- (c) an anode, including an anode current collector, said anode current collector comprising
- (i) an electrically conductive substrate having a base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- and
- (ii) a second metallic coating on said edges, said second metallic coating comprising material selected from the group consisting of zinc, tin, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin.
4 more elements
An anode current collector consisting of:
- (a) an electrically conductive substrate having a base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides, but not on said edges;
- and
- (b) a second metallic coating on said edges, and in surface-to-surface contact with said base layer at said edges, said second metallic coating comprising tin.
An electrochemical cell, consisting of:
- (a) a cathode;
- (b) an electrolyte;
- and
- (c) an anode, including an anode current collector, said anode current collector comprising
- (i) an electrically conductive substrate having a base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- and
- (ii) a second metallic coating on said edges, said second metallic coating comprising material selected from the group consisting of zinc, tin, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin.
4 more elements
An anode current collector consisting essentially of:
- (a) a substrate having an electrically conductive base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- and
- (b) a second metallic coating on said edges, said second metallic coating comprising material selected from the group consisting of zinc, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin.
An anode current collector consisting of:
- (a) a substrate having an electrically conductive base layer having opposing major sides and surfaces on said major sides, and edges, said base layer having a first metallic coating on said surfaces of said major sides;
- and
- (b) a second metallic coating on said edges, said second metallic coating comprising material selected from the group consisting of zinc, and a composition comprising 20-25% by weight zinc and 80-75% by weight tin.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.