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US 5,611,823 AGranted
Method for fabricating a battery electrode
AssigneeElectro Energy, Inc.
InventorMartin Klein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
This invention is directed to fabrication of electrodes from electrochemically active material prepared by coating non- to low-conductive particles of a metal hydroxide or metal oxide powder with nickel using a electroless nickel coating process. The cell design and electrode formulations provide for individual operation of a vented or low pressure sealed cell and/or for operation of these cells in a stacked array in an outer battery housing.
Claims30
A method for preparing a battery electrode comprising:
- coating particles of an electrochemically active material with a sensitizing agent to produce particles having a sensitized surface;
- reacting a nucleating agent with said sensitized surface to produce particles having a surface activated for electroless deposition;
- immersing said particles having an activated surface in an electroless deposition bath;
- depositing a microporous metal layer on said activated surface to produce metal-coated particles of said electrochemically active material;
- removing said metal-coated particles from said bath and
- fabricating an electrode from said metal-coated particles.
3 more elements
A method for fabricating a battery electrode comprising:
- coating particles of an electrochemically active material with a sensitizing agent to produce particles having a sensitized surface;
- reacting a nucleating agent with said sensitized surface to produce particles having a surface activated for electroless deposition;
- immersing said particles having an activated surface in an electroless deposition bath for depositing nickel;
- depositing a microporous nickel layer on said activated surface to produce nickel-coated particles of said electrochemically active material;
- removing said nickel-coated particles from said bath;
- dry mixing a combination of said nickel-coated particles and polytetrafluoroethylene particles in a blending mill to form a mixture;
- dry rolling said mixture into a thin layer;
- dry kneading said thin layer by sequentially folding and rolling said thin layer such that said polytetrafluoroethylene particles form an interconnected network in which said electrochemically active material is embedded;
- calendaring said folded and rolled thin layer to form a substantially flat porous sheet and
- cutting a substantially flat porous nickel electrode from said porous sheet.
7 more elements
A method for fabricating a nickel electrode comprising:
- coating particles of an electrochemically active material with a sensitizing agent to produce particles having a sensitized surface;
- reacting a nucleating agent with said sensitized surface to produce particles having a surface activated for electroless deposition;
- immersing said particles having an activated surface in an electroless deposition bath;
- depositing a microporous nickel layer on said activated surface to produce nickel-coated particles of said electrochemically active material;
- removing said nickel-coated particles from said bath;
- preparing a paste of:
- a) said nickel-coated particles and
- b) a carboximethylcellulose binder and
- pasting said paste into a porous nickel foam or porous nickel plaque to form a porous nickel electrode.
6 more elements
A method for preparing a battery electrode comprising:
- coating particles of an electrochemically active material with a sensitizing agent to produce particles having a sensitized surface;
- reacting a nucleating agent with said sensitized surface to produce particles having a surface activated for electroless deposition;
- immersing said particles having an activated surface in an electroless deposition bath;
- depositing a microporous metal layer on said activated surface to produce metal-coated particles of said electrochemically active material;
- removing said metal-coated particles from said bath;
- and compressing said metal-coated particles together to form an electrode having a bulk resistivity less than about 2 ohm-cm and an electrochemical utilization efficiency of 75 percent or higher.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.