ELECTRODE STRUCTURE AND BATTERY

• US 3,767,466 A
• Filed: 01/27/1972
• Issued: 10/23/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Laszlo A. Heredy, Lowell R. Mccoy
• Original Assignee: Laszlo A. Heredy, Lowell R. Mccoy
• Inventors: McCoy, Lowell R., Heredy, Laszlo A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Curtis, A. B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Feeley, H. A.
• Application Number:
  US05/221,476
• Time in Patent Office: 635 Days
• Field of Search: 136/86 204/280
• US Class Current: 429/404
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/28 Construction or manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4214 Arrangements for moving electrodes or electrolyte
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 12/08 composed of a half-cell of a fuel-cell type and a half-cell of the secondary-cell type
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/02 Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8626 characterised by the form
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An electrode structure for use with an electrolyte wherein an electrically conductive flowing particle bed stream within a compartment of the electrode structure establishes a plurality of electrochemical reaction sites at the interface of the particles and of the electrolyte. The flowing particle bed electrode structure finds a preferred application as an electrode in a electrically regenerable system, particularly as a rotatable zinc electrode in zinc-nickel oxide and zinc-air secondary cells.

Claims

2. An electrochemical system according to claim 1 wherein both said electrodes comprise said particle-bed electrode structure.

3. An electrochemical system according to claim 1 wherein said negative electrodes is selected from lead, zinc, iron, cadmium, and tin and comprises said particle-bed electrode structure.

4. An electrochemical system according to claim 3 wherein the reactant material of the positive electrode is an oxygen containing material.

5. An electrochemical system according to claim 3 wherein said negative electrode is zinc and the positive electrode is selected from nickel oxide, silver oxide, manganese dioxide, mercuric oxide, an oxygen.

6. An electrochemical system according to claim 5 wherein said positive electrode is nickel oxide.

7. An electrochemical system according to claim 5 wherein both the zinc electrode and the positive electrode are fixedly attached to a common shaft and rotatable therewith.

8. An electrochemical system according to claim 7 wherein both the zinC electrode and the positive electrode comprise said particle-bed electrode structure.

9. An electrically regenerable electrochemical system according to claim 1 including a negative zinc electrode and a positive electrode selected from nickel oxide and oxygen electrodes in spaced-apart cooperative relation with an alkaline electrolyte, at least said zinc electrode comprising a particle-bed electrode structure wherein said shallow cylindrical container is insulated and has a substantially circular cross section and a ratio of outer diameter to axial length between 20:

1 and 200;

1, said container being divided by conductive radial members into from three to 12 compartments partially filled with substantially spherical conductive particles having a diameter between 1 and 3 millimeters and less than the axial length of the container, both faces of said container comprise electrolyte-permeable porous insulated separators having a pore size smaller than those of the particles for retaining said particles in the compartment, an axially disposed shaft means is fixedly attached to said container for rotating it at a preselected speed to provide said electrically conductive flow, and the current-collecting means in electrical contact with at least a major portion of the electrically conductive flowing particle bed includes a peripherally disposed conductive surface.

10. An electrochemical system according to claim 9 wherein the conductive particles of the zinc electrode have an outer coating of zinc over an underlying layer of cadmium.

11. An electrochemical system according to claim 9 wherein both the zinc electrode and the positive electrode are fixedly attached to a common shaft and rotatable therewith.