Method for restoring the lost capacity of nickel batteries and batteries formed thereby
First Claim
1. A method for making a battery which includes a nickel positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte, said nickel positive electrode having an initial capacity less than a theoretical capacity, C, of said battery, comprising the step ofcycling said battery at least 10 times, each cycle including both a discharging step during which the amount of charge withdrawn from the battery, qD, is greater than or equal to about 5 percent of the capacity achieved during the previous cycle, and a charging stepin which the charging rate is greater than C/10 per hour, the amount of charge delivered to said battery during said charging step, qC, is greater than qD and is chosen so that a temperature of said electrolyte does not exceed about 30 degrees Centigrade.
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Abstract
A method for partially or fully restoring the lost capacities of nickel batteries, as well as the batteries produced by this method, is disclosed.
In accordance with the inventive method, a nickel battery is cycled at least 10 times, with each cycle including a discharging step during which the capacity achieved at the end of the previous cycle is reduced by at least 5 percent, and a charging step. The charging rate employed during the charging step is greater than about C/10 per hour. Moreover, while the ratio of the amount of charge delivered to the battery during the charging step of each cycle to the amount of charge withdrawn from the battery during the previous cycle is greater than one, this ratio is chosen so that the temperature of the electrolyte of the battery does not exceed about 30 degrees Centigrade.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. A method for making a battery which includes a nickel positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolyte, said nickel positive electrode having an initial capacity less than a theoretical capacity, C, of said battery, comprising the step of
cycling said battery at least 10 times, each cycle including both a discharging step during which the amount of charge withdrawn from the battery, qD, is greater than or equal to about 5 percent of the capacity achieved during the previous cycle, and a charging step in which the charging rate is greater than C/10 per hour, the amount of charge delivered to said battery during said charging step, qC, is greater than qD and is chosen so that a temperature of said electrolyte does not exceed about 30 degrees Centigrade.
Specification