USA as Represented by Secretary of the Navy

Brandon J Hopkins

Debra R Rolison

Jeffrey W Long

Joseph F Parker

Disclosed are methods of making porous zinc electrodes. Taken together, the steps are: forming a mixture of water, a soluble compound that increases the viscosity of the mixture, an insoluble porogen, and metallic zinc powder; placing the mixture in a mold to form a sponge; optionally drying the sponge; placing the sponge in a metal mesh positioned to allow air flow through substantially all the openings in the mesh; heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a peak temperature of 200 to 420&#xb0; C. to fuse the zinc particles to each other to form a sintered sponge; and heating the sintered sponge in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a peak temperature of 420 to 700&#xb0; C. to form ZnO on the surfaces of the sintered sponge. The heating steps burn out the porogen.

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Bethesda, MD, United States of America

Brandon J Hopkins