General Electric Company

Fritz G Will

Leonard W Niedrach

Fred F Holub

Robert R Dubin

William L Mowrey

Heinrich J Hess

Fay W Secor

An improved oxygen sensor is provided which gives oxygen concentration readings immediately and without the uncertain delays of a break-in period. The break-in period is decreased substantially by imparting to a copper counter electrode a uniform distribution of cuprous oxide throughout its structure. More reliable performance of the sensor is achieved.

Portable oxygen sensor with shortened break-in time

An oxygen sensor having increased stability in its sensitivity is provided. The oxygen sensor includes a sensing electrode spaced from a cadmium counter electrode. An alkaline electrolyte extends between the electrodes and permits the formation of cadmium hydroxide in the counter electrode as the cell is used. An electrical circuit connects the counter electrode and sensing electrode externally of the cell. The circuit includes a resistor and thermistor network and a voltmeter. Readings on the voltmeter can be calibrated to show the concentration of ambient oxygen diffusing a polymer membrane to the sensor electrode.

Long life portable oxygen sensor with high stability

An electrode boiler containing an aqueous electrolyte is provided with a pair of spaced electrodes immersed in the electrolyte and connected to an AC power source. Each electrode comprises an electrically conductive metal substrate having adhered to one face thereof a microporous electrochemically active mass comprising a reversible electrode couple covering essentially the entire face and being present in such quantity that at least some of each member of the electrode couple is present at all times during use. The electrodes are arranged with the active masses facing each other and in contact with the electrolyte. The electrode couple consists essentially of a material which is electrochemically reversibly oxidized and reduced in response to alternating current flow therethrough from one electrode to the other; thereby allowing high current density use without promoting corrosion or erosion of the electrodes. Examples of electrode substrate materials and electrode couples usable therewith are nickel and Ni(OH).sub.2 /NiOOH, copper and CuO/Cu(OH).sub.2, and lead and Pb/PbSO.sub.4.

High capacity corrosion and erosion resistant electrodes for AC

A positive electrode for use in a lead-sulfuric acid electrolyte battery comprised of a grid supporting a layer of PbO.sub.2, said grid being comprised of an electrically conducting substrate having an adherent, contacting, at least substantially pinhole-free coating of semiconducting metal oxide, the sulfuric acid electrolyte having no significant deleterious effect on the coating and forming a non-corroding oxide with the substrate at sites of pinholes.

Positive electrode for lead acid battery

A positive electrode for use in a lead-sulfuric acid electrolyte battery comprised of a grid supporting a layer of PbO.sub.2, said grid being comprised of an electrically conducting substrate having an adherent protective at least substantially pinhole-free shield of electrically conducting material, said shield being composed of a coating of semiconducting metal oxide, or a composite of at least a substantially pinhole-free external coating of semiconducting metal oxide and at least a substantially pinhole-free coating of metal intermediate to the substrate and semiconducting oxide coating, said sulfuric acid electrolyte having a substantially deleterious effect on said substrate but having no significant deleterious effect on the shield.

An electrode boiler has a pair of boiler electrodes defining a volume therebetween to be filled with electrolyte to be heated by electrical current passage between the electrodes through the electrolyte. A porous insulating matrix is confined by a pair of porous insulating support walls between but spaced apart from said electrodes in the volume occupied by said electrolyte. The space between said walls is filled with a plurality of insulating members, thereby providing paths exhibiting increased resistance to electrical current flow relative to the electrical resistance of the electrolyte located between said electrodes and said support walls in the direction perpendicular to said support walls. The insulating members may comprise spheres, pellets or cylindrical rods or tubes made of glass, polymeric material, ceramics or the like. The space between each electrode and the respective juxtaposed support wall is free of insulating members and forms a zone of considerably lower resistance which reduces steam formation and arcing at the electrode surface.

Insulating porous matrices for electrode boilers

A pair of boiler electrodes defines a volume therebetween to be filled with electrolyte to be heated by electrical current passage between the electrodes through the electrolyte. A microporous insulating barrier permeable to the electrolyte is disposed between the electrodes to limit current flow in the electrical current path between the electrodes to a level within the maximum allowable range of the electrode material, the barrier being spaced from the surface of the electrodes at least sufficiently to prevent concentration of current on the electrode surfaces. The barrier includes channels in the vertical direction to accommodate steam removal from the electrolyte. In a particular embodiment employing concentric cylindrical electrodes having a heating space therebetween, a plurality of microporous insulating sheets spaced from each other and from each of the electrodes is disposed concentrically between the electrodes to present a high resistance electrical current path between the electrodes through the electrolyte, and a free vertical steam flow path between the concentric insulating sheets.

Microporous insulating barrier system for electrode boiler output control

An electrode is described which includes a current collector and a porous conducting substrate. The electric resistance of the conducting substrate is varied generally by a shaped structure resulting in low and high electrical resistance portions. The improved electrode increases the uniformity of electrodeposited zinc thereon.

Electrode with a graded electrical resistance substrate

A rechargeable aqueous zinc-halogen cell is described which includes a casing, an ion exchange membrane in the casing defining a positive and a negative electrode compartment, an electrode substrate in each compartment, at least the electrode substrate in the positive compartment consisting of vitreous carbon, an aqueous electrolytic solution containing a zinc salt selected from the class consisting of zinc bromide, zinc iodide, and mixtures thereof in both compartments, and halogen in the positive compartment.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-halogen cell

A dendrite-inhibiting electrolytic solution and rechargeable aqueous zinc-halogen cell containing the solution are described. The electrolytic solution contains a zinc compound, a non-ionic surfactant additive of oxaalkyl or polyoxaalkyl perfluoroalkane sulfonamide in an amount of from 0.001 to 10 weight percent of the solution, and an organic solubilizer in an amount from 5 to 50 weight percent of the solution. The cell includes a casing, a pair of spaced apart porous electrode substrates in the casing, an ion exchange membrane separator between the electrode substrates defining a positive and a negative electrode compartment, an electrolytic solution containing a zinc compound in the positive compartment, and the above electrolytic solution containing the additive and the solubilizer in the negative zinc electrode compartment.

Dendrite-inhibiting electrolytic solution and rechargeable aqueous

A rechargeable aqueous metal-halogen cell is described which includes a casing, a pair of spaced apart porous electrode substrates in the casing, a fine-porous separator between the electrode substrates defining a positive and a negative electrode compartment, an electrolytic solution containing a zinc salt selected from the class consisting of zinc bromide, zinc iodide, and mixtures thereof in both compartments, and an organic halogen complexing additive in the electrolytic solution of at least the positive compartment.

Rechargeable aqueous metal-halogen cell

A rechargeable aqueous metal-halogen cell is described which includes a casing, a pair of spaced apart porous electrode substrates in the casing, a micro-porous separator between the electrode substrates defining a positive and a negative electrode compartment, an aqueous electrolytic solution containing a zinc salt selected from the class consisting of zinc bromide, zinc iodide, and mixtures thereof in both compartments, and an organic halogen complexing additive of nitrobenzene in the electrolytic solution of at least the positive compartment.

A method is described for forming a non-dendritic zinc layer which includes providing a deposition solution containing a zinc compound and from 0.001 to 10 weight percent of a non-ionic surfactant additive of oxaalkyl or polyoxaalkyl perfluoroalkane sulfonamide, positioning a pair of spaced apart electrodes within the solution, applying an electric current to the electrodes, and depositing a non-dendritic zinc layer on the negative electrode.

Zinc plating bath and method of forming a non-dendritic zinc layer

A battery casing and a sealed primary sodium-halogen battery are disclosed wherein the casing includes an open ended inner casing of a solid sodium ion-conductive material, an electronic conductor within the interior of the inner casing, an outer metallic casing including an opening therein and a cover with a central opening therein surrounding the inner casing, fill tubes associated with the respective openings, and a glass sealing the outer casing to the inner casing. A sealed primary sodium-halogen battery has the above type of casing with a sodium anode in one casing and a cathode of a halogen in conductive material in the other casing.

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Scotia, NY, United States of America

Fritz G Will