Electric Fuel (e.f.l.) Ltd.

Inna Gektin

Jonathan Goldstein

Menachem Givon

Yehuda Harats

Yachin Yarchi

The invention provides a process for removing discharged active zinc-containing material from a mechanically rechargeable zinc battery anode, containing the same, the anode being of the type comprising a skeletal frame, including conductive metal and having a portion of a surface area thereof formed as open spaces, and an active zinc anode component compacted into a rigid static bed of active anode material encompassing the skeletal frame, and having two opposite major surfaces, the process comprising introducing the anode between a pair of spaced-apart first and second crusher plates, each of the crusher plates being provided with a plurality of pointed projections of varying heights and a plurality of recesses of varying depths, the crusher plates being aligned with each other to the effect that tips of projections of the first crusher plate substantially mutually occlude with recesses provided on the second crusher plate and tips of projections of the second crusher plate substantially mutually occlude with recesses provided on the first surface; abruptly reducing the space between adjacent crusher plates said anode bed; moving said crusher plates away from said deformed anode bed and then displacing said deformed bed, along at least a first axis, by at least half the distance between adjacent projection tips of at least one of said crusher plates; again abruptly reducing the space between adjacent crusher plates; and repeating the last two steps until the fragmentation of the bed and the dislodgement of the resulting fragmented particles from the skeletal frame are achieved.

Recharging of zinc batteries

An electrochemically prepared, high-performance, zinc powder has an apparent density of about 0.2-2 g/cc and a surface area of about 0.5-6 m.sup.2 /gm and further has at least one corrosion inhibitor metal intrinsically alloyed therein.

High performance zinc powder and battery anodes containing the same

A process for the preparation of an alkaline-zinc slurry for use in batteries, the slurry comprising an admixture of (a) at least partly oxidized zinc; (b) an aqueous solution of at least one Group Ia metal; and (c) an inorganic or organic inhibitor. The process includes the steps of electrolyzing the admixture in a cell with a corrosion-resistant anode and a non-zinc-adherent cathode such that the zinc deposits on the cathode self-detach or are removed until no more than a preselected amount of zinc remains in the solution, provided that the current density at the cathode is preselected so that the electrowon zinc will have, after homogenizing into particles, a density within the range 0.2-2.0 g/cc and a surface area within the range 0.5-6.0 m.sup.2 /g; removing zinc from the cathode and homogenizing it into particles; and combining the homogenized zinc particles with additional aqueous Group Ia metal hydroxide and optionally with other makeup components selected from the group consisting of water and inhibitor to form a charged slurry.

Growing community of inventors

Jerusalem, Israel

Inna Gektin