Cominco, Ltd.

Jack Sklarchuck

Hans Rensing

Eugene M Valeriote

A method for making zinc electrodes for alkaline-zinc batteries comprising the steps of: mixing an amount of a zinc-magnesium binder alloy with an amount of a material chosen from zinc and a second zinc-magnesium alloy to form a mechanical mixture. The melting temperature of the material is at least 15 Celsius degrees higher than the melting temperature of the binder alloy. The mixture is applied to a current collector and the current collector with applied mixture is heated to a temperature at which incipient melting of the binder alloy causes sintering of the mixture with the formation of a coherent layer solidly bonded to the current collector. The compositions and the amount of the binder alloy and the second alloy are selected such that the active material in the layer of the electrode contains no more than about 15% magnesium, preferably no more than about 10% magnesium. In various embodiments, a binder alloy containing 45% to 55% Mg is eutectically sintered with zinc or a second alloy containing from &gt;0% to about 10% Mg, a binder alloy containing about 3% to 4% Mg is eutectically sintered with a second alloy containing either about 20% to 43% Mg is eutectically sintered with a second alloy containing either about 20% to 43% Mg or about 52% to 80% Mg, and a binder alloy containing either about 41% to 50% Mg or containing about 1.5% to 3% is eutectically sintered with zinc.

Method for making zinc electrodes for alkaline-zinc batteries

A negative zinc electrode for use in an alkaline battery has an active material consisting of zinc-magnesium alloy containing magnesium in an amount in the range of greater than 0% to about 15% by weight. The zinc-magnesium alloy may also contain a small amount of an additive metal that reduces the hydrogen overvoltage or an effective amount of an additive metal that increases the porosity, such as from 5 to 25% aluminum by weight of the zinc. The zinc-magnesium alloy is applied in particulate form to a suitable current collector using any one of a number of conventional methods such as die-pressing, mixing with a filler or a polymer and heating, sintering or compaction. The electrode has a cycle life longer than that of a conventional zinc oxide-based electrode, and causes little or no formation of dendrites.

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Burlington, Canada

Jack Sklarchuck