Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Takashi Ebihara

Kohji Yuasa

Akiko Miyahara

Susumu Kikuyama

Xianglong Wang

An alkaline storage battery which is excellent in charge and discharge cycle life characteristics and high-rate discharge characteristics is provided by constructing it using an electrode made of an MmNi type hydrogen-absorbing alloy powders having modified surface. The alkaline storage battery comprises a negative electrode made using a hydrogen-absorbing alloy in the form of powders comprising at least one rare earth element, nickel and at least one transition metal in which the surface portion of the alloy has nickel in metallic state exposed at the surface, pores positioned between the nickel and the nickel, and a nickel-rich layer present on the alloy surface contacting with the pores, a positive electrode made using a metal oxide, a separator, and an alkaline electrolyte.

Hydrogen-absorbing alloy for battery, method for producing the same, and alkaline storage battery using the same

The present invention provides an alkaline storage battery excellent in high-rate charge and discharge characteristics, and a hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode suitable for the battery and a method for producing the same. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy is preferably produced by wet grinding in water a hydrogen-absorbing alloy having at least one rare earth element, nickel and at least one transition metal element, treating the resulting alloy powders in an aqueous alkali solution, and then consecutively treating the powders in an acidic aqueous solution. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy powders have a structure of a nickel-condensed layer being exposed and have many pores.

Alkaline storage battery, hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode and method for producing the same

The present invention provides an alkaline storage battery excellent in high-rate charge and discharge characteristics, and a hydrogen-absorbing alloy electrode suitable for the battery and a method for producing the same. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy is preferably produced by wet grinding in water a hydrogen-absorbing alloy comprising at least one rare earth element, nickel and at least one transition metal element, treating the resulting alloy powders in an aqueous alkali solution, and then consecutively treating the powders in an acidic aqueous solution. The hydrogen-absorbing alloy powders have a structure of a nickel-condensed layer being exposed and have many pores.

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Kamakura, Japan

Takashi Ebihara