Ngk Insulators, Inc.

Yuichi Gonda

Kenshin Kitoh

Takeshi Yagi

Naohito Yamada

Junki Matsuya

Keiichi Mori

Kenji Kawamura

Seiji Hayakawa

Genta Terazawa

Naomi Hashimoto

Provided is an alkaline secondary battery including: a stacked-cell battery in which multiple single cell elements having a configuration of an alkaline secondary battery are stacked; and a box-shaped case made of resin in which the stacked-cell battery is housed vertically. The box-shaped case has a bottom, a pair of long-side walls parallel to the stacked-cell battery, a pair of short-side walls perpendicular to the stacked-cell battery, and a lid part. The lid part has a vulnerable portion having a smaller thickness than other portions of the lid part, the thickness of the vulnerable portion is 0.1 to 1.0 mm, and a proportion of an area of the vulnerable portion with respect to a total area of the lid part in a plan view is 10 to 40%.

Alkaline secondary battery and alkaline secondary battery module

Provided is a battery module including: a metal module housing that has a closed interior space; and multiple secondary batteries that have a vertically long shape and are housed vertically in the interior space and juxtaposed parallel to each other. The module housing has an upper excess space above the secondary batteries in the interior space, the upper excess space being capable of mitigating a pressure increase in the module housing due to ignition of gas generated in the event of an abnormality in the secondary batteries.

Battery module with multiple secondary batteries

An electrode-separator assembly is provided that can drastically facilitate assembly of a LDH separator-equipped nickel-zinc battery without the work, structure, or components for the complete separation of a positive-electrode chamber from a negative-electrode chamber. The electrode-separator assembly includes a positive-electrode plate, a negative-electrode plate, a layered double hydroxide (LDH) separator for separation of the positive-electrode plate from the negative-electrode plate, and a resin frame having an opening to which the LDH separator and the positive-electrode plate are fitted or joined. The positive-electrode plate has a smaller face than the negative-electrode plate. The negative-electrode plate has a clearance area that does not overlap with the positive-electrode plate over a predetermined width from the outer peripheral edge of the negative-electrode plate. The peripheral end faces of the LDH separator, and a segment of the separator adjacent to the positive-electrode plate and corresponding to the clearance area, are covered with the resin frame.

Electrode/separator layered body and nickel zinc battery equipped therewith

There is provided a secondary zinc battery including: a unit cell including; a positive-electrode plate including a positive-electrode active material layer and a positive-electrode collector; a negative-electrode plate including a negative-electrode active material layer containing zinc and a negative-electrode collector; a layered double hydroxide (LDH) separator covering or wrapping around the entire negative-electrode active material layer; and an electrolytic solution. The positive-electrode collector has a positive-electrode collector tab extending from one edge of the positive-electrode active material layer, and the negative-electrode collector has a negative-electrode collector tab extending from the opposite edge of the negative-electrode active material layer and beyond a vertical edge of the LDH separator. The unit cell can thereby collects electricity from the positive-electrode collector tab and the negative-electrode collector tab. The LDH separator has at least two continuous closed edges, provided that an edge, adjacent to the negative-electrode collector tab, of the LDH separator is open.

Zinc secondary battery

There is provided a secondary zinc battery including: (a) at least one unit cell including; a positive electrode; a negative-electrode structure including a negative-electrode active material layer containing at least one selected from the group consisting of elemental zinc, zinc oxide, zinc alloys, and zinc compounds; a LDH separator including a porous substrate composed of a polymeric material and layered double hydroxide (LDH); and an electrolytic solution; and (b) a pressuring unit compacting the unit cell to bring the negative-electrode structure in close contact with the LDH separator. Pores of the porous substrate are filled with the LDH such that the LDH separator is hydroxide-ion-conductive and gas-impermeable. The LDH separator separates the positive electrode from the negative-electrode active material layer.

The present invention provides a unit cell for a nickel-zinc battery in the form of a cell pack having positive and negative electrodes reliably separated by a hydroxide ion-conductive separator, which can be readily handled and is very advantageous for forming an assembled battery. The nickel-zinc cell pack of the invention includes: a flexible bag comprising flexible films; a separation sheet liquid-tightly connected to the interior of the flexible bag to separate a positive-electrode chamber and a negative-electrode chamber for inhibiting liquid communication therebetween; a positive electrode and a positive-electrode electrolytic solution disposed in the positive-electrode chamber; a negative electrode and a negative-electrode electrolytic solution disposed in the negative-electrode chamber, wherein the separation sheet comprises a separator structure comprising a separator exhibiting hydroxide-ion conductivity and water impermeability.

Nickel-zinc battery cell pack and battery pack using same

There is disclosed an electrode cartridge for use in a hermetic zinc secondary battery comprising a separator structure including a separator exhibiting hydroxide ion conductivity and water impermeability; a counter member liquid-tightly sealed to the separator structure so as to form an internal space and constituting an open-top water impermeable case together with the separator structure; and an electrode that is accommodated in the internal space of the water impermeable case and is a negative electrode containing zinc and/or zinc oxide or a positive electrode. According to the present invention, there is provided an electrode built-in component that can reliably isolate the positive and negative electrodes from each other with a hydroxide ion conductive separator, in the form of an electrode cartridge that is easy to handle and manufacture and that is more advantageous for assembling a stacked-cell battery, while reducing the number of sealing joints.

Electrode cartridge and zinc secondary cell using same

The present invention provides a sequential and efficient method of assembling a battery with a desired number of layers while reliably separating positive and negative electrode sides from each other with one or more separator structures. According to the invention, the method of assembling a battery includes stacking one or multiple combinations each comprising a frame and a positive electrode plate to be disposed in a region defined by the frame and one or multiple combinations each comprising a frame and a negative electrode plate to be disposed in a region defined by the frame, once or alternately, such that the positive and adjacent negative electrode plates are separated from each other by a separator structure and the periphery of the separator structure is held between the adjacent frames. The separator structure includes a separator exhibiting hydroxide ion conductivity and water impermeability.

Battery and assembly method therefor

Provided is a secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an alkaline electrolytic solution, a separator structure, and a resin container. The separator structure includes a ceramic separator composed of an inorganic solid electrolyte exhibiting hydroxide ion conductivity and optionally a resin frame and/or resin film disposed to surround the periphery of the ceramic separator. The separator structure is bonded to the resin container with an adhesive, and/or the ceramic separator is bonded to the resin frame and/or the resin film with the adhesive. The adhesive is selected from an epoxy resin adhesive, a natural resin adhesive, a modified olefin resin adhesive, and a modified silicone resin adhesive, and the adhesive exhibits a variation in weight of 5% or less after immersed, in a solidified form, in a 9 mol/L aqueous KOH solution at 25&#xb0; C. for 672 hours.

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Nagoya, Japan

Yuichi Gonda