Battery electrode and method for the preparation thereof

Abstract

Proposed is an improvement in the method for the preparation of a battery electrode consisting of a spongy metal sheet to serve as a substrate having a three-dimensional skeletal structure with intercommunicating open pores and an active material filling the open pores of the skeletal structure of the substrate. While the conventional process comprises the steps of imparting electroconductivity to the surface of the skeleton of a foamed resin sheet, forming a plating layer of a metal on the surface of the foamed resin imparted with conductivity and removing the resin by thermal decomposition to leave the metallic plating layer alone followed by impregnation of the open pores with a pasty active material, the improvement of the invention comprises subjecting the foamed resin sheet, prior to the step of imparting the resin surface with electroconductivity, to a low temperature plasma treatment so as to remove the spiky fragments or dendritic protrusions of the resin on the surface of the skeleton so that the impregnating work of the skeletal space of the spongy metal sheet with a pasty active material is greatly facilitated and the durability of the battery prepared by using the battery electrode is remarkably increased. Further, an additional improvement can be obtained by forming the metallic plating layer on the foamed resin skeleton having a larger thickness in the marginal areas of the foamed resin sheet than in the center area surrounded by the marginal areas.