High energy stabilized nickel-zinc batteries with new composite nickel electrodes

The author reports on the development of a composite lightweight nickel electrode with twice the gravimetric capacity density compared to conventional sintered carbonyl nickel plates. A composite nickel electrode, designated NEC, was developed using a proprietary process. It is based on nickel-coated carbon fibers which are sintered to a lightweight strong matrix and impregnated with an active nickel hydroxide. Enhancement of specific energy for the nickel-zinc battery has been achieved. Test results on 20 Ah cells including power density scans are presented. The new composite NEC nickel electrodes offer considerable increases in the overall energy density of the nickel-zinc system up to 80 Wh/kg