Additive for zinc electrodes

DETAILED DESCRIPTION We claim: 1.
A zinc electrode for a cell having KOH or NaOH electrolyte, said electrode containing from about 5% to about 10% by weight of Ba(OH).
sub.
2 8H.
sub.
2 O.
2.
The electrode of claim 1 wherein Ba(OH).
sub.
2.
8H.
sub.
2 O is contained in the amount of approximately 7% by weight.
3.
An alkaline cell having a positive electrode of a metal selected from the group consisting of silver and nickel and a negative zinc electrode containing from about 5% up to about 10% by weight of Ba(OH).
sub.
2.
8H.
sub.
2 O.
4.
The cell of claim 3 wherein said zinc electrode contains about 7% by weight of Ba(OH).
sub.
2.
8H.
sub.
2 O.




Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to secondary cells and is directed more particularly to alkaline electrolyte cells having at least one zinc electrode.
Because of pollution problems resulting from the various chemicals emitted by internal combustion automobile and truck engines together with several criseses in the abvailability of crude oil in recent years, there has been greatly increased interest in electric automobiles.
Because electric automobiles are powered by batteries of electromotive force (EMF) cells, there has been a parallel increase in research and development work on the various aspects of EMF cells.
Lead-acid batteries have been used in the past for powering electric automobiles and are currently in use for various dollies and vehicles used, for example, to move stock in factories.
The high weight and expense which result from providing a sufficient number of lead-acid batteries to achieve a practical range of operation for an electric automobile is presently too great to make such vehicles acceptable to the general public.
A desirable alternative to the lead-acid battery is the nickel-zinc alkaline battery.
There are, however, a number of problems with zinc electrodes.
Among these problems are slumping of the electrode, the formation of dendrites which eventually short out the separators between the electrodes, densification, material loss, and drying out