Manufacture of galvanic elements having lithium or calcium electrodes

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I claim: 1.
A method of manufacturing electrodes of lithium or calcium metal for galvanic elements, comprising the steps of immersing the electrode metal in an atmosphere of gas which reacts with the electrode metal to form upon the metal surface a thin, continuous, non-hygroscopic covering layer, and thereafter using the metal in an electrode.
2.
The method of claim 1 wherein the gas is sulfur dioxide.
3.
The method of claim 1 wherein the gas is sulfur hexafluoride.
4.
The method of claim 1 wherein the gas is carbon dioxide.
5.
The method of claim 1 wherein the atmosphere includes an inert gas in addition to the gas which forms the covering layer.
6.
The method of claim 1, wherein the metal is heated while immersed in the atmosphere.
7.
The method of claim 1, wherein the metal is removed from the atmosphere after immersion and before being used in the electrode.
8.
The electrode made by the method of claim 1.
9.
The method of claim 5, wherein the metal is shaped into the electrode shape in a dry gas before being immersed into the atmosphere.
10.
The method of claim 5, wherein the electrode is incorporated into a galvanic element.
11.
The method of claim 6, wherein the metal is shaped into the electrode shape after removal from the atmosphere.
12.
The method of claim 10, wherein the incorporating is carried out before the covering layer separates from the metal.




Description:
The invention relates to a method of manufacturing galvanic elements having negative electrodes of lithium or calcium.
The development of lithium cells, particularly, has led to several primary systems ready for production.
However, these primary elements have theretofore not found significant use.
A principal obstacle to their application on a large scale is their high price which is attributable in large measure to their high manufacturing costs.
In comparison with the manufacturing methods used for conventional primary systems, such as zinc manganese dioxide or zinc/mercury oxide, the manufacture of cells with lithium electrodes requires a new technology