Alkaline cell with polymer electrolyte
View Patent ↗An alkaline cell having an anode comprising zinc, a cathode comprising manganese dioxide and an electrolyte comprising polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammoniumhydroxide. The anode can comprise particulate zinc dispersed within an aqueous gel comprising crosslinked polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammoniumhydroxide polymer. Optionally, aqueous KOH can be added to the gel. The anode and cathode are desirably in the shape of a slab each having a pair of opposing parallel flat faces defining two opposing ends. The zinc particles dispersed in crosslinked polyvinylbenzytrimethylammoniumhydroxide polymer can be concentrated at one end of the anode slab with the opposing end being clear of zinc. The clear end of the anode preferably also comprising polyvinylbenzlytrimethylammoniumhydroxide functions as a separator between anode and cathode. The cathode slab comprises a mixture of particulate manganese dioxide, graphite, and linear polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammoniumhydroxide polymer. The polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammoniumhydroxide polymer functions to bind the manganese dioxide particles and also functions as electrolyte during cell discharge.
1. An alkaline cell comprising an anode and a cathode, and an electrolyte comprising an aqueous mixture comprising polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH).
2. The alkaline cell of claim 1 wherein said electrolyte further comprises potassium hydroxide.
3. The alkaline cell of claim 1 wherein said anode comprises zinc and said cathode comprises manganese dioxide.
4. The alkaline cell of claim 1 wherein said electrolyte comprises between about 0 and 2 moles potassium hydroxide per mole monomer unit of the polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH).
5. The alkaline cell of claim 1 wherein said electrolyte comprises between about 0.5 and 2 moles potassium hydroxide per mole monomer unit of the polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH).
6. The alkaline cell of claim 1 wherein said cell further comprises a separator comprising crosslinked polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH).
7. The alkaline cell of claim 1 wherein the anode comprises particulate zinc dispersed within an aqueous gel comprising crosslinked polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH).
8. The cell of claim 1 wherein the cathode comprises a mixture comprising manganese dioxide, graphite, and an aqueous mixture comprising linear polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH) and water.
9. The cell of claim 8 wherein the manganese dioxide comprises between about 60 and 86 percent by weight of the cathode.
10. The cell of claim 8 wherein the linear polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH) comprises between about 1 and 10 percent by weight of the cathode.
11. The cell of claim 8 wherein the graphite comprises between about 4 and 10 percent by weight of the cathode.
12. The cell of claim 1 wherein the anode is the shape of a slab comprising a pair of opposing flat parallel faces defining two opposing ends, wherein said slab has a continuous circumferential surface between said opposing ends, said circumferential surface defining the slab peripheral edge and thickness.
13. The cell of claim 1 wherein the cathode is the shape of a slab having a pair of opposing parallel flat faces defining two opposing ends, and said slab having a continuous circumferential surface between said opposing ends defining the slab peripheral edge and thickness.
14. The cell of claim 12 wherein one end of the anode has zinc particles therein dispersed within crosslinked polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH) and the opposing end is clear comprising crosslinked polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH) devoid of zinc.
15. The cell of claim 14 wherein the cell is assembled with the clear end of the anode juxtapositioned against an end of the cathode, said clear end of the anode functioning as an electrolyte permeable separator.
16. The cell of claim 14 wherein said clear end of the anode has a thickness between about 0.1 and 3 mm.
17. The cell of claim 14 wherein said one end of the anode comprising zinc particles has a thickness between about 2 and 5 mm.
18. The cell of claim 1 wherein said cell has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.
19. The cell of claim 3 wherein the zinc comprises between about 3.0 and 3.5 grams per cubic centimeter of total anode volume.
20. An alkaline cell comprising an anode comprising zinc and a cathode comprising manganese dioxide, and a separator comprising an aqueous mixture comprising crosslinked polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH) between said anode and cathode.
21. The alkaline cell of claim 20 wherein said separator comprises crosslinked polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH).
22. The cell of claim 20 wherein the cathode comprises an aqueous mixture comprising manganese dioxide, graphite, and linear polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH).
23. The cell of claim 20 wherein the manganese dioxide comprises between about 60 and 86 percent by weight of the cathode.
24. The cell of claim 22 wherein the linear polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH) comprises between about 1 and 10 percent by weight of the cathode.
25. The cell of claim 22 wherein the graphite comprises between about 4 and 10 percent by weight of the cathode.
26. The cell of claim 20 wherein said polyvinylbenzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (PVBTMAOH) functions as electrolyte during cell discharge.
27. The cell of claim 20 wherein the anode is the shape of a slab comprising a pair of opposing parallel flat faces defining two opposing ends, and wherein said slab has a continuous circumferential surface between said opposing ends, said circumferential surface defining the slab peripheral edge and thickness.
28. The cell of claim 20 wherein the cathode is the shape of a slab having a pair of opposing parallel flat faces defining two opposing ends, and said slab having a continuous circumferential surface between said opposing ends defining the slab peripheral edge and thickness.
29. The cell of claim 28 wherein the cell is assembled with the anode juxtapositioned against an end of the cathode with said separator therebetween.
30. The cell of claim 20 wherein said anode comprises a sheet of zinc having a thickness between about 0.1 and 0.5 mm.
31. The cell of claim 20 wherein said cell has the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.
32. The cell of claim 20 wherein the cell is discharged at a rate corresponding to a current density between about 1 and 50 milliAmp/cm 2 wherein the current density is based on the interface area between anode and cathode.