Alkaline cell with copper oxide cathode

Abstract

An electrochemical battery cell with CuO as a positive electrode active material. The specific surface area of the CuO is from 1.0 to 4.0 m 2 /gram to provide an increase in the high voltage discharge capacity of the CuO.

The invention claimed is:  
     
         1 . An electrochemical battery cell comprising: 
 a cell container;    a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode active material;    a negative electrode comprising a negative electrode active material;    a separator disposed between the positive and negative electrodes; and    an electrolyte;    wherein the positive electrode active material comprises CuO that, when tested, has a BET specific surface area from 1.0 to 4.0 m 2 /gram.    
     
     
         2 . The cell defined in  claim 1 , wherein the BET specific surface area is at least 1.5 m 2 /gram.  
     
     
         3 . The cell defined in  claim 2 , wherein the BET specific surface area is at least 1.7 m 2 /gram.  
     
     
         4 . The cell defined in  claim 1 , wherein the BET specific surface area is no greater than 3.0 m 2 /gram.  
     
     
         5 . The cell defined in  claim 1 , wherein the CuO comprises particles that, when tested, have a D 10  value no greater than 3.0 μm, when measured by laser diffraction analysis using a unified scatter technique.  
     
     
         6 . The cell defined in  claim 5 , wherein the D 10  value is from 1.0 to 2.0 μm.  
     
     
         7 . The cell defined in  claim 6 , wherein the D 10  value is no greater than 1.7 μm.  
     
     
         8 . The cell defined in  claim 5 , wherein the CuO particles, when tested, have a D 50  value less than 50 μm, when measured by laser diffraction analysis using a unified scatter technique.  
     
     
         9 . The cell defined in  claim 1 , wherein the positive electrode comprises one or more additional active materials.  
     
     
         10 . The cell defined in  claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode active material comprises zinc and the electrolyte comprises an aqueous alkaline solution.  
     
     
         11 . The cell defined in  claim 10 , wherein the positive electrode active material further comprises manganese dioxide.  
     
     
         12 . The cell defined in  claim 1 , wherein the negative electrode active material comprises lithium and the electrolyte comprises a solute in a nonaqueous solvent.  
     
     
         13 . The cell defined in  claim 12 , wherein the positive electrode active material further comprises iron disulfide.  
     
     
         14 . A primary electrochemical battery cell comprising: 
 a sealed cell container;    a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode active material;    a negative electrode comprising zinc; and    an aqueous alkaline electrolyte;    wherein the positive electrode active material comprises particulate CuO, and the CuO has a specific surface area of 1.0 to 4.0 μm, when determined by the BET method using nitrogen, and a D 10  value no greater than 3.0 μm, when measured by laser diffraction analysis using a unified scatter technique.    
     
     
         15 . The cell defined in  claim 14 , wherein the specific surface area is from 1.5 to 3.0 m 2 /gram.  
     
     
         16 . The cell defined in  claim 15 , wherein the D 10  value is from 1.0 to 2.0 μm.  
     
     
         17 . The cell defined in  claim 16 , wherein the D 50  value is less than 50 μm.  
     
     
         18 . The cell defined in  claim 14 , wherein the positive electrode has a hollow cylindrical shape and a separator and the negative electrode are disposed within a cavity defined by an inner surface of the hollow cylinder.  
     
     
         19 . The cell defined in  claim 18 , wherein the positive electrode comprises 80 to 98 weight percent CuO.  
     
     
         20 . The cell defined in  claim 18 , wherein the electrolyte comprises potassium hydroxide and the negative electrode comprises a gellant.  
     
     
         21 . The cell defined in  claim 14 , wherein the positive electrode active material further comprises electrolytic manganese dioxide.  
     
     
         22 . The cell defined in  claim 14 , wherein the CuO is capable of providing more than 200 mAh/gram of CuO, when discharged at room temperature to 0.6 volt at a constant rate of 10 mA/gram of CuO vs. a Hg/HgO electrode at room temperature in a test cell flooded with 45 weight percent potassium hydroxide electrolyte.  
     
     
         23 . The cell defined in  claim 22 , wherein the CuO is capable of providing more than 250 mAh/gram of CuO.  
     
     
         24 . The cell defined in  claim 14 , wherein the CuO is capable of providing at least 30 percent of the discharge capacity to 0.6 volt at a voltage of at least 0.9 vs. a zinc/zinc oxide reference electrode, when discharged at room temperature and a constant rate of 10 mA/gram of CuO in a test cell flooded with 45 weight percent potassium hydroxide electrolyte.  
     
     
         25 . The cell defined in  claim 14 , wherein the CuO is capable of providing at least 40 percent of the discharge capacity to 0.6 volt at a voltage of at least 0.9.  
     
     
         26 . A primary electrochemical battery cell comprising: 
 a sealed cell container;    a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode active material consisting essentially of CuO;    a gelled negative electrode comprising zinc;    a separator disposed between the positive and negative electrodes; and    an aqueous alkaline electrolyte comprising potassium hydroxide;    wherein:    the positive electrode has a hollow cylindrical shape and the separator and negative electrode are disposed within a cavity defined by an inner surface of the hollow cylinder; and    the positive electrode active material comprises particulate CuO, and the CuO has a specific surface area of 1.5 to 3.0 μm, when determined by the BET method using nitrogen, and a D 10  value of 1.0 to 2.0 μm, when measured by laser diffraction analysis using a unified scatter technique.