Abstract:
An improved alkali metal/mixed metal oxide electrochemical cell capable of delivering high current pulses, rapidly recovering its open circuit voltage and having high current capacity, is described. The stated benefits are realized by dissolving a carbon oxide such as CO2 in the electrolyte.
Abstract:
A method for preparing an electrode component comprises mixing an electrode active material in a water-based environment with the aid of surfactants. A preferred embodiment of this process comprises combining a high surface area carbonaceous cathode active material (10) with a water/surfactant mixture (14) and then adding a fluoro-polymer as the binder material to the slurry. The resulting paste (16) is processed and formed into the cathode material. This process replaces the use of isopropyl alcohol with the water/surfactant mixture as the solvent. Preferred surfactants include those of the polyglycol family.
Abstract:
A method for preparing a cathode having as active material silver vanadium oxide formed by chemical addition, reaction or otherwise intimate contact of elemental silver and a vanadium-containing compound present in an anhydrous mixture, is described. The present invention provides alternate preparation techniques for improving chemical control in the formation of a cathode for incorporation into an electrochemical cell.
Abstract:
A method of forming flexible electrodes, preferably cathodes, is described. The method involves casting a slurry of an electrode active material, preferably mixed with a binder material and a conductive diluent, to a conductive substrate followed by pressing the laminate. The conductive substrate can be roughened or etched using an acid solution, or the substrate can be used in a cleaned but untreated condition. The thusly produced cathodes are useful for discharge in alkali metal, nonaqueous electrochemical cells.
Abstract:
A medical grasper device (10) that is useful for holding and manipulating a body organ is described. The grasper device is partially inserted into a body cavity and comprises a flexible strap (14) having a distal section (18) that is deployed from a tube (12) to form a partial closed loop (2). A terminal end of the strap has an aperture (42) that is manipulated by a separate forceps-type device to mate with a connection means (56) provided on the grasper device to complete the loop. The closed loop is then adjustable in size to provide for positioning the loop at a desired location around the target body organ to hold and manipulate the body organ. At such time as the grasper device is no longer needed in the surgical procedure, the strap is either removed from the connection means with the aforementioned forceps-type device or is cut by a separate cutting means to release the loop from the body organ and the grasper device is removed from the body cavity.
Abstract:
A fabric separator (10) woven from synthetic halogenated polymeric fibers for use in an electrochemical cell (18) comprising a Group IA, IIA and IIIB metal anode (12) and a depolarizer/catholyte or a solid cathode/electrolyte system (14), is described. The separator (10) is resistant to the highly oxidizing components present in the cell, is tear-resistant and has a reduced thickness to minimize the diminishing effect of the separator on the volumetric amount of active components in the cell. The separator can be used by itself or as a laminate with a microporous film, preferably made of a fluoropolymer fiber.
Abstract:
An electrode component for an electrochemical cell is described wherein the electrode is produced by thermal spraying an electrode active material onto a substrate to coat the substrate. Suitable thermal spraying processes include chemical combustion spraying and electrical heating spraying, using both wire and power processes.
Abstract:
A cell (110) construction that makes use of unbalanced electrode components or portions (128 and 130) comprising one of the electrodes of an electrochemical cell to provide an end-of-life indication, is described. The unbalanced electrode components (128 and 130) can have dissimilar physical dimensions or dissimilar percent loading of electrode active material. This renders the one dissimilar electrode component having the lesser physical dimension, i.e., lesser surface area or thickness (128) or lesser quantity of electrode active material electrochemically unreactive prior to the other electrode component during the course of cell discharge. Upon the early exhaustion or unreactiveness of the one dissimilar electrode component (128), the total cell interelectrode working capacity is reduced by a predetermined factor. The remaining functional electrode component (130) provides the cell with sufficient capacity for electrical discharge at a predetermined lower energy level.
Abstract:
A high pulse power electrochemical cell comprising an alkali metal-aluminum alloy anode, a nickel anode current collector, a calendared mixed metal oxide cathode active material pressed onto a cathode current collector comprising aluminum and a nonaqueous electrolytic solution, is described. The electrolytic solution preferably comprises at least one ion-forming alkali metal salt of hexafluorophosphate with the alkali metal salt being similar to the alkali metal comprising the anode. Lithium is the preferred alkali metal. This cell system produces high current pulses and can be housed in a casing having a reduced volume with respect to conventional electrochemical systems. Additionally, the anode/electrolytic solution exhibits reduced voltage delay without comprising heat dissipation.
Abstract:
A method for manufacturing electrochemical cells having a low electrochemical surface from standard electrodes used in cells having a high electrochemical surface, includes configuring the standard electrodes by folding one or more of the standard electrodes to reduce the overall length, and hence the electrochemical surface area to a fraction of that of the unfolded standard electrode. A cell stack is assembled by placing the folded electrode and a standard electrode, or alternatively a folded cathode (21) and a folded anode (17), in a face-to-face relationship with a separator (25) therebetween.