Improvements in Storage Batteries and Methods of Preparing Electrodes therefor.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 13th June, 1899-Accepted, 15th July, 1899
[Communicated from abroad by THE KNICKERBOCKER TRUST COMPANY, a Cor-
poration organized in accordance with the laws of the State of New York,
United States of America, and having its Office at No. 66, Broadway, in the
City of New York, State of New York, U.S.A.]
Improvements in Storage Batteries and Methods of Preparing
Electrodes therefor.
I, PHILIP ARTHUR NEWTON, of the Office for Patents, 6, Bream's Buildings,
Chancery Lane, in the County of London, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement; —
This invention relates to storage batteries, and especially to storage batteries
formed of two or more cells, and the invention includes certain improvements
in storage batteries of this class, and in plates or electrodes for such storage
batteries, and certain improved methods of making such electrodes.
The especial object of the invention is to provide a battery, the plates of which
may be quickly and uniformly charged and discharged; which shall be of light
weight in relation to its electrical output; in which the imperfect contact and
sulphating between the active material and metallic supports or conductors shall
be avoided; and which shall be simple and cheap in construction and operation.
A further object also is the provision of suitable means for holding the active
material of a storage battery, and permitting the full exercise of its expansive
and contractive forces under the regimen of charge and discharge.
There is illustrated; in the accompanying drawings, a battery and plates or
electrodes embodying the structural features of the invention in preferred forms,
and these constructions will now be described, and the features forming the
invention then specifically pointed out in the claims.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of a complete battery of four cells.
Fig. 2 is a face view or elevation of a frame of simple form, which may be
used for supporting the active material.
Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3 of Fig. 2, showing the complete plate.
Fig. 4 represents an elemental portion of the form of plate which is preferably
used, especially in large cells.
Fig. 5 is a face view or elevation of a plate formed of elemental portions, such
as shown in Fig. 4.
Referring now especially to Figs. 1 to 3, A is the cell casing or containing
vessel, which may be of any suitable form and material, so as to be non-conducting,
and is divided into four cells by the intermediate electrodes B. The end electrodes
may be of any convenient form or material, but are shown as formed of plates C,
which may be lead plates faced with active material, or material adapted to
become active, s, which may be of any suitable character, but is preferably lead
oxide, such as is usually employed in storage battery electrodes, and provided with
the usual conducting lugs b, which, in this battery, are required for terminal

page_text: or
connection only. Each of the intermediate electrodes B is formed of a frame of
non-conducting material, forming a support for the active material s, the con-
struction of these intermediate electrodes, shown in Figs. 1 to 3; being as follows:-
The frame: f, forming the support, may be of any suitable non-conducting
material which will not be injuriously acted upon by the current or electrolyte,
such as hard rubber or celluloid, but which is preferably of an elastic non-
conducting material, such as well vulcanized soft rubber, to permit the expansion
of the active material, and hold it properly during contraction: This frame
preferably has a web w, which is provided with openings 1 through it, which may
be of any suitable form, but are shown as slots, and this frame is filled on both
sides flush with the frame portion f, with suitable material adapted to become
active material, and of such a character as to permit the active constituents of
a suitable electrolyte to penetrate the material throughout its entire mass, and
secure the electrical action required for the conversion of the entire body of
material into the active material of a bi-polar plate. Different materials
may be used, such as finely granulated, or electrolytically-formed
chemically-precipitated metallic lead, or various lead oxides or insoluble
sulphates, or other insoluble salts of lead, or of other metals that are readily
oxidizable and reducible, but preferably lead oxide is used, and it has been
found that litharge is a cheap and very efficient material for the purpose. All
these and similar material meet the requirements for use in the intermediate
electrodes, in that they are adapted to be rendered active by a forming or
charging current, and are finely divided materials, such finely divided materials
being necessary for the purpose of this invention, so that the active constituents
of a suitable electrolyte may permeate the entire mass, and the conduction of the
current is from particle to particle of the material, and continuous unbroken
conductors of the electrical current through the plate are avoided. The materials
may be applied to the frame in any suitable manner. A convenient and suitable
method is to form a paste of the material with dilute sulphuric acid, or other
suitable liquid, and fill the frame with it. In filling the frame with this material,
care should be taken to establish a good conducting connection of the material
on both sides of the plate through the openings 1 in the web w, and this filling
is preferably a homogeneous integral mass of material.
With the intermediate plates thus formed, and set up in the battery as shown
in Fig. 1, the battery will be set in action by filling each compartment or space
between the plates with an electrolyte to a suitable level, as shown, the electrolyte
preferably being contained or held by an absorbent material D). Any suitable
electrolyte may be used, for instance, a sulphuric acid solution, and the absorbent
material may be of any suitable character, tripoli or pumice being suitable for
this purpose. The battery is then connected in circuit with a source of electric
current, preferably of about two and a half volts electromotive force for each cell,
although this may be varied until the plates are formed and charged. It will
be understood that the battery is connected with the source of electric current
by connecting the positive and negative end electrodes of the battery to the
corresponding conductors of the charging current, and that the end electrodes.
and intermediate electrodes are connected in electrical series through the electro-
-lyte and the lead oxide or other finely divided material constituting the inter-
mediate electrodes, so that this material forms the sole conducting connection
between the opposite sides of each of the intermediate electrodes, and between
the successive cells. One side of each of the intermediate plates B is thus charged
positively and the opposite side negatively, lead oxide, if this be used in filling
the frame, being converted into peroxide of lead on one side, and reduced on the
opposite side, so as to form a bi-polar electrode. From observation of the battery,
this forming and charging action appears to commence within the mass of
material, and proceeds outward in opposite directions. The extent of peroxi-
dation and reduction depends upon the duration of the charging current. With
the proper duration of the charging current, the opposite sides of the material will

page_text: be peroxidized and reduced and charged throughout, which is desirable, as other-
wise local action may be set up in discharging the battery, and the efficiency
of the battery reduced. The action of the forming or charging current on the
end electrodes, when constructed as shown, is of course the conversion of the
materials, if lead oxide be used, into lead peroxide on one of these end electrodes,
and electrically reduced lead on the other.
It will be understood that the material forming the intermediate plates B
may be peroxidized and reduced in the battery in which they are to be used
during discharge, or that the plates may be prepared in any suitable manner
independently of such battery. It will be understood also that the frame described
is used only as a support for the mass of materials, and that the invention,
considered broadly, includes constructions in which such support is not used, the
plates being supported in the battery at their edges by any suitable means.
It will be seen that, by the use of the improved intermediate bi-polar electrodes
in accordance with this invention, perfect conductivity of the active material
is secured, as the conduction of the current between the cells is by the active
material itself, which avoids the imperfect contact which always exists between
active material and a separate conductor, and this feature, with the non-conducting
support, avoids all possibility of "sulphation" between the active material and a
conductor or support in the intermediate electrodes of a battery.
It has been found that the proper relative amounts of active material required
for the positive and negative charge are secured in an integral mass of lead oxide,
or other suitable material, by the action of the current. A light battery of large
capacity is secured by the absence of metallic plates or grids to support the active
material, and of the lugs or conductor pieces usually employed for connecting cells
of a battery, and the resistance of the cell is decreased, and waste of energy avoided,
by the perfect conducting connection from cell to cell through the active material.
Large plates may be constructed as already described and shown in Figs.
and 3,
but to afford greater freedom for expansion of the active material, plates of any
considerable size may be constructed, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 4 shows
an elemental portion of such plates, which elemental portion consists of a hexagonal
frame of non-conducting elastic material, such as well vulcanized rubber, which
is preferably formed with an interior web w0. This frame is filled with a mass
of suitable material, as in the case of the frame shown in Figs. 1 to 3. The desired
number of these hexagonal frames are then piled up together, as shown in Fig.5,
and a plate formed of the required size, and these frames are then secured and held
together by suitable means, preferably by casting round them a border, M, of
some suitable non-conducting cement, such as an asphalt compound. These plates
are then set up to form a battery in the same manner as the plates B shown in
Fig 1.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed (as communicated to
me from abroad), I declare that what I claim is;--
1. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries, having the sole
electrical conducting connection between opposite sides of the electrode formed
by finely divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to be rendered
active by the forming or charging current, substantially as described.
2. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries having an integral
mass of finely divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to be
rendered active by the forming or charging current constituting the sole electrical
conducting connection between opposite sides of the electrode, substantially as
described.
3. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries having an integral
mass of lead oxide, before forming or charging, which forms the sole electrical
conducting connection between opposite sides of the electrode, substantially as
described.

page_text: 4. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries, having an integral
mass of finely divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to be
rendered active by the forming or charging current constituting the sole electrical
conducting connection between opposite sides of the electrode, and with said
finely divided material supported in a frame of non-conducting material, substan-
tially, as described.
5. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries, having an integral mass
of finely divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to be rendered
active by the forming or charging current constituting the sole electrical con-
ducting connection between opposite sides of the electrode, and with said finely
divided material supported in a frame of elastic non-conducting material substan-
tially as described.
6. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries, having an integral
mass of lead oxide before forming or charging, which constitutes the sole electrical
conducting connection between opposite sides of the electrode, and is supported
in a frame of non-conducting material, substantially as described.
7. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries, having an integral
mass of lead oxide before forming or charging, which constitutes the sole electrical
conducting connection between opposite sides of the electrode, and is supported
in a frame of elastic non-conducting material substantially as described.
8. An intermediate bi-polar electrode for storage batteries, constructed of a
series of hexagonal frames of elastic non-conducting material, each containing
an integral body of lead oxide, or other finely divided active material, or finely
divided material adapted to be rendered active by the forming or charging current
constituting the sole electrical conducting connection between opposite sides of
the electrode, said frames being surrounded and held together by moulded non-
conducting material, such as an asphalt compound, substantially as described.
1
9. A storage battery having end electrodes of different polarity, and one or
more bi-polar intermediate electrodes, each of said bi-polar intermediate elec-
trodes having finely divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to
become active, constituting the sole conducting connection between the opposite
sides of the electrode, substantially as described.
10. A storage battery having end electrodes of different polarity, and one or more
bi-polar intermediate electrodes, each of said bi-polar intermediate electrodes
having a supporting frame of non-conducting material, and an integral mass of
finely divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to become active,
supported in said frame, and constituting the sole conducting connection between
the opposite sides of the electrode substantially as described.
11. A storage battery having end electrodes of different polarity, and one or
more bi-polar intermediate electrodes, each of said bi-polar intermediate elec-
trodes having a supporting frame of elastic non-conducting material and finely
divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to become active, sup-
ported in said frame, and constituting the sole conducting connection between the
opposite sides of the electrodes, substantially as described.
12. A storage battery having end electrodes of different polarity, and one or
more bi-polar intermediate electrodes, each of said bi-polar electrodes having
finely divided active material, or finely divided material adapted to become active,
constituting the sole conducting connection between opposite sides of the elec-
trode, and an electrolyte contained or held in a mass of absorbent material in
the spaces between the electrodes, substantially as described.
13. A storage battery having end electrodes of different polarity, and one or more
bi-polar intermediate electrodes, each of said bi-polar intermediate electrodes
having an integral mass of lead oxide before forming or charging, which con-
stitutes the sole conducting connection between the opposite sides of the electrode,
substantially as described.
14. A storage battery consisting of a containing vessel and electrodes of
different polarity, one or more bi-polar intermediate electrodes, each of said bi-

page_text: polar intermediate electrodes consisting of an integral mass of lead oxide before
forming or charging, supported in a frame of non-conducting material, said lead
oxide constituting the sole conducting connection between the opposite sides of
the electrode, and an electrolyte contained or held in a mass of absorbent material
in the spaces between the electrodes, substantially as described.
15. The method of preparing a bi-polar storage battery electrode, which consists
in passing a forming or charging current from one face to the other through a
body of finely divided material adapted to become active, and a suitable electro-
lyte on the opposite faces of said body, with said finely divided material con-
stituting the sole conducting connection between the opposite sides of the electrode,
substantially as described.
16. The method of preparing a bi-polar storage battery electrode, which consists
in filling a supporting frame of non-conducting material with finely divided
material adapted to become active, and passing a forming or charging current
from one face to the other through said finely divided material and a suitable
electrolyte on the opposite faces of said material, with said finely divided material
constituting the sole conducting connection between the opposite sides of the
electrode, substantially as described.
17. The method of preparing a bi-polar storage battery electrode, which consists
in filling a supporting frame of elastic non-conducting material with finely divided
material adapted to become active, and passing a forming or charging current from
one face to the other through said finely divided material and a suitable electrolyte
on the opposite faces of said material, with said finely divided material constituting
the sole conducting connection between the opposite sides of the electrode, sub-
stantially as described.
18. The method of preparing a bi-polar storage battery electrode, which consists
in peroxidizing one side of an integral body of lead oxide, and reducing the other
side of said body by passing an electrical current from one face to the other
through said body, and a suitable electrolyte on the opposite faces of said body,
with the lead oxide constituting the sole conducting connection between the
opposite sides of the electrode, substantially as described.
19. The use of a storage battery substantially as shown and described.
1000
NEWTON & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.