Improvements in Elements for Voltaic Batteries.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 25th Oct., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elements for Voltaic Batteries.
We, DESMOND GERALD FITZGERALD of 46 Loughborough Road, Brixton in the
County of Surrey, Electrician and ARTHUR HENRY HOUGH of 13 Lausanne Road
Peckham in the said County, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to as follows:-
Our invention consists in improvements in plates or elements for primary and
secondary voltaic batteries. It relates to the use of the "lithanode" mixtures
described by me Desmond Gerald Fitzgerald one (of the present applicants) in the
Specifications of Letters Patent dated 15th April 1885 No. 4671 and 17th December
1886 No. 16608.
In experimenting with these mixtures which have the property of "setting" and
thus producing dense and coherent masses which may be electrolytically converted into
peroxide of lead, we have found that when a support or contact-piece of lead or
an alloy of lead is embedded in the lithanode material so that the said material
covers or as far as possible covers the lead or lead alloy the metal is to a great
extent protected from the effects of local action.
Moreover the resulting plates or elements are in other respects far more durable and
permanent than those constructed with the ordinary materials such as red lead and
sulphuric acid in conjunction with supports of lead or lead alloy. We prefer to coat
the support electrolytically with a layer of peroxide of lead before applying any of the
mixtures above referred to.
When the lithanode material has hardened we prefer to render the surface conductive
by rubbing the moistened plate with peroxide of lead in a finely powdered condition.
We use also the mixtures above referred to in conjunction with a support of lead or
alloy of lead for the production of spongy-lead plates for use as positive elements in a
battery. The active material resulting from these mixtures and applied as aforesaid is
we find much less liable to disintegration than that obtained in the ordinary modes.
Dated this 28th day of December 1889.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Elements for Voltaic Batteries.
We, DESMOND GERALD FITZ-GERALD of 46 Loughborough Road Brixton in the
County of Surrey Electrician and ARTHUR HENRY HOUGH of 13 Lausanne Road
Peckham in the said County Electrical Engineer 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 :-
Our invention consists in improvements in plates or elements for primary and
secondary voltaic batteries. It relates to the use of the "lithanode" mixtures
described by me Desmond Gerald Fitz-Gerald (one of the present applicants) in the
Specifications of Letters Patent dated 15th April 1885 No. 4671 and 17th December
1886 No. 16608.
In experimenting with these mixtures which have the property of "setting" and
thus producing dense and coherent masses which may be electrolytically converted
into peroxide of lead we have found in the case of negative elements (anodes in
charging) that when a support or contact piece of lead or an alloy of lead is embedded
in the lithanode material so that the said material covers or as far as possible covers
the lead or lead alloy the metal is to a great extent protected from the effects of local
action.

page_text: Moreover the resulting plates or elements are in other respects far more
durable and permanent than those constructed with the ordinary materials such as red
lead and sulphuric acid in conjunction with supports of lead or lead alloy.
In the case of positive elements (cathodes in charging) we have also found that
plates constructed by applying either of the lithanode mixtures to a support of lead or
of lead alloy are when the lithanode material is reduced not liable to disintegrate and
to produce a deposit at the bottom of the containing cell as is the case with plates
made with litharge paste in the ordinary way.
In carrying out our invention we prefer to electrolytically coat the support of lead
or lead alloy with a layer of peroxide of lead before applying the lithanode mixture.
We find that this process is particularly advantageous in the case of the positive
element (cathode in charging) as it ensures a more perfect contact and adherence.
between the reduced spongy lead, and the metallic support than is otherwise
obtainable.
"
In the case of negative elements (anodes) in charging it is advantageous in
order to obviate the local action resulting in the distinction of the metallic support
and the deoxidation of the active material when the battery is not circuited, that
the coating of lithanode material (at least where it is in close proximity to the
metallic support) should be as dense and non-porous as possible i.e. that it should
contain as little as possible of the electrolyte in which the plate is immersed when
in use.
The requisite density is readily obtained by pressure and by employing a
comparatively weak solution of sulphate of ammonia when this salt is used to
produce the setting" of the lithanode material. But we have found that,
although a very dense and non-porous lithanode material in contact with the
metallic support obviates to a great extent the destruction of the latter by the
effect of local action when the material has been converted into peroxide of lead
by electrolysis, it is difficult to effect this conversion unless the material has already
been converted or partly converted before it is applied to the support or has been
rendered more conductive by an admixture of electrolytic peroxide of lead with
the said material. If however, a support of lead or of lead alloy (for instance
an alloy of lead and antimony) be embedded in lithanode material already fully,
or partly, formed, or charged, or in a lithanode material containing a certain
proportion of electrolytic peroxide of lead then the support will be protected from
the effects of local action to an extent which is dependent upon the density of the
layer of peroxide in contact with it.
In order that our invention may be well understood we give the following examples
of the best ways with which we are acquainted of carrying our invention into effect.
As applied to the production of negative elements (anodes in charging) we may
proceed as follows:-
Example A The support of lead or lead alloy preferably coated with a film of
peroxide obtained by electrolysis is further coated with and embedded in one of
the two forms of lithanode material specified respectively in the above mentioned
Letters Patent, hydraulic pressure being preferably applied in order to obtain a
high degree of density. When the material has hardened sufficiently the surface
is rendered conductive by rubbing the moistened plate with fully charged lithanode
in a finely powdered condition. The material is then "formed or converted into
peroxide of lead by making the plate an anode in a solution preferably of sulphate
of magnesia. A further layer of lithanode material of less density, may subsequently
be applied and be similarly converted into peroxide of lead.
Example B-Fully charged lithanode or electrolytic peroxide of lead in a finely
powdered condition is mixed with the lithanode material in the proportion of from
10 to 15 parts of the peroxide to every 90 to 85 parts of the lithanode material.
In this case it is necessary to employ the lithanode mixture specified in the above
mentioned Letters Patent dated 17th December 1886 No. 16,608 since peroxide
of lead is deoxidised or reduced by ammonia which gas is liberated from the
lithanode mixture specified in the Letters Patent dated 15th Apri! 1885 No. 4671
also previously mentioned.. In other respects the process is similar to the foregoing.

page_text: Example C-The lead or lead alloy support (preferably in the form of a thin
flat strip or tang several of which may be in conductive contact with each other)
is enclosed between two plates or masses of fully charged lithanode. The spaces
left between the plates are filled with a paste formed of the lithanode mixture
specified in Letters Patent dated 17th December 1886 No. 16,608 with the pro-
portion given under example B of fully charged lithanode in a finely powdered
condition and a sufficient proportion of water. The metallic support or conductor
which has been previously electrolytically coated with a film of lead peroxide is thus
embedded in lithanode of any required degree of density the layer of material between
the two plates being rapidly converted into this substance when the compound plate
is made the anode in an electrolyte of sulphate of magnesia. The plates may be
maintained in position by ebonite screws and nuts and their outer surfaces may be
grooved to augment the contact with the electrolyte.
Example D In constructing a positive element (cathode in charging) either of
the lithanode mixtures respectively specified in the before mentioned Letters Patent
may be applied to a support of lead or of lead alloy previously coated with a
film of peroxide by electrolysis. In this case it is preferable to apply only a
slight degree of pressure to the mixture before it has "set."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature, of our said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. Negative (peroxide) elements for voltaic batteries consisting of lithanode material
and a support of lead or of lead alloy embedded in or covered by the lithanode
material which is then "formed or electrolytically converted as hereinbefore
described.
"
2. The production of positive (spongy lead) elements for voltaic batteries by taking
a support of lead, or lead alloy and electrolytically coating it with peroxide of lead and
then applying lithanode material and reducing the latter as herein before described.
3. The production of negative (peroxide) elements for voltaic batteries by taking a
support of lead, or of lead alloy, electrolytically coated or not with peroxide of lead
and embedding it in or covering it with lithanode material converted or partially
converted into peroxide of lead, or having electrolytic peroxide of lead mixed with it,
the said material or the unformed part of it then being " formed as hereinbefore
described.
66
"
وو
4. The production of elements for voltaic batteries as hereinbefore described under
examples A. B. C and D.
2
1000