Nickel-cadmium battery cathode/anode/cell reactions

Another storage battery which has been developed commercially is the nickel-cadmium battery. In this cell the anode is made of cadmium and the cathode is of nickel hydroxide, which is probably in the trivalent state. The cell reaction is... 

The nickel-cadmium cell (or nicad battery) is commonly used in cordless electric devices, such as electric shavers and handheld calculators. The anode in this cell is cadmium metal, and the cathode is the Ni(III) compound NiO(OH) supported on nickel metal. The half-cell reactions for a nickel-cadmium battery during discharge are... 

The rechargeable nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cad) batteries are used in a variety of cordless appliances such as telephones, battery operated tools, and portable computers. During discharge, cadmium metal (Cd) acts as the anode, and nickel dioxide (Ni02) as the cathode. Both metals form insoluble hydroxides due to the presence of the potassium hydroxide electrolyte. The cell reaction during discharge is... 

Lead-acid, nickel-iron (Ni-Fe), nickel-cadmium (NiCd), and nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries are the most important examples of batteries with aqueous electrolytes. In lead-acid batteries, the overall electrochemical reaction upon discharge consists of a comproportionation of Pb° and Pb4+ to Pb2+. All nickel-containing battery reactions are based on the same cathodic reduction of Ni3+ to Ni2+, but utilize different anodic reactions providing the electrons. Owing to toxicity and environmental concerns, the formerly widely used Cd°/Cd2+ couple (NiCd cells) has been almost entirely replaced by H/H+, with the hydrogen being stored in a special intermetallic compound (NiMH). 

However, concerns about the toxicity of cadmium have accelerated the replacement of these batteries by nickel-metal hydride batteries, described in Section 9.3.5. In nickel-cadmium (nicad) batteries, the anode is cadmium and the cathode is an unstable nickel oxyhydroxide, formed in the unusual conditions found in the cell, and written variously as Ni(OH)3 or NiO(OH). It is generally formed together with stable nickel hydroxide, Ni(OH)2. The electrolyte is NaOH or KOH. The anode and cathode are assembled in a roll separated by a cellulose separator containing the electrolyte. The cathode/separator/anode roll is contained in a nickel-plated stainless steel can (Figure 9.10). The cell voltage is 1.3 V but the working voltage is usually nearer to 1.2 V. The schematic cell reactions are as follows. 

The positive electrode, the cathode, is similar to that in nicad cells and consists of a mixture of NiO(OH)/Ni(OH)3 and Ni(OH)2. An alloy that supports hydride formation replaces the cadmium as the negative anode. The alloy most commonly used is derived from LaNis, in which a mixture of other lanthanides replaces the lanthanum, and a nickel-rich alloy replaces the nickel, to give a general formula LnA/5. The anode is composed of an agglomeration of alloy powder. A small amount of potassium hydroxide is added as an electrolyte. The cell voltage is 1.3 V, making these cells suitable for the direct replacement of nicad batteries. The cell construction is identical to that of the nicad cell (Figure 9.10), with the cadmium replaced by metal hydride. The approximate cell reactions are as follows. 

The nickel—cadmium cell (nicad cell) is a conunou storage battery. It is a voltaic cell consisting of an anode of cadmium and a cathode of hydrated nickel oxide (approximately NiOOH) on nickel the electrolyte is potassium hydroxide. Nicad batteries are used in calculators, portable power tools, shavers, and toothbrushes. The half-cell reactions during discharge are... 

Nickel-cadmium (Nicad) batteries have an anode of solid cadmiiun and a cathode of solid nickeloxy hydroxide, NiO(OH). Aqueous potassium hydroxide is often used as an electrolyte. The reaction taking place in the cell is... 

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