Nickel-cadmium battery cell components

Lead and cadmium are used as active substances in lead batteries with up to 65% lead by weight and nickel/cadmium batteries with up to 15% cadmium by weight. Mercury is used as a passive component in R9 round cells with up to 2% by weight. 

The factors behind the excellent reliability and very long life of the nickel-cadmium batteries are the mechanically strong design, the absence of corrosive attack of the electrolyte on the electrodes and other components in the cell, and, furthermore, the ability of the battery to withstand electrical abuse such as reversal or overcharging and to stand long-time storage in any state of charge. 

An aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide is the major component of the electrolyte. A minimum amount of electrolyte is used in this sealed cell design, with most of the Uquid absorbed by the separator and the electrodes. This starved-electrolyte design, similar to the one in sealed nickel-cadmium batteries, facilitates the diffusion of oxygen to the negative electrode at the end of the charge for the oxygen-recombination reaction. This is essentially a dry-cell construction, and the cell is capable of operating in any position. 

Table 47.6 Unicn Carbide sealed nickel - cadmium batteries and cells resistance-typecharger, circuit component values fcr charging... 

Beryllium connections and contacts are employed for switchgear and relays. Beryllium oxide is used as substrata for electronic circuits. Cadmium is used in television and fluorescent light phosphors. Cadmium, nickel and mercury are employed in batteries such as "nicad" cells and mercury cells. Mercury is used in fluorescent lamps, electrical switches, and outdoor lamps, as well as instruments for measuring pressure, temperature, and density. Selenium is employed as a photoreceptor in copying machines, and as a semiconductor in rectifiers. Lead applications include lead add storage batteries, a component in color television glass, and, in its oxide form, use as a dielectric material. 

The manufacture of secondary batteries based on aqueous electrolytes forms a major part of the world electrochemical industry. Of this sector, the lead-acid system (and in particular SLI power sources), as described in the last chapter, is by far the most important component, but secondary alkaline cells form a significant and distinct commercial market. They are more expensive, but are particularly suited for consumer products which have relatively low capacity requirements. They are also used where good low temperature characteristics, robustness and low maintenance are important, such as in aircraft applications. Until recently the secondary alkaline industry has been dominated by the cadmium-nickel oxide ( nickel-cadmium ) cell, but two new systems are making major inroads, and may eventually displace the cadmium-nickel oxide cell - at least in the sealed cell market. These are the so-called nickel-metal hydride cell and the rechargeable zinc-manganese dioxide cell. There are also a group of important but more specialized alkaline cell systems which are in use or are under further development for traction, submarine and other applications. 

At the present time, a large number of spent batteries are disposed of directly into the urban waste stream without proper controls. In addition to the most common systems such as zinc-carbon, alkaline manganese and nickel-cadmium, these now include, at an increasing rate, nickel-metal hydride and lithium cells. Such disposal is of serious concern because of the possible effects of battery components on the environment. Consequently, most countries are now evolving policies for collection and recycling. The majority of lead-acid batteries are recycled, but the number of recycling plants in operation worldwide for other battery systems is still very small due to the unfavourable economic balance of such operations (see Table A3.1). Some of the procedures for the disposal and recycling of battery materials are now briefly described. 

Most of the commercial battery systems, e.g. zinc-carbon, manganese dioxide-zinc, nickel-cadmium, lead-acid and mercury button cells contain toxic substances. Strong efforts have been made to recycle these batteries, to lower the concentration of their toxic substances or to replace them with alternative systems. Nevertheless, battery production processes as well as disposal or recycling activities of spent batteries are responsible for the infiltration of a few toxic substances in our environment. The following chapters describe the toxicology of mercury, cadmium and lead, which are the most toxic components found in different battery systems. 

The electrolyte is an important component of the cell. Often it is only the medium for electrode reactions and ionic conductivity and does not appear in the cell reaction (e.g., in nickel/cadmium and nickel/hydrogen batteries), sometimes as in lead-acid batteries, it is also a component of the cell reaction. A certain interaction, however, between the electrolyte and the active material usually cannot be prevented and often influences aging of the battery. 

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