A study has been established to determine the dependence of cellcycle and wet life on the source material and composition ofcellulose-based separator materials in alkaline rechargeable cells.Silver-zinc rechargeable cells of 28 Ahr capacity, identical in everyrespect except for the separator composition, are being tested instatistically significant numbers under identical temperature andrelative humidity conditions, with 45% KOH as the electrolyte. The cyclelife test regime is C/5 discharge to 1.30 V and C/15 charge to 2.03 Vcontinuous cycling, while the wet life test regime includes a 30-day wetstand at full charge between cycles. The purpose of the study is toobtain cycle and wet life data as a function of separator compositionand to relate these data to material analysis data on separatorproperties including degree of polymerization, crystallinity, wettensile strength, silver penetration rates, etc. The results will betransitioned to manufacture of silver-zinc rechargeable cells in orderto obtain assets of optimum life for US Naval Fleet use. Eight separatorcompositions, all cellulose-based, are being evaluated. This paperdiscusses the data available to date on cycle and wet life and theirrelationship to separator properties before and after cycling
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