Electrode biporeuse raney nickel and method of manufacture of such an electrode

摘要

A hydrogen electrode for batteries or galvanic cells in which a first section of the electrode has relatively large pores and serves for the transport of hydrogen and a second section with relatively small pores containing Raney-nickel catalyst. According to the invention, the electrode consists of a metallized fibrous substrate, for example a felt of carbon or textile fibers, with relatively large intrinsic porosity. The Raney-nickel is introduced into this felt from the outside by one of a variety of methods, for example immersion in a vibrating powder bed, by suction of a liquid suspension of Raney-nickel powder or by the application of a paste containing Raney-nickel or a starting alloy therefor. Preferably, the fibrous substrate consists of a number of layers having a preferred fiber orientation, in which at least one of the layers is so turned that the orientation of the fibers is different from that of the surrounding layers, thereby impeding the penetration of Raney-nickel during the manufacture and constituting a zone free from Raney-nickel and of high porosity to serve as a transport layer for hydrogen. A number of examples is presented.