Provided is a positive electrode structure for a secondary battery. This positive electrode structure includes: a positive electrode current collector composed of a tabular nickel foam and having a tabular coated portion and an uncoated portion extending from an outer peripheral portion of the coated portion; and a positive electrode active material containing nickel hydroxide and/or nickel oxyhydroxide incorporated into the coated portion of the positive electrode current collector. The positive electrode active material is not present in the uncoated portion of the positive electrode current collector, and the nickel foam constituting the uncoated portion is compressed so as to have a thickness of 0.10 times or more and less than 0.8 times a thickness of the nickel foam constituting the coated portion.

Provided herein is a battery and an electrode. The battery may include two electrodes; and an electrolyte, wherein at least one electrode further includes: a nano-scale coated network, which includes one or more first carbon nanotubes electrically connected to one or more second carbon nanotubes to form a nano-scale network, wherein at least one of the one or more second carbon nanotubes is in electrical contact with another of the one or more second carbon nanotubes. The battery may further include an active material coating distributed to cover portions of the one or more first carbon nanotubes and portions of the one or more second carbon nanotubes, wherein a plurality of the one or more second carbon nanotubes are in electrical communication with other second carbon nanotubes under the active material coating. Also provided herein is a method of making a battery and an electrode.

An alkaline electrochemical cell includes a cathode; a gelled anode having an anode active material and an electrolyte; and a separator disposed between the cathode and the anode; wherein the separator includes a non-conductive, porous material having a mean pore size of about 1 micron to about 5 microns, a maximum pore size of about 19 microns, and an air permeability of about 0.5 cc/cm.sup.2/s to about 3.8 cc/cm.sup.2/s at 125 Pa.

A metallic electrode comprises an electroactive material comprising zinc, aluminum, lithium, magnesium, silver, brass, copper, stainless steel, nickel, selenium, or any combination thereof, and an additive comprising a metal selected from the group consisting of bismuth, copper, indium, a salt thereof, an oxide thereof, and any combination thereof. The additive is plated in a layer on the electroactive material.

A prismatic Zn—AgO secondary twin cell battery includes: an outer cell case of prismatic shape, wherein the outer cell case has bottom surface and a top surface with a cell case cover, an electrode assembly housed inside the outer cell case. The electrode assembly is formed by stacking a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate covered with a separator. The cell case cover is provided on the top/upper surface with a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal which seals the battery twin cell and an internal cell wall interposed in between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate. The positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate are coupled internally by crimping and potted to avoid inter cell leakage.

Disclosed are methods of making porous zinc electrodes. Taken together, the steps are: forming a mixture of water, a soluble compound that increases the viscosity of the mixture, an insoluble porogen, and metallic zinc powder; placing the mixture in a mold to form a sponge; optionally drying the sponge; placing the sponge in a metal mesh positioned to allow air flow through substantially all the openings in the mesh; heating the sponge in an inert atmosphere at a peak temperature of 200 to 420° C. to fuse the zinc particles to each other to form a sintered sponge; and heating the sintered sponge in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a peak temperature of 420 to 700° C. to form ZnO on the surfaces of the sintered sponge. The heating steps burn out the porogen.

An alkaline electrochemical cell includes a cathode, an anode which includes an anode active material, and a non-conductive separator disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein from about 20% to about 50% by weight of the anode active material relative to a total amount of anode active material has a particle size of less than about 75 μm, and wherein the separator includes a unitary, cylindrical configuration having an open end, a side wall, and integrally formed closed end disposed distally to the open end.

An anode for a zinc metal battery and a zinc metal battery using the same are provided. An anode for a zinc metal battery includes a zinc metal film and a protective layer formed on a surface of the zinc metal film, and the protective layer may be zinc phosphate. Since the protective layer coats the outermost surface of the zinc metal film, direct contact of the zinc metal film with an electrolyte can be prevented. Accordingly, zinc dendrites formed during plating/stripping of zinc ions during charging and discharging of the battery may grow uniformly, and thus, short circuit of the battery may be prevented.

Indium zinc-based alloy anodes include an In.sub.xM.sub.yZn.sub.z alloy, where x ranges from 0.03 to 0.20, z ranges from 0.80 to 0.97, and x+y+z=1 when the anode has not previously been cycled. M is Al, Ag, Bi, Sn, Cd, or any combination thereof. In a partially or fully discharged state after one or more cycles, the anode includes a porous surface portion enriched in indium and a bulk portion comprising the In.sub.xM.sub.yZn.sub.z alloy. In a subsequent partially or fully charged state, the pores may be at least partially filled with zinc.

A method of: placing a mixture of zinc particles; water; a water-soluble thickener; and water-insoluble inorganic porogen particles into a mold; evaporating the water to form a monolith; heating the monolith to fuse the zinc particles together; and submerging the monolith in a liquid that removes the porogen particles. A method of: placing a mixture of zinc particles; an aqueous acetic acid solution; and porogen particles into a mold; evaporating water to form a monolith; and submerging the monolith in a liquid that removes the porogen particles.