Nickel Substrate Having Three-Dimensional Micronetwork Structure for High-Power Nickel/Metal-Hydride Battery

A low-cost substrate for the positive electrode of nickel/metal-hydride battery was developed by using a nonwoven cloth with a three-dimensional micronetwork structure, in which the amount of plated nickel was less than half compared with the conventional foam-type substrate. The substrate was designed to have a finer structure than the foam-type substrate. The cylindrical sealed cell using the substrate exhibited superior high-rate discharging capability to the cell using the foam-type substrate, despite the reduction of plated nickel. The characteristic microporous structure of the substrate presumably contributes to the improvement of high-rate discharge performance.