Nickel-Iron Battery

This page is currently under construction and might undergo drastic changes within a short span of time.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_iron_battery

Basic Concepts Behind Construction

The electrochemistry of a Nickel iron battery is similar to a NiCd or NiMH battery in that nickel oxyhydroxide is used as an anode, but iron is used instead of the toxic metal complexes in NiCd and NiMH batteries. During discharge, both metals turn into their hydroxide forms: Ni(OH)2 and Fe(OH)2. (see the wikipedia article under electrochemistry). Given the resilience and rechargeability of the NiFe battery, it should be possible to build it in a discharged state, combining the appropriate hydroxides of Nickel and Iron. Alternatively, the battery could be constructed out of metallic nickel and iron, and the nickel should mostly convert to an NiOOH form after the first discharge-charge cycle.

First test

A sample concrete cell was tested, but no practical benefit is achieved using concrete as an electrolyte, as to be effective, the entire cell must be submerged, and the electrical conductivity of cement is far too high when submerged. A new design is in the works for a cell which would use raw glycerine (glycerol) as a byproduct of biodiesel production, thus improving the ecologies of both systems. The rationale is that the lye (KOH or NaOH) which 'contaminates' the glycerine should prove to be an effective electrolyte, and the glycerine itself should support a more stable cell. (Glycerine will evaporate much more slowly than water, and due to higher viscosity, should even further improve vibration-resistance of the cell. Ideally, this design could even be adapted to portable units.