Nickel-Iron Battery/Prototype/P004

Stub page for reproducing the 'DIY' recipe

Information

http://www.diyelectriccar.com/forums/showthread.php/edison-batteries-25958p3.html

Anode

To make the iron anode, first mix 6 1/4 grams of iron oxide with 1 1/4 gram of ammonium chloride, then add distilled water a drop at a time until a stiff paste results. The mixture will give off ammonia gas and will turn to a white color. Working quickly, smear the paste well into a 1½ x 6-inch piece of No. 20 or 30 close mesh iron or copper wire screening.

It will take about a day for the paste to thoroughly set and harden on the screen, or you can hasten it by placing it in an oven set at no more than 130°F. When dry, lay screen in a solution of ammonium chloride (12½ grams to 6 oz. of water), for about 1½ hours to harden it further. This completes the anode plate.

Cathode

To make the nickel cathode, first mix 6 1/4 grams of nickel oxide with 1 1/4 gram of ammonium chloride, then add distilled water a drop at a time until a stiff paste results. The mixture will give off ammonia gas. Form this plate directly on the surface of a 1½ x 6-inch. piece of .015 inch or thicker nickel screen, which has been cleaned thoroughly with emery cloth. Working quickly, smear this paste well into a 1½ x 6-inch piece of No. 20 or 30 close-mesh nickel wire screening.

It will take about a day for this paste to thoroughly set and harden on the screen, or you can hasten it by placing it in an oven set at no more than 130°F. When dry, lay screen in a solution of ammonium chloride (12½ grams to 6 oz. of water), for about 1½ hours to harden it further.

Electrolyte

Fill a wide mouthed jar or a 1000 ml. Beaker with 32 oz. of distilled water. Dissolve 9¼ grams of sodium hydroxide (lye) in this water and add 1 gram of common table salt. Sodium hydroxide is hard on the hands and clothes in its concentrated form, so don't handle the crystals with your fingers and always add the crystals to the water slowly.

Case

Construction

Mark the iron oxide plate negative and nickel oxide positive now to avoid mistakes. Connect a battery charger or car storage battery to the plates, negative to iron oxide plate and positive to the nickel oxide plate, also a direct current ammeter or digital multi-meter and a l0-ohm 25-watt resister is added in series with the forming current. Turn on the forming current and adjust the variable resister so that only 1 ampere of forming current flows. It is important that you observe polarity right at the first charge. Connecting the negative lead to the iron oxide plate and the positive lead to the nickel oxide plate. This charge must be (2 or 3 hours), because the iron oxide plate must be converted to metallic iron. It doesn't matter if the plates gas in this forming charge.

Attach the cathode and anode plates to a strip of wood to test them. Fill another 13-oz. glass tumbler with about 9 oz. of distilled water and slowly dissolve 3 oz. of sodium hydroxide in this to form the electrolyte of the iron-nickel cell. Suspend the plates in this liquid. Now your cell is complete. Cell voltage on open circuit will be right around 0.75 volts for this iron-nickel Edison cell.