Low temperature formation of electrode having electrically conductive metal oxide surface

Patent · Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1998

OSTI ID:871933

Anders, Simone ^[1]; Anders, Andre ^[1]; Brown, Ian G ^[2]; McLarnon, Frank R ^[3]; Kong, Fanping ^[2]

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1. Albany, CA
2. Berkeley, CA
3. Orinda, CA

A low temperature process is disclosed for forming metal suboxides on substrates by cathodic arc deposition by either controlling the pressure of the oxygen present in the deposition chamber, or by controlling the density of the metal flux, or by a combination of such adjustments, to thereby control the ratio of oxide to metal in the deposited metal suboxide coating. The density of the metal flux may, in turn, be adjusted by controlling the discharge current of the arc, by adjusting the pulse length (duration of on cycle) of the arc, and by adjusting the frequency of the arc, or any combination of these parameters. In a preferred embodiment, a low temperature process is disclosed for forming an electrically conductive metal suboxide, such as, for example, an electrically conductive suboxide of titanium, on an electrode surface, such as the surface of a nickel oxide electrode, by such cathodic arc deposition and control of the deposition parameters. In the preferred embodiment, the process results in a titanium suboxide-coated nickel oxide electrode exhibiting reduced parasitic evolution of oxygen during charging of a cell made using such an electrode as the positive electrode, as well as exhibiting high oxygen overpotential, resulting in suppression of oxygen evolution at the electrode at full charge of the cell.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Assignee: Regents of University of California (Oakland, CA)
• Patent Number(s): US 5827580
• OSTI ID: 871933
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

temperature
formation
electrode
electrically
conductive
metal
oxide
surface
process
disclosed
forming
suboxides
substrates
cathodic
deposition
controlling
pressure
oxygen
chamber
density
flux
combination
adjustments
control
ratio
deposited
suboxide
coating
adjusted
discharge
current
adjusting
pulse
length
duration
cycle
frequency
parameters
preferred
embodiment
example
titanium
nickel
results
suboxide-coated
exhibiting
reduced
parasitic
evolution
charging
cell
positive
overpotential
resulting
suppression
charge
oxide electrode
forming metal
process results
deposition parameters
discharge current
pulse length
oxide surface
oxide coating
deposition chamber
positive electrode
metal oxide
electrically conductive
preferred embodiment
nickel oxide
electrode surface
conductive metal
temperature process
temperature formation
oxygen evolution
charge current
exhibiting reduced
/427/