Nickel hydroxide powder for NiO·OH/Ni(OH)2 electrodes of the alkaline batteries

In the nickel hydroxide synthesis, the β-Ni(OH)2 phase grows after total α-Ni(OH)2 aging. A mixture of α-Ni(OH)2 and β-Ni(OH)2 phases is formed when a part of α-Ni(OH)2 suffers aging. Galvanostatic oxidation of the α/β-Ni(OH)2 produced by chemical synthesis formed a new type of active material. On discharge, it presented higher capacity than active material produced from β-Ni(OH)2. Therefore, α/β-Ni(OH)2 is a promising material for β-Ni(OH)2 substitution, as a alternative precursor material used in the positive electrodes of alkaline batteries. Anions of the solution and water molecules are present in the nickel hydroxide powder. This is result of the synthesis method developed here. The characterization of the precursor material is determined with help of: X-ray diffraction, thermal analyses, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, specific superficial area and electron scanning microscopy.