Surveying Battery Cell Sections to Determine the Composition and Spatial Distribution of Discharge Products using an Automated Microprobe

Authors

B. M. England, BHP Central Laboratories
M. T. Frost, CSIRO Division of Mineral Chemistry
I. R. Harrowfield, CSIRO Division of Mineral Chemistry
C. M. MacRae, CSIRO Division of Mineral Chemistry
D. A. J. Swinkels, BHP Central Laboratories
K. E. Turner, BHP Central Laboratories
C. B. Ward, BHP Central Laboratories

Abstract

Determining the spatial distribution and composition of hydrohetaerolite in polished sections of discharged Leclanché cells requires the measurement of oxygen concentrations on microcrystalline material. This can be done if the composition of the mounting medium is included in the matrix correction of raw intensities. The method of Pouchou and Pichoir (PAP) is used initially to correct raw intensities obtained from surveys of microcrystalline standard material. Mean analyses agree well with the known compositions provided a correction is made for the oxygen content of the mounting medium. The same correction is then applied to the raw data collected when surveying cell sections, yielding spatially correlated analyses of hydro-hetaerolite formed as a discharge product. The surveying technique could be applied to lead-acid, Leclanché and alkaline cells.

Recommended Citation

England, B. M.; Frost, M. T.; Harrowfield, I. R.; MacRae, C. M.; Swinkels, D. A. J.; Turner, K. E.; and Ward, C. B. (1986) "Surveying Battery Cell Sections to Determine the Composition and Spatial Distribution of Discharge Products using an Automated Microprobe," Scanning Electron Microscopy: Vol. 1986: No. 4, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/electron/vol1986/iss4/5