Developing notions about the mechanism of the activation effect caused by compounds of nickel(II) on the cadmium electrode performance

The results of studying the nature of the activation effect, which is obser ved upon adding compounds of nickel(II) into the active mass of a cadmium e lectrode, are generalized. It is shown that the activation effect of nickel (II) is due to its electrochemical transformations in the active mass of th e cadmium electrode and to a number of specific interactions between cadmiu m and nickel in both charged and discharged electrode states. A special imp ortance in the mechanism of activation of the cadmium electrode by nickel c ompounds is attributed to the alloying processes in the cadmium-nickel syst em. The processes occur during the charging of the cadmium electrode and in the course of its prolonged storage in a charged state.