Abstract: A battery separator comprising a nonwoven fabric, wherein the nonwoven fabric contains (1) superfine fibers having a fiber diameter of 3 ?m or less, (2) noncircular fine fibers having a noncircular cross-sectional shape and having a fiber diameter of 3 to 5 ?m (excluding 3 ?m), the fiber diameter meaning a diameter of a circle having an area the same as that of the noncircular cross-sectional shape, and (3) polypropylene based high-strength composite fibers containing a fusible component on the surface thereof and having a tensile strength of 4.5 cN/dtex or more, and the fusible component contained in the polypropylene based high-strength composite fibers is fused, and a battery comprising the battery separator are disclosed. A battery separator of the present invention has a high electrolyte-holding capacity and is capable of effectively preventing a short circuit, even if the separator is designed to be thinner to enhance the capacity of a battery.

Abstract: An alkaline battery comprises an electrode. The electrode has a current collector and an active substance filled in the current collector. The current collector includes a nonwoven fabric fabricated from a plurality of fibers and a nickel-plating film formed on the plurality of fibers. A specific surface area per unit volume of the current collector is 0.13 m2/cm3-0.35 m2/cm3.

Abstract: Disclosed is a battery separator consisting essentially of a nonwoven fabric having a substantially unilayered structure, wherein an apparent total surface area of fibers per a surface density of the nonwoven fabric is 20 m2 or more, a thickness of the nonwoven fabric is 0.1 mm or less, a uniformity index of the nonwoven fabric is 0.15 or less, and the nonwoven fabric contains fine fibers having a fiber diameter of 4 ?m or less.

Abstract: A battery separator comprising a nonwoven fabric, wherein the nonwoven fabric contains (1) superfine fibers having a fiber diameter of 3 ?m or less, (2) noncircular fine fibers having a noncircular cross-sectional shape and having a fiber diameter of 3 to 5 ?m (excluding 3 ?m), the fiber diameter meaning a diameter of a circle having an area the same as that of the noncircular cross-sectional shape, and (3) polypropylene based high-strength composite fibers containing a fusible component on the surface thereof and having a tensile strength of 4.5 cN/dtex or more, and the fusible component contained in the polypropylene based high-strength composite fibers is fused, and a battery comprising the battery separator are disclosed. A battery separator of the present invention has a high electrolyte-holding capacity and is capable of effectively preventing a short circuit, even if the separator is designed to be thinner to enhance the capacity of a battery.

Abstract: An alkaline battery comprises an electrode. The electrode has a current collector and an active substance filled in the current collector. The current collector includes a nonwoven fabric fabricated from a plurality of fibers and a nickel-plating film formed on the plurality of fibers. A specific surface area per unit volume of the current collector is 0.13 m2/cm3-0.35 m2/cm3.

Abstract: A hydrophilic collector for alkaline secondary batteries is formed of a nonwoven fabric plated with nickel in which the nonwoven fabric is hydrophilized by sulfonation, a gaseous fluorine treatment, or vinyl monomer grafting. A method for making the collector includes a hydrophilizing step of a nonwoven fabric comprising at least one of a polyolefin fiber and a polyamide fiber, and a plating step of applying nickel plating to the hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Preferably, the nickel plating is electroless plating, and the nonwoven fabric has a plurality of micropores extending from one surface to the other surface thereof. An electroplating film may be deposited on the electroless plated film, if necessary. This collector facilitates assembling a battery which exhibits improved high-rate discharge characteristics due to improved adhesiveness of the plated nickel film to the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: A hydrophilic collector for alkaline secondary batteries is formed of a nonwoven fabric plated with nickel in which the nonwoven fabric is hydrophilized by sulfonation, a gaseous fluorine treatment, or vinyl monomer grafting. A method for making the collector includes a hydrophilizing step of a nonwoven fabric comprising at least one of a polyolefin fiber and a polyamide fiber, and a plating step of applying nickel plating to the hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Preferably, the nickel plating is electroless plating, and the nonwoven fabric has a plurality of micropores extending from one surface to the other surface thereof. An electroplating film may be deposited on the electroless plated film, if necessary. This collector facilitates assembling a battery which exhibits improved high-rate discharge characteristics due to improved adhesiveness of the plated nickel film to the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: An alkaline battery separator which enables the preparation of a battery with a good yield and workability is provided. The alkaline battery separator of the present invention comprises a fiber sheet mainly comprising hydrophilicity-imparted polyolefin fibers having a fiber diameter of 8 &mgr;m or more, and a part of the hydrophilicity-imparted polyolefin fibers is composed of high-strength fibers having a tensile strength of 5 g/d or more.

Abstract: A battery separator is provided which is hardly broken by tension during the manufacture of batteries, is hardly punctured with a plate flash, and is hardly torn off with a plate edge, thereby hardly causing a short circuit. Accordingly, the separator can facilitate the stable manufacture of the batteries. The battery separator is equipped with a fiber sheet containing a polypropylene fiber having a tensile strength of not less than 10 g/d (denier) and a Young's modulus of not less than 800 kg/mm2, said separator having a resistance of not less than 585 gf to puncture by edge, or is equipped with a fiber sheet containing not less than 10 mass % of a polypropylene fiber having a tensile strength of not less than 10 g/d (denier) and a Young's modulus of not less than 800 kg/mm2.

Abstract: A hydrophilic collector for alkaline secondary batteries is formed of a nonwoven fabric plated with nickel in which the nonwoven fabric is hydrophilized by sulfonation, a gaseous fluorine treatment, or vinyl monomer grafting. A method for making the collector includes a hydrophilizing step of a nonwoven fabric comprising at least one of a polyolefin fiber and a polyamide fiber, and a plating step of applying nickel plating to the hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Preferably, the nickel plating is electroless plating, and the nonwoven fabric has a plurality of micropores extending from one surface to the other surface thereof. An electroplating film may be deposited on the electroless plated film, if necessary. This collector facilitates assembling a battery which exhibits improved high-rate discharge characteristics due to improved adhesiveness of the plated nickel film to the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: Disclosed is a battery separator consisting essentially of a nonwoven fabric having a substantially unilayered structure, wherein an apparent total surface area of fibers per a surface density of the nonwoven fabric is 20 m2/m2 or more, a thickness of the nonwoven fabric is 0.1 mm or less, a uniformity index of the nonwoven fabric is 0.15 or less, and the nonwoven fabric contains fine fibers having a fiber diameter of 4 &mgr;m or less.

Abstract: A hydrophilic collector for alkaline secondary batteries is formed of a nonwoven fabric plated with nickel in which the nonwoven fabric is hydrophilized by sulfonation, a gaseous fluorine treatment, or vinyl monomer grafting. A method for making the collector includes a hydrophilizing step of a nonwoven fabric comprising at least one of a polyolefin fiber and a polyamide fiber, and a plating step of applying nickel plating to the hydrophilic nonwoven fabric. Preferably, the nickel plating is electroless plating, and the nonwoven fabric has a plurality of micropores extending from one surface to the other surface thereof. An electroplating film may be deposited on the electroless plated film, if necessary. This collector facilitates assembling a battery which exhibits improved high-rate discharge characteristics due to improved adhesiveness of the plated nickel film to the nonwoven fabric.

Abstract: A printer using a stencil is disclosed which has a function of forming the images carried on a plurality of documents in any desired positions of a single stencil in combination. The printer also has a function of printing a document image in a desired position of a printing medium or sheet even when the image formed in a stencil is in a reduced or enlarged scale.

Abstract: An alkaline battery separator which enables the preparation of a battery with a good yield and workability is provided. The alkaline battery separator of the present invention comprises a fiber sheet mainly comprising hydrophilicity-imparted polyolefin fibers having a fiber diameter of 8 ?m or more, and a part of the hydrophilicity-imparted polyolefin fibers is composed of high-strength fibers having a tensile strength of 5 g/d or more.