Abstract: The present invention provides a sterilized-liquefied gas producing apparatus including: a liquefied gas reservoir; a source-gas supplier that supplies a source gas to the liquefied gas reservoir; a cooler that cools down an inside of the liquefied gas reservoir to liquefy the source gas; a supply pipe that connects the source-gas supplier and the liquefied gas reservoir; a sterilization filter provided at the supply pipe; a sterilizer that heats and sterilizes a sterilization region by high-temperature saturated water vapor, the sterilization region being located further downstream than the sterilization filter; and a dryer that removes moisture generated by the heat sterilization to dry the sterilization region.

Abstract: Provided is a current collector substrate in an electrode of an alkaline secondary battery, which is advantageous not only in that it has excellent holding ability for a mixture for electrode, but also in that the utilization of an active material is improved, thereby enhancing the discharge characteristics of the battery, and an electrode and an alkaline secondary battery using the same. This current collector substrate has a plurality of openings formed within the surface of a metal powder sinter sheet which has a thickness (t) of 80 &mgr;m or less and is produced by a powdery calendering process, wherein the openings have periphery portions comprising burr portions protruding in the opposite directions.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a production method of an active material for an alkaline secondary battery comprising: a step of mixing particles comprising particles mainly containing nickel hydroxide and particles of a metal cobalt or a cobalt compound in a mixer with a sealed structure comprising a heating means in the presence of oxygen and an alkaline aqueous solution while heating. An active material produced by the method allows a high utilization. And a battery assembled with a positive electrode using the active material has an excellent high ratio discharge characteristic, and hardly causes the capacity decline even at the time of recharging after leaving in the over discharge state for a long time.

Abstract: An alkaline secondary battery comprising a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an alkaline electrolyte, wherein the positive electrode comprises a conductive substrate and a mixture held by the conductive substrate, the mixture containing nickel hydroxide and a conductive cobalt compound, and the positive electrode has pores, substantially all of the pores each having a diameter with a range of 0.0001 .mu.m to 10 .mu.m.