The properties of calcium zincate as negative electrode materials for secondary batteries were examined by powder microelectrode, cyclic voltammetry, charge-discharge cycle measurements and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results show that the cycleability of calcium zincate is obviously superior to that of ZnO and that of the mixture of ZnO and Ca(OH) 2 (the molar ratio of Zn:Ca=2:1). Calcium zincate forms zinc metal during the charging and exhibits an initial discharge capacity 230mAhg - 1 . With the discharge cut-off voltage of 1.0V, the discharge capacity of the experimental Zn/NiOOH cell does not decay much during 500 cycles, exhibiting good prospect for practical use.