Abstract: In general, according to one embodiment, there is provided an active material. The active material contains a composite oxide having an orthorhombic crystal structure. The composite oxide is represented by a general formula of Li2+wNa2?xM1yTi6?zM2zO14+?. In the general formula, the M1 is at least one selected from the group consisting of Cs and K; the M2 is at least one selected from the group consisting of Zr, Sn, V, Nb, Ta, Mo, W, Fe, Co, Mn, and Al; and w is within a range of 0?w?4, x is within a range of 0<x<2, y is within a range of 0?y<2, z is within a range of 0<z?6, and ? is within a range of ?0.5???0.5.

Abstract: The present invention is a negative electrode active material for a negative electrode active material layer of a lithium ion secondary battery, wherein: the negative electrode active material comprises silicon-based material consisting of SiOx (0.5?x?1.6); and the negative electrode active material has two or more peaks in a region of a bond energy ranging from 520 eV to 537 eV in an O 1s peak shape given in an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. As a result, it is possible to provide a negative electrode active material in which a battery capacity can be increased and cycle characteristics and initial charge/discharge characteristics can be improved when used as a negative electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery.

Abstract: The invention relates to an energy generation apparatus (1), in particular for use in a vehicle, which can be operated using hydrocarbons such as diesel and the like, which comprises a fuel cell (2) and is provided with connections (3, 4, 5) for introduction of air and the hydrocarbons and for the output of electric energy. According to the invention, the energy generation apparatus has three essentially physically separate functional units (7, 8, 9), where the first functional unit (7) is configured as a supply device for media and has essentially devices for introduction of fuel and air, a second functional unit (8) is configured for reforming and has essentially devices for converting the hydrocarbons into process gas and a third functional unit (9) is configured for generation of electric energy and has essentially the fuel cell (2), where the process gas produced in the second functional unit (8) is fed to the third functional unit (9).

Abstract: A lithium-air electrochemical cell is provided. The battery comprises: an anode compartment; a cathode compartment; and a lithium ion conductive membrane separating the anode compartment from the cathode compartment. The anode compartment comprises an anode having lithium, a lithium alloy or a porous material capable of adsorption and release of lithium and a lithium ion electrolyte, while the cathode compartment comprises an air electrode, an ionic liquid capable of supporting the reduction of oxygen and a dissolved concentration of potassium superoxide. A lithium ion concentration in the cathode compartment is low in comparison to the concentration of potassium ion.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for producing an anion-exchange polymer material having an IPN or semi-IPN structure, said method consisting in: (A) preparing a homogeneous reaction solution containing, in a suitable organic solvent, (a) at least one organic polymer bearing reactive halogen groups, (b) at least one tertiary diamine, (c) at least one monomer comprising an ethylenic unsaturation polymerizable by free radical polymerization, (d) optionally at least one cross-linking agent including at least two ethylenic unsaturations polymerizable by free radical polymerization, and e) at least one free radical polymerization initiator; and (B) heating the prepared solution to a temperature and for a duration that are sufficient to allow both a nucleophilic substitution reaction between components (a) and (b) and a free radical copolymerization reaction of components (c) and optionally (d) initiated by component (e).

Abstract: A decomposition reaction of an electrolyte solution and the like caused as a side reaction of charge and discharge is minimized in repeated charge and discharge of a lithium ion battery or a lithium ion capacitor, and thus the lithium ion battery or the lithium ion capacitor can have long-term cycle performance. A negative electrode for a power storage device includes a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer which includes a plurality of particles of a negative electrode active material. Each of the particles of the negative electrode active material has an inorganic compound film containing a first inorganic compound on part of its surface. The negative electrode active material layer has a film in contact with an exposed part of the negative electrode active material and part of the inorganic compound film. The film contains an organic compound and a second inorganic compound.

Abstract: Described herein are multi-functional composite materials containing energy storage assemblies that can be significantly resistant to tension/compression stress. The energy storage assemblies can contain at least one energy storage layer that contains an insulating layer having a plurality of openings arranged in a spaced apart manner, and a plurality of energy storage devices, each energy storage device being contained within one of the openings. The energy storage devices can be electrically connected to one another. The energy storage layer can contain a support material upon which electrical connections are formed. One or more energy storage layers can be disposed between two or more stress carrying layers to form an energy storage assembly that can have significant resistance to tension/compression stress. Energy storage devices suitable for use in the energy storage assemblies can include, for example, batteries, capacitors and/or supercapacitors.

Abstract: A rechargeable battery includes a conductive case including a bottom part and a wall part extending from a periphery of the bottom part, an electrode assembly including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and accommodated in the case, a cap plate opposite to the bottom part and electrically connected to the case, a positive terminal fixed to the cap plate and electrically connected to the cap plate, a negative terminal fixed to the cap plate and electrically insulated from the cap plate, a positive electrode tab extending from the positive electrode and electrically connected to the bottom part, and a negative electrode tab extending from the negative electrode, facing the positive electrode tab, and electrically connected to the negative terminal, wherein a length of the cap plate in a first direction is less than a height of the wall part in a second direction.

Abstract: A lithium-ion secondary battery with high capacity is provided. Alternatively, a lithium-ion secondary battery with improved cycle characteristics is provided. To achieve this, an active material including a particle having a cleavage plane and a layer containing carbon covering at least part of the cleavage plane is provided. The particle having the cleavage plane contains lithium, manganese, nickel, and oxygen. The layer containing carbon preferably contains graphene. When a lithium-ion secondary battery is fabricated using an electrode including the particle having the cleavage plane at least part of which is covered with the layer containing carbon as an active material, the discharge capacity can be increased and the cycle characteristics can be improved.

Abstract: The disclosed technology relates generally to devices comprising conductive polymers and more particularly to electrochemical devices comprising self-compensating conductive polymers. In one aspect, electrochemical energy storage device comprises a negative electrode comprising an active material including a redox-active polymer. The device additionally comprises a positive electrode comprising an active material including a redox-active polymer. The device further comprises an electrolyte material interposed between the negative electrode and positive electrode and configured to conduct mobile counterions therethrough between the negative electrode and positive electrode.

Abstract: A battery assembly utilizing a compact and robust bus bar configuration is provided. The batteries within the assembly are divided into groups, where the batteries within each battery group are connected in parallel and the groups are connected in series. The batteries are interconnected using a repetitive sequence of non-overlapping, alternating polarity bus bars. The bus bars, which are integrated into a battery assembly upper tray member, are devoid of contact fingers and positioned such that there is a single bus bar located adjacent to either side of each battery group.

Abstract: A cell in which thermal welding of a laminate packaging is performed so that the thickness of a thermal welded portion including an electrode terminal is larger than that of a thermal welded portion including no electrode terminal.

Abstract: The present invention aims to maximize the advantageous physical properties of sulfur and provide a cathode mixture that can be suitably used in a cathode mixture layer of an all-solid-state lithium sulfur battery exhibiting excellent charge/discharge capacity. The present invention also aims to provide an all-solid-state lithium sulfur battery including a cathode mixture layer containing the cathode mixture. The present invention provides a cathode mixture for use in a cathode mixture layer of an all-solid-state lithium sulfur battery, the cathode mixture containing: (A) an ion-conductive material containing phosphorus at a weight ratio of 0.2 to 0.55; (B) sulfur and/or its discharge product (B); and (C) a conductive material, the amount of the component (B) being 40% by weight or more of the total amount of the components (A), (B), and (C).

Abstract: An energy storage device includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution. The negative electrode includes an active material layer, and the active material layer has pores having a pore size of 0.1 ?m or more and 1.0 ?m or less, and a total volume of the pores is 0.26 cm3/g or more and 0.46 cm3/g or less.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a temperature of a fuel cell stack are provided. The method includes performing a pump OFF mode which turns off the cooling water pump or operates the cooling water pump while reducing the rotation speed of the cooling water pump to be less than the reference rotation speed, when a cooling water outlet temperature is equal to or less than a preset first temperature while a pump normal mode which adjusts a rotation speed of a cooling water pump to be equal to or greater than a preset reference rotation speed and varies rpm based on the cooling water outlet temperature is performed. In addition, the pump normal mode is performed when a cooling water outlet temperature estimation value of the fuel cell stack exceeds a preset second temperature while the pump OFF mode is performed.

Abstract: Material compositions are provided that may comprise, for example, a vertically aligned carbon nanotube (VACNT) array, a conductive layer, and a carbon interlayer coupling the VACNT array to the conductive layer. Methods of manufacturing are provided. Such methods may comprise, for example, providing a VACNT array, providing a conductive layer, and bonding the VACNT array to the conductive layer via a carbon interlayer.

Abstract: The invention provides tubular solid oxide fuel cell devices and a fuel cell system incorporating a plurality of the fuel devices, each device including an elongate tube having a reaction zone for heating to an operating reaction temperature, and at least one cold zone that remains at a low temperature below the operating reaction temperature when the reaction zone is heated. An electrolyte is disposed between anodes and cathodes in the reaction zone, and the anode and cathode each have an electrical pathway extending to an exterior surface in a cold zone for electrical connection at low temperature. In one embodiment, the tubular device is a spiral rolled structure, and in another embodiment, the tubular device is a concentrically arranged device. The system further includes the devices positioned with their reaction zones in a hot zone chamber and their cold zones extending outside the hot zone chamber.

Abstract: The loss of sulfur cathode material as a result of polysulfide dissolution causes significant capacity fading in rechargeable lithium/sulfur cells. Embodiments of the invention use a chemical approach to immobilize sulfur and lithium polysulfides via the reactive functional groups on graphene oxide. This approach obtains a uniform and thin (˜tens of nanometers) sulfur coating on graphene oxide sheets by a chemical reaction-deposition strategy and a subsequent low temperature thermal treatment process. Strong interaction between graphene oxide and sulfur or polysulfides demonstrate lithium/sulfur cells with a high reversible capacity of 950-1400 mAh g?1, and stable cycling for more than 50 deep cycles at 0.1 C.

Abstract: A fuel cell system with reduced leakage and a method of assembling a fuel cell system. Bipolar plates within the system include reactant channels and coolant channels that are fluidly coupled to inlet and outlet flowpaths, all of which are formed within a coolant-engaging or reactant-engaging surface of the plate. One or more seals are also formed on the fluid-engaging surface to help reduce leakage by maintaining fluid isolation of the reactants and coolant as they flow through their respective channels and flowpaths that are defined between adjacently-placed plates. The seal—with its combination of in-plane and out-of-plane dimensions—forms a substantially hollow volume, into which a plug is placed to reduce the tendency of the seal to form a shunted flow of the coolant or reactant around the intended active area of the plate.

Abstract: A positive electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery, the positive electrode including: a coated particle including a positive active material particle and a reactive layer on the surface of the positive active material particle; and a sulfide-containing solid electrolyte particle which is in contact with the coated particle, wherein the reactive layer includes a reactive element other than lithium and oxygen, wherein the reactive element has a reactivity with the sulfide-containing solid electrolyte particle which is greater than with a reactivity of the reactive element with a transition metal element included in the positive active material particle, and wherein a ratio of a thickness of the reactive layer to a particle diameter of the positive active material particle is in a range of about 0.0010 to about 0.25.