Abstract: A lithium ion secondary battery in which an electrode assembly is easily impregnated with an electrolyte is provided. The lithium ion secondary battery includes an electrode assembly wrapped by a sealing tape, an upper insulating plate positioned on the top of the electrode assembly, a lower insulating plate positioned at the bottom of the electrode assembly, a case for accommodating the electrode assembly, and a cap assembly for sealing the case. In one embodiment, the upper insulating plate has holes which may include a form of a mesh. In another embodiment, the lower insulating plate has various shapes of recesses on the surface. The surface of the lower insulating plate may be coated with a material that has an affinity for the electrolyte. An inner surface of the case may have various shapes of recesses or grooves. The sealing tape may be coated with a material that has an affinity for an electrolyte.

Abstract: A system and technique for switching the polarity of an electrochemical cell stack to switch operation of the stack between a power producing mode of operation and an electrochemical pumping mode of operation is provided. The system and technique include a plurality of polarity switches that are switched between configurations in response to a mode select signal.

Abstract: There is provided a metal oxide having a continuous nano-fiber network structure as a negative active material for a secondary battery. A method for fabricating such negative active material for a secondary battery comprises spinning a mixed solution of a metal oxide precursor and a polymer onto a collector to form composite fibers mixed with the metal oxide precursor and the polymer, thermally compressing or thermally pressurizing the composite fibers, and thermally treating the thermally compressed or thermally pressurized composite fibers to remove the polymer from the composite fiber.

Abstract: To provide an electrode unit for a prismatic battery capable of increasing the output of the battery while suppressing the battery internal resistance value and improving the degree of freedom of the size of the electrode plate. An electrode unit for a prismatic battery including an electrode group in which positive electrode plates and negative electrode plates in an almost rectangular shape are alternately stacked with separators interposed therebetween. In each of the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, core material exposed portions are formed at least on two side edges. The positive electrode plates and the negative electrode plate are stacked such that their core material exposed portions are directed not to overlap each other in the stack direction.

Abstract: A negative electrode active material includes lithium-titanium composite oxide porous particles having an average pore size of 50 to 500 ?.

Abstract: A pouch type lithium secondary battery includes an electrode assembly includes a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate, wherein disposed facing against each other, and a separator interposed between the positive electrode plate and the negative electrode plate, and a case includes a lower plate wherein a second chamber containing the electrode assembly, and an upper plate seals the second chamber, wherein the upper plate includes a sealing trace formed at the area corresponded to the area where the second chamber sealed.

Abstract: A preservation assembly of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is provided. The assembly includes an uninstalled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack and sealing units. The uninstalled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is provided with an oxidizing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through a cathode and a reducing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through an anode. The sealing units include sealing plugs or containers and are configured to seal the inlet and the outlet of the oxidizing agent passage within which an oxygen concentration has been decreased and to seal the inlet and the outlet of the reducing agent passage within which the oxygen concentration has been decreased. The uninstalled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is in a state before an assembled polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack is incorporated into a fuel cell system.

Abstract: A highly reliable cylindrical primary battery is provided where the surface temperature of a body portion of which at the time of a short circuit is controlled to be low. The heat conductivity ? (W/m·K) of a resin sealing body of a sealing assembly having a PTC element and the amount of heat generation Q (W) in the PTC element at the time of tripping are set so that the relational expressions of: 0.12???0.27;??(1) 1.0?Q?1.5; and??(2) Q??3.33?+1.9 are met.

Abstract: A structure for mounting a battery onto an electric vehicle comprises: a pair of first body members extending in a longitudinal direction of the electric vehicle; a second body member, which connects the pair of first body members, extending in transversal direction of the electric vehicle; a battery case, which contains a battery, disposed between the pair of first body members and rear of the second body member; a plurality of first supporting members, which connect between the pair of first body members, fixed on a bottom of the battery case; and a second supporting member connecting between one of the first supporting members, which is disposed in the forefront of the battery case.

Abstract: A fuel-cell system 1 includes: a fuel cell 13 configured to generate electricity through reaction between hydrogen gas and air; a compressor 12 configured to supply air as a scavenging gas to a reactant gas path 13a of the fuel cell 13; a control part 18 configured to control an amount of air supplied from the compressor 12 to the fuel cell 13 to perform scavenging of the fuel cell 13; and pressure sensors P1 and P2 configured to monitor a pressure drop in the reactant gas path 13a of the fuel cell 13. The control part 18 controls an amount of supplied air so as to keep the pressure drop in the reactant gas path 13a substantially constant when the fuel cell 13 is scavenged. With this configuration, residual water can be suitably purged from the fuel cell while energy consumption is suppressed.

Abstract: A fuel cell for a microcapsule-type robot uses alcohol or an aqueous alcohol solution as a fuel and was hydrogen peroxide or an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution as an oxidizing agent. A microcapsule-type robot also uses the fuel cell. The fuel cell may be used in a microcapsule-type endoscope and have an operating time that is long enough to diagnose human organs. The fuel cell may comprise hydrogen peroxide as an oxidizing agent instead of air or oxygen such that the fuel cell can operate inside the human body. Thus, an oxygen source, which cannot be obtained in a human body, can be easily supplied to the fuel cell, and the fuel cell has higher performance than a fuel cell in which air is used as an oxidizing agent.

Abstract: A method of preserving a PEFC stack of the present invention is a method of preserving a PEFC stack that is provided with an oxidizing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through a cathode and a reducing agent passage having an inlet and an outlet and extending through an anode. The method comprises preserving the polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack in an uninstalled state under a condition in which an oxygen concentration within the oxidizing agent passage and within the reducing agent passage is lower than an oxygen concentration in atmospheric air.

Abstract: A primary cell having an anode comprising lithium and a cathode comprising iron disulfide (FeS2) and carbon particles. The cell can be in the configuration of a coin cell or the anode and cathode can be spirally wound with separator therebetween and inserted into the cell casing with electrolyte then added. The electrolyte comprises a lithium salt dissolved in a nonaqueous solvent mixture which may include an organic cyclic carbonate such as ethylene carbonate and propylene carbon. The cell after assembly is subjected to a two step preconditioning (predischarge) protocol involving at least two distinct discharge steps having at lease one cycle of pulsed current drain in each step and at least one rest period (step rest) between said two steps, wherein said step rest period is carried out for a period of time at above ambient temperature. The preconditioning improves cell performance.

Abstract: A cap assembly for a secondary battery in which an insulating member is disposed in a partial or entire terminal plate, resulting in improved stability. The cap assembly includes a terminal plate and an insulating member. The insulating member is disposed in a partial or entire region of the terminal plate other than a region to which a negative electrode tab is welded.

Abstract: A negative electrode for a lithium ion secondary battery of the present invention includes a current collector and an active material layer carried on the current collector. The active material layer contains silicon and oxygen. In the thickness direction of the active material layer, an oxygen ratio of the active material is greater at the side of the active material layer in contact with the current collector than at the side of the active material layer not in contact with the current collector. The active material layer contains no binder. By using the negative electrode described above, it is possible to provide a high capacity lithium ion secondary battery having superior high rate charge/discharge characteristics and excellent cycle characteristics.

Abstract: An oxygen-reducing catalyst layer, and a method of making the oxygen-reducing catalyst layer, where the oxygen-reducing catalyst layer includes a catalytic material film disposed on a substrate with the use of physical vapor deposition and thermal treatment. The catalytic material film includes a transition metal that is substantially free of platinum. At least one of the physical vapor deposition and the thermal treatment is performed in a processing environment comprising a nitrogen-containing gas.

Abstract: The invention relates to stackable high-temperature fuel cells which are combined to form so-called fuel cell stacks and also can be connected to each other electrically conductively in series and/or in parallel. According to the set object, such high-temperature fuel cells are intended to form an electrically conductive connection between a cathode and an interconnector which, even at temperatures above 800° C. and also in the oxidising atmosphere prevailing during operation of fuel cells, have a sufficiently high electrical conductivity, a chemically and mechanically adequate strength or stability. The high-temperature fuel cells according to the invention are connected, on the anode-side, to a fuel supply and, on the cathode-side, to an oxidant supply. The cathode is connected electrically conductively by means of at least one resilient contact element to an interconnector.

Abstract: A battery pack for locking with a power tool with at least one movable locking bar has at least a front recess and a rear recess located after the front recess in the direction of a relative motion between the battery pack and the power tool, the recesses are configured as detent grooves, and the recesses are differently shaped and are offset transversely to the direction of motion; and a power tool locks with the battery pack.

Abstract: Hydrogen-producing fuel cell systems with load-responsive feedstock delivery systems, and methods for regulating the delivery of feedstock to the hydrogen-producing region of a fuel cell system. The fuel cell systems include a control system that is adapted to monitor and selectively regulate the rate at which the feedstock is delivered to a hydrogen-producing region of a hydrogen generation assembly. The control systems, and corresponding methods, include feed-forward and feedback control portions that cooperatively regulate the rate at which the feed stream is delivered to the hydrogen generation assembly responsive at least in part, if not completely, to the fuel cell stack's demand for hydrogen gas and the rate at which the produced hydrogen gas is consumed by the fuel cell stack.

Abstract: A fuel cell device includes an elongate substrate having a cold zone adjacent a first end and a reaction zone adjacent a second end configured to be heated to an operating reaction temperature while the cold zone is configured to be shielded from the heat source to remain at a low temperature below the operating reaction temperature. Fuel and air inlets positioned in the cold zone are coupled to respective elongate fuel and oxidizer passages that extend within an interior solid ceramic support structure through the reaction zone in parallel and opposing relation to respective outlets adjacent the second end. Electrodes positioned adjacent the passages in the reaction zone are each electrically coupled from the interior structure to respective exterior contact surfaces in the cold zone. A solid electrolyte monolithic with the ceramic support structure is positioned between electrodes, and electrical connections are made to the exterior contact surfaces.