Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for the preparation of a layer of a plasma-polymerised material on the surface of a substrate, e.g. a substrate of a glass, an organosiloxane-based or polysiloxane-based material, silicon, fluoro-polymer (e.g. Teflon®), etc. The present invention also relates to novel objects and microstructured or micro-patterned devices, e.g. by lift-off techniques, in particular such objects and devices that have layers of electrically conducting materials providing a conductivity of at least 0.01 S/cm. A feature of the invention is the plasma-polymerization of a compound including at least one polycyclic compound, said polycyclic compound(s) comprising a non-aromatic heterocyclic ring fused to an aromatic or heteroaromatic ring or ring system.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rechargeable electrochemical cell comprising a negative electrode, an electrolyte and a positive electrode in which the positive electrode structure comprises a lithium cobalt manganese oxide of the composition Li2CoyMn2−yO4 where 0<y<0.6. The lithium cobalt manganese oxide of the above formula can be the only active compound or can be used together with one or more other rechargeable compounds. The lithium cobalt manganese oxide of the above formula may be in air and moisture insensitive tetragonal form and provides additional active lithium to compensate for capacity losses in lithium ion cells and lithium-alloy cells.

Abstract: The invention relates to a rechargeable electrochemical cell comprising a negative electrode, an electrolyte and a positive electrode, characterized in that the positive electrode structure thereof comprises (a) one or more materials selected from the group consisting of LiMn2O4, LiCoO2, LiNiO2, LiNixCo1−xO2 where 0<x<1, preferably LiMn2O4 and (b) one or more materials selected from the group consisting of orthorhombic LiMnO2, monoclinic LiMnO2 (m-LiMnO2), hexagonal LiFeO2 (h-LiFeO2), &agr;-NaMnO2, &bgr;-NaMnO2, &agr;-NaFeO2, and lithium/sodium compounds of the formula LixNayM(II)O1+1/2(x+y), where x≧0, y≧0 and x+y≦2, and where M(II) is a transition metal in oxidation state +2, selected from the group consisting of Mn, Co, Ni and Fe, preferably LixNayMn(II)O1+1/2(x+y), where x≧0, y≧0 and x+y≦2, more preferably LiNa0.6MnO1.

Abstract: The present invention provides cathode active materials having as their major component or consisting essentially entirely of an oxide of vanadium of one of the nominal general formulas: Li.sub.a Fe.sub.x V.sub.y O.sub.z and Li.sub.m Fe.sub.x V.sub.y O.sub.z. In the case of Li.sub.a Fe.sub.x V.sub.y O.sub.z the material in an initial condition does not contain any lithium so a is equal to 0. In the case of Li.sub.m Fe.sub.x V.sub.y O.sub.z the material in an initial condition contains lithium so m is greater than 0. In both cases, x is about 1, y is about 3, and z is about 8. In both cases, the V(4) state is achieved by reaction between iron and V(5) in vanadium pentoxide. In one case lithium was added by including lithium hydroxide in an aqueous solution containing the iron and the vanadium pentoxide.