Patents by Inventor Yukinari Kotani

Yukinari Kotani has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20230071774
    Abstract: A main object of the present disclosure is to provide an anode active material with excellent capacity properties. The present disclosure achieves the object by providing an anode active material to be used in an alkaline storage battery, the anode active material including: a base material containing Ti and Cr, and including a BCC structure as a metastable phase; and a coating layer that coats the base material, and contains a catalyst metal and a metal with oxygen affinity that is more than oxygen affinity of Ti; wherein an oxide film is present in an interface between the coating layer and the base material; and when a first thickness TA (nm) and a second thickness TB(nm) of the oxide film are determined by Auger electron spectroscopy, a rate of the TA with respect to the TB, which is TA/TB is, for example, 1.50 or more.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Makio KON, Hideki IBA, Yukinari KOTANI, Naotaka SAWADA, Tomoya MATSUNAGA, Hiroshi NISHIYAMA, Hiroshi SUYAMA, Masashi KODAMA
  • Publication number: 20160020469
    Abstract: An air cathode for air batteries, having excellent high-rate discharge performance, and an air battery comprising the air cathode, are set forth. The air cathode for air batteries uses oxygen as an active material and may be configured to form an air battery comprising the air cathode, an anode and an electrolyte layer present between the air cathode and the anode. The air cathode includes: a catalyst layer that contains at least an electrode catalyst and an electroconductive material; an oxide as the electrode catalyst, which is active against at least oxygen reduction reaction; and at least one kind of metal carbide as the electroconductive material, selected from a tungsten carbide, a titanium carbide and a molybdenum carbide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 29, 2015
    Publication date: January 21, 2016
    Inventors: Yukinari KOTANI, Shinji NAKANISHI, Koji NISHIO, Tomohiko OKUGAKI
  • Patent number: 9225018
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide an air cathode for air batteries, having excellent high-rate discharge performance, and an air battery comprising the air cathode. Disclosed is an air cathode for air batteries, using oxygen as an active material and configured to form an air battery comprising the air cathode, an anode and an electrolyte layer present between the air cathode and the anode, the air cathode comprising: a catalyst layer which contains at least an electrode catalyst and an electroconductive material; an oxide as the electrode catalyst, which is active against at least oxygen reduction reaction; and at least one kind of metal carbide as the electroconductive material, selected from the group consisting of a tungsten carbide, a titanium carbide and a molybdenum carbide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2015
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KYOTO UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Yukinari Kotani, Shinji Nakanishi, Koji Nishio, Tomohiko Okugaki
  • Patent number: 9196907
    Abstract: An air electrode (6) for a metal-air battery includes an air electrode catalyst, an electrolyte for air electrodes and a; conductive material. The electrolyte for air electrodes contains a layered double hydroxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2015
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, KYOTO UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Zempachi Ogumi, Kohei Miyazaki, Koji Nishio, Yukinari Kotani
  • Patent number: 8822087
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a metal-air battery which can inhibit decrease of discharge capacity and increase of battery's internal resistance caused by the repeated charge and discharge. The metal-air battery comprises: a cathode; an electrolyte layer; and an anode, wherein the cathode, the electrolyte layer, and the anode are laminated in the order mentioned; the cathode comprises a plurality of cathode material layers arranged at intervals; and the direction for laminating the cathode, the electrolyte layer, and the anode intersect with the array direction of the plurality of cathode material layers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yukinari Kotani, Fuminori Mizuno
  • Patent number: 8808930
    Abstract: Provided are a liquid air electrode for a metal-air battery that has superior discharge capacity and includes an electrolyte solution and an electrically conductive material, the electrically conductive material being dispersed in the electrolyte solution, and a metal-air battery that includes the liquid air electrode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 19, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Fuminori Mizuno, Yukinari Kotani, Kenichi Hamamoto
  • Publication number: 20140106240
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide an air cathode for air batteries, having excellent high-rate discharge performance, and an air battery comprising the air cathode. Disclosed is an air cathode for air batteries, using oxygen as an active material and configured to form an air battery comprising the air cathode, an anode and an electrolyte layer present between the air cathode and the anode, the air cathode comprising: a catalyst layer which contains at least an electrode catalyst and an electroconductive material; an oxide as the electrode catalyst, which is active against at least oxygen reduction reaction; and at least one kind of metal carbide as the electroconductive material, selected from the group consisting of a tungsten carbide, a titanium carbide and a molybdenum carbide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Applicants: KYOTO UNIVERSITY, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukinari KOTANI, Shinji NAKANISHI, Koji NISHIO, Tomohiko OKUGAKI
  • Publication number: 20130273442
    Abstract: An air electrode (6) for a metal-air battery includes an air electrode catalyst, an electrolyte for air electrodes and a; conductive material. The electrolyte for air electrodes contains a layered double hydroxide.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Publication date: October 17, 2013
    Applicants: KYOTO UNIVERSITY, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Zempachi Ogumi, Kohei Miyazaki, Koji Nishio, Yukinari Kotani
  • Patent number: 8557412
    Abstract: It is a major object of the invention to provide a method for processing a battery member, by which a cathode active material and a sulfide solid electrolyte material can be efficiently separated from each other and the cathode active material and Li contained in the sulfide solid electrolyte material can be efficiently recovered.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Tsuchida, Yukinari Kotani, Yukiyoshi Ueno, Shigenori Hama, Hirofumi Nakamoto, Hiroshi Nagase, Masato Kamiya
  • Patent number: 8481204
    Abstract: A solid-state battery has a power generation element (5) having a cathode layer (1), a sulfide-based solid electrolyte membrane (2), an anode layer (3) that are stacked in this order; a battery case (6) in which the power generation element is disposed; and a flowable sealant (7) provided in the battery case and being non-reactive with the sulfide-based solid electrolyte membrane, the power generation element being soaked in the flowable sealant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigenori Hama, Shoji Yokoishi, Yukinari Kotani
  • Publication number: 20130143134
    Abstract: Provided are a liquid air electrode for a metal-air battery that has superior discharge capacity and includes an electrolyte solution and an electrically conductive material, the electrically conductive material being dispersed in the electrolyte solution, and a metal-air battery that includes the liquid air electrode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 12, 2011
    Publication date: June 6, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Fuminori Mizuno, Yukinari Kotani, Kenichi Hamamoto
  • Publication number: 20120091391
    Abstract: It is a major object of the invention to provide a method for processing a battery member, by which a cathode active material and a sulfide solid electrolyte material can be efficiently separated from each other and the cathode active material and Li contained in the sulfide solid electrolyte material can be efficiently recovered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 16, 2009
    Publication date: April 19, 2012
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Tsuchida, Yukinari Kotani, Yukiyoshi Ueno, Shigenori Hama, Hirofumi Nakamoto, Hiroshi Nagase, Masato Kamiya
  • Publication number: 20110200891
    Abstract: The present invention is to provide a metal-air battery which can inhibit decrease of discharge capacity and increase of battery's internal resistance caused by the repeated charge and discharge. The metal-air battery comprises: a cathode; an electrolyte layer; and an anode, wherein the cathode, the electrolyte layer, and the anode are laminated in the order mentioned; the cathode comprises a plurality of cathode material layers arranged at intervals; and the direction for laminating the cathode, the electrolyte layer, and the anode intersect with the array direction of the plurality of cathode material layers.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Publication date: August 18, 2011
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yukinari Kotani, Fuminori Mizuno