Abstract: An inexpensive negative electrode material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes three types of powder materials: alloy material A; alloy material B; and a conductive material. Alloy material A includes a CoSn2 structure containing Co, Sn, and Fe and has an Sn content of at least 70.1 mass % and less than 82.0 mass %. Alloy material B includes Co3Sn2 and has a lower discharge capacity than alloy material A. The proportion RB of the mass of alloy material B based on the total mass of alloy material A and B is greater than 5.9% and less than 27.1%. The content of the conductive material is at least 7 mass % and at most 20 mass % based on the total mass of alloy material A and B, and the conductive material. The exotherm starting temperature for the negative electrode material is less than 375.4° C.

Abstract: An alloy flake production apparatus (1) includes a crystallinity control device (2) for controlling an alloy crystal structure of fed alloy flakes to a desired state, a cooling device (3) for cooling the alloy flakes discharged from the crystallinity control device (2), and a chamber for keeping these devices under reduced pressure or under an inert gas atmosphere. The crystallinity control device (2) has a rotary heating drum (21) in a cylindrical shape for heating the fed alloy flakes, and a switching device (23) for switching between storage and discharge of the alloy flakes fed to an inner wall side of the heating drum (21), so that long-time heat treatment is uniformly applied to the alloy flakes immediately after being made by ingot crushing. The heating drum (21) preferably has a scooping blade plate (22) for scooping up alloy flakes fed to the inner wall side with its rotation.

Abstract: A modified natural graphite material which provides a negative plate having improved adhesion between a negative electrode mixture and a current collector has a circularity of at least 0.92 and at most 1.0 and an incident angle dependence S60/0 of the peak intensity ratio of at least 0.5 and at most 0.7 as determined by measurement of C K-edge X-ray absorption spectra using synchrotron radiation as an excitation source. It preferably satisfies at least one of the following conditions: an absolute specific gravity of at least 2.25 (g/cm3), a tap density of at least 1.0 g/cm3 and at most 1.4 g/cm3, and linseed oil absorption of at least 20 cm3/100 g and at most 50 cm3/100 g. A carbonaceous material may adhere to at least a portion of the surface of the graphite particles.

Abstract: The present invention provides a negative electrode material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which can improve the cycle properties of a lithium ion secondary battery and a method for manufacturing the negative electrode material. The negative electrode material comprises at least two types of powdery alloy materials A and B in which powdery alloy material A contains Co, Sn, and Fe and does not contain Ti and powdery alloy material B contains Fe, Ti, and Sn, and the proportion of the mass of powdery alloy material B to the sum of the mass of powdery alloy material A and the mass of powdery alloy material B is at least 10 mass % and at most 30 mass %.

Abstract: A negative electrode material according to the present invention which is provided as an inexpensive negative electrode material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and which suppresses the amount of expensive Co which is used contains three types of powder materials in the form of alloy material A, alloy material B, and a conductive material. Alloy material A comprises an alloy having a CoSn2 structure containing Co, Sn, and Fe and having an Sn content of at least 70.1 mass % and less than 82.0 mass %. Alloy material B comprises Co3Sn2 and has a lower discharge capacity than alloy material A, and the proportion RB of the mass of alloy material B based on the total mass of alloy material A and alloy material B is greater than 5.9% and less than 27.1%. The content of the conductive material is at least 7 mass % and at most 20 mass % based on the total mass of alloy material A, alloy material B, and the conductive material.

Abstract: A negative electrode material provided by the present invention capable of suppressing a decrease in charge acceptance and high temperature storage properties in an electrode with a high capacity and a high density is a mixed carbon material comprising carbon material A having cores of graphite powder with amorphous carbon and/or turbostratic carbon adhered to or coated on the surface of the cores and carbon material B which is graphite powder, the compressibility which is the density (g/cm3) of the material when 1.00 grams of the material are packed into a cylindrical mold with an inner diameter of 15 mm and compressed by applying a pressing force of 8.7 kN and reducing the pressing force to 0.15 kN is 1.60-1.78 g/cm3 for carbon material A and 1.75-1.85 g/cm3 for carbon material B, the compressibility of carbon material A is less than the compressibility of carbon material B, and the mixing ratio (carbon material A/carbon material B) is 1-9 as a mass ratio.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mixed carbon material which comprises carbon material A and carbon material B and which is a carbon material suitable for a negative electrode material which can provide a nonaqueous secondary battery having a low irreversible capacity and having a negative electrode with a high capacity and high charge acceptance. Carbon material A and carbon material B both have cores made of graphite powder and a surface carbon material in the form of at least one of amorphous carbon and turbostratic carbon adhered to or coated on at least a portion of the surface of the graphite powder. The compressed density is 1.80-1.90 g/cm3 for carbon material A alone, 1.45-1.65 g/cm3 for carbon material B alone, and 1.75-1.84 g/cm3 for the mixed carbon material.

Abstract: A carbon material suitable as a negative electrode material for a lithium ion battery which can suppress decomposition of a nonaqueous electrolytic solution, which has excellent compressibility capable of highly dense packing, and which can form an electrode of high capacity without worsening charge and discharge efficiency or cycling performance. Graphite powder A having an average particle diameter of 10-30 ?m and a specific surface area S1 of at most 12.5 m2/g and pitch powder B having a softening point of 80-180° C. and an average particle diameter of 15-150 ?m are mixed in proportions such that the mass ratio A/B is 98/2-95.5/4.5, and the resulting mixed powder is subjected to heat treatment in a stationary condition in an inert atmosphere at 900-1100° C. to carbonize the pitch and thereby manufacture a carbon material having carbon adhered to the surface of the above-described graphite powder. Carbon preferentially adheres to the edge planes of the graphite particles.

Abstract: A hydrogen-absorbing alloy, which is used as a negative electrode material of nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, and particularly for batteries to drive electric motors of hybrid electric vehicles, is an AB5-type alloy having a CaCu5-type crystal structure and the general formula RNiaCobAlcMnd (R: mixture of rare earth metals), wherein 4.15?a?4.4, 0.15?b?0.35, 1?c/d?1.7, 5.25?a+b+c+d?5.45.

Abstract: The present invention provides a negative electrode material for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which can improve the cycle properties of a lithium ion secondary battery and a method for manufacturing the negative electrode material. The negative electrode material comprises at least two types of powdery alloy materials A and B in which powdery alloy material A contains Co, Sn, and Fe and does not contain Ti and powdery alloy material B contains Fe, Ti, and Sn, and the proportion of the mass of powdery alloy material B to the sum of the mass of powdery alloy material A and the mass of powdery alloy material B is at least 10 mass % and at most 30 mass %.

Abstract: The present invention provides a mixed carbon material which comprises carbon material A and carbon material B and which is a carbon material suitable for a negative electrode material which can provide a nonaqueous secondary battery having a low irreversible capacity and having a negative electrode with a high capacity and high charge acceptance. Carbon material A and carbon material B both have cores made of graphite powder and a surface carbon material in the form of at least one of amorphous carbon and turbostratic carbon adhered to or coated on at least a portion of the surface of the graphite powder. The compressed density is 1.80-1.90 g/cm3 for carbon material A alone, 1.45-1.65 g/cm3 for carbon material B alone, and 1.75-1.84 g/cm3 for the mixed carbon material.

Abstract: A negative electrode material provided by the present invention capable of suppressing a decrease in charge acceptance and high temperature storage properties in an electrode with a high capacity and a high density is a mixed carbon material comprising carbon material A having cores of graphite powder with amorphous carbon and/or turbostratic carbon adhered to or coated on the surface of the cores and carbon material B which is graphite powder, the compressibility which is the density (g/cm3) of the material when 1.00 grams of the material are packed into a cylindrical mold with an inner diameter of 15 mm and compressed by applying a pressing force of 8.7 kN and reducing the pressing force to 0.15 kN is 1.60-1.78 g/cm3 for carbon material A and 1.75-1.85 g/cm3 for carbon material B, the compressibility of carbon material A is less than the compressibility of carbon material B, and the mixing ratio (carbon material A/carbon material B) is 1-9 as a mass ratio.

Abstract: A hydrogen-absorbing alloy, which is used as a negative electrode material of nickel-metal hydride secondary batteries for hybrid electric vehicles, and particularly for batteries to drive electric motors of hybrid electric vehicles, is an AB5-type alloy having a CaCu5-type crystal structure and the general formula R NiaCobAlcMnd (R: mixture of rare earth metals), wherein 4.15?a?4.4, 0.15?b?0.35, 1?c/d?1.7, 5.25?a+b+c+d?5.45.

Abstract: Carbon powder having low temperature calcined carbon derived from pitch adhered to a portion of the surface of natural graphite powder is obtained by solids mixing of natural graphite powder and pitch powder as a carbon precursor followed by heat treatment at 900-1500° C. to carbonize the pitch. The amount of pitch powder is such that the ratio V2/V1 of the pore volume V2 of pores having a diameter of 50-200 nm to the pore volume V1 of pores having a diameter of 2-50 nm in a pore size distribution curve obtained by analysis of the nitrogen desorption isotherm of the resulting carbon powder by the BJH method is at least 1. This carbon powder can be used as a negative electrode material for a nonaqueous secondary battery able to operate at low temperatures.

Abstract: A positive active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries which has a higher capacity and improved thermal stability in a charged state and is less expensive compared to the current active material of LiCoO2 is provided by a lithium compound oxide having the formula: LiaNibCocMndMeO2  (1) where M stands for one or two of W and Mo, 0.90≦a≦1.15, 0<b<0.99, 0<c≦0.5, 0<d≦0.5, 0<c+d≦0.9, 0.01≦e≦0.1, and b+c+d+e=1, the lithium compound oxide giving an X-ray diffraction pattern including a diffraction peak or peaks assigned to a compound oxide of Li and W and/or a compound oxide of Li and Mo, in addition to main diffraction peaks assigned to a hexagonal crystal structure.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for aluminum-containing ferroalloy which comprises mixing 80 to 99 parts by weight of molten ferroalloy and 20 to 1 parts by weight of molten aluminum in a ladle.