Abstract: Provided is a lithium metal secondary battery comprising a cathode, an anode, an electrolyte-separator assembly disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the anode comprises: (a) an anode active material layer containing a layer of lithium or lithium alloy optionally supported by an anode current collector; and (b) an anode-protecting layer in physical contact with the anode active material layer and in ionic contact with the electrolyte-separator assembly, having a thickness from 10 nm to 500 ?m and comprising an elastic polymer foam having a fully recoverable elastic compressive strain from 2% to 500% and pores having a pore volume fraction from 5% to 95% (most preferably 50-95%); wherein preferably the pores are interconnected.

Abstract: Provided is a porous anode material structure for a lithium-ion battery, the structure comprising (A) an integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam comprising multiple pores, having a pore volume Vp, and pore walls; and (B) coating of an anode active material, having a coating volume Vc, coated on surfaces of the pore walls; wherein pore walls contain single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets chemically bonded by a carbon material having a carbon material-to-graphene weight ratio from 1/200 to 1/2, and wherein the volume ratio Vp/Vc is from 0.1/1.0 to 10/1.0.

Abstract: Provided is method of producing a porous anode material structure for a lithium-ion battery, the method comprising (A) providing an integral 3D graphene-carbon hybrid foam comprising multiple pores, having a pore volume Vp, and pore walls; and (B) impregnating or infiltrating the pores with a fluid for forming a coating of an anode active material, having a coating volume Vc, deposited on or bonded to surfaces of the pore walls; wherein the pore walls contain single-layer or few-layer graphene sheets chemically bonded by a carbon material having a carbon material-to-graphene weight ratio from 1/200 to 1/2, and wherein the volume ratio Vp/Vc is from 0.1/1.0 to 10/1.0.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for producing graphene-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material, comprising: (A) preparing a catalyst metal-coated mixture mass, which includes mixing graphene sheets with micron or sub-micron scaled semiconductor particles to form a mixture and depositing a nano-scaled catalytic metal onto surfaces of the graphene sheets and/or semiconductor particles; and (B) exposing the catalyst metal-coated mixture mass to a high temperature environment (preferably from 100° C. to 2,500° C.) for a period of time sufficient to enable a catalytic metal-catalyzed growth of multiple semiconductor nanowires using the semiconductor particles as a feed material to form the graphene-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material composition. An optional etching or separating procedure may be conducted to remove catalytic metal or graphene from the semiconductor nanowires.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for producing semiconductor nanowires having a diameter or thickness from 2 nm to 100 nm, the process comprising: (A) preparing a semiconductor material particulate having a size from 50 nm to 500 ?m, selected from Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, P, As, Sb, Bi, Te, a combination thereof, a compound thereof, or a combination thereof with Si; (B) depositing a catalytic metal, in the form of nanoparticles having a size from 1 nm to 100 nm or a coating having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 nm, onto surfaces of the semiconductor material particulate to form a catalyst metal-coated semiconductor material; and (C) exposing the catalyst metal-coated semiconductor material to a high temperature environment, from 100° C. to 2,500° C., for a period of time sufficient to enable a catalytic metal-assisted growth of multiple semiconductor nanowires from the particulate.

Abstract: A process for producing a graphene/Si nanowire hybrid material, comprising: (a) dispersing catalyst metal-coated Si particles, graphene sheets, and an optional blowing agent in a liquid medium to form a graphene/Si dispersion; (b) dispensing and depositing the dispersion onto a supporting substrate to form a wet layer and removing the liquid medium from the wet layer to form a dried layer of graphene/Si mixture material; (c) exposing the dried layer to a high temperature environment, from 300° C. to 2,000° C., to induce volatile gas molecules from graphene sheets or to activate the blowing agent for producing the graphene foam and to enable a catalyst metal-catalyzed growth of multiple Si nanowires emanated from Si particles as a feed material in pores of the foam to form a layer of the hybrid material; and (d) operating a mechanical breaking means to produce the Si nanowire/graphene hybrid material in a powder mass form.

Abstract: Provided is a powder mass of a graphene/Si nanowire hybrid material as a lithium-ion battery anode active material, comprising multiple Si nanowires inter-mixed with multiple graphene sheets wherein the Si nanowires have a diameter from 2 nm to 50 nm, a length from 50 nm to 20 ?m and a radius of curvature from 100 nm to 10 ?m, and the Si nanowires are in an amount from 0.5% to 99%. Preferably, the powder mass comprises multiple secondary particles or particulates and at least one of the particulates comprises a core and a shell embracing the core, wherein the core comprises a single or a plurality of graphene sheets and a plurality of Si nanowires, and the graphene sheets and the Si nanowires are mutually bonded or agglomerated in the core and the shell comprises one or a plurality of graphene sheets that embrace or encapsulate the core.

Abstract: Provided is a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell comprising an anode active material layer, a cathode active material layer, a discrete anode-protecting layer disposed between the anode active material layer and the cathode active material layer, and an electrolyte (but no porous separator), wherein the anode-protecting layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m and comprises an elastomer having a fully recoverable tensile elastic strain from 2% to 1,000% and a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm when measure at room temperature. The cathode layer comprises a sulfur-containing material selected from a sulfur-carbon hybrid, sulfur-graphite hybrid, sulfur-graphene hybrid, conducting polymer-sulfur hybrid, metal sulfide, sulfur compound, or a combination thereof. This battery exhibits an excellent combination of high sulfur content, high sulfur utilization efficiency, high energy density, no known dendrite issue, no dead lithium or dead sodium issue, and a long cycle life.

Abstract: Provided is a method of improving a cycle-life of a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell, the method comprising implementing an electronically non-conducting anode-protecting layer between an anode active material layer and a cathode active material without using a porous separator in the cell, wherein the anode-protecting layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m and comprises an elastomer having a fully recoverable tensile elastic strain from 2% to 1,000%, a lithium ion or sodium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm, and an electronic conductivity less than 10?4 S/cm when measured at room temperature. This battery exhibits an excellent combination of high sulfur content, high sulfur utilization efficiency, high energy density, no known dendrite issue, no dead lithium or dead sodium issue, and a long cycle life.

Abstract: Provided is an anode particulate or a solid mass of particulates for a lithium battery, the particulate comprising a graphite matrix and a single or a plurality of carbon foam-protected primary particles of an anode active material embedded or dispersed in said graphite matrix, wherein the primary particles of anode active material contain at least one porous particle having a surface pore, internal pore, or both surface and internal pores, having a pore volume of Vpp and a solid volume Va, the carbon foam contains pores having a pore volume Vp, and the volume ratio Vp/Va is from 0.1/1.0 to 5.0/1.0 or a total pore-to-solid volume ratio (Vp+Vpp)/Va is from 0.3/1.0 to 10/1.0 and wherein the carbon foam is physically or chemically connected to the graphite matrix and the primary anode particles. The carbon foam is preferably reinforced with a high-strength material.

Abstract: The invention provides multiple anode particulates for a lithium battery. At least one of the particulates comprises a core and a thin encapsulating layer encapsulating the core, wherein the core comprises a single or a plurality of porous primary particles of an anode active material (having a pore volume Vpp and a solid volume Va) dispersed or embedded in a porous carbon matrix (a carbon foam matrix) having a pore volume Vp, and the thin encapsulating layer comprises graphene sheets and has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, an electric conductivity from 10?6 S/cm to 20,000 S/cm and a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm and wherein the volume ratio Vp/Va is from 0.1/1.0 to 10/1.0 or the total pore-to-solid ratio (Vp+Vpp)/Va is from 0.3/1.0 to 20/1.0.

Abstract: Provided is an impact-transfer method of producing multiple anode particulates for a lithium battery, the method comprising: (a) mixing multiple particles of a graphitic material, multiple polymer-coated porous primary anode active material particles, with or without the presence of externally added milling balls or beads, to form a mixture in an impacting chamber of an energy impacting apparatus; (b) operating the energy impacting apparatus for peeling off graphene sheets from the particles of graphitic material and transferring the peeled graphene sheets to surfaces of the polymer-coated anode active material particles to produce particulates of graphene-encapsulated polymer-coated porous anode active material particles; (c) recovering the particulates from the impacting chamber and separating the particles of ball-milling media from the particulates; and (d) thermally converting the polymer in the polymer-coated particles into a carbon foam to obtain porous, graphene-encapsulated carbon foam-protected anod

Abstract: Provided is an anode particulate or a solid mass of particulates for a lithium battery, the particulate comprising a graphite matrix and a single or a plurality of carbon foam-protected primary particles of an anode active material embedded or dispersed in the graphite matrix, wherein the primary particles of anode active material have a volume Va, the carbon foam contains pores having a pore volume Vp, and the volume ratio Vp/Va is from 0.3/1.0 to 5.0/1.0 and wherein the carbon foam is physically or chemically connected to both the graphite matrix and the primary particles of the anode active material. The carbon foam is preferably reinforced with a high-strength material.

Abstract: Provided is an anode particulate for a lithium battery, the particulate comprising a core and a thin encapsulating layer that encapsulates or embraces the core, wherein the core comprises a single or a plurality of primary particles of an anode active material, having a volume Va, dispersed or embedded in a porous carbon matrix (a carbon foam), wherein the porous carbon matrix contains pores having a pore volume Vp, and the thin encapsulating layer comprises graphene sheets and has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, an electric conductivity from 10?6 S/cm to 20,000 S/cm and a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm and wherein the volume ratio Vp/Va is from 0.5/1.0 to 5.0/1.0. The carbon foam is preferably reinforced with a high-strength material.

Abstract: A polymer matrix composite containing graphene sheets homogeneously dispersed in a polymer matrix wherein the polymer matrix composite exhibits a percolation threshold from 0.0001% to 0.1% by volume of graphene sheets to form a 3D network of interconnected graphene sheets or network of electron-conducting pathways.

Abstract: An process for producing multiple porous graphene particulates for a lithium battery anode, the process comprising: (a) preparing a graphene dispersion having multiple anode material particles, multiple sheets of a starting graphene material, and a blowing agent dispersed in a liquid medium, wherein the blowing agent-to-graphene material weight ratio is from 0.01/1.0 to 1.0/1.0; (b) dispensing, forming and drying the graphene dispersion into multiple droplets containing therein graphene sheets, particles of the anode active material, and the blowing agent; and (c) heat treating the droplets at a heat treatment temperature selected from 80° C. to 3,200° C. at a desired heating rate sufficient to induce volatile gas molecules from the non-carbon elements or to activate the blowing agent for producing the multiple porous graphene particulates.

Abstract: An anode for a lithium battery, comprising multiple porous graphene particulates, wherein at least one of the particulates comprises multiple pores (total volume Vpp), pore walls, and primary particles of an anode active material (total volume Va), disposed in the pores, wherein (a) the pore walls contain a graphene material; (b) the primary particles are in an amount from 0.5% to 95% by weight based on the total particulate weight; (c) the particulate is embraced or encapsulated by a thin encapsulating layer of electrically conducting material having a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, an electric conductivity from 10?6 S/cm to 20,000 S/cm and a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm; and (d) the volume ratio Vpp/Va is from 1.3/1.0 to 5.0/1.0.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium battery anode electrode comprising multiple particulates of an anode active material, wherein at least a particulate comprises one or a plurality of particles of said anode active material having a volume Va, an electron-conducting material as a matrix, binder or filler material, and pores having a volume Vp which are encapsulated by a thin encapsulating layer of an electrically conducting material, wherein the thin encapsulating layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, an electric conductivity from 10?6 S/cm to 20,000 S/cm and a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm and the volume ratio Vp/Va in the particulate is from 0.3/1.0 to 5.0/1.0. If a single primary particle is encapsulated, the single primary particle is itself porous having a free space to expand into without straining the thin encapsulating layer when the lithium battery is charged.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium battery anode electrode comprising multiple particulates of an anode active material, wherein at least a particulate comprises a plurality of porous particles of anode active material having a pore volume Vpp and a solid volume Va, an electron-conducting material as a non-porous matrix, binder or filler material (containing no porous carbon matrix or carbon foam), and additional pores having a volume Vp which are encapsulated by a thin encapsulating layer of an electrically conducting material, wherein the thin encapsulating layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, an electric conductivity from 10?6 S/cm to 20,000 S/cm and a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm and the volume ratio Vp/Va in the particulate is from 0.1/1.0 to 10/1.0 or (Vpp+Vp)/Va is from 0.3/1.0 to 20/1.0.

Abstract: Provided is a method of producing multiple anode particulates, comprising: a) dispersing an electrically conducting material, multiple porous primary particles of an anode active material, an optional electron-conducting material, and a sacrificial material in a liquid medium to form a precursor mixture; b) forming the precursor mixture into multiple droplets and drying the droplets; and c) removing the sacrificial material or thermally converting the sacrificial material into a carbon material to obtain multiple particulates, wherein a particulate comprises a plurality of porous anode active material particles having a pore volume Vpp and a solid volume Va, an electron-conducting material, and additional pores having a volume Vp, which are encapsulated by a thin encapsulating layer having a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m and a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm and the volume ratio Vp/Va in the particulate is from 0.1/1.0 to 10/1.0 or (Vpp+Vp)/Va ratio is from 0.3/1.0 to 20/1.0.