Abstract: The present invention is concerned with improved fuel cell systems and methods.

Abstract: An electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary cell capable of improving the cycle characteristics. The electrode includes a collector and an active material layer formed on a surface of the collector and containing an active material, a binder, and a graphite material. The active material comprises SiOx particles whose surfaces are bonded with an organic material having one or more functional groups selected from the group consisting of a phenylamino group, an imidazole group and an amino group. The binder is composed of a water-soluble polymer made of acrylic acid or a salt thereof.

Abstract: A method for producing an energy storage cell, in particular a lithium-ion cell, whose housing is elastically deformable include introducing at least one electrode coil or electrode stack, having at least two electrodes and at least one separator arranged between the electrodes, into a housing. The method also includes introducing an electrolyte into the housing, and filling the housing with gas and generating an excess pressure in the housing, by which at least one housing wall of the housing is curved outward. The housing is sealed in a gas-tight manner such that the excess pressure in the housing and the curvature of the at least one housing wall are maintained, and such that the housing is elastically deformable in a direction perpendicular to the at least one curved housing wall.

Abstract: An electrode for a cell includes a resin current collector that is planate and contains a resin and an electrically conductive filler, and an electrode active material layer that is disposed on at least one surface side of the resin current collector and that contains electrode active material particles. The resin current collector includes an electrically conductive layer on its surface side facing the electrode active material layer, the electrically conductive layer having configuration with recesses and projections. This configuration with recesses and projections satisfies the relationship given by formula (1): h/tan ?<D, in which h is the average height of the configuration with recesses and projections, ? is the average inclination angle of the configuration with recesses and projections, and D is the average particle diameter of the electrode active material particles. A cell includes the electrode for a cell described above.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a battery pack capable of improving stability from safety issues occurring in an overcurrent state. The battery pack includes a unit cell, a bus bar electrically connected to the unit cell and short-circuited by overcurrent, and a protection part disposed in the bus bar to absorb spark occurring when the bus bar is short-circuited.

Abstract: An exemplary assembly of an electrified vehicle includes a compression limiter integrated into a plate of a battery pack array. An exemplary method includes forming a portion of a plate of a battery pack array about a longitudinal axis to provide a compression limiter.

Abstract: A vehicle can include a traction battery and a controller in communication with the battery to determine the battery state using sensed battery electrode capacity to account for battery aging. The sensed battery electrode capacity can be dependent on active lithium ions at a positive electrode of the traction battery. The controller can compare a battery voltage model to measured battery voltage during a vehicle drive cycle, receive sensed current throughput data and open circuit voltage at the battery, and determine if a deviation threshold is exceeded. The controller can also correct electrode capacity using a mean of the measured open-circuit voltage to correct the capacity error to less than one amp-hour or initiate an active lithium capacity correction using a variance of the current throughput to correct the capacity error to less than one amp-hour. This information can be used to control the vehicle and battery usage.

Abstract: An object of one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a secondary battery in which deterioration of charge-discharge cycle characteristics is suppressed, to suppress generation of defects caused by expansion and contraction of an active material in a negative electrode, or to prevent deterioration caused by deformation of a secondary battery. To prevent deterioration, a material that can be alloyed with lithium and fluidified easily is used for a negative electrode. To hold a negative electrode active material over a surface of a current collector, a covering layer that covers the negative electrode active material is provided. Furthermore, a portion where the current collector and the negative electrode active material are in contact with each other is alloyed. In other words, an alloy that is in contact with both the current collector and the negative electrode active material is provided in the negative electrode.

Abstract: A cell stack includes a plurality of battery cell units, in which an anode, an electrolyte, an inter connector, and a cathode are stacked on a surface of a substrate tube of a cylinder, and a plurality of battery cells is formed in an axis direction of the substrate tube, and a connection mechanism that connects an end portion of the substrate tube of the battery cell unit in the axis direction, and an end portion of the adjacent battery cell unit. The connection mechanism includes a connection jig including a cylindrical portion facing a cylindrical shape of the battery cell unit, and a protruding portion formed on a surface of the cylindrical portion and having a protruding shape in a radial direction, and an adhesive layer applied between the cylindrical portion of the connection jig and the cell unit, and joining the connection jig and the cell unit.

Abstract: A battery-pack case includes a container that accommodates a battery pack and has an opening in the top surface thereof, a lid that closes the opening, and a plurality of heater units provided inside the container. The heater units include a first heater unit provided at the bottom of the container and a second heater unit provided on a side wall of the container. A first heater and a second heater that constitute the first heater unit are connected in series, as are third through sixth heaters that constitute the second heater unit.

Abstract: A rechargeable battery system, a battery pack, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed herein. The rechargeable battery system and/or battery pack can be for an electric vehicle. The rechargeable battery system and/or battery pack can include a plurality of battery cells arranged into one or more rows and a busbar. The battery cells can each include a first terminal and a second terminal, and the plurality of battery cells can include a subset of battery cells with the first terminal oriented in a same direction. The busbar can be conductive so as to be able to conduct electrical energy to and from at least the subset of battery cells. The busbar can define a busbar cooling duct having an entrance and an exit. The busbar cooling duct can in thermal connection with a plurality of contacts of the busbar.

Abstract: An example battery-based energy storage device that comprises: a battery chamber configured to host a plurality of rechargeable battery packs; an operation chamber separated from the battery chamber by at least an insulation board; an energy storage inverter mounted on the operation chamber; a battery control box mounted on the operation chamber and configured to control one or more operations of the plurality of rechargeable battery packs; a first door rotatably mounted on the battery chamber; a second door rotatably mounted on the battery chamber. The first door and the second door open outward and are on opposite sides of the battery chamber; and a third door rotatably mounted on the operation chamber. The energy storage inverter is configured to convert AC to DC when charging a rechargeable battery pack and to convert DC to AC when providing power to an external device from a rechargeable battery pack.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a battery module including a battery cell assembly constituted by at least two battery cells, a front plate and a rear plate fixed to the battery cell assembly such that the front plate and the rear plate cover outermost ones of the battery cells, an electrically insulative cover member mounted at an upper end of the battery cell assembly, the electrically insulative cover member being provided with through holes, through which electrode terminals of the battery cells extend, a PCB mounted on a bottom of the cover member, a plurality of conductive connection parts arranged on the cover member, the conductive connection parts being connected to the electrode terminals of the battery cells and the PCB, and a lower molding part located on the PCB at the bottom of the cover member, the lower molding part covering the connection between the PCB and the conductive connection parts.

Abstract: A fuel cell activation apparatus including: a storage battery; a first current sensor detecting a current outputted by the storage battery; a first switch switching between supplying the current outputted by the storage battery and supplying a current provided from the system power supply; a second switch switching between transmitting a result of detecting by the first current sensor and transmitting a result of detecting by a second current sensor which detects the current provided from the system power supply; and a control unit switching between a normal mode for activating, based on the result of detection performed by the second current sensor, the fuel cell using the current provided from the system power supply and a self-sustained mode for activating, based on the result of detection performed by the first current sensor, the fuel cell using the current outputted by the storage battery.

Abstract: A vapor deposition method for preparing a multi-layered thin film structure comprises providing a vapor source of each component element of a compound intended for a first layer and a compound intended for a second layer, wherein the vapor sources comprise at least a source of lithium, a source of oxygen, a source or sources of one or more glass-forming elements, and a source or sources of one or more transition metals; heating a substrate to a first temperature; co-depositing component elements from at least the vapor sources of lithium, oxygen and the one or more transition metals onto the heated substrate wherein the component elements react on the substrate to form a layer of a crystalline lithium-containing transition metal oxide compound; heating the substrate to a second temperature within a temperature range of substantially 170° C.

Abstract: A metal-supported cell comprises a laminate wherein a fuel electrode layer and a solid electrolyte layer are sequentially arranged in this order on a front surface of a metal support provided with a pore continuing from the front surface to the back surface. The solid electrolyte layer covers all parts of the surface of the fuel electrode layer, the parts being not in contact with the metal support. The peripheral part of the solid electrolyte layer is in contact with the front surface of the metal support. The metal support has a metal oxide layer. The fuel electrode layer contains NiO and Ni with molar ratio NiO/(Ni+NiO) of 45% or more, while containing gadolinium-doped ceria. The solid electrolyte layer mainly contains scandia-stabilized zirconia, while containing 0.1-10.0 mol of Bi atoms per 100 mol of Zr atoms having cross-sectional void fraction of 5.0% or less.

Abstract: A cathode for a lithium-sulfur battery includes a copper-containing current collector, over which an active material layer is disposed. A method of producing the cathode is provided. A lithium-sulfur battery including the cathode provides improved capacity and cycleability.

Abstract: The present invention provides a non-aqueous redox flow battery comprising a negative electrode immersed in a non-aqueous liquid negative electrolyte, a positive electrode immersed in a non-aqueous liquid positive electrolyte, and a cation-permeable separator (e.g., a porous membrane, film, sheet, or panel) between the negative electrolyte from the positive electrolyte. During charging and discharging, the electrolytes are circulated over their respective electrodes. The electrolytes each comprise an electrolyte salt (e.g., a lithium or sodium salt), a transition-metal free redox reactant, and optionally an electrochemically stable organic solvent. The redox reactant of the positive electrolyte is a dialkoxybenzene compound, and the redox reactant of the negative electrolyte is a viologen compound or a dipyridyl ketone.

Abstract: A power supply device is provided with: a plurality of battery cells, each of which has a prismatic external form; a separator connected to each battery cell to cover at least a portion of the surface of the battery cell; and a fastening member that fastens a battery stack obtained by stacking the battery cells covered by the separator in a state where main surfaces face each other. The separator is formed from an insulating material which is elastically deformable, and provided with the main plate section covering the main surface of the battery cell disposed to face said section, a box-shaped covering section provided on a bottom part of the main plate section on a side of a first surface, and a corner covering section provided on a top part of the main plate section on the side of the first surface.

Abstract: A current-collector metal foil has at least at least one roughened surface and numerous recessed parts are present on the roughened surface. Each recessed part has an edge part that surrounds a bottom-surface part and is raised above the bottom-surface part. The average Feret diameter Lave of the recessed parts is 0.5-50 ?m. The current-collector metal foil is suitable for use, e.g., as an electrode current collector for a lithium-ion secondary battery, a sodium secondary battery, an electric double-layer capacitor, or a lithium-ion capacitor.