Abstract: A lithium secondary battery having a cap assembly including a cap plate, an insulation plate and a terminal plate. The insulation plate and the terminal plate each have a predetermined vent hole corresponding to a safety vent formed on the cap plate so that if the secondary battery is dropped, an electrolyte passes through the vent-holes and undergoes a pressure reduction, thereby preventing fracture of a safety vent by the electrolyte while allowing gas to be exhausted upon battery overcharge, full discharge or by overheating.

Abstract: An electrolyte membrane characterized by comprising a porous body formed from a melt-moldable fluororesin and having interconnected pores and an ion exchange resin with which the interconnected pores are filled, is provided. Specifically, the porous body is formed, for example, from an ethylene/tetrafluoroethylene copolymer, a tetrafluoroethylene/perfluoro(alkyl vinyl ether) copolymer, a tetrafluoroethylene/hexafluoropropylene copolymer, a tetrafluoroethylene/[CF2?CF—(OCF2CFY)a—Oc—(CF2)b—SO3H] copolymer (wherein Y is a fluorine atom or a trifluoromethyl group, a is an integer of 0 to 3, b is an integer of from 0 to 12, and c is 0 or 1, provided that when b=0, C=0), or the like. An electrolyte membrane reinforced by such a porous body has high mechanical strength even if it is thin, and is excellent in dimensional stability when hydrated, and a polymer electrolyte fuel cell with a membrane-electrode assembly having the electrolyte membrane provides a high output and is excellent in durability.

Abstract: A solid oxide fuel cell stack generates power by an electrochemical reaction of oxygen with hydrogen or hydrogen and carbon monoxide in a reformed gas which is produced from a natural gas by a reformer, and supplies waste heat and an anode exhaust gas containing steam to the reformer. The reformed gas produced by the reformer is reduced its CO concentration through a CO shift converter and a CO selective oxidizer. A polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack generates power by an electrochemical reaction of oxygen with hydrogen contained in a reformed gas which is emitted through the CO selective oxidizer with reduced CO concentration and with condensed moisture by a condenser.

Abstract: A secondary battery includes: an electrode assembly including positive and negative electrodes; a container adapted to receive the electrode assembly; a cap assembly having at least two terminals exposed outside the container, the cap assembly being adapted to be fixed to the container to seal the container; and lead elements adapted to electrically connect the terminals and the electrode assembly. A center of the terminals are aligned with a center of the electrode assembly, and the lead elements are spaced apart from the center of their respective terminals and adapted to be connected to their respective terminals and the electrode assembly.

Abstract: In an alkaline dry battery using a polyamide resin sealing gasket that is placed between a battery case and an anode terminal plate without using a stiffening member and seals the battery case in an airtight manner, the sealing gasket includes a first and a second thin wall parts and is formed of polyamide resin, polyhexamethylene dodecanamide.

Abstract: A micro fuel cell comprises at least a substrate provided with front and rear faces. The front face of the substrate supports a successive stacking of a first electrode, a substantially flat electrolytic membrane and a second electrode. The electrolytic membrane comprises at least one anchoring element salient substantially perpendicularly to a main plane of said membrane. The anchoring element is arranged in a complementary part of an anchoring recess formed in the substrate. The substrate can also comprise a plurality of microchannels, substantially perpendicular to the main plane of the membrane. The anchoring recess can then be formed by one of the microchannels whereas the other microchannels enable supply of the first electrode with reactive fluid. Such a micro fuel cell is able to operate when a pressure difference exists between the two sides of the stacking.

Abstract: There are provided a solid oxide fuel cell system made up of (a) a solid oxide fuel cell stack, (b) a preliminary reformer for removing hydrocarbons having two or more carbon atoms from a hydrocarbon fuel by converting the hydrocarbons having two or more carbon atoms into methane, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, and (c) an integrated heat exchanger for catalytic combustion for heating either air or fuel, or both the air and fuel, to be guided to the solid oxide fuel cell stack, by use of a combustion gas formed by combusting discharged fuel with the use of discharged air, wherein the component equipment described above are disposed in an adiabatic vessel and the integrated heat exchanger for catalytic combustion for use in the solid oxide fuel cell system.

Abstract: A dual power supply assembly for providing power to an electrical device includes a fuel cell and a battery in electrical communication with the fuel cell. The fuel cell and the battery act in tandem to supply power to the electrical device. Either the fuel cell of the battery may be removed from the dual power supply assembly without interrupting the continuous operation of the electrical device.

Abstract: Energy devices such as batteries and methods for fabricating the energy devices. The devices are small, thin and lightweight, yet provide sufficient power for many handheld electronics.

Abstract: Application: in electric equipment as a secondary current source (storage battery).

Abstract: An electrochemical cell is described. The cell comprises a cathode material contacted to a perforated current collector having a portion left uncovered and an anode material contacted to an anode current collector. The anode comprises first and second strips positioned on opposite sides of the cathode, which is also in the form of a strip, but one that is much longer than each of the anode strips. Proximal ends of the anode strips reside adjacent to where the cathode is secured to a terminal pin/sleeve assembly. Distal ends of the anode strips are adjacent to the opposed ends of the cathode strip. A separator sheet segregating the anode from direct contact with the cathode provides an upper portion at least partially sealed to a lower portion along an aligned peripheral edge and through the uncovered perforations of the cathode current collector to lock the cathode in position.

Abstract: The battery includes an electrolyte activating one or more cathodes and one or more anodes. The electrolyte includes one or more mono[bidentate]borate salts in a solvent. The solvent includes a silane or a siloxane. The mono[bidentate]borate salt can include a lithium dihalo mono[bidentate]borate such as lithium difluoro oxalatoborate (LiDfOB).

Abstract: The metal foil of the positive electrode 1a or the negative electrode 1b in the power generating element 1 is connected along the connecting plate portion 2b which is folded, twisted, and provided in a protruding condition from the main portion 2a of the current-collector connector 2; hence the shape of the current-collector connector 2 becomes easy to form, and a battery capable of enhancing current collection efficiency, reliability and workability can be provided.

Abstract: A fixing structure of battery module for fixing a battery module in an electronic device is proposed. The fixing structure includes a first lid and a second lid, which are formed on a surface of the electronic device, wherein the first lid is formed with a first fastening part, and the second lid is formed with a second fastening part for being engaged with the first fastening part; a mounting cavity formed in the electronic device at a position corresponding to the second lid; a first locking part formed on the second lid; and a second locking part formed on the battery module, for being coupled to the first locking part so as to fasten the battery module to the second lid. When the first and second lids are coupled together by the first and second fastening parts, the battery module fastened to the second lid is received in the mounting cavity and fixed in the electronic device.

Abstract: A bipolar plate having hydrophilic surfaces is disclosed. The bipolar plate includes multiple surfaces including channels having channel surfaces. A hydrophilic coating is provided on the surfaces to enhance the water management capabilties of a fuel cell.

Abstract: The direct electrochemical oxidation of hydrocarbons in solid oxide fuel cells, to generate greater power densities at lower temperatures without carbon deposition. The performance obtained is comparable to that of fuel cells used for hydrogen, and is achieved by using novel anode composites at low operating temperatures. Such solid oxide fuel cells, regardless of fuel source or operation, can be configured advantageously using the structural geometries of this invention.

Abstract: An organic/inorganic composite separator includes (a) a polyolefin porous substrate having pores; and (b) a porous active layer containing a mixture of inorganic particles and a binder polymer, with which at least one surface of the polyolefin porous substrate is coated, wherein the porous active layer has a peeling force of 5 gf/cm or above, and a thermal shrinkage of the separator after being left alone at 150° C. for 1 hour is 50% or below in a machine direction (MD) or in a transverse direction (TD). This organic/inorganic composite separator solves the problem that inorganic particles in the porous active layer formed on the porous substrate are extracted during an assembly process of an electrochemical device, and also it may prevent an electric short circuit between cathode and anode even when the electrochemical device is overheated.

Abstract: A simple, inexpensive and highly efficient fuel cell has boundary structures made of a photo-sensitive material in combination with selective patterning. Printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication techniques combine boundary structures with two and three dimensional electrical flow path. Photo-sensitive material and PCB fabrication techniques are alternately or combined utilized for making micro-channel structures or micro stitch structures for substantially reducing dead zones of the diffusion layer while keeping fluid flow resistance to a minimum. The fuel cell assembly is free of mechanical clamping elements. Adhesives that may be conductively contaminated and/or fiber-reinforced provide mechanical and eventual electrical connections, and sealing within the assembly. Mechanically supporting backing layers are pre-fabricated with a natural bend defined in combination with the backing layers' elasticity to eliminate massive support plates and assist the adhesive bonding.

Abstract: Anode material for a fuel cell which is to be operated at a high temperature above 700° C.

Abstract: A suite of polymer/zeolite nanocomposite membranes. The polymer backbone is preferably a film forming fluorinated sulfonic acid containing copolymer, such as a Teflon type polymer, a perfluorinated polymer, or a perfluorinated polymer with sulfonic groups. The zeolites formed in accordance with the present invention and which are used in the membranes are plain, phenethyl functionalized and acid functionalized zeolite FAU(Y) and BEA nonocrystals. The zeolite nanocrystals are incorporated into polymer matrices for membrane separation applications like gas separations, and in polymer-exchange-membrane fuel cells. For the purpose of developing zeolite-polymer nanocomposite membranes, the zeolite nanocrystals are size-adjustable to match the polymer-network dimensions.