Abstract: Provided is a supercapacitor electrode, comprising: (a) preparing a deformable mass of multiple flakes of exfoliated graphite worms or expanded graphite dispersed in or impregnated by a liquid or gel electrolyte; and (b) subjecting the deformable mass to a forced assembling and orientating procedure, forcing the deformable mass to form the electrode, wherein these fakes are spaced by thin electrolyte layers, having an electrolyte layer thickness from 0.4 nm to 10 nm, and the flakes are substantially aligned along a desired direction, and wherein the electrode has a physical density from 0.5 to 1.7 g/cm3 and a specific surface area from 50 to 3,300 m2/g, when measured in a dried state of the flakes without the electrolyte. This supercapacitor has a large electrode thickness, high active mass loading, high tap density, and exceptional energy density.

Abstract: Provided is a powder mass of multiple porous graphene balls, wherein at least one of the porous graphene balls comprises multiple graphene sheets having a catalyst, in a form of nanoparticles or coating having a diameter or thickness from 0.3 nm to 10 nm, bonded to or supported by graphene sheet surfaces, wherein the porous graphene balls have a density from 0.01 to 1.7 g/cm3 (preferably and typically from 0.1 to 1.5 g/cm3), and a specific surface area from 50 to 3,000 m2/g (preferably and typically from 200 to 2,630 m2/g). A method of producing such porous graphene balls is provided as well. Also provided is a gas storage device containing the invented powder mass as a gas-absorbing, gas-adsorbing, gas-capturing, or gas-storing medium to store a gas species therein.

Abstract: Provided is method of producing anode or cathode particulates for an alkali metal battery. The method comprises: (a) preparing a slurry containing particles of an anode or cathode active material, an electron-conducting material, and an electrolyte containing a lithium salt or sodium salt and an optional polymer dissolved in a liquid solvent; and (b) conducting a particulate-forming means to convert the slurry into multiple anode or cathode particulates, wherein an anode or a cathode particulate is composed of (i) particles of the active material, (ii) the electron-conducting material, and (iii) an electrolyte, wherein the electron-conducting material forms a 3D network of electron-conducting pathways and the electrolyte forms a 3D network of lithium ion- or sodium ion-conducting channels and wherein the anode particulate or cathode particulate has a dimension from 10 nm to 100 ?m and an electrical conductivity from about 10?6 S/cm to about 300 S/cm.

Abstract: Provided is method of producing graphene-embraced anode particulates for a lithium battery, the method comprising: (A) providing anode active material-decorated carbon or graphite particles, wherein the carbon or graphite particles have a diameter or thickness from 500 nm to 50 ?m and the anode active material, in a form of particles or coating having a diameter or thickness from 0.5 nm to 2 ?m, is bonded to surfaces of the carbon or graphite particles; and (B) embracing the anode active material-decorated carbon or graphite particles with a shell comprising multiple graphene sheets to produce the graphene-embraced anode particulates.

Abstract: Provided is graphene-embraced anode particulate for a lithium battery, the particulate comprising: (A) a core comprising one or a plurality of anode active material-decorated carbon or graphite particles, wherein the carbon or graphite particles have a diameter or thickness from 500 nm to 50 ?m and the anode active material, in a form of particles or coating having a diameter or thickness from 0.5 nm to 2 ?m, is bonded to or embedded into surfaces of the carbon or graphite particles; and (B) an embracing shell embracing or encapsulating the core, wherein the embracing shell comprises multiple graphene sheets and have a thickness from 0.34 nm to 5 ?m.

Abstract: Provided is a method of producing a graphitic film, comprising: (a) providing a suspension of aromatic molecules selected from petroleum heavy oil or pitch, coal tar pitch, a polynuclear hydrocarbon, a halogenated variant thereof, or a combination thereof, dispersed or dissolved in a liquid medium; (b) dispensing and depositing the suspension onto a surface of a supporting substrate to form a wet layer of aromatic molecules, wherein the procedure includes subjecting the suspension to an orientation-inducing stress or strain; (c) partially or completely removing the liquid medium; and (d) heat treating the resulting dried layer at a first temperature selected from 25° C. to 3,200° C. so that the aromatic molecules are merged or fused into larger aromatic molecules to form the graphitic film having graphene domains or graphite crystals, wherein the larger aromatic molecules or graphene planes in the graphene domains or graphite crystals are substantially parallel to each other.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium secondary battery, comprising a cathode, an anode, and a porous separator or electrolyte, wherein the anode comprises: (a) an anode active layer containing a layer of lithium or lithium alloy, in a form of a foil, coating, or multiple particles aggregated together, as an anode active material; (b) a first anode-protecting layer having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m, a specific surface area greater than 50 m2/g and comprising a thin layer of electron-conducting material selected from graphene sheets, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, carbon or graphite fibers, expanded graphite flakes, metal nanowires, conductive polymer fibers, or a combination thereof, and (c) a second anode-protecting layer having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m and comprising 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.

Abstract: This disclosure provides a process for producing carbon-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material, comprising: (A) preparing a catalyst metal-coated mixture mass, which includes mixing carbon filaments with micron or sub-micron scaled semiconductor particles to form a mixture and depositing a nanoscaled catalytic metal onto surfaces of the carbon filaments 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 carbon-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material composition. An optional etching or separating procedure may be conducted to remove catalytic metal or carbon filaments from the semiconductor nanowires.

Abstract: A lithium battery cathode layer containing multiple particles or coating of a cathode active material (metal fluoride or metal chloride) and a layer of exfoliated graphite worms composed of interconnected graphite flakes and inter-flake pores, wherein (a) the graphite worms are selected from exfoliated natural graphite, exfoliated artificial graphite, exfoliated meso carbon micro-beads, exfoliated coke, exfoliated meso-phase pitch, exfoliated carbon or graphite fiber, or a combination thereof; (b) the cathode active material particles or coating has a size from 0.4 nm to 10 ?m, and is in an amount from 1% to 99% by weight based on the total weight of graphite worms and the cathode active material combined; and (c) some of the pores are lodged with particles or coating of the cathode active material.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium secondary battery, comprising a cathode, an anode, and a porous separator or electrolyte, wherein the anode comprises: (a) an anode active layer containing a layer of lithium or lithium alloy, in a form of a foil, coating, or multiple particles aggregated together, as an anode active material; (b) a first anode-protecting layer having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m (preferably <1 ?m and more preferably <100 nm) and comprising a lithium ion-conducting material having a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm; and (c) a second anode-protecting layer having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m and comprising 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.

Abstract: A surface-enabled, metal ion-exchanging battery device comprising a cathode, an anode, a porous separator, and a metal ion-containing electrolyte, wherein the metal ion is selected from aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), or bismuth (Bi), and at least one of the electrodes contains therein a metal ion source prior to the first charge or discharge cycle of the device and at least the cathode comprises a functional material or nanostructured material having a metal ion-capturing functional group or metal ion-storing surface in direct contact with the electrolyte. This energy storage device has a power density significantly higher than that of a lithium-ion battery and an energy density dramatically higher than that of a supercapacitor.

Abstract: Provided is lithium secondary battery comprising a cathode, an anode, and an electrolyte or separator-electrolyte assembly disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the anode comprises: (a) a foil or coating of lithium or lithium alloy as an anode active material; and (b) a thin layer of a high-elasticity polymer having a recoverable tensile strain no less than 5%, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm at room temperature, and a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, wherein the high-elasticity polymer contains an ultrahigh molecular weight polymer having a molecular weight from 0.5×106 to 9×106 g/mole and is disposed between the lithium or lithium alloy and the electrolyte or separator-electrolyte assembly.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium-selenium battery, comprising a cathode, an anode, and a porous separator/electrolyte assembly, wherein the anode comprises an anode active layer containing lithium or lithium alloy as an anode active material, and the cathode comprises a cathode active layer comprising a selenium-containing material, wherein an anode-protecting layer is disposed between the anode active layer and the separator/electrolyte and/or a cathode-protecting layer is disposed between the cathode active layer and the separator/electrolyte; the protecting layer contains a composite comprising from 0.01% to 50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material and has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, a lithium ion conductivity from 10?7 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm, and an electrical conductivity from 10?7 S/cm to 100 S/cm.

Abstract: Provided is a simple, fast, scalable, and environmentally benign method of producing graphene-embraced particles of a battery electrode active material, comprising: a) mixing graphitic material particles and multiple particles of a milling media to form a mixture in an impacting chamber of an energy impacting apparatus; b) operating the energy impacting apparatus with a frequency and an intensity for a length of time sufficient for transferring graphene sheets from the graphitic material to surfaces of milling media particles to produce graphene-embraced milling media particles; c) mixing particles of an active material with graphene-embraced milling media particles in an impacting chamber of an energy impacting apparatus; d) operating the energy impacting apparatus for transferring graphene sheets from the graphene-embraced milling media particles to surfaces of active material particles to produce graphene-embraced electrode active material particles; and e) recovering these graphene-embraced active materia

Abstract: A process for producing a solid graphene foam composed of multiple pores and pore walls The process comprises: (a) preparing a graphene dispersion having a graphene material dispersed in a liquid medium, which contains an optional blowing agent; (b) dispensing and depositing the graphene dispersion onto a supporting substrate to form a wet layer of graphene material having a preferred orientation; (c) partially or completely removing the liquid medium from the wet layer of graphene material to form a dried layer of graphene material having a content of non-carbon elements no less than 5% by weight (including blowing agent weight); and (d) heat treating the layer of graphene material at a first heat treatment temperature 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 graphene foam having a density from 0.01 to 1.7 g/cm3 or a specific surface area from 50 to 3,000 m2/g.

Abstract: A humic acid-bonded metal foil current collector in a battery or supercapacitor, comprising: (a) a thin metal foil having two opposed but parallel primary surfaces; and (b) a thin film of humic acid (HA) or a mixture of HA and graphene, having hexagonal carbon planes, wherein HA or both HA and graphene are chemically bonded to at least one of the two primary surfaces; wherein the thin film has a thickness from 10 nm to 10 ?m, an oxygen content from 0.01% to 10% by weight, an inter-planar spacing of 0.335 to 0.50 nm between hexagonal carbon planes, a physical density from 1.3 to 2.2 g/cm3, all hexagonal carbon planes being oriented substantially parallel to each other and parallel to the primary surfaces, exhibiting a thermal conductivity greater than 500 W/mK, and/or electrical conductivity greater than 1,500 S/cm when measured alone without the metal foil.

Abstract: A lithium super-battery cell comprising: (a) A cathode comprising a cathode active material having a surface area to capture or store lithium thereon, wherein the cathode active material is not a functionalized material and does not bear a functional group; (b) An anode comprising an anode current collector; (c) A porous separator disposed between the two electrodes; (d) A lithium-containing electrolyte in physical contact with the two electrodes, wherein the cathode active material has a specific surface area of no less than 100 m2/g being in direct physical contact with the electrolyte to receive lithium ions therefrom or to provide lithium ions thereto; and (e) A lithium source implemented at one or both of the two electrodes prior to a first charge or a first discharge cycle of the cell. This new generation of energy storage device exhibits the best properties of both the lithium ion battery and the supercapacitor.

Abstract: Provided is a multivalent metal-ion battery comprising an anode, a cathode, a porous separator electronically separating the anode and the cathode, and an electrolyte in ionic contact with the anode and the cathode to support reversible deposition and dissolution of a multivalent metal, selected from Ni, Zn, Be, Mg, Ca, Ba, La, Ti, Ta, Zr, Nb, Mn, V, Co, Fe, Cd, Cr, Ga, In, or a combination thereof, at the anode, wherein the anode contains the multivalent metal or its alloy as an anode active material and the cathode comprises a cathode layer of an exfoliated graphite or carbon material recompressed to form an active layer that is oriented in such a manner that the active layer has a graphite edge plane in direct contact with the electrolyte and facing or contacting the separator.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium-ion battery containing an anode, a cathode, a porous separator, and an electrolyte, wherein the cathode comprises particles of a cathode active material that are packed together to form a cathode active material layer having interstitial spaces to accommodate a lithium ion receptor disposed therein and configured to receive lithium ions from the anode and enable lithium ions to enter the particles in a time-delayed manner, wherein the receptor comprises lithium-capturing groups selected from (a) redox forming species that reversibly form a redox pair with a lithium ion when the battery is charged; (b) electron-donating groups interspaced between non-electron-donating groups; (c) anions and cations wherein the anions are less or more mobile than the cations; (d) chemical reducing groups that partially reduce lithium ions from Li+1 to Li+?, wherein 0<?<1; (e) an ionic liquid; or (f) a combination thereof.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium secondary battery, comprising a cathode, an anode, and a porous separator or electrolyte, wherein the anode comprises: (a) an anode active layer containing a layer of lithium or lithium alloy, in a form of a foil, coating, or multiple particles aggregated together, as an anode active material; and (b) an anode-protecting layer of a conductive sulfonated elastomer composite, disposed between the anode active layer and the separator/electrolyte; wherein the composite has from 0.01% to 40% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material and from 0.01% to 40% by weight of an inorganic filler dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material and the protecting layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, a lithium ion conductivity from 10?7 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm, and an electrical conductivity from 10?7 S/cm to 100 S/cm.