Abstract: The invention provides a method of improving the anode stability and cycle-life of an alkali metal-sulfur. The method comprises implementing two anode-protecting layers between an anode active material layer and an electrolyte or electrolyte/separator assembly. These two layers comprise (a) a first anode-protecting layer, in physical contact with the anode active material layer, having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 ?m and comprising a thin layer of an electron-conducting material having a specific surface area greater than 50 m2/g; and (b) a second anode-protecting layer in physical contact with the first 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 when measure at room temperature.

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: Provided is a method of producing a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell, comprising: (a) providing an anode layer; (b) providing particulates comprising primary particles of a sulfur-containing material encapsulated or embraced by a thin layer of a conductive sulfonated elastomer composite, wherein the conductive sulfonated elastomer composite comprises from 0% to 50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material, and the conductive sulfonated elastomer composite has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?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; (c) forming the particulates, a resin binder, and an optional conductive additive into a cathode layer; and (d) combining the anode layer, the cathode layer, an optional porous separator, and an electrolyte to form the alkali metal-sulfur cell.

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: Producing multiple anode particulates, including: 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.

Abstract: A method of producing a powder mass for a lithium battery, comprising: (a) mixing graphene sheets and a sulfonated elastomer or its precursor in a liquid medium or solvent to form a suspension; (b) dispersing a plurality of particles of an anode active material in the suspension to form a slurry; and (c) dispensing the slurry and removing the solvent and/or polymerizing or curing the precursor to form the powder mass comprising multiple particulates, wherein at least one of the particulates is composed of one or a plurality of the particles encapsulated by a thin layer of a sulfonated elastomer/graphene composite having a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?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 method of manufacturing an alkali metal-selenium cell, comprising: (a) providing a cathode; (b) providing an alkali metal anode; and (c) combining the anode and the cathode and adding an electrolyte in ionic contact with the anode and the cathode to form the cell; wherein the cathode contains multiple particulates of a selenium-containing material selected from selenium, a selenium-carbon hybrid, selenium-graphite hybrid, selenium-graphene hybrid, conducting polymer-selenium hybrid, a metal selenide, a Se alloy or mixture with Sn, Sb, Bi, S, or Te, a selenium compound, or a combination thereof and wherein at least one of the particulates comprises one or a plurality of selenium-containing material particles being embraced or encapsulated by a thin layer of an elastomer having a recoverable tensile strain from 5% to 1000%, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?7 S/cm, and a thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 ?m.

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: Provided is highly elastic polymer composite binder composition for use in an anode or cathode of a lithium battery, the composition comprising a polymerizing or cross-linking liquid precursor and a 0.01%-50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in the liquid precursor, wherein the liquid precursor is capable of chemically bonding to an anode active material or cathode active material in the lithium battery upon completion of polymerization or cross-linking reactions to form a high-elasticity polymer and the resulting high-elasticity polymer has a recoverable tensile strain from 5% to 700% when measured without the conductive reinforcement dispersed in the polymer.

Abstract: Provided is an anode active material layer for a lithium battery. The anode active material layer comprises multiple anode active material particles and an optional conductive additive that are bonded together by a binder comprising a high-elasticity polymer having a recoverable or elastic tensile strain no less than 5% when measured without an additive or reinforcement in the polymer. The high-elasticity polymer contains a cross-linked network of polymer chains. The anode active material preferably has a specific lithium storage capacity greater than 372 mAh/g (e.g. Si, Ge, Sn, SnO2, Co3O4, etc.).

Abstract: Provided is a lithium secondary battery, comprising a cathode, an anode, and a porous separator or electrolyte disposed between the cathode and the anode, 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) a thin layer of a high-elasticity polymer, disposed between the anode active layer and the porous separator or electrolyte; the polymer having a recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 1,500%, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm (typically up to 5×10?2 S/cm) at room temperature, and a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, wherein the high-elasticity polymer contains a polyrotaxane network having a rotaxane structure or a polyrotaxane structure at a crosslink point of the polyrotaxane network.

Abstract: Provided is an anode active material electrode for a lithium battery. This electrode layer comprises multiple particulates of an anode active material, wherein at least a particulate is composed of one or a plurality of particles of an anode active material being encapsulated by a thin layer of sulfonated elastomer/graphene composite having from 0.01% to 50% by weight of graphene sheets dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material, wherein the encapsulating shell composite has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m, 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 when measured at room temperature. The anode active material is preferably selected from Si, Ge, Sn, SnO2, SiOx, Co3O4, Mn3O4, etc., which has a specific capacity of lithium storage greater than 372 mAh/g (the theoretical lithium storage limit of graphite).

Abstract: Provided is a bi-polar electrode for a battery, wherein the bi-polar electrode comprises: (a) a current collector comprising a conductive material foil (e.g. metal foil) having a thickness from 10 nm to 100 ?m and two opposed, parallel primary surfaces, wherein one or both of the primary surfaces is coated with a layer of graphene material having a thickness from 10 nm to 10 ?m; and (b) a negative electrode layer and a positive electrode layer respectively disposed on the two sides of the current collector, each in physical contact with the layer of graphene material or directly with a primary surface of the conductive material foil (if not coated with a graphene material layer). Also provided is a battery comprising multiple (e.g. 2-300) bipolar electrodes internally connected in series. There can be multiple bi-polar electrodes that are connected in parallel.

Abstract: Provided is a process for producing a bi-polar electrode for a battery or capacitor, the process comprising: (a) providing a conductive material foil having a thickness from 10 nm to 100 ?m and two opposing parallel primary surfaces, and coating one or both of the primary surfaces with a layer of graphene material having a thickness from 5 nm to 50 ?m to form a graphene-coated current collector; and (b) depositing a negative electrode layer and a positive electrode layer respectively onto two opposing primary surfaces of the graphene-coated current collector, wherein the negative electrode layer is in physical contact with the layer of graphene material or in direct contact with a primary surface of the conductive material foil and the positive electrode layer is in physical contact with the layer of graphene material or directly with the opposing primary surface of the conductive material foil.

Abstract: Provided is a process for manufacturing 2D inorganic compound platelets, the process comprising (a) preparing a first stock containing a 3D layered inorganic compound material dispersed in a liquid medium, (h) injecting the first stock into a continuous reactor having a vortex flow, (c) operating the continuous reactor to form a reaction product suspension containing 2D inorganic compound platelets dispersed in the liquid medium, and (d) separating and recovering said 2D inorganic compound platelets from said product suspension. The product suspension may be directed to flow back to the continuous director for further processing for at least another pass through the reactor, prior to step (d). The continuous reactor is preferably a Couette-Taylor reactor.

Abstract: Provided is a supercapacitor comprising an anode, a cathode, an ion-permeable separator disposed between the anode and the cathode, and an electrolyte in ionic contact with the anode and the cathode, wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode contains multiple graphene sheets spaced by cellulosic nanofibers and has a specific surface area from 50 to 3,300 m2/g. Also provided is a process for producing an electrode for such a supercapacitor having a large electrode thickness, high active mass loading, high tap density, and exceptional energy density.

Abstract: The invention provides a method of improving the cycle-life of a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell. The method comprises implementing an anode-protecting layer between an anode active material layer and a porous separator/electrolyte, and/or implementing a cathode-protecting layer between a cathode active material and the porous separator/electrolyte, wherein the anode-protecting layer or cathode-protecting layer comprises a conductive sulfonated elastomer composite having from 0.01% to 40% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material and from 0.01% to 40% by weight of an electrochemically stable 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 when measured at room temperature.

Abstract: The disclosure provides multi-functional cathode particulates for a lithium battery, wherein at least one of the particulates has a diameter from 100 nm to 50 ?m and comprises a conducting polymer network composite comprising one or a plurality of primary particles of a cathode active material that are partially or fully encapsulated by, embedded in, dispersed in, or bonded by an electrically and ionically conducting network of cross-linked polymer chains having a lithium ion conductivity from 10?8 to 5×10?2 S/cm and an electron conductivity from 10?8 to 103 S/cm, wherein the primary particles have a diameter or thickness from 0.5 nm to 20 ?m. Also provided is a method of producing such cathode particulates.

Abstract: Provided is an elastic heat spreader film comprising: a) a graphitic film prepared from graphitization of a polymer film or pitch film, wherein the graphitic film has graphitic crystals parallel to one another and parallel to a film plane, having an inter-graphene spacing less than 0.34 nm, and wherein the graphitic film alone, after compression, has a thermal conductivity at least 600 W/mK, an electrical conductivity no less than 4,000 S/cm, and a physical density greater than 1.7 g/cm3; and b) an elastomer or rubber that permeates into the graphitic film from at least a surface of the film; wherein the elastomer or rubber is in an amount from 0.001% to 30% by weight based on the total heat spreader film weight. The elastic heat spreader film has a fully recoverable tensile elastic strain from 2% to 100% and an in-plane thermal conductivity from 100 W/mK to 1,750 W/mK.

Abstract: Provided is a method of preparing an alkali-sulfur cell comprising: (a) combining a quantity of an active material, a quantity of an electrolyte containing an alkali salt dissolved in a solvent, and a conductive additive to form a deformable and electrically conductive electrode material, wherein the conductive additive, containing conductive filaments, forms a 3D network of electron-conducting pathways; (b) forming the electrode material into a quasi-solid electrode (the first electrode), wherein the forming step includes deforming the electrode material into an electrode shape without interrupting the 3D network of electron-conducting pathways such that the electrode maintains an electrical conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm; (c) forming a second electrode (the second electrode may be a quasi-solid electrode as well); and (d) forming an alkali-sulfur cell by combining the quasi-solid electrode and the second electrode having an ion-conducting separator disposed between the two electrodes.