Abstract: Provided is a method of improving fast-chargeability of a lithium secondary battery containing an anode, a cathode, a porous separator disposed between the anode and the cathode, and an electrolyte, wherein the method comprises packing particles of an anode active material to form an anode active material layer having interstitial spaces and disposing a lithium ion reservoir in the interstitial spaces, configured to receive lithium ions from the cathode through the porous separator when the battery is charged and to enable the lithium ions to enter the particles of anode active material in a time-delayed manner.

Abstract: Lacrosse heads are provided that include a polymer and graphene. The graphene increases the durability of the lacrosse heads. Also provided is equipment for other contact sports that include graphene to increase durability.

Abstract: Provided is a composite particulate for use in a lithium battery cathode, the composite particulate comprising one or a plurality of particles of a cathode active material encapsulated by or embedded in an electrically and/or ionically conducting polymer gel network, wherein the cathode active material is selected from the group of lithium nickel cobalt metal oxides having a general formula LixNiyCozMwO2, where M is selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), magnesium (Mg), beryllium (Be), calcium (Ca), tantalum (Ta), silicon (Si), and combinations thereof and x ranges from 0 to 1.2, the sum of y+z+w ranges from 0.8 to 1.2, w ranges from 0 to 0.5, y and z are both greater than zero, and the ratio z/y ranges from 0 to 0.5.

Abstract: A flame-resistant composite separator for use in a lithium battery, wherein the composite separator comprises a porous layer of a first polymer, having pores and a thickness from 50 nm to 200 ?m, and a second polymer permeating into or residing in the pores, wherein: (a) the first polymer comprises a flame-resistant polymer or thermally stable polymer; (b) the second polymer comprises a polymer that is polymerized and/or cured in situ in the pores or is a polymer solidified from a polymer solution inside the pores of the first polymer layer; and (c) the first polymer or the second polymer has a lithium-ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 2×10?2 S/cm at room temperature.

Abstract: A rechargeable lithium battery comprising an anode, a cathode, and a quasi-solid or solid-state electrolyte in ionic communication with the anode and the cathode, wherein the electrolyte comprises a polymer comprising chains of a polyester of phosphoric acid and a lithium salt dissolved or dispersed in the polyester of phosphoric acid. The electrolyte may further comprise from 0.1% to 50% by weight of a non-aqueous liquid solvent dispersed in the polyester of phosphoric acid. The polymer may further comprise a flame-retardant and/or particles of an inorganic solid-state electrolyte. Also provided is an electrolyte composition comprising a lithium salt and an initiator and/or a crosslinking agent dissolved or dispersed in a reactive liquid medium comprising a reactive monomer or oligomer that is a precursor to a polyester of phosphoric acid.

Abstract: Provided is a method of producing isolated graphene sheets directly from a biomass, the method including: (A) providing a biomass in a liquid state, solution state, solid state, or semi-solid state; (B) heat treating the biomass and, concurrently or sequentially, using chemical or mechanical means to form graphene domains dispersed in a disordered matrix of carbon or hydrocarbon molecules, wherein the graphene domains are each composed of from 1 to 30 planes of hexagonal carbon atoms or fused aromatic rings and, in the situations wherein there are 2-30 planes in a graphene domain, having an inter-graphene space between two planes of hexagonal carbon atoms or fused aromatic rings no less than 0.4 nm; and (C) separating and isolating these planes of hexagonal carbon atoms or fused aromatic rings to recover graphene sheets from said disordered matrix.

Abstract: A rechargeable sodium cell, comprising an anode, a cathode, an elastic polymer separator disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the elastic polymer separator has a thickness from 10 nm to 200 ?m (preferably less than 50 ?m) and comprises a high-elasticity polymer having a sodium ion conductivity from 10?8 S/cm to 5×10?2 S/cm at room temperature and a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 1,000% when measured without any additive dispersed therein. The cell can be a sodium metal cell, sodium-air cell, sodium-ion cell, sodium-sulfur cell, or a sodium-selenium cell.

Abstract: Provided is a method of improving the cycle-life of a lithium metal secondary battery, the method comprising implementing an anode-protecting layer between an anode active material layer (or an anode current collector layer substantially without any lithium when the battery is made) and a porous separator/electrolyte assembly, wherein the anode-protecting layer is in a close physical contact with the anode active material layer (or the anode current collector), has a thickness from 10 nm to 500 ?m and comprises an elastic polymer foam having a fully recoverable compressive elastic strain from 2% to 500% and interconnected pores and wherein the anode active material layer contains a layer of lithium or lithium alloy, in a form of a foil, coating, or multiple particles aggregated together, as an anode active material.

Abstract: Provided is a multivalent metal-ion battery comprising an anode, a 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 active layer of a graphite or carbon material having expanded inter-graphene planar spaces with an inter-planar spacing d002 from 0.43 nm to 2.0 nm as measured by X-ray diffraction. Such a metal-ion battery delivers a high energy density, high power density, and long cycle life.

Abstract: A method of producing isolated graphene sheets directly from a graphitic material, comprising: a) mixing multiple particles of a graphitic material and multiple particles of a solid carrier material to form a mixture in an impacting chamber of an energy impacting apparatus; b) operating the impacting apparatus for peeling off graphene sheets from the graphitic material and transferring these graphene sheets to surfaces of solid carrier material particles to produce graphene-coated solid particles inside the impacting chamber; c) separating the graphene sheets from the solid carrier material particle surfaces to recover isolated graphene sheets. The method enables production of graphene sheets directly from a graphitic material without going through a chemical intercalation or oxidation procedure. The process is fast (hours as opposed to days of conventional processes), has low or no water usage, environmentally benign, cost effective, and highly scalable.

Abstract: Provided is a method of producing isolated graphene sheets directly from a carbon/graphite precursor. The method comprises: (a) providing a mass of halogenated aromatic molecules selected from halogenated petroleum heavy oil or pitch, coal tar pitch, polynuclear hydrocarbon, or a combination thereof; (b) heat treating this mass at a first temperature of 25 to 300° C. in the presence of a catalyst and optionally at a second temperature of 300-3,200° C. to form graphene domains dispersed in a disordered matrix of carbon or hydrocarbon molecules, and (c) separating and isolating the planes of hexagonal carbon atoms or fused aromatic rings to recover graphene sheets from the disordered matrix.

Abstract: Provided is a process for producing a polymer composite film, comprising the steps of: (a) mixing a phthalocyanine compound with a polymer or its precursor and a liquid to form a slurry and forming the slurry into a wet film on a solid substrate, wherein the polymer is preferably selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide, polyoxadiazole, polybenzoxazole, polybenzobisoxazole, polythiazole, polybenzothiazole, polybenzobisthiazole, poly(p-phenylene vinylene), polybenzimidazole, polybenzobisimidazole, and combinations thereof; and (b) removing the liquid from the wet film and, in some embodiments, converting the precursor to the polymer to form the polymer composite film comprising from 0.1% to 50% by weight of the phthalocyanine compound dispersed in the polymer.

Abstract: Provided is a rechargeable battery system comprising at least a battery cell and an external cooling means, wherein the battery cell comprises an anode, a cathode, an electrolyte disposed between the anode and the cathode, a protective housing that at least partially encloses the anode, the cathode and the electrolyte, and at least one heat-spreader element disposed partially or entirely inside the protective housing and wherein the external cooling means is in thermal contact with the heat spreader element configured to enable transporting internal heat of the battery through the heat spreader element to the external cooling means. Also provided is a method of operating a rechargeable battery system, the method comprising implementing a heat spreader element in one or each of a plurality of battery cells and bringing the heat spreader element in thermal contact with one or a plurality of external cooling means.

Abstract: Provided is particulate of an anode active material for a lithium battery, comprising one or a plurality of anode active material particles being embraced or encapsulated by 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 0.5 nm to 10 ?m, wherein the polymer contains an ultrahigh molecular weight (UHMW) polymer having a molecular weight from 0.5×106 to 9×106 grams/mole. The UHMW polymer is preferably selected from polyacrylonitrile, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, polyethylene glycol, polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide, poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(methyl ether acrylate), a copolymer thereof, a sulfonated derivative thereof, a chemical derivative thereof, or a combination thereof.

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: A lithium metal battery comprising a cathode, an anode, and an elastic polymer separator disposed between the cathode and the anode, wherein the elastic polymer separator comprises a high-elasticity polymer and the elastic polymer separator has a thickness from 50 nm to 100 µm and a lithium ion conductivity from 10-6 S/cm to 5 × 10-2 S/cm at room temperature and the high elasticity polymer has a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 1,000% when measured without any additive dispersed therein. Preferably, the high-elasticity polymer contains a lithium salt and/or a lithium-ion conducting additive dissolved or dispersed therein. Also provided is a process for producing the elastic polymer separator and a lithium metal battery.

Abstract: A rechargeable sodium-ion cell, comprising an anode, a cathode, a separator that electronically isolates the anode from the cathode, and an electrolyte in ionic contact with the anode active and the cathode, wherein the anode comprises a graphite or carbon material having expanded inter-graphene planar spaces with an inter-planar spacing d002 from 0.43 nm to 3.0 nm, as measured by X-ray diffraction, and the expanded inter-graphene planar spaces store sodium ions to a specific capacity no less than 150 mAh/g when the cell is in a charged state. Also provided is a method of producing such an anode and sodium-ion cell.

Abstract: Provided is an anode active material layer for a lithium battery. This 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 graphene/elastomer composite having from 0.01% to 50% by weight of graphene sheets dispersed in an elastomeric matrix material, wherein the encapsulating shell (the thin layer of composite) has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 ?m and the graphene/elastomer composite has a lithium ion conductivity from 10?7 S/cm to 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: An anode layer for a lithium battery, said anode layer comprising (a) 50% to 95% by weight of multiple anode active material particles; (b) 0.01% to 30% by weight of a conductive additive; and (c) a high-elasticity polymer having a recoverable tensile strain from 5% to 1,000% and a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm, wherein the high-elasticity polymer comprises (i) an elastomer or rubber and (ii) a lithium ion-conducting phase comprising plastic crystal and/or organic plasticizer domains containing an optional lithium salt therein, wherein the elastomer or rubber and the lithium ion-conducting phase, separately or in combination, form a network of lithium ion-conducting pathways; the conductive additive forms a network of electron-conducing pathways that are in electrical contact with the anode particles; and the high-elasticity polymer bonds, encapsulates, embraces, or coats on the surfaces of the anode particles and the conductive additive.

Abstract: Provided is a lithium-ion cell comprising an anode, a cathode, a separator that electrically separates the anode and the cathode, and an elastic, ion-conducting polymer protective layer disposed between the anode and the separator, wherein the anode comprises multiple particles of an anode active material, an optional conductive additive, and an optional polymer binder that bonds the anode material particles and conductive additive together to form the anode and wherein the polymer protective layer comprises an elastic polymer having a recoverable tensile strain from 5% to 1,000%, when measured without an additive dispersed in the elastic polymer, and a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10?6 S/cm (preferably greater than 10?4 S/cm). Also provided is a method of producing such a cell.