Abstract: A method for forming lithium metal oxides comprised of Ni, Mn and Co useful for making lithium ion batteries comprises providing precursor particulates of Ni and Co that are of a particular size that allows the formation of improved lithium metal oxides. The method allows the formation of lithium metal oxides having improved safety while retaining good capacity and rate capability. In particular, the method allows for the formation of lithium metal oxide where the primary particle surface Mn/Ni ratio is greater than the bulk Mn/Ni. Likewise the method allows the formation of lithium metal oxides with secondary particles having much higher densities allowing for higher cathode densities and battery capacities while retaining good capacity and rate performance.

Abstract: A polymer composite comprising quantum dots; said polymer composite comprising: (a) quantum dots; (b) polymerized units of a first compound having at least one readily polymerizable vinyl group, a molecular weight from 300 to 20,000 and at least one continuous acyclic hydrocarbyl chain of at least five carbon atoms; and (c) polymerized units of a second compound having at least one readily polymerizable vinyl group and a molecular weight from 100 to 750; wherein a readily polymerizable vinyl group is part of a (meth)acrylate ester group or is attached directly to an aromatic ring, and the molecular weight of the first compound minus the molecular weight of the second compound is at least 100.

Abstract: A polymer composite comprising quantum dots; said polymer composite comprising: (a) quantum dots; (b) polymerized units of a first compound having at least one readily polymerizable vinyl group, a molecular weight from 300 to 20,000 and at least one continuous acyclic hydrocarbyl chain of at least five carbon atoms; and (c) polymerized units of a second compound having at least one readily polymerizable vinyl group and a molecular weight from 100 to 750; wherein a readily polymerizable vinyl group is part of a (meth)acrylate ester group or is attached directly to an aromatic ring, and the molecular weight of the first compound minus the molecular weight of the second compound is at least 100.

Abstract: Particulate LMFP cathode materials having high manganese contents and small amounts of dopant metals are disclosed. These cathode materials are made by milling a mixture of precursor materials in a wet or dry milling process. Preferably, off-stoichiometric amounts of starting materials are used to make the cathode materials. Unlike other high manganese LMFP materials, these cathode materials provide high specific capacities, very good cycle life and high energies even at high discharge rates.

Abstract: An improved method of making a cathode for use in a lithium ion battery is comprised of mixing a lithium metal oxide and lithium metal phosphate in a solvent, where both of these are comprised of primary particles that have been agglomerated into secondary particles of particular size and mixing is insufficient to break up the particles of the lithium metal phosphate, coating the mixture of step (A) on to a metal foil and removing the solvent to form the cathode. The lithium metal oxide is also desirably not broken either. The cathode may be one that has lithium metal oxide and a particular lithium metal phosphate wherein the majority of the metal is Mn.

Abstract: A battery electrolyte solution contains a lithium salt, diethyl carbonate and at least one of 4-fluoroethylene carbonate and ethylene carbonate. This battery electrolyte is highly stable even when used in batteries in which the cathode material has a high operating potential (such as 4.5V or more) relative to Li/Li+. Batteries containing this electrolyte solution therefore have excellent cycling stability.

Abstract: A lithium metal oxide powder comprises secondary particles comprised of agglomerated primary lithium metal oxide particles bonded together, the primary lithium metal oxide particles being comprised of Li, Ni, Mn, Co and oxygen and having a median primary particle size of 0.1 micrometer to 3 micrometers, wherein the secondary particles have a porosity that is at least about 10%. The lithium metal oxide powders are useful make lithium ion battery having improved performance particularly when the secondary particles deagglomerate when forming the cathode used in the lithium ion battery.

Abstract: A method for forming lithium metal oxides comprised of Ni, Mn and Co useful for making lithium ion batteries comprises providing precursor particulates of Ni and Co that are of a particular size that allows the formation of improved lithium metal oxides. The method allows the formation of lithium metal oxides having improved safety while retaining good capacity and rate capability. In particular, the method allows for the formation of lithium metal oxide where the primary particle surface Mn/Ni ratio is greater than the bulk Mn/Ni. Likewise the method allows the formation of lithium metal oxides with secondary particles having much higher densities allowing for higher cathode densities and battery capacities while retaining good capacity and rate performance.

Abstract: An improved method of making a cathode for use in a lithium ion battery is comprised of mixing a lithium metal oxide and lithium metal phosphate in a solvent, where both of these are comprised of primary particles that have been agglomerated into secondary particles of particular size and mixing is insufficient to break up the particles of the lithium metal phosphate, coating the mixture of step (A) on to a metal foil and removing the solvent to form the cathode. The lithium metal oxide is also desirably not broken either. The cathode may be one that has lithium metal oxide and a particular lithium metal phosphate wherein the majority of the metal is Mn.

Abstract: Olivine lithium manganese iron phosphate is made in a coprecipitation process from a water/alcoholic cosolvent mixture. The LMFP particles so obtained exhibit surprisingly high electronic conductivities, which in turn leads to other advantages such as high energy and power densities and excellent cycling performance.

Abstract: An inexpensive method for making lithium transition metal olivine particles that have high specific capacities is disclosed. The method includes the steps of: a) combining precursor materials including at least one source of lithium ions, at least one source of transition metal ions, at least one source of HxP04 ions where x is 0-2 and at least one source of carbonate, hydrogen carbonate, formate and/or acetate ions in a mixture of water and a liquid cosolvent which is miscible with water at the relative proportions of water and cosolvent that are present and which liquid cosolvent has a boiling temperature of at least 130° C.; wherein the mole ratio of lithium ions to HxP04 ions is from 0.9:1 to 1.2:1, and a lithium transition metal phosphate and at least one of carbonic acid, formic acid or acetic acid are formed, b) heating the resulting mixture at a temperature of up to 120° C.

Abstract: Particulate LMFP cathode materials having high manganese contents and small amounts of dopant metals are disclosed These cathode materials are made by milling a mixture of precursor materials in a wet or dry milling process. Preferably, off-stoichiometric amounts of starting materials are used to make the cathode materials. Unlike other high manganese LMFP materials, these cathode materials provide high specific capacities, very good cycle life and high energies even at high discharge rates.

Abstract: Olivine lithium transition metal phosphate cathode materials are made in a microwave-assisted process by combining precursors in a mixture of water and an alcoholic cosolvent, then exposing the precursors to microwave radiation 5 to heat them under superatmospheric pressure. This process allows rapid synthesis of the cathode materials, and produces cathode materials that have high specific capacities.

Abstract: Cathodes for lithium batteries contain a lithium-manganese cathodic material and from 0.5 to 20% by weight of lithium oxalate. Batteries containing the electrodes tend to exhibit high cycling capacities.

Abstract: Phosphorus-sulfur compounds have flame retardant activity in organic polymer systems. The phosphorus-sulfur compounds can be represented by the structure: wherein X is oxygen or sulfur, T is a covalent bond, oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, provided that at least one of X and T is sulfur, each X? is independently oxygen or sulfur, each m is independently zero or 1 when X? is oxygen and zero, 1 or 2 when X? is sulfur, n is at least 1 and preferably at least 2, each R is independently an unsubstituted or inertly substituted hydrocarbyl group or the R groups together form an unsubstituted or inertly substituted divalent organic group and A is an organic linking group.

Abstract: Phosphorus-sulfur compounds have flame retardant activity in organic polymer systems. The phosphorus-sulfur compounds can be represented by the structure: wherein X is oxygen or sulfur, T is a covalent bond, oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, provided that at least one of X and T is sulfur, each X? is independently oxygen or sulfur, each m is independently zero or 1 when X? is oxygen and zero, 1 or 2 when X? is sulfur, n is at least 1 and preferably at least 2, each R is independently an unsubstituted or inertly substituted hydrocarbyl group or the R groups together form an unsubstituted or inertly substituted divalent organic group and A is an organic linking group.

Abstract: Prepare an alkenyl-aromatic foam having good surface quality, high thermal insulating properties and low density using an extrusion method by expanding a foamable polymer composition of an alkenyl-aromatic polymer composition containing less than 20 weight-percent covalently bonded halogens and having a polydispersity of less than 2.5 and a water solubility greater than 0.09 moles per kilogram and 2.2 moles per kilogram or less at 130 degrees Celsius and 101 kilopascals pressure and 0.8-2 moles per kilogram of a blowing agent containing 0.4 moles per kilogram or more of a chlorine-free fluorinated blowing agents and water at a concentration of at least 0.22 moles per kilogram; wherein moles per kilogram are relative to kilograms of alkenyl-aromatic polymer. The resulting foam has a density of 64 kilograms per cubic meter or less and a thermal conductivity of 32 milliwatts per meter-Kelvin or less after 180 days.

Abstract: Phosphorus-sulfur compounds have flame retardant activity in organic polymer systems. The phosphorus-sulfur compounds can be represented by the structure: wherein X is oxygen or sulfur, T is a covalent bond, oxygen, sulfur or nitrogen, provided that at least one of X and T is sulfur, each X? is independently oxygen or sulfur, each m is independently zero or 1 when X? is oxygen and zero, 1 or 2 when X? is sulfur, n is at least 1 and preferably at least 2, each R is independently an unsubstituted or inertly substituted hydrocarbyl group or the R groups together form an unsubstituted or inertly substituted divalent organic group and A is an organic linking group.

Abstract: A process for creating plasma polymerized deposition on a substrate by a corona discharge is described. The corona discharge is created between an electrode and a counterelectrode supporting a substrate. A mixture of a balance gas and a working gas is flowed rapidly through the electrode, plasma polymerized by corona discharge, and deposited onto the substrate as an optically clear coating or to create surface modification. The process, which is preferably carried out at or near atmospheric pressure, can be designed to create an optically clear powder-free or virtually powder free deposit of polymerized plasma that provides a substrate with properties such as surface modification, chemical resistance, and barrier to gases.

Abstract: The present invention describes a method and an apparatus for plasma coating the inside surface of a container to provide an effective barrier against gas transmission. The method provides a way to deposit rapidly and uniformly very thin and nearly defect-free layers of polyorganosiloxane and silicon oxide on the inner surface of a container to achieve more than an order of magnitude increase in barrier properties.