Abstract: A bipolar secondary battery is provided with an electric power generating unit, a pair of terminal plates. The electric power generating unit includes a plurality of bipolar electrodes stacked on one another with an electrolyte layer disposed between the bipolar electrodes and separating the bipolar electrodes. Each of the bipolar electrodes includes a collector with a positive electrode active material layer formed on a first side surface of the collector, and a negative electrode active material layer formed on a second side surface of the collector. The first terminal plate is connected to a first stacking direction facing end of the electric power generating unit. The second terminal plate is connected to a second stacking direction facing end of the electric power generating unit. At least one of the terminal plates includes an electric current suppressing device that suppresses an electric current occurring when an internal short circuit occurs in the electric power generating unit.

Abstract: A bipolar secondary battery is provided with an electric power generating unit, a pair of terminal plates. The electric power generating unit includes a plurality of bipolar electrodes stacked on one another with an electrolyte layer disposed between the bipolar electrodes and separating the bipolar electrodes. Each of the bipolar electrodes includes a collector with a positive electrode active material layer formed on a first side surface of the collector, and a negative electrode active material layer formed on a second side surface of the collector. The first terminal plate is connected to a first stacking direction facing end of the electric power generating unit. The second terminal plate is connected to a second stacking direction facing end of the electric power generating unit. At least one of the terminal plates includes an electric current suppressing device that suppresses an electric current occurring when an internal short circuit occurs in the electric power generating unit.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage material including: molecular layers L1 to Li+2 which are stacked on one another in parallel and mainly composed of six-membered rings having carbon atoms; and protrusions Pr1a to Pri protruding from atomic planes of adjacent molecular layers L1 to Li+2 by lengths of not more than interlayer distances d1 to di+2 of the adjacent molecular layers.

Abstract: A secondary battery electrode of the present invention has an electrode active material composed of particles with an average particle size of not more than 3 ?m, and a conductive material contained in an amount of not less than 3 and less than 50 parts by weight with respect to 100 parts by weight of the electrode active material. The secondary battery electrode is capable of extracting a maximum effect of using fine particles as a constituent material.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to positive electrodes for storage cells including a ground positive electrode active material and a conductivity enhancement additive, wherein the ground positive electrode active material exhibits a specific surface area of 5 m2/g or greater, a crystallite diameter of 70 nanometers or less, and a 50% cumulative particle diameter of 1 micrometer or less. The disclosure further relates to storage batteries including positive electrodes having ground positive electrode active material, and battery modules including multiple electrically connected batteries, each battery including one or more storage cells having a positive electrode including ground positive electrode active material. The disclosure also relates to methods of fabricating storage cells and batteries with positive electrodes having ground positive electrode active material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a hydrogen storage material and a production method thereof. The hydrogen storage material has a carbon material having: an interlayer space for hydrogen occlusion, produced by removal at least a portion of an organic compound from a graphite intercalation compound comprising graphite and the organic compound intercalated in the graphite; and an active point at which hydrogen is adsorbed, being produced on the remaining organic compound and/or a part of the hexagonal carbon layers defining the interlayer space. It has a layered lattice structure with hexagonal carbon layers and an expanded interlayer space, and its density determined in accordance with He equilibrium pressure density measuring method changes according as pre-equilibrium He pressures and falls in a range of 0.2 to 1.2 g/cm3 at pre-equilibrium pressures of 0.2 MPa and 0.8 MPa.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage material of the present invention includes graphite formed of graphene, and has a characteristic feature such that the orientation of crystal planes of the graphene is disordered. Hence, hydrogen can be stored into a large number of gaps between the layers of graphene, and it is possible to realize a fuel cell vehicle capable of storing a sufficient amount of hydrogen to attain a long-distance drive.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage material of the present invention comprises a molecule including space formed with a planar sheet constituted by six-membered rings of carbon atoms. Further, in the hydrogen storage material, at least one opening is formed in the sheet. Thereby, it is possible to utilize an internal space of the hydrogen storage material, and hydrogen can be efficiently stored therein.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage material of the present invention comprises a plurality of planar molecular layers stacked, and a particle being inserted into the planar molecular layers to define an interlayer distance between the planar molecular layers. Because the hydrogen storage material of the present invention has a sufficient hydrogen storage capacity, it is possible to realize a fuel cell vehicle capable of storing a sufficient amount of hydrogen to attain a long-distance drive.

Abstract: For forming a tubular work into a shaped hollow product by using hydroforming process, a method and a device are described. In the method, female and male dies are prepared. The female die has a longitudinally extending cavity which has a polygonal cross section when receiving the male die. The tubular work is placed into the cavity of the female die. The interior of the tubular work is then fed with a hydraulic fluid, and the pressure of the fluid is increased to a given level. The given level is smaller than a critical level that causes a bulging of the tubular work. The male die is then pressed against the tubular work to deform the same while keeping the hydraulic fluid at the given level, thereby forming a shaped hollow product that has a polygonal cross section that conforms to that of the cavity. The pressing work is continued until a circumferential length of the shaped hollow product becomes shorter than that of the tubular work.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material is a layered lithium manganese compound represented by a general formula L1−xMO2, where x is a lithium-deficient quantity and larger than 1/5, and M is manganese or metals of two or more kinds containing manganese as a main component. The metals are preferably 3d-transition metals. The positive electrode active material has a high capacity and is excellent in structure stability. A rechargeable lithium-ion battery uses a positive electrode material containing the positive electrode active material and is excellent in cyclic stability.