Abstract: In a negative electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery including a silicon oxide capable of absorbing and desorbing lithium ions, a silicon oxide having structural units each in the form of a tetrahedron in which a silicon atom is located at its center and silicon or oxygen atoms are located at its four vertices is used. The structural units are arranged randomly to form an amorphous structure. In the case that the number of oxygen atoms located at the four vertices in the structural units is represented by n (n=0, 1, 2, 3 or 4) and the structural units are represented by Si(n), the number of the structural units NSi(n) in the silicon oxide satisfies the following relations (1) to (3). [ Formula ? ? 1 ] NSi ? ( 0 ) ? NSi ? ( n ) ? 0.1 ( 1 ) Nsi ? ( 4 ) ? NSi ? ( n ) ? 0.

Abstract: A battery pack 1 of the present invention includes: a secondary battery 2; a molded body 11 configured to store therein the secondary battery; and a foamable layer 12 provided between the secondary battery and an inner surface of the molded body and configured to foam at a predetermined temperature or higher to form a foam heat insulating layer. With this, a heat insulating layer contained in the battery pack is thin in a normal state where the battery is not generating heat, and the heat insulating layer exerts a high heat insulating effect at the time of malfunction to suppress the temperature increase of a surface of the battery pack.

Abstract: A battery pack 1 of the present invention includes: a secondary battery 2; a molded body 11 configured to store therein the secondary battery; a temperature increase suppressing layer 13 provided between the secondary battery and an inner surface of the molded body to suppress a temperature increase of an outer surface of the molded body; and a block layer 12 provided between the secondary battery and the temperature increase suppressing layer to block leakage from the secondary battery. With this, if a malfunction, such as a case where contents, such as a molten material, flows out from the secondary battery, occurs, the contents are prevented from flowing out to the outside of the battery pack, and the temperature increase of the surface of the battery pack is suppressed.

Abstract: Provided is a highly safe portable electronic device having a secondary battery as a power source, and including a housing, an electronic device body housed in the housing, and a battery housing portion housed in the housing, in which a surface is inhibited from being locally heated to high temperature. In the portable electronic device, the battery housing portion is a molding with a battery fitting portion for fitting the secondary battery therein, and the battery fitting portion has provided on its surface a heat-insulating layer having a thickness of from 500 to 3000 ?m and a thermal conductivity of 0.2 W/m·K or lower.

Abstract: A portable electronic device of the present invention includes a package, an electronic device body, a battery housing portion including a battery fitting portion for fitting a secondary battery therein, a foaming agent-containing layer provided on a surface of the battery housing portion, and a secondary battery to be fitted in the battery fitting portion. The foaming agent-containing layer is normally thin and, in the event of the battery generating heat, the layer turns into a thicker foamed layer which exhibits superior thermal insulation properties. Thus, it is possible to provide a portable electronic device having the degree of freedom in design for size and thickness reduction achieved at a high level, while offering high-level safety and reliability.

Abstract: Provided is a highly safe portable electronic device having a secondary battery as a power source, and including a package, an electronic device body housed in the package, and a battery housing portion housed in the package, in which even if the content melts due to an extremely significant impact applied thereto, discharge of a melt is inhibited. In the portable electronic device, the battery housing portion is a molding with a battery fitting portion for fitting the secondary battery therein, and the battery fitting portion has a covering layer, which includes a temperature suppression layer and a block layer, provided on its surface.

Abstract: A problem to be solved by the invention is to provide an electrode for an electrochemical device which has a high capacity, suppresses the separation of an active material due to charge/discharge, and exhibits good cycle characteristics. To solve this problem, in the invention, an electrode 1 for an electrochemical device includes a current collector 2, an active material layer 4 formed over the current collector 2, and a thin layer 3 formed at least a part of the space between the current collector 2 and the active material layer 4. The active material layer 4 includes an active material which does not form a chemical bond with a component forming the current collector 2, and the like, and the thin layer 3 includes a component with a polarizability higher than that of the component forming the current collector 2.

Abstract: The negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery includes: a current collector 11 having a plurality of bumps 11a on a surface thereof; a first active material layer formed on the current collector 11; and a second active material layer 15 disposed on the first active material layer 12 and including a plurality of active material particles 14. Each of the plurality of active material particles 14 is located on a corresponding bump 11a of the current collector 11, and each of the first active material layer 12 and the plurality of active material particles 14 has a chemical composition represented as SiOx (0<x<1).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a current collector including a base portion with a flat face, primary projections projecting from the flat face, and secondary projections projecting from the top of the primary projections. The present invention also relates to a current collector including a base portion with a flat face and primary projections projecting from the flat face, wherein the roughening rate of the top of the primary projections is 3 to 20. By using such a current collector, separation of the active material from the current collector can be inhibited when using an active material that has a high capacity but undergoes a large expansion at the time of lithium ion absorption.

Abstract: A negative electrode 100 for a lithium secondary battery includes: a current collector 11; a negative-electrode active material body 12 supported by the current collector 11, the negative-electrode active material body 12 having a chemical composition represented as SiOx (0.1?x?1.2); and a covering layer 14 formed on the negative-electrode active material body 12, the covering layer 14 having a chemical composition composed of silicon dioxide. The covering layer 12 has a thickness which is greater than 1 nm and no more than 10 nm.

Abstract: In a negative electrode active material for a lithium ion secondary battery including a silicon oxide capable of absorbing and desorbing lithium ions, a silicon oxide having structural units each in the form of a tetrahedron in which a silicon atom is located at its center and silicon or oxygen atoms are located at its four vertices is used. The structural units are arranged randomly to form an amorphous structure. In the case that the number of oxygen atoms located at the four vertices in the structural units is represented by n (n=0, 1, 2, 3 or 4) and the structural units are represented by Si(n), the number of the structural units NSi(n) in the silicon oxide satisfies the following relations (1) to (3). [ Formula ? ? 1 ] NSi ? ( 0 ) ? NSi ? ( n ) ? 0.1 ( 1 ) Nsi ? ( 4 ) ? NSi ? ( n ) ? 0.

Abstract: To provide an electrochemical device with a layer structure causing no deterioration of characteristics of materials, in the method for preparing an electrochemical device comprising a first current collector, a first electrode active material layer, a solid electrolyte layer, a second electrode active material layer and a second current collector, all of which are accumulated, the first electrode active material layer, the second electrode active material layer or the solid electrolyte layer is formed by supplying atoms, ions or clusters constituting the first electrode active material layer, the second electrode active material layer or the solid electrolyte layer to the substrate, while irradiating electrons or electromagnetic waves with energy prescribed according to the composition of the first electrode active material layer, the second electrode active material layer or the solid electrolyte layer.

Abstract: A negative electrode including a negative electrode current collector, first protrusions on a surface of the negative electrode current collector, a separation-stopping area on at least a part of a surface of each first protrusion, and a negative electrode active material layer including a negative electrode active material and formed on at least a top face of the first protrusion. This structure suppresses the separation of the negative electrode active material layer from the negative electrode current collector, the degradation of the current collecting ability, and the deformation of the negative electrode itself. A lithium ion secondary battery including this negative electrode has a high battery capacity, a high energy density, and an excellent charge/discharge cycle characteristic, and is capable of stably maintaining a high power over an extended period of time.

Abstract: In a rechargeable non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery containing positive electrodes, negative electrodes and a non-aqueous solvent, an organic compound having a HOMO energy of ?8.5 eV to ?11.0 eV and a LUMO energy of ?0.135 eV to 3.5 eV which are calculated using PM3 method for Hamiltonian in semiempirical molecular orbital calculation method is added to the non-aqueous solvent. According to the present invention, batteries excellent in safety and long-term reliability and portable information devices are provided.

Abstract: In order to enhance reliability of a battery against bending or twisting in particular, at least one cell group comprising 4 unit cells is formed on a flexible substrate. The cell group has a rectangular shape, and is divided into the 4 unit cells by strip-shaped portions arranged along 2 diagonal lines of the rectangle.

Abstract: A metal-oxide containing substrate including: an alloy including Fe and Cr and including at least one selected from the group consisting of Ni, Mo, Mn, Al and Si; an oxide of a metal element forming the alloy, wherein a powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the substrate observed by using Cu K? radiation has at least one peak attributed to the oxide.

Abstract: A communication system in which a reception signal can be accurately obtained from a signal transmitted over two-wire type transmission lines without any significant reduction in the communication speed. The communication system utilizing two-wire type transmission lines for transmitting transmission signals in opposite phases has a plurality of nodes connected to the two-wire type transmission lines, and each of the nodes incorporates terminating resistors acting upon the two-wire type transmission lines. A node which includes a reception circuit for receiving a transmission signal has an AC coupling circuit for extracting AC components in a transmission signal input through the transmission lines, a bias circuit for applying a bias voltage to a signal output from the AC coupling circuit and a clip circuit for clipping the level of a signal output from the bias circuit, which are provided at each of the two-wire type transmission lines.

Abstract: A secondary battery comprising: a substrate; a first current collector; a first electrode; a solid electrolyte; a second electrode; and a second current collector; the first current collector being formed on the substrate and serving as a current collector of the first electrode, the first electrode being formed on the first current collector, the solid electrolyte being formed on the first electrode, the second electrode being formed on the solid electrolyte, the second current collector being formed on the second electrode and serving as a current collector of the second electrode, at least one electrode selected from the group consisting of the first electrode and the second electrode containing at least one material selected from the group consisting of an ion conductive material and an electron conductive material.

Abstract: An all solid state battery comprising: (a) a positive electrode current collector layer, (b) a positive electrode active material layer carried on the positive electrode current collector layer, (c) a negative electrode current collector layer, (d) a negative electrode active material layer carried on the negative electrode current collector layer, (e) a solid electrolyte layer interposed between the positive and negative electrode active material layers, and (f) a substrate carrying either of the positive and negative electrode current collector layers, the substrate comprising a metal sheet and a coating layer covering the surface of the metal sheet, the coating layer comprising at least one metal nitride layer.

Abstract: In an electrolyte of a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery using a cyclic carboxylic-acid ester exerting high conductivity under a low temperature condition, for suppressing reductive decomposition of the cyclic carboxylic acid ester, a cyclic carbonic acid ester having at least one carbon-carbon unsaturated bond is contained, and for suppressing excessive polymerization reaction of the cyclic carbonic acid ester having at least one carbon-carbon unsaturated bond, a cyclic carbonic acid ester having no carbon-carbon unsaturated bond is further contained.