Abstract: A positive active material for sealed alkaline storage batteries is obtainable by subjecting &bgr;-nickel hydroxide, together with at least one additive selected from yttrium, gadolinium, erbium and ytterbium, and oxides, hydroxides, fluorides and chlorides thereof, to an oxidation treatment with an oxidizing agent in an aqueous alkaline solution. The positive active material contains nickel with a valence number in a range from 2.1 to 3.4.

Abstract: A hydrogen storage alloy, for use in alkaline storage batteries, having a CaCu5-type crystal structure and represented by the compositional formula MmNixCoyMnzMl-z (wherein M represents at least one element selected from the group consisting of aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu); x is a nickel (Ni) stoichiometry and satisfies 3.0≦x≦5.2; y is a cobalt (Co) stoichiometry and satisfies 0≦y≦1.2; z is a manganese (Mn) stoichiometry and satisfies 0.1≦z≦0.9; and the sum of x, y and z satisfies 4.4≦x+y+z≦5.4). The hydrogen storage alloy includes a bulk region having a CaCu5-type crystal structure and a substantially uniform composition and a surface region surrounding said bulk region and having a graded composition. When the sum in percentage of numbers of cobalt (Co) atoms and copper (Cu) atoms present in the surface region is given by a and that in the bulk region by b, the relationship a/b≧1.3 is satisfied.

Abstract: A sealed alkaline storage battery using, as a positive electrode active material, nickel oxyhydroxide including Mn as a solid-solution element and having a &ggr; ratio of 65 through 100%; a sealed alkaline storage battery using, as a positive electrode active material, nickel oxyhydroxide including as an additive or coated with a rare earth element and/or a rare earth compound in a ratio measured based on the rare earth element of 0.05 through 5 wt %; and a sealed alkaline storage battery including, as a positive electrode active material, nickel oxyhydroxide having a half-width of a peak in a lattice plane (003) in an X-ray diffraction pattern of 0.8° or more. The pressure within the battery is not largely increased for a long period of charge-discharge cycles, and hence, the electrolyte hardly leaks.

Abstract: The invention provides a hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode obtained by the step P1 of preparing a hydrogen absorbing alloy powder containing cobalt and nickel, the step P2 of subjecting the surfaces of the alloy particles to a reduction treatment with high-temperature hydrogen by holding the powder in a high-temperature hydrogen atmosphere under the conditions of temperature, pressure and time sufficient to reduce oxides formed in a surface layer portion of each of the alloy particles, not melting the alloy particles and not permitting the alloy particles to absorb hydrogen, the step P3 of treating the resulting powder with an acid or alkali by immersing the powder in an acid or alkaline aqueous solution, followed by suction filtration, washing with water and drying, and the step P4 of applying the resulting power to an electrically conductive substrate and shaping the substrate in the form of the electrode. The electrode thus provided has higher activity than conventionally.

Abstract: A battery module has a plurality of electrically connected unit cells fixed in a container. A buffer member is provided at the void between the inner wall of the container and the unit cell. By virtue of the buffer member in the battery module formed of a heat conductive elastic body, the requirement of vibration resistance can be met by the buffer member while the heat generated by the unit cell can be easily discharged via the buffer member. Thus, a battery module suppressed in degradation of the performance of the unit cell caused by heat can be provided.

Abstract: In a polymer electrolyte battery provided with a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a polymer electrolyte containing a non-aqueous electrolyte solution, a solvent in said non-aqueous electrolyte solution contains vinylene carbonate in a concentration of 0.1 to 90 vol % so that the non-aqueous electrolyte solution contained in the polymer electrolyte is restrained from reacting with the positive electrode and negative electrode.

Abstract: A water-retaining layer is formed to coat the top of ribs of a ribbed plate which is to be disposed, as a component of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell, on at least one surface of a cell which includes an electrolyte membrane and two electrodes disposed on two surfaces of the electrolyte membrane. The water-retaining layer is formed by: generating a mixture by dissolving a resin-carbon mixture into a solvent; applying the mixture using a spray to a surface of the ribbed plate having the ribs; and drying the applied mixture at a certain temperature. The ability to retain water in the water-retaining layer per unit active area of the electrodes is desirably in the range of 0.002 to 0.035 g/cm2, and more desirably, in the range of 0.01 to 0.03 g/cm2.

Abstract: In a nickel-metal hydride storage cell, deterioration of a cell capacity at high temperature and degradation of a cycle characteristic are suppressed.

Abstract: The solid electrolytic capacitor of the invention contains an anode, a dielectric film formed on the anode by anodic oxidation, a solid electrolytic layer formed on the dielectric film, and a cathode connected with the solid electrolytic layer, the solid electrolytic layer being made from a conducting polymer obtained by doping with alkyl sulfonic acid ions, a polymer including a heterocyclic monomer unit represented by the following general formula as a repeating unit: The solid electrolytic capacitor of the invention has large capacitance and exhibits low impedance in a high frequency region.

Abstract: A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary cell having a rolled-up electrode unit housed in a cell can and comprising a positive electrode and a negative electrode each formed by coating a surface of a striplike current collector with an electrode material. According to a first embodiment, the current collector of at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode comprises a plurality of current collector pieces 42 arranged along one direction and a PTC element 5 interconnecting each pair of adjacent current collector pieces 42. Alternatively with a second embodiment, at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode comprises a PTC element held between opposed faces of an uncoated portion of the current collector thereof and a base end portion of a current collector tab. The PTC element serves to prevent continuous occurrence of a current in excess of a predetermined value and realizes a high energy density.

Abstract: The heat resisting fiber-reinforced composite material of the invention is a heat-resisting fiber-reinforced composite material used for a product or a part that generates temperature distribution; wherein the thermal expansion coefficient at a portion corresponding to a medium to low temperature range is greater than the thermal expansion coefficient at a portion corresponding to a high temperature range, and the boundary between the portion corresponding to medium to low temperature range and the portion corresponding to the high temperature range is a transition region.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery comprises a natural graphite as a negative electrode capable of occluding and discharging lithium ion, in which the natural graphite has been heat treated at a temperature of from 2,400-3,000° C. The heat treatment removes impurities from natural graphite. As a result, the electrolyte solution used for the battery hardly decomposes during charge and discharge and self discharge hardly occurs during storage of the battery.

Abstract: The invention provides a hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode obtained by the step P1 of preparing a hydrogen absorbing alloy powder containing cobalt and nickel, the step P2 of subjecting the surfaces of the alloy particles to a reduction treatment with high-temperature hydrogen by holding the powder in a high-temperature hydrogen atmosphere under the conditions of temperature, pressure and time sufficient to reduce oxides formed in a surface layer portion of each of the alloy particles, not melting the alloy particles and not permitting the alloy particles to absorb hydrogen, the step P3 of treating the resulting powder with an acid or alkali by immersing the powder in an acid or alkaline aqueous solution, followed by suction filtration, washing with water and drying, and the step P4 of applying the resulting power to an electrically conductive substrate and shaping the substrate in the form of the electrode. The electrode thus provided has higher activity than conventionally.

Abstract: The battery of this invention includes a positive electrode including a gelled polymeric electrolyte (A) and using spinel type lithium manganese oxide as an active material; a negative electrode; a gelled polymeric electrolyte (B) in the shape of a film or sheet also serving as a separator, and both the gelled polymeric electrolyte (A) and the gelled polymeric electrolyte (B) are made from a polymer of poly(alkylene oxide) series impregnated with a liquid electrolyte. Since the battery includes the positive electrode using the specific gelled polymeric electrolyte (A), a contact area between the positive electrode active material and the gelled polymeric electrolyte is large, so as to attain large initial discharge capacity (at high rate discharge in particular).

Abstract: In a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery provided with a positive electrode 1, a negative electrode 2, and a non-aqueous electrolyte solution, a lithium-containing composite nickel oxide is used as a chief component of the positive electrode material for the positive electrode, a lithium-containing titanium oxide is used as a chief component of the negative electrode material for the negative electrode, and the solvent of the non-aqueous electrolyte solution contains a cyclic carbonic ester and a chain carbonic ester in such a manner that the cyclic carbonic ester and chain carbonic ester are contained in amounts of not less than 10% by volume of the whole solvent, respectively, and the total content of the cyclic carbonic ester and the chain carbonic ester is not less than 60% by volume of the whole solvent.

Abstract: A negative electrode for a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery and a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery including the negative electrode. The negative electrode is made from aluminum powder or aluminum alloy powder coated with carbon and a conductive polymer. Since aluminum or aluminum alloy has a theoretical maximum capacity as high as 1200 mAh/g, a battery having aluminum or aluminum alloy as the negative electrode material has a high capacity.

Abstract: The opening to be sealed in a battery is sealed with an electrical insulating sealant S by placing an electrical insulating sealing material C, including a first sealing material A that is soften by heat applied for sealing and a second sealing material B that is more difficult to soften by the heat applied for sealing than the first sealing material A, and by heating and successively cooling the electrical insulating sealing material C. The second sealing material B is in the form of a mesh. Thus, a sealed battery with few defectives such as a sealing failure and a short-circuit can be manufactured in a high yield rate.

Abstract: A lithium secondary battery according to the present invention comprises: a positive electrode having a positive electrode active material composed of a reversible lithium intercalation material; a negative electrode having a negative electrode active material composed of a reversible lithium intercalation material; and a separator interposed between said positive electrode and said negative electrode, and in the positive electrode active material, at least one material which shows a positive sign of a total sum of entropy heat from a discharged state to a charged state is mixed with at least one material which shows a negative sign of a total sum of an entropy heat from a discharged state to a charged state. In a battery having such a construction, the amount of entropy heat during charge is reduced compared with a battery employing only a material which shows a positive sign of the total sum of entropy heat.

Abstract: In the present invention, a hydrogen absorbing alloy obtained by sintering hydrogen absorbing alloy powder containing not less than 50% by weight of particles having a particle diameter of not more than 25 &mgr;m at a temperature of not more than 850° C. is used for a hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode for an alkali storage battery, and the hydrogen absorbing alloy electrode for an alkali storage battery is used as a negative electrode of the alkali storage battery.

Abstract: The invention provides a polymer electrolyte fuel cell device 1 comprising at least one fuel cell 10 having an anode, a cathode and a polymer electrolyte membrane provided between the anode and cathode, a combustion unit 3, a fuel gas pipe 4 for introducing therethrough the unreacted portion of a fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell 10 into the combustion unit 3, and an oxidizer gas supply manifold 2 for supplying oxidizer gas discharged from the combustion unit 3 to the cathode. By partly consuming the oxygen contained in an oxidizer gas supplied from outside, the combustion unit 3 burns the unreacted fuel gas and burns the impurities contained in the oxidizer gas. This feature prevents the polymer electrolyte membrane from drying, affords a high cell voltage without impairment and enables the device to achieve a higher overall efficiency than in the prior art.