Abstract: A vehicle, comprising an electric motor; and a battery pack electrically coupled to the electric motor, wherein the battery pack comprises an electrochemical cell comprising: a cathode; an anode; and an electrolyte located between the cathode and the anode; wherein the cathode comprises a cathode active material, wherein the cathode active material comprises nickel and at least one electrochemically inactive dopant.

Abstract: A composite electrode for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions may include a metal current collector having a three-dimensional porous structure defining an interconnected network of open pores and an electrode material disposed within the open pores of the current collector. An oxygen-containing reactive layer may be formed on surfaces of the current collector and an electrode precursor mixture may be deposited thereon and dried to form a solid electrode material having a continuous structure within the open pores of the current collector. The electroactive material particles and/or the electrically conductive agent may interact with the oxygen-containing reactive layer on the metal current collector to form an oxygen-containing adhesive layer along an interface between the current collector and the solid electrode material.

Abstract: A process for making a hollow electrical coil for an electric motor includes forming a sacrificial insert material into a coil shaped insert. The coil shaped insert is placed into a copper plating bath and a copper plated coil shaped member is removed from the copper plating bath. The sacrificial material is removed from within the copper plated coil shaped member to create a hollow passage through a hollow copper coil shaped member. An exterior of the hollow copper coil shaped member is coated with an insulating adhesive material and the copper coil shaped member is compressed until the insulating adhesive material is set.

Abstract: Methods for forming current collectors and batteries, and vehicles including such current collectors and batteries are provided. A method for forming a current collector includes providing a current collector material; and forming indium oxide on the current collector material.

Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for preparing an electroactive material for an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions. The method includes immersing a plurality of electroactive material particles in an aqueous solution and adding one or more fluorinated lithium salts to the aqueous solution to form a protective particle coating on each of the electroactive material particles of the plurality of electroactive material particles, where the plurality of electroactive material particles defines the electroactive material. The protective particle coatings are continuous coatings that cover greater than or equal to about 95% of a total exposed surface area of each electroactive material particle of the plurality of electroactive material particles.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a battery cell includes connecting a current collector to a working electrode; connecting a zinc metal portion to a counter electrode; immersing the current collector and a portion of the working electrode in a liquid; immersing the zinc metal portion and a portion of the counter electrode in the liquid; supplying molecular oxygen into the liquid; and electrochemically coating the current collector with a zinc oxide layer.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing an anode electrode for a battery cell includes melting lithium metal in a bath to create molten lithium metal; adding copper to the molten lithium metal in the bath to form a molten lithium matrix including lithium metal and distributed copper particles, wherein a concentration of the copper added to the bath comprises 5 wt % to 15 wt %; and coating a copper current collector using the molten lithium matrix to form an anode active material layer on the copper current collector.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure include the electrochemical deposition of a metal oxide coating on cathode active materials and resulting battery cells. An exemplary vehicle includes an electric motor and a battery pack electrically coupled to the electric motor. The battery pack includes a battery cell that includes an anode current collector, an anode active material layer in direct contact with a surface of the anode current collector, a cathode current collector, a cathode active material layer in direct contact with a surface of the cathode current collector, and a separator positioned between the anode active material layer and the cathode active material layer. The cathode active material layer includes cathode active materials having a metal oxide coating. The metal oxide coating is electrochemically deposited onto the cathode active materials.

Abstract: Lithium ion batteries and methods for synthesizing cathode active material are provided. A method for synthesizing a cathode active material includes heating a transition metal hydroxide precursor to form an oxide precursor having a spinel form; and reacting the oxide precursor with a lithium salt to form LiNixMnyO2; wherein 0.5?x?0.95 and 0.05?y?0.5.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for producing coated electroactive-material particles are described. The coated electroactive-material particles may be produced by a spray-dry process including atomizing a non-aqueous solution that includes lithium niobium ethoxide and pristine cathode active material particles to produce an atomized solution, introducing the atomized solution into a drying chamber, and drying the atomized solution to produce lithium niobium oxide coated cathode active material particles. The atomizing is performed via an atomizer. The drying chamber has a gas flow to carry the atomized solution therethrough. The drying is performed via the gas flow within the drying chamber.

Abstract: A method for pre-forming cathode electrolyte interphase on electroactive material, the method comprising sourcing a current or voltage to an electrochemical reactor comprising a cation source, an electrolyte mixture, one or more additives, and a cathode active material in contact with one another, wherein the current or voltage serves to ionize and form cations at the cation source that reacts with the cathode active material to pre-form cathode electrolyte interphase on the cathode active material.

Abstract: A powder includes particles of having a core of cathode active material bearing a coating of an amorphous lithiated material. The powder can be prepared by providing a dispersion of particles having the core and a non-lithiated coating in the presence of a lithium source, applying a voltage or a current across the dispersion or applying a current across a lithiated amorphous region in the coating, and recovering the particles having the lithiated coating in a solid powder form. Batteries including such particles can have good cycling performance.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a cathode electrode includes forming a composite cathode active material by providing a first cathode active material. The first cathode active material comprises a lithium- and manganese-rich (LMR) cathode active material. The method includes forming an outer layer including a second cathode active material on the first cathode active material to form a composite cathode active material. The second cathode active material comprises an NMX cathode active material including lithium, and nickel and manganese with a molar ratio in a range from 3/7 to 8/2.

Abstract: A method for removing impurities from a bath including molten lithium includes melting bulk lithium in a bath to form molten lithium including an impurity layer; immersing one end of one of a metal foam and a metal mesh in the bath; moving the one of the metal foam and the metal mesh horizontally through the bath to remove the impurity layer; and removing the one of the metal foam and the metal mesh from the bath.

Abstract: A battery cell includes A anode electrodes, C cathode electrodes, wherein each of the C cathode electrodes includes a cathode active material layer arranged on a cathode current collector, and S separators, where A, C, and S are integers greater than one. The cathode active material layer includes cathode active material including LMR cathode active material and NMX cathode active material.

Abstract: This invention relates to materials for the negative electrode in non-aqueous rechargeable alkali-ion batteries in free-standing form. In particular, this invention relates to the use of metal ribbon that is produced by melt spinning directly as a battery electrode. The invention also relates to a method producing a highly dispersed, multiphase composite material in a single step, as well as a way to generate porosity while maintaining the ‘binder-free’ and ‘additive-free’ characterization of the electrode.

Abstract: A negative electrode of a battery that cycles sodium ions includes a silicon-based electroactive material including two-dimensional silicon layers having a hexagonal crystal structure. The silicon-based electroactive material is configured to intercalate sodium ions between the two-dimensional silicon layers during charge of the battery and form an alloy of silicon and sodium. The silicon-based electroactive material is manufactured by extracting alkali metal ions and/or alkaline earth metal ions from a silicide precursor including two-dimensional silicon layers having a hexagonal crystal structure and spaced apart from one another by planar monolayers of alkali metal ions and/or alkaline earth metal ions. The alkali metal ions and/or the alkaline earth metal ions are extracted from the silicide precursor such that the hexagonal crystal structure of the two-dimensional silicon layers is retained in the silicon-based electroactive material.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a battery cell includes coating a three dimensional current collector (3DCC) with a lithiophilic metal oxide layer; and one of laminating the 3DCC with the lithiophilic metal oxide layer between a first lithium metal layer and a second lithium metal layer to create an anode electrode; and coating the 3DCC with the lithiophilic metal oxide layer with molten lithium to create an anode electrode.

Abstract: Methods for fabricating an anode, methods for fabricating a battery, and lithium batteries are disclosed. A method for fabricating an anode includes forming a melt comprising lithium and a surface tension reduction agent, wherein the surface tension reduction agent is selected from the group consisting of silver, tin, gallium, indium, zinc, and combinations thereof; and contacting an anode current collector with the melt, wherein a layer of the melt wets onto the anode current collector to form the anode as a lithium alloy.

Abstract: A battery cell includes a battery cell stack including A anode electrodes including an anode active material layer arranged adjacent to an anode current collector; C cathode electrodes including a cathode active material layer arranged adjacent to a cathode current collector; and S separators arranged between the A anode electrodes and the C cathode electrodes. The anode active material layer of the A anode electrodes includes a lithium metal layer and a lithium alloy layer comprising an alloy of lithium and a lithiophilic metal.