Abstract: A method of manufacturing an active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte battery, the active material containing a lithium-containing vanadium oxide, is provided. The active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte battery is washed with water or an acidic aqueous solution. By dissolving pentavalent vanadium, which is toxic, in water or an acidic aqueous solution, the pentavalent vanadium can be removed from the active material.

Abstract: Disclosed is a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which has a negative electrode containing silicon as a negative active material, a positive electrode containing a positive active material, a nonaqueous electrolyte and a separator. Characteristically, an additive which retards oxidation of silicon during operation of the battery is contained either in an interior or surface portion of the positive electrode, or in an interior or surface portion of the negative electrode, or in an interior or surface portion of the separator.

Abstract: An electrode for a lithium battery having a thin film composed of active material capable of lithium storage and release, e.g., a microcrystalline or amorphous silicon thin film, provided on a current collector, the electrode being characterized in that a constituent of the current collector is diffused into the thin film.

Abstract: The present invention provides a non-aqueous electrolyte battery, etc. that can reduce the manufacturing cost of the battery, meet the need for increased battery capacity, and at the same time improve various battery characteristics, such as high-rate charge-discharge capability, high-temperature cycle performance, and storage performance. A porous layer (32) is disposed between a separator and a negative electrode (13). The porous layer has a non-aqueous electrolyte permeability higher than that in TD of the separator. An excess electrolyte is contained in at least a portion of an internal space of a battery case that is other than an electrode assembly, and the excess electrolyte and at least a portion of the porous layer are in contact with each other.

Abstract: An electrode for a lithium secondary battery includes a thin film of an active material having a first phase that reacts with Li dominantly and a second phase that reacts less readily with Li than the first phase and exists at least before initial-cycle charging and after discharging in each cycle following the initial cycle. A surface of the current collector has an arithmetical mean roughness Ra of 0.1 ?m or greater. A surface of the thin film has irregularities formed corresponding to the irregularities of the current collector surface. By the charging and discharging in the initial cycle and thereafter, gaps form along the thin-film thickness on lines connecting valleys in the thin-film surface irregularities and valleys in the current-collector surface irregularities, and the thin film is divided into columnar or insular structures by the gaps.

Abstract: A positive electrode active material quality judgment method that can easily and accurately judge the quality of a positive electrode active material used in a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell without having to complete the positive electrode. The positive electrode active material quality judgment method includes: heating a positive electrode active material mainly made of a lithium nickel composite oxide to a temperature x (° C.) of 200° C. or higher and 1500° C. or lower; measuring the amount of carbon dioxide gas occurring from the heating; and the positive electrode active material as a suitable positive electrode active material when the positive electrode active material satisfies formulas 1 and 2: y<(0.27x?51)/1000000(200?x<400)??formula 1 y<57/1000000(400?x?1500)??formula 2 where x is the heating temperature x (° C.) and y is the amount of carbon dioxide gas (mole/g) occurring per 1 g of the positive electrode active material in the heating to the heating temperature x (° C.).

Abstract: A method for producing with a high yield a high performance non-aqueous electrolyte secondary cell with a reduced cost is provided. The method includes the steps of: a baking step of baking a positive electrode active material precursor containing a lithium source and a nickel source in order to render the positive electrode active material precursor a lithium nickel composite oxide; a measuring step of measuring the amount of carbon dioxide gas occurring when the lithium nickel composite oxide is heated to 200° C. or higher and 1500° C. or lower in an inactive gas atmosphere; a selecting step of selecting a lithium nickel composite oxide satisfying the following formulas: y<(0.27x?51)/1000000(200?x<400)??formula 1 y<57/1000000(400?x?1500)??formula 2 where x is a heating temperature (° C.

Abstract: A non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery has a negative electrode, a non-aqueous electrolyte, and a positive electrode containing a positive electrode active material composed of an olivine lithium-containing metal phosphate represented by the general formula LixMPO4, where M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of Co, Ni, Mn, and Fe, and 0<x<1.3. The positive electrode active material contains a LixMPO4 aggregate formed by granulating a LixMPO4 having an average particle size of 1 ?m or less in a volumetric particle size distribution by coating the LixMPO4 with a binding agent composed of a carbonaceous substance. The LixMPO4 aggregate has an average particle size of 3 ?m or less in the volumetric particle size distribution and a 90th percentile particle size (D90) of 7 ?m or greater, as measured at the 90th percentile point of the volumetric particle size distribution.

Abstract: Provided is a method for producing an active material for a lithium secondary battery to enable efficient removal of iron impurities, which would become a problem in production of an active material for a lithium secondary battery, and attain a high quality. The method includes removing iron impurities in an active material for a lithium secondary battery by means of magnetic force. With this method, use of a magnetic force-generating device within a recess portion, which composes at least one part of the recess portion, enables efficient removal of only iron impurities. Thus, it is expected that a voltage drop caused by dissolution of iron compounds, i.e. impurities in a positive electrode, and their migration to a negative electrode in a battery, and decreases in charge and discharge efficiencies and a voltage drop owing to precipitation of lithium can be suppressed.

Abstract: A method of producing an active material for a lithium secondary battery, by which impurities causing problems in synthesizing an active material for a lithium secondary battery, including a lithium transition metal oxyanion compound are removed efficiently and enhancement of an energy density is realized, is provided. By cleaning the active material for a lithium secondary battery, including a lithium transition metal oxyanion compound, with a pH buffer solution, for example, it is possible to efficiently remove just only impurities such as Li3PO4 or Li2CO3, or a substance, other than LiFePO4, in which the valence of Fe is bivalent such as FeSO4, FeO or Fe3(PO4)2 without dissolving Fe of LiFePO4.

Abstract: An electrode for lithium batteries, in which a thin film of active material capable of storage and release of lithium, such as a microcrystalline or amorphous silicon thin film, is provided, through an interlayer, on a current collector, the electrode being characterized in that the interlayer comprises a material alloyable with the thin film of active material.

Abstract: An electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery characterized in that thin films of active material capable of lithium storage and release, i.e., microcrystalline or amorphous silicone thin films are deposited on opposite faces of a plate-form current collector.

Abstract: An electrode for a lithium battery having a thin film composed of active material capable of lithium storage and release, e.g., a microcrystalline or amorphous silicon thin film, provided on a current collector, the electrode being characterized in that the current collector has a surface roughness Ra of 0.01 ?m or greater.

Abstract: In an electrode for a lithium battery having a lithium storing and releasing active thin film provided on a current collector, such as a microcrystalline or amorphous silicon thin film, the electrode is characterized in that the thin film is divided into columns by gaps formed therein in a manner to extend in its thickness direction and that the columnar portions are at their bottoms adhered to the current collector.

Abstract: An electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery which includes a thin film composed of active material that expands and shrinks as it stores and releases lithium, e.g., a microcrystalline or amorphous silicon thin film, deposited on a current collector, characterized in that said current collector exhibits a tensile strength (=tensile strength (N/mm2) per sectional area of the current collector material×thickness (mm) of the current collector) of not less than 3.82 N/mm.

Abstract: In an electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery which includes a current collector and a thin film composed of active material that has the capability to store and release lithium either electrochemically or chemically and deposited on the current collector, the current collector comprises a copper alloy and has a tensile strength of 400 N/mm2 or higher, a proportional limit of 160 N/mm2 or higher, an elastic coefficient of 1.1 N/mm2 or higher and a surface roughness Ra of 0.01–1 ?m at its surface that carries the thin film of active material thereon.

Abstract: Disclosed is a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery which has a negative electrode containing silicon as a negative active material, a positive electrode containing a positive active material, a nonaqueous electrolyte and a separator. Characteristically, an additive which retards oxidation of silicon during operation of the battery is contained either in an interior or surface portion of the positive electrode, or in an interior or surface portion of the negative electrode, or in an interior or surface portion of the separator.

Abstract: A rechargeable lithium battery including a negative electrode made by depositing a noncrystalline thin film composed entirely or mainly of silicon on a current collector, a positive electrode and a nonaqueous electrolyte, characterized in that said nonaqueous electrolyte contains carbon dioxide dissolved therein.

Abstract: An electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery which includes a current collector and a thin film composed of active material that stores and releases lithium and deposited on the current collector, the electrode being characterized in that the current collector has irregularities on its surface and the thin film has spaces extending in a thickness direction of the thin film and configured to increase their width dimensions toward valleys of the irregularities on the current collector surface.

Abstract: An electrode for a lithium secondary battery includes a thin film of an active material having a first phase that reacts with Li dominantly and a second phase that reacts less readily with Li than the first phase and exists at least before initial-cycle charging and after discharging in each cycle following the initial cycle. A surface of the current collector has an arithmetical mean roughness Ra of 0.1 &mgr;m or greater. A surface of the thin film has irregularities formed corresponding to the irregularities of the current collector surface. By the charging and discharging in the initial cycle and thereafter, gaps form along the thin-film thickness on lines connecting valleys in the thin-film surface irregularities and valleys in the current-collector surface irregularities, and the thin film is divided into columnar or insular structures by the gaps.