An electrode assembly includes a composite body which includes an active material layer containing an active material constituted by a transition metal oxide, a solid electrolyte layer (solid electrolyte portion) containing a solid electrolyte, and a multiple oxide molded body (multiple oxide portion) containing at least one of a metal multiple oxide represented by the following general formula (1): Ln.sub.2Li.sub.0.5M.sub.0.5O.sub.4 (wherein Ln represents a lanthanoid, and M represents a transition metal) and a derivative thereof, and a current collector which is provided on one face (one of the faces) of the composite body by being bonded to the active material layer, wherein in the composite body, the multiple oxide molded body, the active material layer, and the solid electrolyte layer are formed in contact with each other in this order from the side of the one face of the composite body.

Certain embodiments are directed to method for making and using an alkali promoted transition metal sulfide Fischer Tropsch catalyst. Certain embodiments are directed to alkali promoted transition metal sulfide Fischer Tropsch catalyst synthesized using steps comprising (i) mixing an ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATM) precursor compound with an alkali metal compound and molybdenum disulfide in deionized water to form a reaction mixture, (ii) heating the reaction mixture at a temperature of at least 200, 250, 300, 350, 400C at a pressure of at lease 900, 1000, 1100, 1500, 2000 psi for more than 0.5 1, 1.5, 2.0, 3 or more hours to form a reaction product, (iii) filtering, washing, and drying the reaction product.

A lithium secondary battery is produced by employing a charging method where a positive electrode upon charging has a maximum achieved potential of 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li.sup.+) or lower. The lithium secondary battery contains an active material including a solid solution of a lithium transition metal composite oxide having an α-NaFeO.sub.2-type crystal structure. The solid solution has a diffraction peak observed near 20 to 30° in X-ray diffractometry using CuKα radiation for a monoclinic Li[Li.sub.1/3Mn.sub.2/3]O.sub.2-type before charge-discharge. The lithium secondary battery is charged to reach at least a region with substantially flat fluctuation of potential appearing in a positive electrode potential region exceeding 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li.sup.+) and 4.8 V (vs. Li/Li.sup.+) or lower. A dischargeable electric quantity in a potential region of 4.3 V (vs. Li/Li.sup.+) or lower is 177 mAh/g or higher.

A battery is composed of a positive electrode in which a positive electrode active material layer including a positive electrode active material is formed on a positive electrode collector, a negative electrode in which a negative electrode active material layer including a negative electrode active material is formed on a negative electrode collector, a separator provided between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and an electrolyte impregnated in the separator. The battery further includes at least one of a heteropoly acid and a heteropoly acid compound as an additive at least in one of the positive electrode, the negative electrode, the separator, and the electrolyte.

A producing method of a solution that contains lithium, at least one of a niobium complex and a titanium complex, and ammonia, wherein an amount of the ammonia in the solution is 0.3 mass % or less. The solution is suitable for forming a coating layer capable of improving battery characteristics of an active material in a battery.

Zero-Rare Earth Metal (ZREM) and Zero-platinum group metals (ZPGM) compositions of varied binary spinel oxides are disclosed as oxygen storage material (OSM) to be used within TWC systems. The ZREM-ZPGM OSM systems comprise binary non-Cu spinel oxides of Co—Fe, Fe—Mn, Co—Mn, or Mn—Fe. The oxygen storage capacity (OSC) property associated with the non-Cu ZREM-ZPGM OSM systems is determined employing isothermal OSC oscillating condition testing. Further, the OSC test results compare the OSC properties of a ZREM-ZPGM reference OSM system including a Cu—Mn binary spinel oxide and PGM reference catalysts including Ce-based OSMs. The non-Cu spinel oxides ZREM-ZPGM OSM systems exhibit significantly improved OSC properties, which are greater than the OSC property of the Ce-based OSM PGM reference systems.

Various lithium cobalt oxides materials having a chemical formula of Li.sub.xCo.sub.yO.sub.z, and method and apparatus of producing the various lithium cobalt oxides materials are provided. The method includes adjusting a molar ratio M.sub.LiSalt:M.sub.CoSalt of a lithium-containing salt, and a cobalt-containing salt within a liquid mixture to be equivalent to a ratio of x:y, drying a mist of the liquid mixture in the presence of a gas to form a gas-solid mixture, separating the gas-solid mixture into one or more solid particles of an oxide material, and annealing the solid particles of the oxide material in the presence of another gas flow to obtain crystallized particles of the lithium cobalt oxide material. The process system has a mist generator, a drying chamber, one or more gas-solid separator, and one or more reactors.

A mixed conductor represented by Formula 1:
A.sub.4±xTi.sub.5−yG.sub.zO.sub.12−δ  Formula 1 wherein, in Formula 1, A is a monovalent cation, G is at least one of a monovalent cation, a divalent cation, a trivalent cation, a tetravalent cation, a pentavalent cation, or a hexavalent cation, with the proviso that G is not Ti or Cr, wherein 0<x<2, 0.3<y<5, 0<z<5, and 0<δ≤3.

Systems and methods of synthesizing nanoparticles on substrates using rapid, high temperature thermal shock. A method involves depositing micro-sized particles or salt precursors on a substrate, and applying a rapid, high temperature thermal pulse or shock to the micro-sized particles or the salt precursors and the substrate to cause the micro-sized particles or the salt precursors to become nanoparticles on the substrate. A system may include a rotatable member that receives a roll of a substrate sheet having micro-sized particles or salt precursors; a motor that rotates the rotatable member so as to unroll consecutive portions of the substrate sheet from the roll; and a thermal energy source that applies a short, high temperature thermal shock to consecutive portions of the substrate sheet that are unrolled from the roll by rotating the first rotatable member. Some systems and methods produce nanoparticles on existing substrate. The nanoparticles may be metallic, ceramic, inorganic, semiconductor, or compound nanoparticles. The substrate may be a carbon-based substrate, a conducting substrate, or a non-conducting substrate. The high temperature thermal shock process may be enabled by electrical Joule heating, microwave heating, thermal radiative heating, plasma heating, or laser heating.

A process for oxidizing water using hydrated cobalt molybdenum is disclosed. A plurality of hydrated cobalt molybdenum nanoparticles are supported on an electrode and are able to catalytically interact with water molecules generating oxygen. The catalyst can be used as part of an electrochemical or photo-electrochemical cell for the generation of electrical energy.