Provided is a binder composition for a non-aqueous secondary battery electrode that can ensure excellent stability of a slurry composition for a non-aqueous secondary battery electrode while also inhibiting swelling of an electrode for a non-aqueous secondary battery associated with repeated charging and discharging and causing a non-aqueous secondary battery to display excellent cycle characteristics. The binder composition contains a particulate polymer A and a particulate polymer B. The particulate polymer A is a copolymer having a block region composed of an aromatic vinyl monomer unit. The particulate polymer B is a random copolymer including an aliphatic conjugated diene monomer unit and an aromatic vinyl monomer unit.

A negative electrode contains a negative electrode active material. A negative electrode active material includes: lithium; a first element consisting of silicon or tin; and a second element consisting of oxygen or fluorine, in which the negative electrode active material contains substantially no compound phase of the first element and the lithium, and contains an amorphous phase containing the first element and the second element, and an ionic bond is formed between the lithium and the second element.

A method of refurbishing a singulated fuel cell stack interconnect includes scanning a first pulsed laser beam on an air side of the interconnect to vaporize seal and corrosion barrier layer residue without vaporizing a metal oxide layer located on the air side of the interconnect below the corrosion barrier layer residue, and scanning a second pulsed laser beam which is different from the first pulsed laser beam on the exposed metal oxide layer on the air side of the interconnect to reflow the metal oxide layer without removing the metal oxide layer.

Joining systems, clamping fixtures, and related systems and methods are generally described.

Ce and Zn doped NiFe2O.sub.4 materials synthesized via a sol-gel method used as a catalyst. The NiFe.sub.2O.sub.4 catalysts doped with Ce and Zn exhibit distinctive electrocatalytic activity towards urea oxidation. The Ce and Zn-doped NiFe.sub.2O.sub.4 catalysts can play a critical role as catalytic moderators, accelerating charge transfer in the anodic part of the urea fuel cell (UFC) and potentially improving the efficiency and cost of UFCs. These materials provide a promising approach for developing novel, non-precious electrodes for next-generation fuel technologies.

A strip-shaped electrode sheet includes an electrode foil including a strip-shaped foil exposed portion in which the electrode foil is exposed, a strip-shaped active material layer extending in a longitudinal direction, and a strip-shaped insulator layer containing insulating resin and formed on an insulator-layer support portion along a one-side layer edge portion of the active material layer and between the foil exposed portion of the electrode foil and an active-material-layer support portion. The insulator layer is located lower than a top face of the active material layer toward the electrode foil and includes a slant coating portion covering at least a lower portion of a one-side slant portion of the active material layer and a foil coating portion extending from the slant coating portion in a width-direction one side and covering the insulator-layer support portion of the electrode foil.

A lithium battery comprises cathode active material comprising particles of a transition metal oxide, each particle coated in an ion-conducting material that has an electrochemical stability window against lithium of at least 2.2 V, a lowest electrochemical stability being less than 2.0 V and a highest electrochemical stability being greater than 4.2 V, the ion-conducting material selected from the group consisting of: Cs.sub.2LiCl.sub.3; Cs.sub.2LiCrF.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiDyCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiErCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiGdCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiLuCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiNdCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiPrCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiScCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiSmCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiTbCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiTmCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.2LiYCl.sub.6; Cs.sub.3Li.sub.2Cl.sub.5; Cs.sub.3LiCl.sub.4; CsLi.sub.2Cl.sub.3; CsLi.sub.3Cl.sub.4; CsLiBeF.sub.4; CsLiCl.sub.2; K.sub.10LiZr.sub.6H.sub.4O.sub.2F.sub.35; K.sub.2LiCeCl.sub.6; K.sub.2LiDyCl.sub.6; K.sub.2LiGdCl.sub.6; K.sub.2LiLaCl.sub.6; K.sub.2LiPrCl.sub.6; K.sub.2LiTbCl.sub.6; KLiDyF.sub.5; KLiErF.sub.5; KLiGdF.sub.5; KLiHoF.sub.5; KLiLuF.sub.5; KLiPH.sub.2O.sub.4F; KLiTbF.sub.5; KLiTmF.sub.5; KLiYF.sub.5; Li.sub.10Mg.sub.7Cl.sub.24; Li.sub.2B.sub.3O.sub.4F.sub.3; Li.sub.2B.sub.6O.sub.9F.sub.2; Li.sub.2BeCl.sub.4; Li.sub.2BF.sub.5; Li.sub.2CaHfF.sub.8; Li.sub.2MgCl.sub.4; Li.sub.2SiF.sub.6; Li.sub.2Ta.sub.2(OF.sub.2).sub.3; Li.sub.2ZnCl.sub.4; Li.sub.2ZrF.sub.6; Li.sub.3AlF.sub.6; Li.sub.3ErCl.sub.6; Li.sub.3ScCl.sub.6; Li.sub.3ScF.sub.6; Li.sub.3ThF.sub.7; Li.sub.3YF.sub.6; Li.sub.4Be.sub.3P.sub.3BrO.sub.12; Li.sub.4Be.sub.3P.sub.3ClO.sub.12; Li.sub.4ZrF.sub.8; Li.sub.6ZrBeF.sub.12; Li.sub.9Mg.sub.3P.sub.4O.sub.16F.sub.3; LiAlCl.sub.4; LiB.sub.6O.sub.9F; LiBF.sub.4; LiGdCl.sub.4; LiLuF.sub.4; LiScF.sub.4; LiTaF.sub.6; LiThF.sub.5; LiYF.sub.4; LiZr.sub.5T.sub.1F.sub.22; Na.sub.3Li.sub.3Al.sub.2F.sub.12; NaLi.sub.2AlF.sub.6; NaLiBeF.sub.4; NaLiMgPO.sub.4F; Rb.sub.2LiCeCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiDyCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiErCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiGdCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiLaCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiLuCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiPrCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiScCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiTbCl.sub.6; Rb.sub.2LiYCl.sub.6; RbLi.sub.2Be.sub.2F.sub.7; RbLiCl.sub.2; and RbLiF.sub.2.

Composites of silicon and various porous scaffold materials, such as carbon material comprising micro-, meso- and/or macropores, and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. The compositions find utility in various applications, including electrical energy storage electrodes and devices comprising the same.

A dehydrogenation method for hydrogen storage materials, which is executed by a fuel cell system. The fuel cell system includes a hydrogen storage material tank, a heating unit, a fuel cell, a pump, a water thermal management unit and a heat recovery unit. The described dehydrogenation method utilizes the heating unit and the heat recovery unit to provide thermal energy to the hydrogen storage material tank, so that hydrogen storage material is heated to the dehydrogenation temperature. The pump extracts hydrogen from the hydrogen storage material tank, so that the hydrogen storage material is under negative pressure (i.e. H.sub.2 absolute pressure below 1 atm), according to which the hydrogen storage material is dehydrogenated, and the dehydrogenation efficiency and the amount of hydrogen release are improved. The method n can reduce the dehydrogenation temperature of the hydrogen storage material, and reduce the thermal energy consumption for heating the hydrogen storage material.

Composites of silicon and various porous scaffold materials, such as carbon material comprising micro-, meso- and/or macropores, and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. The compositions find utility in various applications, including electrical energy storage electrodes and devices comprising the same.