An anode includes a mixed ionic-electronic conductor (MIEC) with an open pore structure. The open pore structure includes open pores to facilitate motion of an alkali metal into and/or out of the MIEC. The open pore structure thus provides open space to relieve the stresses generated by the alkali metal when charging/discharging a battery. The MIEC is formed from a material that is thermodynamically and electrochemically stable against the alkali metal to prevent the formation of solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) debris and the formation of dead alkali metal. The MIEC may also be passive (the MIEC does not store or release alkali metal). In one example, the open pore structure may be an array of substantially aligned tubules with a width less than about 300 nm, a wall thickness between about 1 nm to about 30 nm, and a height of at least 10 um arranged as a honeycomb.

The present invention is directed to a method of coating an electrical current collector comprising treating a portion of a surface of the electrical current collector with an adhesion promoting composition to deposit a treatment layer over the portion of the surface of the electrical current collector, wherein the resulting surface of the electrical current collector comprises (a) a treated portion comprising the treatment layer and (b) a non-treated portion that lacks the treatment layer; electrodepositing an electrodeposited coating layer from an electrodepositable coating composition onto the surface of the electrical current collector to form a coated electrical current collector; and rinsing the coated electrical current collector, wherein the electrodeposited coating layer substantially adheres to the treated portion of the surface and does not adhere to the non-treated portion of the surface. Also disclosed are electrodes and electrical storage devices.

A method for preparing a cathode active material is provided. The method for preparing a cathode active material can comprise the steps of: preparing a first metal oxide; preparing a second metal oxide having an oxygen ratio lower than that of the first metal oxide by heat treating the first metal oxide in a nitrogen-containing gas atmosphere; and preparing a lithium metal oxide by firing the second metal oxide and a lithium salt.

An anode for a secondary battery includes: a charge collector; and an anode composite layer formed on the charge collector, and containing an active material and an ion scavenger. The ion scavenger contains a phosphate of zirconium, and has a cation exchange capability and an anion exchange capability.

The present disclosure provides a negative current collector (10), a negative electrode plate (20), an electrochemical device, and an apparatus. The negative current collector (10) includes a support layer, and a conductive layer (102) disposed on at least one of two opposite surfaces of the support layer (101) in a thickness direction of the support layer; wherein the support layer (101) has a smaller density than the conductive layer (102); the conductive layer (102) has a thickness D.sub.1 satisfying 300 nm≤D.sub.1≤2 μm, preferably 500 nm≤D.sub.1≤1.5 μm; and when the negative current collector (10) has a tensile strain of 1.5%, the conductive layer (102) has a sheet resistance growth rate T satisfying T≤5%.

An electrode precursor or slurry according to various aspects of the present disclosure includes a blended electroactive material and a binder solution. The blended electroactive material includes a first electroactive material and a second electroactive material. The first electroactive material includes nickel. The first electroactive material is selected from the group consisting of LiNi.sub.xCo.sub.yMn.sub.zO.sub.2 where x is greater than 0.6, LiNi.sub.xCo.sub.yAl.sub.zO.sub.2 where x is greater than 0.6, LiNi.sub.xCo.sub.yMn.sub.zAl.sub.αO.sub.2 where x is greater than 0.6, or any combination thereof. The second electroactive material includes a phosphor-olivine compound at less than or equal to about 30 weight percent of the blended electroactive material. The binder solution including a polymeric binder and a solvent including N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. In various aspects, the present disclosure provides a high-nickel-content positive electrode formed from the slurry. In various aspects, the present disclosure provides an electrochemical cell including the positive electrode and a lithium metal negative electrode.

Disclosed are a positive electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery and a rechargeable lithium battery including the same. The positive electrode includes a current collector and a positive electrode layer on the current collector, the positive electrode layer including a nickel-based positive active material of Chemical Formula 1 having a BET specific surface area of about 0.5 m.sup.2/g to about 2.5 m.sup.2/g, a metal fluoride, a conductive material, and a binder, wherein an amount of the metal fluoride is about 1 wt % to about 10 wt % based on 100 wt % of the positive electrode layer. In Chemical Formula 1, 0.9≤a≤1.1, 0.8≤x≤0.98, 0.01≤y≤0.01≤z≤0.1, x+y+z=1, and A is Mn or Al.
Li.sub.aNi.sub.xCo.sub.yA.sub.zO.sub.2  Chemical Formula 1

Disclosed are an electrode including a polymer matrix and a catalyst including metal nanoparticles and a conductive polymer shell and, a method of preparing the same. According to various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, various hybrid nano-composites may be formed by a combination of other conductive polymers than P3HT with metal nanoparticles. For example, the method may include selectively disposing metal nanoparticles to a surface modified conductive polymer including a block copolymer of two or more types of conductive polymers.

A positive electrode material, a positive electrode, and a battery employing the same are provided. The positive electrode material includes an active particle and a modified layer covering the surface of the active particle. The modified layer is a reaction product of a composition. The composition includes an ionic conductive ceramic compound, an organic conductive compound, and a coupling agent. In the disclosure, the ionic conductive ceramic compound is 50-84 parts by weight, the organic conductive compound is 16-50 parts by weight, and the total weight of the ionic conductive ceramic compound and the organic conductive compound is 100 parts by weight. In the disclosure, the weight percentage of the coupling agent is from 0.05 wt % to 10 wt %, based on the total weight of the ionic conductive ceramic compound and the organic conductive compound.

The present invention proposes a process for purifying raw carbon nanotubes to obtain an content in metallic impurities comprised between 5 ppm and 200 ppm. The process includes an increase in the bulk density of the raw carbon nanotubes via compacting to produce compacted carbon nanotubes. The process further includes sintering the compacted carbon nanotubes by undergoing thermal treatment under gaseous atmosphere in order to remove at least a portion of the metallic impurities contained in the raw carbon nanotubes, and consequently producing purified carbon nanotubes. These purified carbon nanotubes are directly usable as electronic conductors serving as basis additive to an electrode material without requiring any subsequent purification step. The electrode material can then be used to manufacture an electrode destined to a lithium-ion battery.