A flow battery system and methods are provided for eliminating crossover issues of active materials in redox flow batteries. A solid adsorbent with large specific surface area is disposed in an electrolyte of at least one half-cell, in contact with the electrolyte. During a charging process, the active material in a charged state is captured and stored on surfaces of the adsorbent, so that concentrations of the active material in the electrolyte in the charged state is reduced and the crossover is inhibited. During a discharging process, the active material is desorbed from the adsorbent to the electrolyte and pumped into the stack for reaction. The flow battery stack can have a microporous membrane separator. The electrolyte of the flow battery includes zinc iodide as active material and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as an additive.

The present invention relates to a solid electrolyte film comprising sulfide-based solid electrolyte particles dispersed into an amorphous fluorinated binder, said solid electrolyte film being characterized by improved ionic conductivity, improved resistance to oxidation and good mechanical properties. The invention further relates to a process for the manufacture of said solid electrolyte film and to its use in solid state batteries.

The invention pertains to a process for the manufacture of a polymer electrolyte membrane based on a fluoropolymer hybrid organic/inorganic composite, to a polymer electrolyte obtained thereof and to uses of said polymer electrolyte and membranes obtained therefrom in various applications, especially in electrochemical and in photo-electrochemical applications.

The invention discloses a high voltage rechargeable Zn—MnO.sub.2 battery. The structure of the Zn—MnO.sub.2 battery includes zinc electrode/alkaline electrolyte/ion exchange membrane/acid electrolyte/MnO.sub.2 electrode. The ion exchange membrane comprises a cation exchange membrane, an anion exchange membrane or a proton exchange membrane. According to the invention, by using a composite electrolyte system (alkaline electrolyte/ion exchange membrane/acid electrolyte), a high voltage rechargeable Zn—MnO.sub.2 battery is obtained. According to the invention, an open circuit voltage of up to 2.7V is obtained, greatly improving the discharge voltage, and at the same time increasing the discharge capacity and enabling cyclic charge and discharge. The invention is of great importance in science research, beneficial to society and economics.

A Li-ion battery cell includes cathode and anode materials, a separator, and an electrolyte including a mixture of a polyethylene oxide and an oxide of formula LivLasZnOn. A method of forming the cell includes the following successive cycling steps: (a) at least two successive charge and discharge cycles of the cell at a first cycling rate C/x, the charge/discharge steps being limited in time to x/2; (b) at least two successive charge and discharge cycles of the cell at a second charging rate C/y, different from the first cycling rate, where y is lower than x, the charge/discharge steps being limited in time to y/2; and (c) at least two successive charge and discharge cycles of the cell at a third cycling rate C/z different from the first and second charging rates, where z is lower than x and y, the charge/discharge steps being limited in time to z/2.

The present application is directed to compositions and methods of preparing electrolyte materials. The electrolyte materials prepared according to compositions and methods described herein comprise enhanced electrochemical properties and find utility in any number of electrical devices, for example, in lithium batteries.

A solid ion conductive layer can include a foamed matrix and an electrolyte material including a hygroscopic material. In an embodiment, the electrolyte material can include a halide-based material, a sulfide-based material, or any combination thereof. In another embodiment, the solid ion conductive layer can include total porosity of at least 30 vol % for a total volume of the solid ion conductive layer.

A cathode may be formed form a first porous carbonaceous region and a second porous carbonaceous region positioned adjacent to the first porous carbonaceous region. Each region may have a corresponding concentration level of porous carbonaceous materials. Specifically, each region may include pores and non-tri-zone particles and tri-zone particles. In one implementation, each tri-zone particle may include carbon fragments intertwined with each other and separated from one another by mesopores. Each tri-zone particle may also include a deformable perimeter that may coalesce with adjacent non-tri-zone particles or tri-zone particles. In some aspects, the tri-zone particles may include aggregates formed by several tri-zone particles joined together. In some aspects, mesopores may be interspersed throughout the aggregates. Each tri-zone particle may also include agglomerates, where each agglomerate includes a multitude of the aggregates joined together. In some aspects, macropores may be interspersed throughout the aggregates.

Hybrid electrolyte-catalyst structures including a catalyst material, a solid state electrolyte (SSE) material, and a liquid electrolyte material deposited to form coating layer(s) on carbon materials (e.g., carbon nanotubes) prevent polysulfide shuttling, improve ion flow, and enhance utilization of active materials in lithium-sulfur batteries. For example, a solution including the catalyst material and the solid state electrolyte material may be drop casted on a carbon material or the catalyst material and the solid state electrolyte material may be deposited on the carbon material using a co-sputtering process. The liquid electrolyte material may be deposited on the solid state electrolyte-catalyst coated carbon material to form the hybrid electrolyte-catalyst coating layer(s). Coating a carbon substrate with the hybrid electrolyte-catalysts coating layer(s) can suppress polysulfide shuttling by catalyzing polysulfide reactions. Additionally, the coating layer(s) exhibit synergistic effects of accelerated and uniformly distributed ion flow for use as a carbon nanotube (CNT)-S cathode.

A flow battery system and methods are provided for eliminating crossover issues of active materials in redox flow batteries. A solid adsorbent with large specific surface area is disposed in an electrolyte of at least one half-cell, in contact with the electrolyte. During a charging process, the active material in a charged state is captured and stored on surfaces of the adsorbent, so that concentrations of the active material in the electrolyte in the charged state is reduced and the crossover is inhibited. During a discharging process, the active material is desorbed from the adsorbent to the electrolyte and pumped into the stack for reaction. The flow battery stack can have a microporous membrane separator. The electrolyte of the flow battery includes zinc iodide as active material and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as an additive.