An article is presented. The article includes a seal ring configured for use in an energy storage device, the seal ring comprising a first portion and a second portion that each include an alumina-based cermet, that comprises a sufficient amount of metal or metal alloy to be weldable, and the cermet comprises a ceramic material selected from a group consisting of silica, yttria, and ytterbia, and the seal ring further comprises a third region intervening between the first portion and the second portion that is sufficiently electrically insulative and of sufficient thickness to electrically isolate the first portion from the second portion.

The invention relates to an electrode unit for an electrochemical device, comprising a solid electrolyte (3) and a porous electrode (7), the solid electrolyte (3) dividing a compartment for cathode material and a compartment for anode material and the porous electrode (7) being extensively connected to the solid electrolyte (3), with a displacer (23) being accommodated in the anode material compartment, where the displacer (23) is manufactured from a stainless steel or from graphite foil and bears resiliently against the internal geometry of the solid electrolyte (3) in such a way that the displacer (23) does not contact the solid electrolyte over its full area, or with the displacer comprising an outer shell (62) of stainless steel or graphite, and a core (64) of a nonferrous metal, the nonferrous metal being thermoplastically deformable at a temperature which is lower than the temperature at which the stainless steel is thermoplastically deformable, and where for production the shell (62) of stainless steel or graphite is pressed onto the solid electrolyte (3) by introduction and heating of the nonferrous metal, and on cooling forms a gap between solid electrolyte (3) and shell (62) of stainless steel.

A module battery having high thermal insulating performance during standby and being easy to manufacture is provided. In a module battery container including: a box for containing a plurality of cells each being a high-temperature secondary cell; and a lid for occluding an opening of the box, the box and the lid each have an atmospheric thermal insulating structure including: an inner container and an outer container each including a metal plate and having a cuboid shape; and a thermal insulating material loaded between the inner container and the outer container, and, in each of the box and the lid, the inner container and the outer container are not in contact with each other, and the thermal insulating material is exposed only at an open end.

A rechargeable lithium-sulfur cell comprising an anode, a separator and/or electrolyte, and a sulfur cathode, wherein the cathode comprises (a) exfoliated graphite worms that are interconnected to form a porous, conductive graphite flake network comprising pores having a size smaller than 100 nm; and (b) nano-scaled powder or coating of sulfur, sulfur compound, or lithium polysulfide disposed in the pores or coated on graphite flake surfaces wherein the powder or coating has a dimension less than 100 nm. The exfoliated graphite worm amount is in the range of 1% to 90% by weight and the amount of powder or coating is in the range of 99% to 10% by weight based on the total weight of exfoliated graphite worms and sulfur (sulfur compound or lithium polysulfide) combined. The cell exhibits an exceptionally high specific energy and a long cycle life.

Disclosed is a carbon felt impregnated with inorganic particles. The impregnated carbon felt can be used together with sulfur in a cathode of a sodium-sulfur (NaS) battery. Also disclosed is a method for producing the impregnated carbon felt. According to exemplary embodiments, the problem of the prior art can be solved in which inorganic particles such as alumina particles are not directly adhered to carbon felts, thus necessitating complicated processes. In addition, a slurry including an inorganic binder and alumina particles can be used to directly coat the alumina particles on the surface of a carbon felt, making the production procedure very simple. Furthermore, the use of the carbon felt surface coated with the alumina particles in a NaS battery increases the wicking of sodium polysulfides, suppresses the accumulation of sulfur as an insulator on the surface of beta-alumina as an electrolyte, and inhibits non-uniform aggregation of sulfur or sodium polysulfides on the carbon felt, so that the concentration polarization of charges can be reduced without a significant increase in the internal resistance of the battery, achieving high utilization efficiency of sulfur as a reactant.

The invention relates to sodium-ion-conducting elements for use in electrochemical cells, more particularly as solid electrolyte/separator in high-temperature batteries. In these elements, a surface of a porous substrate bears a coating which is obtained by sintering at a temperature of not more than 1100 C. and which is formed with the system Na.sub.2OSiO.sub.2R.sub.2O.sub.5R1.sub.2O.sub.3, in which R1=Sc, Y, La and/or B and R2=P, Sb, Bi, Sn, Te, Zn and/or Ge.

The present disclosure relates to a carbonaceous structure and a method for preparing the same, an electrode material and a catalyst including the carbonaceous structure, and an energy storage device including the electrode material.

This secondary battery includes a tubular battery body and a cover member containing the battery body. The cover member includes a tubular body at least covering a side surface of the battery body and a bottom which at least part of a bottom surface of the battery body contacts. The bottom includes an expansion expanded in a direction away from the bottom surface of the battery body, and an end surface of the expansion contacts the insulating plate. The area of the end surface of the expansion is smaller than the area of the bottom surface of the battery body.

Sulfur containing nanoparticles that may be used within cathode electrodes within lithium ion batteries include in a first instance porous carbon shape materials (i.e., either nanoparticle shapes or bulk shapes that are subsequently ground to nanoparticle shapes) that are infused with a sulfur material. A synthetic route to these carbon and sulfur containing nanoparticles may use a template nanoparticle to form a hollow carbon shape shell, and subsequent dissolution of the template nanoparticle prior to infusion of the hollow carbon shape shell with a sulfur material. Sulfur infusion into other porous carbon shapes that are not hollow is also contemplated. A second type of sulfur containing nanoparticle includes a metal oxide material core upon which is located a shell layer that includes a vulcanized polymultiene polymer material and ion conducting polymer material. The foregoing sulfur containing nanoparticle materials provide the electrodes and lithium ion batteries with enhanced performance.

An outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical cell is coated with a heat insulation material. A heat-resistant material is stacked radially outside the heat insulation material. An electrical insulation material is stacked radially outside the heat-resistant material. The order in which the heat insulation material, the heat-resistant material and the electrical insulation material are stacked one on top of another may be changed. A coating material other than the heat insulation material, the heat-resistant material and the electrical insulation material may be provided.