An electrode assembly and a rechargeable lithium battery including the same are disclosed herein. The electrode assembly includes an electrode and a separator, wherein the electrode includes a current collector, an electrode active material layer on the current collector, and an adhesive layer on the electrode active material layer; and wherein the separator has a larger surface area than the adhesive layer of the electrode; and a surface of the separator opposing the adhesive layer of the electrode is divided into an adhesive region in contact with the adhesive layer of the electrode and an overhang region not in contact with the adhesive layer of the electrode.

Any of a position of a fifth end surface of a first folded portion at a first side portion, a position of a first inner surface of the first folded portion opposite to the fifth end surface of the first folded portion, and a position of a portion between the fifth end surface and the first inner surface of the first folded portion is aligned with a position of a third end surface of a second electrode at the first side portion.

Any of a position of a fifth end surface of a first folded portion at a first side portion, a position of a first inner surface of the first folded portion opposite to the fifth end surface of the first folded portion, and a position of a portion between the fifth end surface and the first inner surface of the first folded portion is aligned with a position of a third end surface of a second electrode at the first side portion.

An electrode assembly includes a plurality of electrodes and a connection component. The electrodes are arranged in a stack along a stacking dimension with a respective separator portion positioned between each of the electrodes. Each of the electrodes has an outer perimeter within a plane extending transverse to the stacking dimension, and the separator portions each have a respective overhanging portion protruding outwardly in a lateral dimension beyond the outer perimeters of adjacent ones of the electrodes, where the lateral dimension is oriented transverse to the stacking dimension. The connection component extends between and connects at least two adjacent overhanging portions of the separator portions. The connection component comprises a network of strands of material, a plurality of which cross over other strands so as to define respective crossing locations. A region of the connection component includes multiple crossing locations spaced apart from one another in the stacking dimension.

An electrode assembly includes a plurality of electrodes and a connection component. The electrodes are arranged in a stack along a stacking dimension with a respective separator portion positioned between each of the electrodes. Each of the electrodes has an outer perimeter within a plane extending transverse to the stacking dimension, and the separator portions each have a respective overhanging portion protruding outwardly in a lateral dimension beyond the outer perimeters of adjacent ones of the electrodes, where the lateral dimension is oriented transverse to the stacking dimension. The connection component extends between and connects at least two adjacent overhanging portions of the separator portions. The connection component comprises a network of strands of material, a plurality of which cross over other strands so as to define respective crossing locations. A region of the connection component includes multiple crossing locations spaced apart from one another in the stacking dimension.

A battery manufacturing method includes: winding positive and negative electrode plates and a separator to form a wound electrode assembly; cutting unwound portions of the positive and negative electrode plates and the separator such that the separator constitutes an outermost layer of the wound electrode assembly when the winding is completed; further winding around the wound electrode assembly the cut unwound portions; fixing a part of a terminal end of the separator in a lateral direction to the wound electrode assembly; and performing heat welding on parts of both lateral ends of an outermost portion of the separator in the wound electrode assembly, which are located above an electrode active material-uncoated portion of the positive or negative electrode plate to fix the lateral ends to the wound electrode assembly.

A manufacturing method according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing an electrode assembly in which a negative electrode, a separator, and a positive electrode are repeatedly stacked, the method comprising: a unit cell manufacturing step of manufacturing a unit cell having a predetermined stack structure of the negative electrode, the separator, and the positive electrode, wherein ends of the separators are bonded to each other to form a bonding portion; a film inserting step of inserting a film into a die; a unit cell stacking step of stacking the unit cell into the die; and a thermal fusing step of applying heat and a pressure to thermally fuse the film to the bonding portion of the stacked unit cell within the die. An electrode assembly assembled according to the manufacturing method is also disclosed.

Provided is a lead storage battery provided with a positive electrode, a negative electrode, an electrolytic solution, a separator interposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and non-woven fabric. The non-woven fabric includes fibers and a filler, and is disposed between the positive electrode and the separator. The separator is provided with a rib formed in a protruding shape from a base portion on the positive electrode side. The relation T/R, which is between the thickness T of the non-woven fabric and the height R from the base portion of the separator taken as a starting point to the top of the rib, is 0.10-11.

A sheet cutting and fusion apparatus including upper and lower cutters at uppermost and lowermost surfaces, respectively, of a plurality of overlapping sheets. The upper and lower cutters includes first and second cutting surfaces configured for contacting the lower cutter without any step when the upper cutter is moved vertically and the upper cutter without any step when the lower cutter is moved vertically, respectively; first and second fusion portions parallel to the first cutting surface and to the second cutting surface, respectively; first and second steps extending between the first cutting surface and first fusion portion and extending between the second cutting surface and second fusion portion, respectively; lower and upper surfaces configured to face one of the sheets, respectively; and first and second connection portions each having a curved corner connecting the lower surface and first fusion portion and connecting the upper surface and second fusion portion, respectively.

There is provided a secondary zinc battery including: a unit cell including; a positive-electrode plate including a positive-electrode active material layer and a positive-electrode collector; a negative-electrode plate including a negative-electrode active material layer containing zinc and a negative-electrode collector; an LDH separator covering or wrapping around the entire negative-electrode active material layer; and an electrolytic solution. The positive-electrode collector has a positive-electrode collector tab extending from one edge of the positive-electrode active material layer, and the negative-electrode collector has a negative-electrode collector tab extending from the opposite edge of the negative-electrode active material layer and beyond a vertical edge of the LDH-like compound separator. The unit cell can thereby collects electricity from the positive-electrode collector tab and the negative-electrode collector tab that are disposed at opposite edges of the unit cell. The LDH-like compound separator has at least two continuous closed edges.