Provided is a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell comprising an anode active material layer, a cathode active material layer, a discrete anode-protecting layer disposed between the anode active material layer and the cathode active material layer, and an electrolyte (but no porous separator), wherein the anode-protecting layer has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 m and comprises an elastomer having a fully recoverable tensile elastic strain from 2% to 1,000% and a lithium ion conductivity from 10.sup.8 S/cm to 510.sup.2 S/cm when measure at room temperature. The cathode layer comprises a sulfur-containing material selected from a sulfur-carbon hybrid, sulfur-graphite hybrid, sulfur-graphene hybrid, conducting polymer-sulfur hybrid, metal sulfide, sulfur compound, or a combination thereof. This battery exhibits an excellent combination of high sulfur content, high sulfur utilization efficiency, high energy density, no known dendrite issue, no dead lithium or dead sodium issue, and a long cycle life.

Disclosed is a production method for a zinc electrode with in situ formation of calcium zincate crystals. The method includes notably the steps of preparation of a mixture, growth of crystals, slowing of the growth and production of the electrode.

A method for producing cathode particles is provided. The method includes: providing a plurality of precipitation zones from i=1 to N, wherein the precipitation zones are connected in series, each precipitation zone comprises a feed stream (a.sub.i) providing the precipitation cations, a feed stream (b.sub.i) providing the precipitation anions, a continuous outflow (c.sub.i) of precipitation particle slurry to the next precipitation zone, and a continuous inflow (c.sub.i1) of precipitation particle slurry from the prior precipitation zone, and forming, in the precipitation zones, precipitated particles, and finally to form, in the precipitation zone N, precursor particles comprised of N layers, wherein layer i of each particle is precipitated and formed in the precipitation zone i, wherein N is not less than 3, and when i=1, there is no inflow (c.sub.i1).

Nano-colloids of near monodisperse, carbon-coated SnO.sub.2 nano-colloids. There are also carbon-coated SnO.sub.2 nanoparticles. There are also SnO.sub.2/carbon composite hollow spheres as well as an anode of a Li-ion battery having the nano-colloids. There is also a method for synthesizing SnO.sub.2 nano-colloids. There are also coaxial SnO.sub.2@carbon hollow nanospheres, a method for making coaxial SnO2@carbon hollow nanospheres and an anode of a Li-ion battery formed from the coaxial SnO2@carbon hollow nanospheres.

The present disclosure relates to a positive electrode active material which reduces lithium by-products and improves structural stability and includes a lithium-nickel based transition metal composite oxide in which an alkaline earth metal having oxidation number of +2 is doped and a phosphate coated layer formed on the outer surface of the composite oxide. Accordingly, a second battery including the positive electrode active material has excellent capacity characteristics, and also improves structural stability during charging/discharging and prevents swelling, thereby being capable of exhibiting excellent life characteristics. Therefore, the present invention may be easily applied to industry in need thereof, and particularly to electric vehicles industry requiring high capacity and long-term life characteristics.

A method for preparing a graphene-coated powder material, comprising: A) dispersing a graphene powder and/or graphene oxide powder, a powder material to be coated with graphene, and a polymeric co-coating agent in a first organic solvent to form a first organic solvent dispersion; B) mixing the first organic solvent dispersion with a second organic solvent and separating a precipitate after sedimentation; and C) annealing the precipitate in an inert atmosphere to obtain the graphene-coated powder material; wherein the polymeric co-coating agent is soluble in the first organic solvent but insoluble in the second organic solvent. The present invention also relates to a graphene-coated powder material prepared by the method.

Provided is a positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries that suppresses the gelling of a positive electrode mixture material paste and has high weather resistance, a production method thereof, and the like. A method for producing a positive electrode active material for nonaqueous electrolyte secondary batteries includes cleaning a powder famed of a lithium-nickel composite oxide represented by a general formula Li.sub.zNi.sub.1-x-yCo.sub.xM.sub.yO.sub.2 where 0x0.35; 0y0.10; 0.95z1.10; and M is at least one element selected from Mn, V, Mg, Mo, Nb, Ti, and Al with an aqueous solution containing one or more lithium salts selected from water-soluble lithium salts other than lithium hydroxide and drying the cleaned powder.

A method of preparing a structure, more particularly, a method of preparing a structure capable of ensuring a space for carrying an electrode active material by a simple method which includes an electrospinning process using a double nozzle electrospinning device and a heat treatment process.

The present invention provides a cost-effective method of synthesizing phosphate salt of a metal M such as Fe and Mn that can be used for electrode active material of a lithium secondary battery. An oxidization-precipitation reaction is carried out on metal such as Fe(II) and Mn(II) to produce phosphate salt and hydroxide of the metal oxidized e.g. Fe(III) and Mn(III). With overdosed phosphoric acid, hydroxide of the oxidized metal is then converted to a phosphate salt. The invention also provides a method of preparing wet phosphate salt nanoparticles and their application in the synthesis of a cathode material. The present invention exhibits numerous technical merits such as lower cost, easier operation, and being environmentally friendly.

A method for preparing a graphene-coated powder material, comprising: A) dispersing a graphene powder and/or graphene oxide powder, a powder material to be coated with graphene, and a polymeric co-coating agent in a first organic solvent to form a first organic solvent dispersion; B) mixing the first organic solvent dispersion with a second organic solvent and separating a precipitate after sedimentation; and C) annealing the precipitate in an inert atmosphere to obtain the graphene-coated powder material; wherein the polymeric co-coating agent is soluble in the first organic solvent but insoluble in the second organic solvent. The present invention also relates to a graphene-coated powder material prepared by the method.