Systems and methods are provided for high volume roll-to-roll direct coating of electrodes for silicon-dominant anode cells and may include applying a slurry to a current collector film, the slurry comprising silicon particles and a binder material; drying the slurry to form a precursor composite film; rolling the current collector film into a precursor composite roll; and applying a heat treatment to the precursor composite film and the current collector film in a nitrogen gas environment, wherein the heat treatment is configured for converting the precursor composite film to a pyrolyzed composite film. The heat treatment may include one or both of: applying the heat treatment to a roll comprising the precursor composite roll in whole; and applying the heat treatment to the current collector film as it is continuously fed from the precursor composite roll.

Electrically-conductive articles are provided that include a current collector having a conductive coating. The current collector has nanoporous structure, such as that from etched metal, and a carbon coating in contact with the current collector. The carbon coating is free of binder. In some embodiments, the current collector includes etched aluminum. The provided electrically-conductive articles can be electrochemical capacitors or lithium-ion electrochemical cells.

Electrically-conductive articles are provided that include a current collector having a conductive coating. The current collector has nanoporous structure, such as that from etched metal, and a carbon coating in contact with the current collector. The carbon coating is free of binder. In some embodiments, the current collector includes etched aluminum. The provided electrically-conductive articles can be electrochemical capacitors or lithium-ion electrochemical cells.

Disclosed herein are a multilayer electrode and a lithium secondary battery including the same. The multilayer electrode includes an electrode current collector for transmitting electrons between an external wire and an electrode active material and three or more electrode mixture layers sequentially applied to the electrode current collector, wherein each of the electrode mixture layers includes an electrode active material and a conducting agent, and wherein the content of the conducting agent of one of adjacent electrode mixture layers that is relatively close to the current collector in the direction in which the electrode mixture layers are formed is higher than that of the conducting agent of the other of the adjacent electrode mixture layers that is relatively distant from the current collector.

An apparatus for manufacturing a lithium-ion secondary cell negative-electrode carbon material by heat-treating carbon particles while causing the carbon particles to flow within a heat-treatment furnace, the apparatus having a heat-treatment furnace provided with a carbon-particle supply opening for supplying the carbon particles into the interior, and a negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening for taking out the negative-electrode carbon material from the interior and a cooling tank connected in an airtight manner to the negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening of the heat-treatment furnace, and provided with a cooling means.

An apparatus for manufacturing a lithium-ion secondary cell negative-electrode carbon material by heat-treating carbon particles while causing the carbon particles to flow within a heat-treatment furnace, the apparatus having a heat-treatment furnace provided with a carbon-particle supply opening for supplying the carbon particles into the interior, and a negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening for taking out the negative-electrode carbon material from the interior and a cooling tank connected in an airtight manner to the negative-electrode carbon material recovery opening of the heat-treatment furnace, and provided with a cooling means.

Provided is a carbon material capable of obtaining a non-aqueous secondary battery, which has high capacity, initial efficiency, and low charging resistance and is excellent in productivity. As a result thereof, a high-performance non-aqueous secondary battery is stably provided with efficiency. A composite carbon material for a non-aqueous secondary battery is provided, which contains at least a bulk mesophase artificial graphite particle (A) and graphite particle (B) having an aspect ratio of 5 or greater, and which is capable of absorbing and releasing lithium ions. A graphite crystal layered structure of the graphite particle (B) is arranged in the same direction as a direction of an outer peripheral surface of the bulk mesophase artificial graphite particle (A) at a part of a surface of the bulk mesophase artificial graphite particle (A), and an average circularity of the composite carbon material is 0.9 or greater.

A method for preparing an electrode for use in lithium batteries and the resulting electrodes are described The method comprises coating a slurry of silicon, sulfur doped graphene and polyacrylonitrile on a current collector followed by sluggish heat treatment.

A non-flaky carbon material having specific optical structures, wherein the ratio between the peak intensity I110 of (110) plane and the peak intensity I004 of (004) plane of a graphite crystal determined by the powder XRD measurement, I110/I004, is 0.10 or more and 0.35 or less; an average circularity is 0.80 or more and 0.95 or less; d002 is 0.337 nm or less; and the total pore volume of pores having a diameter of 0.4 μm or less measured by the nitrogen gas adsorption method is 25.0 μl/g or more and 40.0 μl/g or less. Also disclosed is a method for producing the carbon material, a carbon material for a battery electrode, a paste for an electrode incorporating the carbon material for a battery electrode, an electrode for a lithium battery incorporating a formed body of the paste for an electrode, a lithium-ion secondary battery including the electrode and a method for producing the electrode.

A non-flaky carbon material having specific optical structures, wherein the ratio between the peak intensity I110 of (110) plane and the peak intensity I004 of (004) plane of a graphite crystal determined by the powder XRD measurement, I110/I004, is 0.10 or more and 0.35 or less; an average circularity is 0.80 or more and 0.95 or less; d002 is 0.337 nm or less; and the total pore volume of pores having a diameter of 0.4 μm or less measured by the nitrogen gas adsorption method is 25.0 μl/g or more and 40.0 μl/g or less. Also disclosed is a method for producing the carbon material, a carbon material for a battery electrode, a paste for an electrode incorporating the carbon material for a battery electrode, an electrode for a lithium battery incorporating a formed body of the paste for an electrode, a lithium-ion secondary battery including the electrode and a method for producing the electrode.