A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery that is an aspect of the present disclosure comprises a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte solution. The negative electrode comprises a negative electrode current collector and a negative electrode active material layer disposed on the negative electrode current collector. The negative electrode active material layer contains graphite particles A and graphite particles B as negative electrode active materials. The graphite particles A have an internal void ratio of 5% or less. The graphite particles B have an internal void ratio of 8-20%. When the negative electrode active material layer is divided in half in the thickness direction, the region of the half to the side of the outer surface contains more graphite particles A than the region of the half to the side of the negative electrode current collector.

Method for pre-lithiating an anode, wherein the method comprises the steps of: packing an anode sheet with a lithium-comprising sheet as a jelly roll or stack in an electrolyte; transferring lithium ions to the anode sheet to obtain a pre-lithiated anode sheet by direct contact between the anode sheet and the lithium-comprising sheet or by discharging or charging the anode sheet towards the lithium-comprising sheet; and dividing the pre-lithiated anode sheet into a plurality of pre-lithiated anodes of a desired size and shape. The invention further relates to an electrochemical cell comprising an an-ode which is pre-lithiated by the method.

Disclosed is a method of fabricating an anode for a lithium-ion battery, including milling a mixture of nano-silicon, one or more carbonaceous materials and one or more solvents, wherein the mixture is retained as a wet slurry during milling. The mixture is carbonised to produce a silicon thinly coated with carbon (Si@C) material. Further milling occurs of a second mixture of the Si@C material, one or more graphite, one or more second carbonaceous materials and one or more second solvents, wherein the second mixture is retained as a second wet slurry during milling. The second mixture is carbonised to produce a Si@C/graphite/carbon material. The anode is formed from the Si@C/graphite/carbon material.

A method of preparing a lithium metal electrode, wherein the method includes providing a lithium metal strip, and providing a lubricant composition including a fluorine-based solvent and a fluorine-based compound on the lithium metal strip to obtain a coated lithium metal strip; and rolling the coated lithium metal strip to obtain the lithium metal electrode.

A method of preparing a lithium metal electrode, wherein the method includes providing a lithium metal strip, and providing a lubricant composition including a fluorine-based solvent and a fluorine-based compound on the lithium metal strip to obtain a coated lithium metal strip; and rolling the coated lithium metal strip to obtain the lithium metal electrode.

Described herein are improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries made therefrom. Further described are methods of making and using the improved anodes and batteries. In general, the anodes include a porous composite having a plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites. At least one of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites is formed from a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material and a plurality of discrete non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed on a surface of the dendritic particle. At least one nanocomposite of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites has at least a portion of its dendritic particle in electrical communication with at least a portion of a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite in the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites.

Described herein are improved composite anodes and lithium-ion batteries made therefrom. Further described are methods of making and using the improved anodes and batteries. In general, the anodes include a porous composite having a plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites. At least one of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites is formed from a dendritic particle, which is a three-dimensional, randomly-ordered assembly of nanoparticles of an electrically conducting material and a plurality of discrete non-porous nanoparticles of a non-carbon Group 4A element or mixture thereof disposed on a surface of the dendritic particle. At least one nanocomposite of the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites has at least a portion of its dendritic particle in electrical communication with at least a portion of a dendritic particle of an adjacent nanocomposite in the plurality of agglomerated nanocomposites.

A rechargeable battery includes at least an electrolyte layer, a cathode layer and an anode layer. The electrolyte layer includes a lithium salt compound arranged between a cathode surface of the cathode layer and an anode surface of the anode layer. The anode layer is a nanostructured silicon containing thin film layer including a plurality of columns, wherein the columns are directed in a first direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the anode surface of the silicon thin film layer. The columns are arranged adjacent to each other while separated by grain-like column boundaries running along the first direction. The columns include silicon and have an amorphous structure in which nano-crystalline regions exist.

A rechargeable battery includes at least an electrolyte layer, a cathode layer and an anode layer. The electrolyte layer includes a lithium salt compound arranged between a cathode surface of the cathode layer and an anode surface of the anode layer. The anode layer is a nanostructured silicon containing thin film layer including a plurality of columns, wherein the columns are directed in a first direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the anode surface of the silicon thin film layer. The columns are arranged adjacent to each other while separated by grain-like column boundaries running along the first direction. The columns include silicon and have an amorphous structure in which nano-crystalline regions exist.

A porous silicon composite including: a porous silicon composite cluster comprising a porous silicon composite secondary particle and a second carbon flake on at least one surface of the porous silicon composite secondary particle; and a carbonaceous layer on the porous silicon composite cluster, the carbonaceous layer comprising amorphous carbon, wherein the porous silicon composite secondary particle comprises an aggregate of two or more silicon primary particles, the two or more silicon primary particles comprise silicon, a silicon suboxide of the formula SiO.sub.x, wherein 0<x<2 on a surface of the silicon, and a first carbon flake on at least one surface of the silicon suboxide, the silicon suboxide is in a form of a film, a matrix, or a combination thereof, and the first carbon flake and the second carbon flake are each independently present in a form of a film, particles, a matrix, or a combination thereof. Also a method of preparing the porous silicon composite, a carbon composite, an electrode, and a device, each including the porous silicon composite, and a lithium battery including the electrode.