A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery using a silicon compound as a negative electrode active material, suppress deformation of a negative electrode. An embodiment includes a winding type electrode body in which a positive electrode and a negative electrode are spirally wound with at least one separator interposed therebetween. In a negative electrode mixture layer, a silicon compound is contained as a negative electrode active material. A winding-start side end of the negative electrode mixture layer extends to a winding-start end side of the electrode body past a winding-start side end of a positive electrode mixture layer. A length Y (mm) of a portion of the negative electrode mixture layer extending from the winding-start side end of the positive electrode mixture layer and a rate X (percent by mass) of the silicon compound with respect to the total mass of the negative electrode active material satisfy a relationship of Y≥3X−15 (6≤X≤15).

An all-solid secondary battery includes: a cathode layer; an anode layer; and a solid electrolyte between the cathode layer and the anode layer, wherein the anode layer includes an anode current collector and a first anode active material layer on the anode current collector, the first anode active material layer includes a modified ordered mesoporous carbon, and an oxygen content of a surface of the modified ordered mesoporous carbon is about 3 atomic percent to about 10 atomic percent, based on a total content of the surface, when determined by an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectrum of the surface of the modified ordered mesoporous carbon.

Various embodiments provide a battery, a bulk energy storage system including the battery, and/or a method of operating the bulk energy storage system including the battery. In various embodiment, the battery may include a first electrode, an electrolyte, and a second electrode, wherein one or both of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises direct reduced iron (“DRI”). In various embodiments, the DRI may be in the form of pellets. In various embodiments, the pellets may comprise at least about 60 wt % iron by elemental mass, based on the total mass of the pellets. In various embodiments, one or both of the first electrode and the second electrode comprises from about 60% to about 90% iron and from about 1% to about 40% of a component comprising one or more of the materials selected from the group of SiO.sub.2, Al.sub.2O.sub.3, MgO, CaO, and TiO.sub.2.

Provided are methods for solid state pretreatment of active materials (e.g., prelithiation of silicon monoxide) while forming treated negative active material structures. Also provided are the formed structures, negative electrodes comprising these structures, and electrochemical cells comprising these electrodes. In some examples, silicon monoxide structures are mixed with lithium hydroxide structures or some other lithium-containing structures. The mixture is heated in an inert environment to form treated negative active material structures. These treated structures comprise various lithium-containing components, some of which trap lithium. When an electrochemical cell, formed with these treated negative active material structures, is initially charged and additional new lithium ions are introduced into the negative electrodes (e.g., from the positive electrode), a larger portion of these new lithium ions forms reversible components (rather than irreversible components) in the negative electrode than, for example, in a conventional cell without any such treatment.

Composites comprising an exfoliated graphite support material having a degree of graphitization g in an range of 50 to 93%, obtained by XRD Rietveld analysis, which is coated with ZnO nanoparticles. These composites are produced by three different methods: A) (syn) the method comprises the following consecutive steps: i) a Zn(II)salt is dissolved in a solvent ii) graphite and a base are added simultaneously iii) the mixture is stirred under impact of ultrasound iv) the solvent is removed from the suspension or B) (pre) the method comprises the following consecutive steps: i) graphite is suspended in a solvent and exfoliated via impact of ultrasound ii) a Zn(II)salt and a base are added simultaneously forming nano-ZnO particles iii) the mixture is stirred iv) the solvent is removed from the suspension or C) (post) the method comprises the following steps: i) a Zn(II)salt and a base are mixed in a solvent in a first reactor forming nano-ZnO particles ii) graphite is exfoliated via impact of ultrasound in a second reactor iii) both suspensions of i) and ii) are mixed together iv) after step iii) the solvent is removed from the suspension. These coated composites may be tempered in a further step and again coated and again tempered.

A negative active material for a rechargeable lithium battery and a rechargeable lithium battery, the negative active material including a composite including silicon particles, metal particles, and a first amorphous carbon; and a second amorphous carbon surrounding on the composite.

A negative electrode active material containing a negative electrode active material particle which includes a silicon compound particle containing a silicon compound (SiO.sub.x: 0.5≤x≤1.6). The silicon compound particle has three or more peaks in a chemical shift value ranging from −40 ppm to −120 ppm but has no peak in a chemical shift value within a range of −65±3 ppm in a spectrum obtained from .sup.29Si-MAS-NMR of the silicon compound particle. This provides a negative electrode active material capable of improving cycle characteristics when it is used as a negative electrode active material for a secondary battery.

The invention relates to an electrolyte, which is provided for an alkali-sulfur battery (e.g. for a Li—S battery). The electrolyte contains a non-polar, acyclic and non-fluorinated ether, a polar aprotic organic solvent, and a conducting salt for an alkali-sulfur battery. It has been found that, when such an electrolyte is used in an alkali-sulfur battery, a high-capacity, a low overvoltage, a high cycle stability, and a high Coulomb efficiency can be achieved in the alkali-sulfur battery and, in addition, as compared with an alkali-sulfur battery which contains a fluorinated ether in the electrolyte, a considerably improved gravimetric energy density is obtained. The invention further relates to a battery comprising the electrolyte according to the invention and to uses of the electrolyte according to the invention.

Provides is a cathode active material comprising particles each containing a lithium composite oxide, a coating layer containing an ammonium phosphate compound containing a metal other than lithium. The coating layer coats each of the particles. The metal other than lithium includes at least one selected from the group consisting of manganese, nickel, and cobalt.

A battery and a method of constructing a battery are disclosed in which a first conductive substrate portion has a first face and a second conductive substrate portion has a second face opposed to the first face. A first electrode material is disposed in electrical contact with the first face, an electrolyte material is disposed in contact with the first electrode material, a second electrode material is disposed in contact with the electrolyte material, and a conductive tab disposed in contact with the second electrode material. The first conductive substrate portion, the first electrode material, and the conductive tab extend outward beyond a particular edge of the second conductive substrate portion.