Metal electrodes, more specifically lithium-containing anodes, high performance electrochemical devices, such as secondary batteries, including the aforementioned lithium-containing electrodes, and methods for fabricating the same are provided. In one implementation, an anode electrode structure is provided. The anode electrode structure comprises a current collector comprising copper, a lithium metal film formed on the current collector, a copper film formed on the lithium metal film, and a protective film formed on the copper film. The protective film is a lithium-ion conducting film selected from the group comprising lithium-ion conducting ceramic, a lithium-ion conducting glass, or ion conducting liquid crystal.

Various embodiments may relate to an electrode. The electrode may include an electrode core including an electrode active material. The electrode may also include one or more monolayer amorphous films. Each of the one or more monolayer amorphous films may be a continuous layer surrounding the electrode core.

Methods of preparing Si-based anode slurries and anode made thereof are provided. Methods comprise coating silicon particles within a size range of 300-700 nm by silver and/or tin particles within a size range of 20-500 nm, mixing the coated silicon particles with conductive additives and binders in a solvent to form anode slurry, and preparing an anode from the anode slurry. Alternatively or complementarily, silicon particles may be milled in an organic solvent, and, in the same organic solvent, coating agent(s), conductive additive(s) and binder(s) may be added to the milled silicon particles—to form the Si-based anode slurry. Alternatively or complementarily, milled silicon particles may be mixed, in a first organic solvent, with coating agent(s), conductive additive(s) and binder(s)—to form the Si-based anode slurry. Disclosed methods simplify the anode production process and provide equivalent or superior anodes.

An electrochemical cell is disclosed comprising a carbonate:nitrile type solvent mixture based electrolyte. The electrolyte may comprise an alkali salt and/or at least one polymer additive. The alkali salt cation may be a lithium cation and/or the alkali salt anion may comprise an oxalato-borate group. The electrolyte may further comprise one or more electrolyte additives, which may be an SEI improving additive. The anode may comprise carbon. The anode may be an alkali metal anode. The operating voltage and energy density performance of the disclosed invention is at the same level as the performance of presently market—leading battery cells, thereby these disclosed improvements do not come at the expense of battery performance. The utility of the herein disclosed battery electrolyte allows stable cycling of advanced Li-ion battery electrodes, an extended operating temperature range and improves battery safety by making the electrolyte less reactive and volatile than conventional LiPF6 electrolyte salt in carbonate solvents.

The present application is generally directed to composites comprising a hard carbon material and an electrochemical modifier. The composite materials find utility in any number of electrical devices, for example, in lithium ion batteries. Methods for making the disclosed composite materials are also disclosed.

An aspect of the present invention is a nonaqueous electrolyte energy storage device including: a negative electrode including a negative active material layer with a thickness expansion rate of 10% or more due to charge; and a separator, in which the absolute value (|dR/dP|) of an increase in resistance (dR) to a change in pressure (dP) in pressurization is 0.15 Ω.Math.cm.sup.2/MPa or less in the separator impregnated with a measurement electrolyte solution, the measurement electrolyte solution contains an ethylene carbonate and an ethyl methyl carbonate as a solvent, and a lithium hexafluorophosphate as an electrolyte salt, the volume ratio between the ethylene carbonate and the ethyl methyl carbonate is 30:70, and the concentration of the lithium hexafluorophosphate is 1.0 mol/L.

The present invention provides a lithium ion battery which comprises a positive electrode having a positive electrode mixture layer that contains a positive electrode active material, and a negative electrode having a negative electrode mixture layer that contains a negative electrode active material, and which is charged and discharged by the movement of lithium ions between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. The negative electrode mixture layer contains a negative electrode active material represented by general formula La3(1-x)M3xNi2(1-y)Me2yX7 (wherein M contains at least one of Ca, Mg and Sr; Me contains at least one of Mn, Co, Cu and Fe; X contains at least one of Ge, Si, Sn and Al; 0.1≤x<0.5; and 0<y≤1).

Lithium ion batteries and electrolytes therefor are provided, which include electrolyte additives having dithioester functional group(s) that stabilize the SEI (solid-electrolyte interface) at the surfaces of the anode material particles, and/or stabilize the CEI (cathode electrolyte interface) at the surfaces of the cathode material particles, and/or act as oxygen scavengers to prevent cell degradation. The electrolyte additives having dithioester functional group(s) may function as polymerization controlling and/or chain transfer agents that regulate the level of polymerization of other electrolyte components, such as VC (vinyl carbonate) and improve the formation and operation of the batteries. The lithium ion batteries may have metalloid-based anodes including mostly Si, Ge and/or Sn as anode active material particles.

Metal electrodes, more specifically lithium-containing anodes, high performance electrochemical devices, such as secondary batteries, including the aforementioned lithium-containing electrodes, and methods for fabricating the same are provided. In one or more embodiments, an anode electrode structure is provided and includes a current collector comprising copper, a lithium metal film formed on the current collector, a copper film formed on the lithium metal film, and a protective film formed on the copper film. The protective film is a lithium-ion conducting film can include lithium-ion conducting ceramic, a lithium-ion conducting glass, or ion conducting liquid crystal.

The present invention relates to a novel gold-based porous material, the use of said gold-based porous material as a precursor of a negative active material, the preparation process of said gold-based porous material, a novel gold-based porous material comprising lithium, the use of said gold-based porous material comprising lithium as a negative electrode material, a lithium-ion battery comprising said gold-based porous material comprising lithium, and a process for the preparation of said gold-based porous material comprising lithium.