The present invention relates to a lithium secondary battery, comprising: a negative electrode comprising a negative electrode active material layer comprising a soft carbon negative electrode active material and a byproduct having an average particle size (D50) of 10 to 70 nm; a positive electrode comprising a positive electrode active material; and an electrolyte.

Provided is a negative-electrode active material for a power storage device that has a low operating potential, can increase the operating voltage of the power storage device, and has excellent cycle characteristics. The negative-electrode active material for a power storage device, the negative-electrode active material containing, in terms of % by mole of oxide, 1 to 95% TiO.sub.2 and 5 to 75% P.sub.2O.sub.5+SiO.sub.2+B.sub.2O.sub.3+Al.sub.2O.sub.3+RO (where R represents at least one selected from Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, and Zn) and containing 10% by mass or more amorphous phase.

This disclosure relates to a rechargeable battery cell, comprising: an active metal; at least one positive electrode; at least one negative electrode comprising an active material selected from the group consisting of an insertion material made of carbon, an alloy-forming active material, an intercalation material which does not comprise carbon, and a conversion active material; an SO.sub.2 based electrolyte comprising a first conducting salt which has the formula (I), ##STR00001##
wherein: M is a metal selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, metals of group 12 of the periodic table of the elements, and aluminum; x is an integer from 1 to 3; R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkenyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkynyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.10 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.14 aryl and C.sub.5-C.sub.14 heteroaryl; and Z is aluminum or boron.

The present invention provides a slurry composition comprising an electrochemically active material and/or an electrically conductive agent, and a binder comprising a polymer comprising a fluoropolymer dispersed in an organic medium; wherein the organic medium has an evaporation rate less than 10 g/min m.sup.2, at the dissolution temperature of the fluoropolymer dispersed in the organic medium. The present invention also provides electrodes and electrical storage devices.

This disclosure relates to a rechargeable battery cell comprising an active metal, at least one positive electrode having a discharge element, at least one negative electrode having a discharge element, a housing and an electrolyte, the negative electrode comprising metallic lithium at least in the charged state of the rechargeable battery cell and the electrolyte being based on SO.sub.2 and comprising at least one first conducting salt which has the formula (I), ##STR00001## M being a metal selected from the group formed by alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, metals of group 12 of the periodic table of the elements, and aluminum; x being an integer from 1 to 3; the substituents R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 being selected independently of one another from the group formed by C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkenyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkynyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.10 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.14 aryl and C.sub.5-C.sub.14 heteroaryl; and Z being aluminum or boron.

A device and method of generating an electrical potential including an electrochemical cell, and at least one heat source, cooling source or both. The electrochemical cell includes an anode and a cathode connected by a polymer electrolyte layer, preferably a dry polymer electrolyte layer. The heat source, if present, is placed in direct thermal contact with one of the anode or cathode, while the cooling source, if present, is placed in direct thermal contact with one of the anode or cathode not in contact with the heat source. The resulting temperature differential between the anode and cathode induces a concentration gradient between the anode and the cathode generating the electrical potential.

Provided is a cathode that is configured to decrease battery resistance when it is used in an all-solid-state battery, and a method for producing the cathode. Disclosed is a cathode comprising a cathode layer for all-solid-state batteries, wherein the cathode layer contains cathode active material particles and solid electrolyte particles; wherein at least one of the cathode active material particles and the solid electrolyte particles contain a phosphorus element; and wherein, in a photoelectron spectrum by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement of the cathode layer, a P peak intensity ratio (A/B), which is derived from the phosphorus element, of a signal intensity A at a binding energy of 131.6 eV to a signal intensity B at a binding energy of 133.1 eV, is larger than 0.58.

An object of the present disclosure is to produce a cathode mixture with less irreversible capacity. The present disclosure achieves the object by providing a cathode mixture comprising: a cathode active material including a S element; a sulfur containing compound including a P element and a S element; a conductive auxiliary material; and substantially no Li element; wherein when a diffraction intensity at 2=15.5 in an X-ray diffraction measurement using a CuK ray is regarded as I.sub.15.5, a diffraction intensity at 2=25 is regarded as I.sub.25, and a diffraction intensity at 2=40 is regarded as I.sub.40, a standard value defined by the following formula is more than 1.2.

Standard value=(I.sub.15.5I.sub.40)/(I.sub.25I.sub.40)

Provided herein are methods of forming solid-state ionically conductive composite materials that include particles of an inorganic phase in a matrix of an organic phase. The methods involve forming the composite materials from a precursor that is polymerized in-situ after being mixed with the particles. The polymerization occurs under applied pressure that causes particle-to-particle contact. In some embodiments, once polymerized, the applied pressure may be removed with the particles immobilized by the polymer matrix. In some implementations, the organic phase includes a cross-linked polymer network. Also provided are solid-state ionically conductive composite materials and batteries and other devices that incorporate them. In some embodiments, solid-state electrolytes including the ionically conductive solid-state composites are provided. In some embodiments, electrodes including the ionically conductive solid-state composites are provided.

Disclosed herein are double-layer cathode active materials comprising a nickel-based cathode active material as an inner layer material and a transition metal mixture-based cathode active material as an outer layer material facing an electrolyte. Since the nickel-based cathode active material as an inner layer material has high-capacity characteristics and the transition metal mixture-based cathode active material as an outer layer material facing an electrolyte has superior thermal safety, the double-layer cathode active materials have high capacity, high charge density, improved cycle characteristics and superior thermal safety.