An emergency driver system is disclosed for providing a low float charge power to a rechargeable battery. For one example, an emergency light emitting diode (LED) driver system includes a LED light source, a rechargeable battery, and emergency (EM) driver. The emergency LED driver system can also include a multi-color indicator circuit configured to a provide at least two LED light indicators providing information regarding the mode of operation for the EM driver. The rechargeable battery is coupled with the LED light source. The EM driver is coupled with the rechargeable battery and the LED light source. In one example, the EM driver includes a charge circuit configured to supply a charge current to the rechargeable battery, and a micro-controller unit configured to control the charge current from the charge circuit such that a power loss in at least standby mode is less than 0.5 watts (W). The rechargeable battery can be a LiFePO.sub.4 rechargeable battery providing an emergency illumination light source. By providing standby power of less than 0.5W for a LiFePO.sub.4 rechargeable battery, the EM driver with a flyback circuit followed by a buck circuit can save energy when the rechargeable battery is fully charged.

Electrode materials comprising (a) at least one compound of general formula (I) Li.sub.(1+x)[Ni.sub.aCO.sub.bMn.sub.cM1.sub.d].sub.(1-x)O.sub.2 (I) the integers being defined as follows: x is in the range of from 0.01 to 0.05, a is in the range of from 0.3 to 0.6, b is in the range of from zero to 0.35, c is in the range of from 0.2 to 0.6, d is in the range of from zero to 0.05, a+b+c+d=1 M.sup.1 is at least one metal selected from Ca, Zn, Fe, Ti, Ba, Al, (b) at least one compound of general formula (II) LiFe.sub.(1-x)M2.sub.yPO.sub.4 (II) y is in the range of from zero to 0.8 M.sup.2 is at least one element selected from Ti, Co, Mn, Ni, V, Mg, Nd, Zn and Y, that contains at least one further iron-phosphorous compound, in form of a solid solution in compound (b) or in domains, (c) carbon in electrically conductive modification.

A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte having a lithium ion conductivity, and the negative electrode includes a negative electrode collector, a negative electrode active material layer provided on a surface of the negative electrode collector, and a coating film which at least partially covers a surface of the negative electrode active material layer and which has a lithium ion permeability. The coating film contains a lithium compound which contains an element M, an element A, an element F, and lithium; the element M is at least one selected from the group consisting of P, Si, B, V, Nb, W, Ti, Zr, Al, Ba, La, and Ta; and the element A is at least one selected from the group consisting of S, O, N, and Br.

Provided is a lithium battery anode electrode comprising multiple particulates of an anode active material, wherein at least a particulate is composed of one or a plurality of particles of an anode active material being encapsulated by a thin layer of inorganic filler-reinforced elastomer having from 0.01% to 50% by weight of an inorganic filler dispersed in an elastomeric matrix material based on the total weight of the inorganic filler-reinforced elastomer, wherein the encapsulating thin layer of inorganic filler-reinforced elastomer has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 m, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, and a lithium ion conductivity from 10.sup.7 S/cm to 510.sup.2 S/cm and the inorganic filler has a lithium intercalation potential from 1.1 V to 4.5 V (preferably 1.2-2.5 V) versus Li/Li.sup.+. The anode active material is preferably selected from Si, Ge, Sn, SnO.sub.2, SiO.sub.x, Co.sub.3O.sub.4, Mn.sub.3O.sub.4, etc.

A cathode material for a lithium-ion secondary battery which is made of agglomerated secondary particles formed by agglomeration of a plurality of primary particles of electrode active material particles made of a transition metal lithium phosphate compound having an olivine structure that is coated with a carbonaceous material, in which an arithmetic average roughness Ra of agglomerated secondary particle surfaces observed using a three-dimensional scanning electron microscope is 15 nm or more and 25 nm or less.

The present invention relates to a positive electrode for a secondary battery to improve stability during overcharge, and a lithium secondary battery including the same, and particularly, to a positive electrode for a secondary battery including a positive electrode active material layer formed on a positive electrode collector, wherein the positive electrode active material layer has a double-layer structure which includes a first positive electrode active material layer formed on the positive electrode collector and a second positive electrode active material layer formed on the first positive electrode active material layer, the first positive electrode active material layer includes a first positive electrode active material, a conductive agent, and a gas generating agent generating gas during overcharge, and the second positive electrode active material layer includes a second positive electrode active material, and a lithium secondary battery including the same.

Halogen-doped phosphorous nanoparticles and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The manufacturing method includes a mixing process and a centrifugation or filtration process. The mixing process has the step of mixing a precursor with a reducing agent solution to form a mixed solution, the precursor is a halogen-based phosphide. Then, the mixed solution is centrifuged or filtrated to obtain the halogen-doped phosphorous nanoparticles.

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that employ bioactive materials at the anode and alkaline metal ions at the cathode. The bioactive materials can include microbes and/or enzymes to convert an organic feed stock into electron donors to be received at the anode. The MFCs can beneficially be housed in an anaerobic environment.

According to the present invention, there is provided a technique making it possible to improve suitably the performance of a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary cell in which a SEI film is formed on the surface of a negative electrode active material. The nonaqueous electrolyte secondary cell disclosed herein includes a positive electrode 10, a negative electrode 20, and a nonaqueous electrolytic solution, wherein a negative electrode SEI film 29 including at least a LiBOB skeleton and a fluorosulfonic acid skeleton is formed on the surface of a negative electrode active material 28, and a positive electrode SEI film 19 including at least a phosphoric acid skeleton is formed on the surface of a positive electrode active material 18. Where the component amount of the LiBOB skeleton in the negative electrode SEI film 29 is denoted by I.sub.B, the component amount of the fluorosulfonic acid skeleton in the negative electrode SEI film 29 is denoted by I.sub.S, and the component amount of the phosphoric acid skeleton in the positive electrode SEI film 19 is denoted by I.sub.P, a formula (1) represented by 4I.sub.B/I.sub.S10 and a formula (2) represented by 5 mol/m.sup.2I.sub.P15 mol/m.sup.2 are satisfied. Furthermore, the BET specific surface area of the negative electrode active material is 3.5 m.sup.2/g or more and 5.0 m.sup.2/g or less, and the component amount I.sub.B of the LiBOB skeleton is 4.3 mol/m.sup.2 or more.

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.