An immobilized selenium body, made from carbon and selenium and optionally sulfur, makes selenium more stable, requiring a higher temperature or an increase in kinetic energy for selenium to escape from the immobilized selenium body and enter a gas system, as compared to selenium alone. Immobilized selenium localized in a carbon skeleton can be utilized in a rechargeable battery. Immobilization of the selenium can impart compression stress on both the carbon skeleton and the selenium. Such compression stress enhances the electrical conductivity in the carbon skeleton and among the selenium particles and creates an interface for electrons to be delivered and or harvested in use of the battery. A rechargeable battery made from immobilized selenium can be charged or discharged at a faster rate over conventional batteries and can demonstrate excellent cycling stability.

A battery is provided, which includes an anode and a cathode. The anode includes a first current collector and anode active material. The anode active material is lithium metal or lithium alloy. The cathode includes a second current collector and cathode active material. The battery also includes an electrolyte film disposed between the cathode and the anode, and a porous film disposed between the electrolyte film and the anode. The battery includes an anolyte in the porous film between the electrolyte film and the anode, and a catholyte between the electrolyte film and the cathode. The catholyte is different from the anolyte, and the anolyte and the catholyte are separated by the electrolyte film and are not in contact with each other.

An immobilized selenium body, made from carbon and selenium and optionally sulfur, makes selenium more stable, requiring a higher temperature or an increase in kinetic energy for selenium to escape from the immobilized selenium body and enter a gas system, as compared to selenium alone. Immobilized selenium localized in a carbon skeleton can be utilized in a rechargeable battery. Immobilization of the selenium can impart compression stress on both the carbon skeleton and the selenium. Such compression stress enhances the electrical conductivity in the carbon skeleton and among the selenium particles and creates an interface for electrons to be delivered and or harvested in use of the battery. A rechargeable battery made from immobilized selenium can be charged or discharged at a faster rate over conventional batteries and can demonstrate excellent cycling stability.

In an example of the method disclosed herein, a precipitate is formed in an aqueous mixture by mixing an SiO.sub.x precursor and an acid. The precipitate and a carbon material are added to a base, and the precipitate dissolves to form a solution having the carbon material therein. Hydrothermal synthesis is performed using the solution, and precursor nanostructures are grown on the carbon material. The precursor nanostructures on the carbon material are annealed so that the carbon material is removed and porous, one-dimensional SiOx (0<x≦2) nanorods are formed.

A separator is provided and includes a functional resin layer containing a resin material and an inorganic oxide filler, having a porous interconnected structure in which many pores are mutually interconnected and having a contact angle against an electrolytic solution of not more than 11 degrees.

The present invention relates to the application of a force to enhance the performance of an electrochemical cell. The force may comprise, in some instances, an anisotropic force with a component normal to an active surface of the anode of the electrochemical cell. In the embodiments described herein, electrochemical cells (e.g., rechargeable batteries) may undergo a charge/discharge cycle involving deposition of metal (e.g., lithium metal) on a surface of the anode upon charging and reaction of the metal on the anode surface, wherein the metal diffuses from the anode surface, upon discharging. The uniformity with which the metal is deposited on the anode may affect cell performance. For example, when lithium metal is redeposited on an anode, it may, in some cases, deposit unevenly forming a rough surface. The roughened surface may increase the amount of lithium metal available for undesired chemical reactions which may result in decreased cycling lifetime and/or poor cell performance. The application of force to the electrochemical cell has been found, in accordance with the invention, to reduce such behavior and to improve the cycling lifetime and/or performance of the cell.

A method for configuring a non-lithium-intercalation electrode includes intercalating an insertion species between multiple layers of a stacked or layered electrode material. The method forms an electrode architecture with increased interlayer spacing for non-lithium metal ion migration. A laminate electrode material is constructed such that pillaring agents are intercalated between multiple layers of the stacked electrode material and installed in a battery.

The invention is directed in a first aspect to a sulfur-carbon composite material comprising: (i) a bimodal porous carbon component containing therein a first mode of pores which are mesopores, and a second mode of pores which are micropores; and (ii) elemental sulfur contained in at least a portion of said micropores. The invention is also directed to the aforesaid sulfur-carbon composite as a layer on a current collector material; a lithium ion battery containing the sulfur-carbon composite in a cathode therein; as well as a method for preparing the sulfur-composite material.

The present invention relates to a sulfur-carbon composite made from microporous-carbon-coated carbon nanotube (CNT@MPC) composites, in particular a sulfur-carbon composite, which comprises a carbon-carbon composite substrate (CNT@MPC) and sulfur loaded into said carbon-carbon composite substrate (CNT@MPC); as well as a method for preparing said sulfur-carbon composite, an electrode material and a lithium-sulfur battery comprising said sulfur-carbon composite.

A protected active metal electrode and a device with the electrode are provided. The protected active metal electrode includes an active metal substrate and a protection layer on a surface of the active metal substrate. The protection layer at least includes a metal thin film covering the surface of the active metal substrate and an electrically-conductive thin film covering a surface of the metal thin film. A material of the metal thin film is Ti, V, Cr, Zr, Nb, Mo, Hf, Ta, or W. A material of the electrically-conductive thin film is selected from nitride of a metal in the metal thin film, carbide of a metal in the metal thin film, a diamond-like carbon (DLC), and a combination thereof.