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 lithium sulfide (Li.sub.2S.sub.w)-lithium phosphorus sulfide (Li.sub.xP.sub.yS.sub.z) composite, electrochemical cells comprising the same, and methods for making the same are described herein. By the mechanochemical method described herein, the Li.sub.2S.sub.wLi.sub.xP.sub.yS.sub.z composite can be formed and used as the active material in a positive electrode for a variety of electrochemical cells. It is shown herein that the composite is an electrochemically active cathode material. Further, it has been shown that the Li.sub.2S.sub.wLi.sub.xP.sub.yS.sub.z composite shows increased resistance to decomposition and H.sub.2S generation than Li.sub.2S.

Three-terminal solid state Cu-ion actuated analog switching devices are provided. In one aspect, a method of forming a switching device includes: depositing a channel layer on a substrate; forming a source contact and a drain contact on opposite ends of the channel layer; forming a solid electrolyte on the channel layer over the source contact and the drain contact; and depositing a gate onto the solid electrolyte, wherein the source contact, the drain contact, and the gate are three terminals of the switching device. A switching device and a method of operating a switching device are also provided.

Provided is a lithium-selenium battery, comprising a cathode, an anode, and a porous separator/electrolyte assembly, wherein the anode comprises an anode active layer containing lithium or lithium alloy as an anode active material, and the cathode comprises a cathode active layer comprising a selenium-containing material, wherein an anode-protecting layer is disposed between the anode active layer and the separator/electrolyte and/or a cathode-protecting layer is disposed between the cathode active layer and the separator/electrolyte; the protecting layer contains a composite comprising from 0.01% to 50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material and has a thickness from 1 nm to 100 m, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, a lithium ion conductivity from 10.sup.7 S/cm to 510.sup.2 S/cm, and an electrical conductivity from 10.sup.7 S/cm to 100 S/cm.

A sulfur-carbon composite and a lithium-sulfur battery including the same, and in particular, to a sulfur-carbon composite including a porous carbon material; a polymer having electrolyte liquid loading capacity; and sulfur. The porous carbon material may be coated with the polymer having electrolyte liquid loading capacity and the coated porous carbon material then mixed with the sulfur. By introducing a coating layer including the polymer having electrolyte liquid loading capacity to a surface of the porous carbon material, it is possible to improve reactivity of the sulfur and an electrolyte liquid and thereby enhance performance and lifetime properties of the lithium-sulfur battery.

A sintered electrode for a battery, the sintered electrode having a first surface positioned to face a current collector and a second surface positioned to face an electrolyte layer, such that the sintered electrode includes: a chalcogenide compound having at least one of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal; such that the sintered electrode has a thickness between the first surface and the second surface of 2 m to 100 m; and such that the sintered electrode has an open porosity of from 0.1% to 30%. A cathode for a battery, includes: a sintered electrode having a first surface and a second surface; such that the sintered electrode: has a thickness between the first surface and the second surface in a range of 2 m to 100 m, has a cross-sectional area of at least 3 cm.sup.2, and is a substrate of the battery.

Provided is a simple, fast, scalable, and environmentally benign method of producing graphene-embraced particles of a battery electrode active material, comprising: a) mixing graphitic material particles and multiple particles of a milling media to form a mixture in an impacting chamber of an energy impacting apparatus; b) operating the energy impacting apparatus with a frequency and an intensity for a length of time sufficient for transferring graphene sheets from the graphitic material to surfaces of milling media particles to produce graphene-embraced milling media particles; c) mixing particles of an active material with graphene-embraced milling media particles in an impacting chamber of an energy impacting apparatus; d) operating the energy impacting apparatus for transferring graphene sheets from the graphene-embraced milling media particles to surfaces of active material particles to produce graphene-embraced electrode active material particles; and e) recovering these graphene-embraced active material particles from the impacting chamber.

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.

Disclosed is a process for producing semiconductor nanowires having a diameter or thickness from 2 nm to 100 nm, the process comprising: (A) preparing a semiconductor material particulate having a size from 50 nm to 500 m, selected from Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Pb, P, As, Sb, Bi, Te, a combination thereof, a compound thereof, or a combination thereof with Si; (B) depositing a catalytic metal, in the form of nanoparticles having a size from 1 nm to 100 nm or a coating having a thickness from 1 nm to 100 nm, onto surfaces of the semiconductor material particulate to form a catalyst metal-coated semiconductor material; and (C) exposing the catalyst metal-coated semiconductor material to a high temperature environment, from 100 C. to 2,500 C., for a period of time sufficient to enable a catalytic metal-assisted growth of multiple semiconductor nanowires from the particulate.

Provided is a method of manufacturing a rechargeable alkali metal-selenium cell, comprising: (a) providing a cathode and an optional cathode current collector to support the cathode; (b) providing an alkali metal anode and an optional anode current collector to support said anode; and (c) providing an electrolyte in contact with the anode and the cathode and an optional separator electrically separating the anode and the cathode; wherein the cathode contains multiple particulates of a selenium-containing material wherein at least one of the particulates comprises one or a plurality of selenium-containing material particles being embraced or encapsulated by a thin layer of a high-elasticity polymer having a recoverable tensile strain from 5% to 1,000% when measured without an additive or reinforcement, a lithium ion conductivity no less than 10.sup.7 S/cm at room temperature, and a thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 m.