The present invention provides a silicon nanowire structure embedded in nickel silicide nanowires for lithium-based battery anodes and anodes including the same. In particular, a Si nanowire structure embedded in NiSi.sub.x nanowires according to the present invention may provide a solution to a problem, such as disconnection of Si nanowires from a current collector shown when the Si nanowires are expanded by alloying with Li or contracted during the use of a battery, and the like, by flexibly embedding the Si nanowires in the NiSi.sub.x nanowires.

A process for preparing a cathode of a lithium battery, having the following steps: (a) Longitudinally punching a metal band to form irregular filamentous holes, horizontally stretching the metal band, and performing compaction to give the metal net irregular filamentous holes; (b) After the metal net is cleaned and dried, processing the metal net surface by a laser less than 5 W, of 500-1000 W, and of 10-100 W sequentially; and (c) Coating the metal net, having the surface processed with lasers, with a prepared cathode paste, and drying, pressing, and cutting the metal net to obtain a battery cathode.

A stretchable electrode includes: a current collector; and, disposed on a surface of the current collector, a metal layer or an electrode active material layer, wherein the current collector includes a spiral-type coil spring and an elastic polymer, the spiral-type coil spring including a coil spring wound in a spiral pattern around a point, and wherein the elastic polymer is disposed in at least a portion of an inside of the coil spring, in at least a portion of a space between spiral coils of the spiral-type coil spring, or both.

A lithium battery and method for fabricating the same are provided herein. The battery cathode comprises a carbon structure filled with a catalyst, such as palladium-catalyst-filled carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The carbon structure provides a barrier between the catalyst and the electrolyte providing an increased stability of the electrolyte during both discharging and charging of a battery.

An anode for a lithium-based energy storage device such as a lithium-ion battery is disclosed. The anode includes an electrically conductive current collector comprising a metal oxide layer and a continuous porous lithium storage layer provided over the metal oxide layer. The continuous porous lithium storage layer includes at least 40 atomic % silicon, germanium or a combination thereof. A method of making the anode includes providing an electrically conductive current collector having an electrically conductive layer and a metal oxide layer provided over the electrically conductive layer. The metal oxide layer may have an average thickness of at least 0.05 m. A continuous porous lithium storage layer is deposited over the metal oxide layer by PECVD.

A novel wound electrode assembly for a lithium oxyhalide electrochemical cell is described. The electrode assembly comprises an elongate cathode of an electrochemically non-active but electrically conductive carbonaceous material disposed between an inner elongate portion and an outer elongate portion of a unitary lithium anode. That way, lithium faces the entire length of the opposed major sides of the cathode. This inner anode portion/cathode/outer anode portion configuration is rolled into a wound-shaped electrode assembly that is housed inside a cylindrically-shaped casing. A cylindrically-shaped sheet-type spring centered in the electrode assembly presses outwardly to limit axial movement of the electrode assembly. In one embodiment, all the non-active components, except for the cathode current collector which is nickel, are made of stainless-steel. This provides the cell with a low magnetic signature without adversely affecting the cell's high-rate capability.

A foil (5b) for a negative electrode collector of a secondary battery includes a Cu-coated foil (50) including an iron-based alloy layer (51) made of precipitation hardened stainless steel, and a pair of Cu layers (52, 53) respectively disposed on opposite surfaces of the iron-based alloy layer and made of Cu or a Cu-based alloy. The negative electrode collector foil has a thickness of 20 m or less and a volume resistivity of 7 .Math.cm or less.

An all-solid lithium secondary battery includes: a positive active material layer; a solid electrolyte layer; and a negative active material layer, which is capable of forming an alloy or a compound with lithium, wherein the solid electrolyte layer is between the positive active material layer and the negative active material layer, and wherein the negative active material layer comprises silver (Ag).

Secondary batteries and methods of manufacture thereof are provided. A secondary battery can comprise an offset between electrode and counter-electrode layers in a unit cell. Secondary batteries can be prepared by removing a population of negative electrode subunits from a negative electrode sheet, the negative electrode sheet comprising a negative electrode sheet edge margin and at least one negative electrode sheet weakened region that is internal to the negative electrode sheet edge margin, removing a population of separator layer subunits from a separator sheet, and removing a population of positive electrode subunits from a positive electrode sheet, the positive electrode sheet comprising a positive electrode edge margin and at least one positive electrode sheet weakened region that is internal to the positive electrode sheet edge margin, and stacking members of the negative electrode subunit population, the separator layer subunit population and the positive electrode subunit population.

An electrochemical cell includes solid-state, printable anode layer, cathode layer and non-aqueous gel electrolyte layer coupled to the anode layer and cathode layer. The electrolyte layer provides physical separation between the anode layer and the cathode layer, and comprises a composition configured to provide ionic communication between the anode layer and cathode layer by facilitating transmission of multivalent ions between the anode layer and the cathode layer.