Anodes, and battery cells utilizing the same, include silicon particles embedded within a copper matrix, wherein the anode includes 40 at. % to 75 at. % silicon. The anode can include about 21 at. % to about 67 at. % silicon particles. The copper matrix can include pure copper and/or one or more copper-silicon intermetallic phases. The copper matrix can further include one or more of nickel, gold, silver, beryllium, and zinc. The silicon particles embedded in the copper matrix can have an average particle diameter less than 10 m. The non-surfacial silicon particles embedded in the copper matrix can be at least 99 at. % pure. The anode can be a woven mesh of ribbons or a planar sheet.

The disclosure describes an exemplary binding layer formed on Aluminum (Al) substrate that binds the substrate with a coated material. Additionally, an extended form of the binding layer is described. By making a solution containing Al-transition metal elements-PO, the solution can be used in slurry making (the slurry contains active materials) in certain embodiments. The slurry can be coated on Al substrate followed by heat treatment to form a novel electrode. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the solution containing Al-transition metal elements-PO can be mixed with active material powder, after heat treatment, to form new powder particles bound by the binder.

In a metal negative electrode, a current collector includes a through-hole or a recess provided to extend from a front surface of a planar plate toward a back surface of the planar plate. A distance from a midpoint of a joining boundary to a point on a surface of the current collector is designated as a region dividing distance, the point defining a distance less than a maximum distance between the midpoint and a side or a surface of the current collector. In the current collector, a first region is a region defined by distances from the midpoint, the distances being a distance equal to the region dividing distance and distances greater than the region dividing distance, and, in the current collector, a second region is a region defined by distances from the midpoint that are less than the region dividing distance. A volume reduction ratio of the first region is greater than a volume reduction ratio of the second region, the volume reduction ratio of the first region being a ratio with respect to a volume of the first region determined assuming that the through-hole or the recess is not present, the volume reduction ratio of the second region being a ratio with respect to a volume of the second region determined assuming that the through-hole or the recess is not present.

In a metal negative electrode, a current collector includes a through-hole or a recess provided to extend from a front surface of a planar plate toward a back surface of the planar plate. A distance from a midpoint of a joining boundary to a point on a surface of the current collector is designated as a region dividing distance, the point defining a distance less than a maximum distance between the midpoint and a side or a surface of the current collector. In the current collector, a first region is a region defined by distances from the midpoint, the distances being a distance equal to the region dividing distance and distances greater than the region dividing distance, and, in the current collector, a second region is a region defined by distances from the midpoint that are less than the region dividing distance. A volume reduction ratio of the first region is greater than a volume reduction ratio of the second region, the volume reduction ratio of the first region being a ratio with respect to a volume of the first region determined assuming that the through-hole or the recess is not present, the volume reduction ratio of the second region being a ratio with respect to a volume of the second region determined assuming that the through-hole or the recess is not present.

A negative electrode for an electrochemical cell of a lithium metal battery may be manufactured by welding together a lithium metal layer and a metallic current collector layer. The lithium metal layer and the current collector layer may be arranged adjacent one another and in an at least partially lapped configuration such that faying surfaces of the layers confront one another and establish a faying interface therebetween at a weld site. A laser beam may be directed at an outer surface of the current collector layer at the weld site to melt a portion of the lithium metal layer adjacent the faying surface of the current collector layer and produce a lithium metal molten weld pool. The laser beam may be terminated to solidify the molten weld pool into a solid weld joint that physically bonds the lithium metal layer and the current collector layer together at the weld site.

A system for setting a specific value of a variable operating parameter of a machine usable with a plurality of different tools each requiring a different specific value of the operating parameter. The system may include a tag associated with a specific tool and containing stored data of a predetermined desired value of an operating parameter of the machine for the specific tool, a reader of the tool stored data of the desired value and a controller of the machine which uses at least some of the stored data to set the predetermined desired value of the variable operating parameter of the machine for its use of the specific tool or of a variable operating parameter of another machine which is dependent on the specific value of at least some of the stored data of the tag of the specific tool used in the machine. The machine may be one of a battery grid casting machine, a battery grid pasting machine, a battery paste making machine, a battery paste drying oven, a battery grid or plate cutting or trimming machine, a battery plate stacking machine, a robotic palletizing machine, or the like.

Batteries comprise a carbon fibre electrode construction of the invention and have improved DCA and/or CCA, and/or may maintain DCA with an increasing number of charge-discharge cycles, and thus may be particularly suitable for use in hybrid vehicles.

The present invention provides a collector plate including a porous ultra-thin copper foil made by the method for manufacturing porous ultra-thin copper foil. One of surfaces of the porous ultra-thin copper foil has a plurality of pores and the thickness of the porous ultra-thin copper foil is between 1 and 5 micron.

The present invention provides an ultra-thin copper foil structure including a carrier layer, a separation layer, and an ultra-thin copper layer. The carrier layer has a predetermined surface. The separation layer is formed on the predetermined surface of the carrier layer. The ultra-thin copper layer is disposed on the carrier layer through the separation layer. The separation layer includes at least two of nickel, molybdenum, chromium, and their salts.

A novel electrode current collector design that can improve performance and extend cycle life for rechargeable batteries based on metal electrodeposition is disclosed. The novel electrode current collector has a reduced effective surface area that can help to balance efficiencies between battery electrodes and to ensure non-uniform electrodeposition of metal onto the anode current collector during charge. One result is mitigation of internal short circuits that can cause a battery to fail prematurely.