A secondary battery including a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and an electrolytic solution. The negative electrode includes a carbon material electrochemically capable of absorbing and releasing lithium ions, and a solid electrolyte covering at least part of a surface of the carbon material and having lithium ion conductivity. The solid electrolyte includes a first compound represented by a general formula: Li.sub.xM1O.sub.y, where 0.5<x≤9, 1≤y<6, and the M1 includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of B, Al, Si, P, Ti, V, Zr, Nb, Ta, and La. The electrolytic solution includes a solvent and a lithium salt, and the solvent contains at least water.

A method of making an anode for use in an energy storage device is provided. The method includes providing a current collector having an electrically conductive substrate and a surface layer overlaying a first side of the electrically conductive substrate. A second side of the electrically conductive substrate includes a filament growth catalyst, wherein the second side is opposite the first. The method further includes depositing a lithium storage layer onto the surface layer using a first CVD process forming a plurality of lithium storage filamentary structures on the second side of the electrically conductive substrate using second CVD process.

A method or process for producing non-aggregated carbon-coated silicon particles and lithium-ion batteries utilizing the same. The process includes providing or producing a dry mixture by mixing silicon particles and polyacrylonitrile present in solid form. Thermally decomposing the polyacrylonitrile present in solid form in the dry mixture to form gaseous carbon precursors. Forming gaseous carbon precursors that are carbonized in the presence of the silicon particles by CVD processes (chemical vapor deposition, chemical gas phase deposition). Where the non-aggregated carbon-coated silicon particles have an average particle diameters d.sub.50 of from 1 to 15 μm and containing ≤10% by weight of carbon and ≥90% by weight of silicon, each based on the total weight of the carbon-coated silicon particles.

Anodic materials for lithium ions batteries include a current collector and a superlattice disposed on at least a portion of the current collector, the superlattice comprising: alternating layers of an anode active material and an anode inactive material; and a plurality of channels that extend from the current collector through the alternating layers of anode active material and anode inactive material.

Methods and apparatus for depositing carbon nanostructures such as three-dimensional graphene mesh using non-equilibrium gaseous plasma of high power density. Methods are disclosed for rapid deposition of randomly distributed graphene sheets on surfaces of substrates using decomposition of CO molecules of a high potential energy, and said excited CO molecules interacting with a substrate. The three-dimensional graphene mesh prepared according to the methods are useful in different applications such as light absorbents, fuel cells, super-capacitors, batteries, photovoltaic devices and sensors of specific gaseous molecules.

Methods for producing nanostructures from copper-based catalysts on porous substrates, particularly silicon nanowires on carbon-based substrates for use as battery active materials, are provided. Related compositions are also described. In addition, novel methods for production of copper-based catalyst particles are provided. Methods for producing nanostructures from catalyst particles that comprise a gold shell and a core that does not include gold are also provided.

Disclosed is a process for producing graphene-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material, comprising: (A) preparing a catalyst metal-coated mixture mass, which includes mixing graphene sheets with micron or sub-micron scaled semiconductor particles to form a mixture and depositing a nano-scaled catalytic metal onto surfaces of the graphene sheets and/or semiconductor particles; and (B) exposing the catalyst metal-coated mixture mass to a high temperature environment (preferably from 100° C. to 2,500° C.) for a period of time sufficient to enable a catalytic metal-catalyzed growth of multiple semiconductor nanowires using the semiconductor particles as a feed material to form the graphene-semiconductor nanowire hybrid material composition. An optional etching or separating procedure may be conducted to remove catalytic metal or graphene from the semiconductor nanowires.

An electrode for use in an electrical energy storage apparatus includes: a carrier structure including a plurality of vacancies thereon; and an active material arranged to undergo chemical reaction during charging and/or discharging of the electrical energy storage apparatus; wherein the active material occupies the plurality of vacancies on the carrier structure.

The present disclosure is related to a method for applying a functional compound on sulfur particles by means of an atmospheric pressure plasma discharge including a gas or an activated gas flow resulting from the atmospheric pressure plasma discharge. The coating composition includes an inorganic electrically conductive compound, an electrically conductive carbon compound, an organic precursor compound of a conjugated polymer, a precursor of a hybrid organic-inorganic compound, or a mixture, and the functional compound provides the sulfur particles with an electrically conductive surface.

An anode for an energy storage device includes a current collector having a metal layer; and a metal oxide layer provided in a first pattern overlaying the metal layer. The anode further includes a patterned lithium storage structure having a continuous porous lithium storage layer selectively overlaying at least a portion of the first pattern of metal oxide. A method of making an anode for use in an energy storage device includes providing a current collector having a metal layer and a metal oxide layer provided in a first pattern overlaying the metal layer. A continuous porous lithium storage layer is selectively formed by chemical vapor deposition by exposing the current collector to at least one lithium storage material precursor gas.