The present invention provides a positive electrode for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery, having a novel overcharge protective function. The positive electrode for non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery according to the present invention includes a positive electrode active material layer including a plurality of positive electrode active material particles, wherein the positive electrode active material layer comprises: a carbonaceous coating film formed on a surface of each of the positive electrode active material particles; and 0% by weight or more and 20% by weight or less of a conductive auxiliary agent disposed between the plurality of positive electrode active material particles, and at least one of the carbonaceous coating film and the conductive auxiliary agent is graphitizable carbon.

A battery comprising an acidified metal oxide (“AMO”) material, preferably in monodispersed nanoparticulate form 20 nm or less in size, having a pH<7 when suspended in a 5 wt % aqueous solution and a Hammett function H.sub.0>−12, at least on its surface.

A three-dimensional metallic foam is fabricated with an active oxide material for use as an anode for lithium batteries. The porous metal foam, which can be fabricated by a freeze-casting process, is used as the anode current collector of the lithium battery. The porous metal foam can be heat-treated to form an active oxide material to form on the surface of the metal foam. The oxide material acts as the three-dimensional active material that reacts with lithium ions during charging and discharging.

A positive electrode active material for a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes LiX, where X represents a halogen atom.

A battery comprising an acidified metal oxide (“AMO”) material, preferably in monodisperse nanoparticulate form 20 nm or less in size, having a pH<7 when suspended in a 5 wt % aqueous solution and a Hammett function H.sub.0>−12, at least on its surface.

The present invention provides a battery electrode comprising an active battery material enclosed in the pores of a conductive nanoporous scaffold. The pores in the scaffold constrain the dimensions for the active battery material and inhibit sintering, which results in better cycling stability, longer battery lifetime, and greater power through less agglomeration. Additionally, the scaffold forms electrically conducting pathways to the active battery nanoparticles that are dispersed. In some variations, a battery electrode of the invention includes an electrically conductive scaffold material with pores having at least one length dimension selected from about 0.5 nm to about 100 nm, and an oxide material contained within the pores, wherein the oxide material is electrochemically active.

In a secondary battery including a non-aqueous electrolyte and a positive electrode, the improvement disclosed is a positive electrode composed of a material that a positive electrode active material and is composed of LiX, where X represents a halogen atom; and Fe.sub.2O.sub.3. A method of manufacturing the positive electrode active material includes mixing first particles and second particles to provide a mixture, wherein the first particles comprise LiX, where X represents a halogen atom, and the second particles comprise Fe.sub.2O.sub.3. A positive electrode including the positive electrode active material is disclosed, as well as a battery including the positive electrode, a battery pack including the battery, and a vehicle including the battery.

A method of making a prelithiated anode for use in a lithium-ion battery includes providing a current collector having an electrically conductive layer and a metal oxide layer overlaying the electrically conductive layer. The metal oxide layer has an average thickness of at least 0.01 μm. A continuous porous lithium storage layer is deposited onto the metal oxide layer by a CVD process. Lithium is incorporated into the continuous porous lithium storage layer to form a lithiated storage layer prior to a first electrochemical cycle when the anode is assembled into the battery. The anode may be incorporated into a lithium ion battery along with a cathode. The cathode may include sulfur or selenium and the anode may be prelithiated.

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.

A method of fabricating nanocomposite anode material embodying a lithium titanate (LTO)-multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT) composite intended for use in a lithium-ion battery includes providing multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNTs), including nanotube surfaces, onto which functional oxygenated carboxylic acid moieties are arranged, generating 3D flower-like, lithium titanate (LTO) microspheres, including thin nanosheets and anchoring the acid-functionalized MWNTs onto surfaces of the 3D LTO microspheres by π-π interaction strategy to realize the nanocomposite anode material.