An active material (1) for a positive electrode includes an aggregate (10) of an electrochemically active polymer having an oxidized repeat unit and a reduced repeat unit. The aggregate (10) includes a first portion (11) forming a surface of the aggregate 10 and a second portion 12 covered by the first portion 11. In the active material 1, the percentage content of the oxidized repeat unit in the first portion 11 on a weight basis is lower than the percentage content of the oxidized repeat unit in the second portion 12 on a weight basis.

A method for manufacturing an electrochemical device includes the following steps: a step of preparing a positive electrode, the positive electrode including a first current collector and a positive electrode layer containing a conductive polymer; a step of preparing a negative electrode, the negative electrode including a second current collector and a negative electrode layer; and a step of sealing the positive electrode, the negative electrode, and an electrolytic solution in an exterior body. The step of preparing the positive electrode includes a step of holding the positive electrode in depressurized atmosphere and then introducing gas containing CO.sub.2 as a primary component into the depressurized atmosphere.

An electrochemical device includes a positive electrode and a negative electrode. The positive electrode for the electrochemical device includes a positive current collector, and an active layer including a conductive polymer disposed on the positive current collector. The conductive polymer contains a polyaniline or a derivative of polyaniline. An infrared absorption spectrum of the active layer exhibits a peak derived from a carbonyl group. The peak derived from the carbonyl group appears, for example, in a range from 1600 cm.sup.−1 to 1700 cm.sup.−1, inclusive.

A surface-enabled, metal ion-exchanging battery device comprising a cathode, an anode, a porous separator, and a metal ion-containing electrolyte, wherein the metal ion is selected from aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), indium (In), tin (Sn), lead (Pb), or bismuth (Bi), and at least one of the electrodes contains therein a metal ion source prior to the first charge or discharge cycle of the device and at least the cathode comprises a functional material or nano-structured material having a metal ion-capturing functional group or metal ion-storing surface in direct contact with the electrolyte. This energy storage device has a power density significantly higher than that of a lithium-ion battery and an energy density dramatically higher than that of a supercapacitor.

Provided are poly(arylamine)s. The polymers can be redox active. The polymers can be used as electrode materials in, for example, electrochemical energy storage systems. The polymers can be made by electropolymerization on a conducting substrate (e.g., a current collector).

A mixture of amorphous PAHs and at least one of a carrier ion storage metal, a Sn compound, a carrier ion storage alloy, a metal compound, Si, Sb, and SiO.sub.2 is used as the negative electrode active material. The theoretical capacity of amorphous PAHs greatly exceeds that of a graphite based carbon material. Thus, the use of amorphous PAHs enables the negative electrode active material to have a higher capacity than in the case of using the graphite-based carbon material. Further, addition of at least one of the carrier ion storage metal, the Sn compound, the carrier ion storage alloy, the metal compound, Si, Sb, and SiO.sub.2 to the amorphous PAHs enables the negative electrode active material to have a higher capacity than the case of only using the amorphous PAHs.

An energy storage device and method of forming and operating the same. In one embodiment, the energy storage device includes a positive electrode including a first redox polymer deposited on a first conductive porous substrate. The energy storage device also includes a solid-state polyelectrolyte separator operative as a voltage generator, and a negative electrode including a second redox polymer deposited on a second conductive porous substrate, thereby forming an electrochemical cell.

Compositions of flame retardants and methods of enhancing char formation in a flame retardant-treated substrate. A base material is combined with a flame retardant to form the flame retardant-treated substrate. The flame retardant contains a sulfur copolymer prepared by the polymerization of sulfur monomers with organic monomers. The flame retardant can be deposited on a surface of the base material, coated on the base material, or mixed into the base material. When the flame resistant substrate is on fire, the flame retardant forms a charring layer on the flame retardant-treated substrate. The charring layer can extinguish and prevent the fire from spreading.

Provided is a lithium secondary battery containing an anode, a cathode, a porous separator disposed between the anode and the cathode, an electrolyte, and a lithium ion reservoir disposed between the anode and the porous separator and configured to receive lithium ions from the cathode when the battery is charged and enable the lithium ions to enter the anode in a time-delayed manner, wherein the reservoir comprises a conducting porous framework structure having pores (pore size from 1 nm to 500 μm) and lithium-capturing groups residing in the pores, wherein the lithium-capturing groups are selected from (a) redox forming species that reversibly form a redox pair with a lithium ion; (b) electron-donating groups interspaced between non-electron-donating groups; (c) anions and cations wherein the anions are more mobile than the cations; or (d) chemical reducing groups that partially reduce lithium ions from Li.sup.+1 to Li.sup.+δ, wherein 0<δ<1.

The disclosed technology relates generally to apparatuses comprising conductive polymers and more particularly to tags and tag devices comprising a redox-active polymer film, and methods of using and manufacturing the same. In one aspect, an apparatus includes a substrate and a conductive structure formed on the substrate which includes a layer of redox-active polymer film having mobile ions and electrons. The conductive structure further includes a first terminal and a second terminal configured to receive an electrical signal therebetween, where the layer of redox-active polymer is configured to conduct an electrical current generated by the mobile ions and the electrons in response to the electrical signal. The apparatus additionally includes a detection circuit operatively coupled to the conductive structure and configured to detect the electrical current flowing through the conductive structure.