A method for providing a miniature electrochemical cell having a total volume that is less than 0.5 cc is described. The cell casing is formed by joining two ceramic casing halves together. One or both casing halves are machined from ceramic to provide a recess that is sized and shaped to contain the electrode assembly. The opposite polarity terminals are electrically conductive feedthroughs or pathways, such as of gold, and are formed by brazing gold into tapered via holes machined into one or both ceramic casing halves. The two ceramic casing halves are separated from each other by a metal interlayer, such as of gold, bonded to a thin film metallization layer, such as of titanium, that contacts an edge periphery of each ceramic casing half. A solid electrolyte of LiPON (Li.sub.xPO.sub.yN.sub.z) is used to activate the electrode assembly.

As a novel vinylidene fluoride polymer and its use, provided are a binder composition, an electrode mixture, an electrode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery including the vinylidene fluoride containing the vinylidene fluoride polymer. The vinylidene fluoride polymer includes a first structural unit derived from vinylidene fluoride and a second structural unit derived from a monomer other than vinylidene fluoride. The monomer to be the second structural unit is a primary amine, a secondary amine, or a tertiary amine having at least one of a hydroxyl group and a carboxyl group, and the content of the second structural unit is from 0.05 to 20 mol % when the total of structural units derived from all the monomers constituting the vinylidene fluoride polymer is 100 mol %.

Metal electrodes, more specifically lithium-containing anodes, high performance electrochemical devices, such as secondary batteries, including the aforementioned lithium-containing electrodes, and methods for fabricating the same are provided. In one implementation, an anode electrode structure is provided. The anode electrode structure comprises a current collector comprising copper, a lithium metal film formed on the current collector, a copper film formed on the lithium metal film, and a protective film formed on the copper film. The protective film is a lithium-ion conducting film selected from the group comprising lithium-ion conducting ceramic, a lithium-ion conducting glass, or ion conducting liquid crystal.

Provided is technology which can prevent breakage of a collector in a battery using an electrode sheet including an uncoated part with a narrowed width. A battery includes a collector bundle including an uncoated part stacked in a plurality of layers formed at each side edge in the width direction of the electrode body. A junction part including compressed uncoated part in plural layers is formed at an outer end in the width direction of the collector bundle. A converging part including the collector in plural layers converging so that the surface is inclined toward the junction part is formed inside in the width direction. The foil collecting angle of the collector bundle is 120° or more and 160° or less, and an R part with a curvature radius of 0.3 mm or more is formed at the converging part side end of the junction surface of the collector terminal.

A method of manufacturing an all-solid-state battery cell includes depositing an interlayer directly onto an anode current collector; depositing a solid electrolyte onto the interlayer opposite the anode current collector; forming a cathode on the solid electrolyte opposite the interlayer, wherein the cathode contains one or more lithium-containing compounds; and applying pressure to achieve uniform contact between layers. The manufactured all-solid-state battery cell is anode-free prior to charging. The interlayer is configured such that lithium metal is deposited between the interlayer and the anode current collector during charging, the interlayer prevents contact between the lithium metal and the solid electrolyte, and the interlayer has a greater density than a density of the solid electrolyte.

An aluminum foil comprising an aluminum foil substrate that has a porous region, wherein the porous region is formed throughout the entirety of the aluminum foil substrate in the thickness direction thereof.

An electrode structure for a secondary battery includes a current collector, a first active material layer formed on at least one surface of the current collector, a second active material layer on the first active material layer, and a conductive intermediate layer interposed between the first active material layer and the second active material layer. The conductive intermediate layer has a resistance lower than each resistance of the first active material layer and the second active material layer. A lithium secondary battery including the electrode structure is provided.

Provided is a bipolar all-solid-state sodium ion secondary battery that can increase the voltage without impairing safety. A bipolar all-solid-state sodium ion secondary battery includes: a plurality of all-solid-state sodium ion secondary batteries 1 in each of which a positive electrode layer 3 capable of absorbing and releasing sodium, a solid electrolyte layer 4 made of a sodium ion-conductive oxide, and a negative electrode layer 5 capable of absorbing and releasing sodium are laid one upon another in this order; and a current collector layer 2 provided between the positive electrode layer 3 of each of the plurality of all-solid-state sodium ion secondary batteries 1 and the negative electrode layer 5 of the adjacent all-solid-state sodium ion secondary battery 1 and shared by the positive electrode layer 3 and the negative electrode layer 5.

A miniature electrochemical cell having a total volume that is less than 0.5 cc is described. The cell casing is formed by joining two ceramic casing halves together. One or both casing halves are machined from ceramic to provide a recess that is sized and shaped to contain the electrode assembly. The opposite polarity terminals are electrically conductive feedthroughs or pathways, such as of gold, and are formed by brazing gold into tapered via holes machined into one or both ceramic casing halves. The two ceramic casing halves are separated from each other by a metal interlayer, such as of gold, bonded to a thin film metallization layer, such as of titanium, that contacts an edge periphery of each ceramic casing half. A solid electrolyte of LiPON (Li.sub.xPO.sub.yN.sub.z) is used to activate the electrode assembly.

A method and system for carbon-coated silicon in a pyrolyzed carbon binder electrode on copper current collectors may include providing a metal current collector; forming a non-porous carbon coating on the metal current collector; coating silicon particles with carbon; forming an active material layer on the metal current collector, where the active material layer comprises at least 50% silicon particles by weight and a carbon source; and pyrolyzing the active material layer on the metal current collector, with no silicon particles in contact with metal from the metal current collector. The metal current collector may include copper. The battery anode may include no copper-silicon eutectic. The silicon particles may range in size from 2 to 50 μm. The active material layer may include aluminum carbide. A source for the pyrolyzed carbon may include polyimide and/or polyamide-imide. The current collector may be coated with the non-porous carbon coating using physical vapor deposition.