An electrode assembly, a rechargeable battery comprising the same, and a method for manufacturing the rechargeable battery are provided. The electrode assembly comprises an electrode stack in which a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of separators are alternately combined. The electrode assembly also comprises an electrode tab part including a plurality of electrode tabs respectively connected to the plurality of electrodes to extend from a side surface of the electrode stack. The electrode tab part comprises an inclined portion provided on a first side thereof and a tab collection portion provided on a second side thereof, the inclined portion extends from the side surface of the electrode stack and bent in a direction, in which the plurality of electrode tabs are collected, and the tab collection portion extends from the inclined portion and has a shape in which the plurality of electrode tabs are joined.

Systems and methods which provide flexible zinc ion (Zn-ion) battery configurations with shape memory are described. For example, embodiments of flexible shape memory yarn batteries (SMYBs) may be fabricated using shape memory material wire, filament, and/or fiber and flexible conductive material yarn as flexible substrate materials. In accordance with some embodiments, Nickel-Titanium-based alloy wire may be coated with a zinc material to provide a flexible anode electrode for a SMYB. Additionally or alternatively, flexible stainless steel (SS) yarn may be coated with a manganese dioxide (MnO.sub.2) material to provide a flexible cathode electrode for a SMYB of embodiments. An aqueous electrolyte may be combined with the flexible cathode and anode electrodes to provide a SMYB in accordance with the concepts herein. The aqueous electrolyte may, for example, comprise a polymer gel electrolyte (e.g., gelatin-borax polymer gel electrolyte).

A method of forming a sulfur-based cathode material includes: 1) providing a sulfur-based nanostructure; 2) coating the nanostructure with an encapsulating material to form a shell surrounding the nanostructure; and 3) removing a portion of the nanostructure through the shell to form a void within the shell, with a remaining portion of the nanostructure disposed within the shell.

Generally, this disclosure provides systems, devices and methods for extending charge cycle life of rechargeable batteries through the use of constrained anode fibers. A battery may include a porous anode fiber configured to produce electrons during discharge of the battery. The battery may also include and an anode current collector layer, configured to provide a conductive path to a first terminal of the battery, wherein the anode current collector layer is concentrically disposed on the anode fiber to constrain expansion of the anode fiber during charging of the battery. The porosity of the anode fiber allows for the constrained expansion to be directed radially inward, decreasing the volume of the porous regions of the anode fiber.

A Water Activated Battery characterized by a) At least one anode selected from the group consisting of magnesium, aluminum, zinc and alloys thereof; b) A cathode comprising at least one basic copper salt comprising Cu(OH).sub.2 combined with a copper salt CuX (with n1 the molar ratio between the CuX and the Cu(OH).sub.2 in the basic copper salt), such that a discharge reaction in saline versus a Mg anode could be written nMg+Cu(OH).sub.2.(n-1)CuX=Mg(OH).sub.2+(n1)MgX+nCu) on a skeletal frame, the cathode further comprising a soluble, ionically conductive material; c) at least one cavity separating said cathode and said at least one anode; and d) a housing surrounding said at least one anode, cathode and cavity; (e) a lower aperture at the base of the housing for ingress of water and for expelling of heavier than water products of post immersion reaction, and (f) an upper aperture located near top of the housing for venting hydrogen generated by the post immersion reaction, wherein the upper aperture is positioned below the top of housing to create a cavity to provide a void for trapping hydrogen, so that hydrogen is only expelled from the cavity via the upper aperture after a quantity has accumulated, and is expelled in bubbles having a diameter of at least one millimeter.

A Water Activated Battery characterized by

a) At least one anode selected from the group consisting of magnesium, aluminum, zinc and alloys thereof;

b) A cathode comprising at least one basic copper salt comprising Cu(OH).sub.2 combined with a copper salt CuX (with (n?1) the molar ratio between the CuX and the Cu(OH).sub.2 in the basic copper salt), such that a discharge reaction in saline versus a Mg anode could be written nMg+Cu(OH).sub.2.(n?1)CuX=Mg(OH).sub.2+(n?1)MgX+nCu) on a skeletal frame, the cathode further comprising a non-hygroscopic soluble, ionically conductive material;

c) at least one cavity separating said cathode and said at least one anode; and

d) at least one aperture leading to said at least one cavity for the ingress of an electrolyte-forming, aqueous liquid.

A method of forming a sulfur-based cathode material includes: 1) providing a sulfur-based nanostructure; 2) coating the nanostructure with an encapsulating material to form a shell surrounding the nanostructure; and 3) removing a portion of the nanostructure through the shell to form a void within the shell, with a remaining portion of the nanostructure disposed within the shell.

A miniaturized electrochemical cell and a method for making it are provided. The method includes preparing at least one inner electrode of an electron conducting or semi-conducting material M1; providing a hollow support made of an electrically insulating material M6 and having at least one internal hollow channel; depositing on the external surface of the support a layer of an electrically conducting material M2; forming a template of colloidal particles of an electrically insulating material M3, on the M2 layer; depositing a layer of an electrically conducting material M4 on the M2 layer; depositing a layer L1 of an electron conducting or semi-conducting material M5 on the M4 layer, introducing the at least one inner electrode into the at least one internal hollow channel of the obtained structure; stabilizing the structure at its two open ends with an electrically insulating material M7; and removing M2, M3, M4 and M6 materials.

This application discloses a negative electrode plate, and a method for preparing same, and related devices. The negative electrode plate includes a current collector. The current collector is made of a foamed metal material. The current collector includes a first region, a second region, and a third region arranged sequentially along a first direction. An interior of the first region is provided with a negative active material. The second region is filled with an insulation material. The third region is provided with no negative active material. The technical solution hereof ensures that no metal particles are deposited in a tab region in a battery that uses foamed metal as a negative electrode, thereby avoiding a short circuit of a battery cell caused by dendrites arising from surplus metal particles deposited in the tab region, and in turn, enhancing safety performance of the battery.

The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a cable-type secondary battery comprising an electrode that extends longitudinally in a parallel arrangement and that includes a current collector having a horizontal cross section of a predetermined shape and an active material layer formed on the current collector, and the electrode is formed by putting an electrode slurry including an active material, a polymer binder, and a solvent into an extruder, by extrusion-coating the electrode slurry on the current collector while continuously providing the current collector to the extruder, and by drying the current collector coated with the electrode slurry to form an active material layer.