A hollow spherical cerium dioxide nanomaterial, preparation method and application thereof; wherein the preparation method uses glucose as a carbon source, urea as a precipitant, cerium trichloride as a cerium source, and water as a solvent to prepare a cerium dioxide/carbon composite material by a hydrothermal method, and then, a hollow spherical cerium dioxide nanomaterial with a multi-shell layer structure is obtained by calcination in a muffle furnace. By adjusting the amount of urea and the calcination temperature, a number of shell layers of the material can be adjusted. Moreover, in the nanomaterial, the number of shell layers can be adjusted, large spacing exists between shell layers, specific surface area can be increased, wherein contact area of the material with an electrolyte increases, but also structural collapse caused by a volume expansion of an electrode material during charging and discharging can be alleviated, and the electrochemical performance is effectively improved.

A secondary battery with a reduced degree of increase in internal pressure over time, is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a secondary battery including: an electrode body, a battery case, an electrode terminal, and a gasket sandwiched between the battery case and the electrode terminal is provided. The secondary battery is configured such ghat a parameter K calculated using the following equation (1): K=Wi/(VrG.sub.H2) (1) (where Wi represents an initial capacity (Ah) of the secondary battery, Yr represents a volume (cm.sup.3) of void in the battery case, and G.sub.H2, represents an H.sub.2 gas permeability coefficient (cm.sup.3.Math.cm)/(cm.sup.2.Math.s.Math.cmHg) of the gasket at 60° C.) satisfies 0.43×10.sup.8 or more to 0.59×10.sup.8 or less.

Disclosed is a rechargeable lithium battery including a positive electrode including a positive active material; a negative electrode including a negative active material; an electrolyte solution including a lithium salt and a non-aqueous organic solvent; and a separator between the positive and the negative electrodes, the separator including a porous substrate and a coating layer positioned on at least one side of the porous substrate. The negative active material includes a Si-based material; the non-aqueous organic solvent includes cyclic carbonate including ethylene carbonate, propylene carbonate, or combinations thereof, the cyclic carbonate being included in an amount of about 20 volume % to about 60 volume % based on the total amount of the non-aqueous organic solvent; and the coating layer includes a fluorine-based polymer, an inorganic compound, or combinations thereof. The rechargeable lithium battery has improved cycle-life and high temperature storage characteristics.

Disclosed herein are electrolyte compositions comprising: a) a first solvent comprising a cyclic carbonate; b) a second solvent comprising a non-fluorinated acyclic carbonate; c) at least one electrolyte component selected from: i) a fluorinated acyclic carboxylic acid ester; ii) a fluorinated acyclic carbonate; iii) a fluorinated acyclic ether; or iv) a mixture thereof; and d) an electrolyte salt; wherein the electrolyte component is present in the electrolyte composition in the range of from about 0.05 weight percent to about 10 weight percent, based on the total weight of the first and second solvents.

A lithium battery includes a cathode including a cathode active material; an anode including an anode active material; and an organic electrolytic solution between the cathode and the anode. The cathode active material includes a nickel-containing layered lithium transition metal oxide. A content of nickel in the lithium transition metal oxide is about 60 mol % or more with respect to a total number of moles of transition metals. The organic electrolytic solution includes a first lithium salt; an organic solvent; and a bicyclic sulfate-based compound represented by Formula 1 below: ##STR00001##
wherein, in Formula 1, each of A.sub.1, A.sub.2, A.sub.3, and A.sub.4 is independently a covalent bond, a substituted or unsubstituted C.sub.1-C.sub.5 alkylene group, a carbonyl group, or a sulfinyl group, in which both A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 are not a covalent bond and both A.sub.3 and A.sub.4 are not a covalent bond.

Provided is a composition for a non-aqueous secondary battery functional layer with which it is possible to form a functional layer that can cause a battery component including the functional layer to display a balance of both high blocking resistance and high process adhesiveness. The composition for a non-aqueous secondary battery functional layer contains a particulate polymer having a core-shell structure including a core portion and a shell portion at least partially covering an outer surface of the core portion. The core portion is formed by a polymer A and the shell portion is formed by a polymer B including not less than 1 mass % and not more than 20 mass % of a cyano group-containing monomer unit.

A lithium battery including: a cathode; an anode; and an electrolyte between the cathode and the anode, wherein the electrolyte includes a lithium salt and a non-aqueous solvent including ethylene carbonate (EC), an amount of the EC per 100 parts by volume of the non-aqueous solvent is about 5 parts by volume to about 15 parts by volume, and wherein the cathode includes a cathode active material represented by Formula 1,
Li.sub.xNi.sub.yM.sub.1-yO.sub.2-zA.sub.z  Formula 1 wherein, in Formula 1, 0.9≤x≤1.2, 0.7≤y≤0.98, and 0≤z≤0.2, M is Al, Mg, Mn, Co, Fe, Cr, V, Ti, Cu, B, Ca, Zn, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sr, Sb, W, Bi, or a combination thereof, and A is an element having an oxidation number of −1 or −2,
wherein each element of M is independently present in an amount of 0<(1−y)≤0.3,
wherein an total content of M is 0.02≤(1−y)≤0.3.

An electrolyte for a lithium ion battery includes a nonaqueous aprotic organic solvent and a lithium salt dissolved in the organic solvent. The organic solvent includes a cyclic carbonate, an acyclic carbonate, and an acyclic fluorinated ether for improved low temperature and high voltage performance as well as enhanced thermostability. The ether group has a general formula of R.sub.1—O—[R.sub.3—O].sub.n—R.sub.2, where n=0 or 1, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are each straight-chain C1-C6 fluoroalkyl groups, and, when n=1, R.sub.3 is a methylene group or a polyethylene group.

Disclosed is a protective layer to protect a lithium metal negative electrode for a lithium secondary battery, in which the protective layer may inhibit formation of lithium dendrite and improve thermal/chemical stability, and conductivity of lithium ions. Further, disclosed are a production method of the protective layer, and a lithium secondary battery including the protectively layer. The protective layer contains a poly(arylene ether sulfone)-poly(ethylene glycol) graft copolymer represented by a following Chemical Formula 1: ##STR00001## where, in the Chemical Formula 1, n is an integer of 60 to 80, and m is an integer of 40 to 45.

Provided is a lithium ion secondary battery including a positive electrode which is capable of storing and releasing lithium, a negative electrode which is capable of storing and releasing lithium, and a nonaqueous electrolyte which contains lithium salts and cyclic disulfonic acid ester, in which as the nonaqueous electrolyte, a nonaqueous electrolyte containing a polymer is used, and as at least a part of the lithium salts, imide lithium salts are used. Here, the content of the cyclic sulfonic acid ester is preferably in a range of 2.0% to 5.0% by mass with respect to a total content of the nonaqueous electrolyte. Also, the proportion of the imide lithium salts is preferably in a range of 10 to 50 mol % with respect to a total amount of lithium salts in the nonaqueous electrolyte.