An electrode structure includes a mesh substrate and a nanomaterial. The nanomaterial contains oxide of group IVA element and grows on the mesh substrate. A method of manufacturing the electrode structure and a rechargeable battery including the electrode structure are also provided.

This disclosure relates to a rechargeable battery cell comprising an active metal, at least one positive electrode, at least one negative electrode, a housing and an electrolyte, the positive electrode being designed as a high-voltage electrode and the electrolyte being based on SO.sub.2 and at least one first conducting salt having the formula (I), ##STR00001##
M being a metal selected from the group formed by alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, metals of group 12 of the periodic table of the elements, and aluminum; x being an integer from 1 to 3; the substituents R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 being selected independently of one another from the group formed by C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkenyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkynyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.10 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.14 aryl and C.sub.5-C.sub.14 heteroaryl; and Z being aluminum or boron.

A system for producing electrodes for lead-acid batteries is disclosed. An electrode that has been produced comprises at least one upper and/or one lower frame element as well as a lattice-shaped region that extends away from said upper or lower frame element and has a plurality of openings, the upper and/or lower frame element being of a greater thickness than the lattice-shaped region. Said system comprises the steps of: a) producing a profiled strip-shaped blank using a casting method in which the strip-shaped blank is formed, solely by means of said casting method, to have a greater thickness on one side in at least one of the regions which should eventually form the upper or lower frame element, than the thickness in regions which should eventually form the lattice-shaped region, and b) producing said lattice-shaped region with the openings in a subsequent expanded metal process.

This disclosure relates to a rechargeable battery cell, comprising: an active metal; at least one positive electrode; at least one negative electrode comprising an active material selected from the group consisting of an insertion material made of carbon, an alloy-forming active material, an intercalation material which does not comprise carbon, and a conversion active material; an SO.sub.2 based electrolyte comprising a first conducting salt which has the formula (I), ##STR00001##
wherein: M is a metal selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, metals of group 12 of the periodic table of the elements, and aluminum; x is an integer from 1 to 3; R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 are selected independently of one another from the group consisting of C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkenyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkynyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.10 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.14 aryl and C.sub.5-C.sub.14 heteroaryl; and Z is aluminum or boron.

This disclosure relates to a rechargeable battery cell comprising an active metal, at least one positive electrode having a discharge element, at least one negative electrode having a discharge element, a housing and an electrolyte, the negative electrode comprising metallic lithium at least in the charged state of the rechargeable battery cell and the electrolyte being based on SO.sub.2 and comprising at least one first conducting salt which has the formula (I), ##STR00001## M being a metal selected from the group formed by alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, metals of group 12 of the periodic table of the elements, and aluminum; x being an integer from 1 to 3; the substituents R.sup.1, R.sup.2, R.sup.3 and R.sup.4 being selected independently of one another from the group formed by C.sub.1-C.sub.10 alkyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkenyl, C.sub.2-C.sub.10 alkynyl, C.sub.3-C.sub.10 cycloalkyl, C.sub.6-C.sub.14 aryl and C.sub.5-C.sub.14 heteroaryl; and Z being aluminum or boron.

An electrode/separator assembly for use in an electrochemical cell includes a current collector; a porous composite electrode layer adhered to the current collector, said electrode layer comprising at least electroactive particles and a binder; and a porous composite separator layer comprising inorganic particles substantially uniformly distributed in a polymer matrix to form nanopores and having a pore volume fraction of at least 25%, wherein the separator layer is secured to the electrode layer by a solvent weld at the interface between the two layers, said weld comprising a mixture of the binder and the polymer. Methods of making and using the assembly are also described.

A method for manufacturing electrodes for lead-acid batteries includes producing a profiled strip blank in a casting process, wherein the casting process alone is sufficient to cause the strip blank to be formed of greater thickness on one side in a region corresponding to the upper frame element or the lower frame element than in another region corresponding to the meshed region; and producing the meshed region with the openings in a subsequent expanded metal process. In addition, an electrode produced by the method has an upper frame element, or a lower frame element, or both, and a meshed region extending away from the upper frame element, or the lower frame element, or both and having a plurality of openings. The upper frame element, the lower frame element, or both, is of greater thickness than the meshed region.

Systems and methods for anisotropic expansion of silicon-dominant anodes may include a cathode, an electrolyte, and an anode, where the anode may include a current collector and an active material on the current collector. An expansion of the anode during operation may be configured by a roughness and/or thickness of the current collector, a metal used for the current collector, and/or a lamination process that adheres the active material to the current collector. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for thicker current collectors. A thicker current collector may be 10 ?m thick or greater. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for more rigid materials used for the current collector. A more rigid current collector may include nickel and a less rigid current collector may include copper. The expansion of the anode may be more anisotropic for a rougher surface current collector.

A mesh-shaped, porous electric current density distributor is for use with an electrode, and is adapted for providing electric current to an active layer of the electrode. The active layer contacts a face of the current density distributor, and the current density distributor includes a porous mesh having several electrically conductive paths. At least part of the electrically conductive paths extend along a direction of major current flow over the current density distributor. The porous mesh includes in a direction crosswise to the direction of major electric current flow, several paths of an electric insulator. The current carrying capacity of the current density distributor in crosswise direction to the major current flow over the current density distributor is smaller than the current carrying capacity in the direction along the major current flow over the current density distributor.

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.