Systems and methods for formation of highly reactive alkali dendrites are provided. For example, in some embodiments alkali metals are dissolved in ammonia to form metal electrides after which the ammonia is removed via vacuum to reveal highly activated metal surfaces in the form of crystalline alkali dendrites. The alkali dendrites can mimic powders but have the advantage of being freshly prepared from inexpensive and readily available metal sources. These uniquely activated metals exhibit enhanced reactivity comparatively to similar off the shelf sources of the corresponding metals. For example, the dendrites can have about 100 times greater surface area than conventional metal sources and/or be about 19 times more reactive than powders that serve as the industry standard for the preparation of organometallic compounds. After surface activation, these metals can be used to prepare various organometallic reagents.

A method for producing a metal powder includes maintaining molten reducing metal in a sealed reaction vessel that is free of added oxygen and water, establishing a vortex in the molten reducing metal, introducing a metal halide into the vortex so that the molten reducing metal is in a stoichiometric excess to the metal halide, thereby producing metal particles and salt, removing unreacted reducing metal, removing the salt, and recovering the metal powder. The molten reducing metal can be a Group I metal, a Group II metal, or aluminum.

A printable lithium composition is provided. The printable lithium composition includes lithium metal powder; a polymer binder, wherein the polymer binder is compatible with the lithium powder; and a rheology modifier, wherein the rheology modifier is compatible with the lithium powder and the polymer binder. The printable lithium composition may further include a solvent compatible with the lithium powder and with the polymer binder.

The present disclosure discloses flake metal lithium powder and a preparing method thereof; by ultrasonically pulverizing the metal lithium placed in a low-viscosity inert organic resolvent using a vacuum ultrasonic pulverization method, a micrometer scale flake metal lithium powder is prepared. The metal lithium powder may be used as an anode material for a lithium cell or lithium ion cell. The present method has advantages of high product purity, simple operation, low processing temperature, low cost, high efficiency, and less demanding on equipment, etc., and has a high prospect of being applied to mass production of metal lithium powder.

The solvated metal particle-coating system includes a metal additive and a polar outer-sphere electron transferring solvent. The metal additive is solvated in the polar outer-sphere electron transferring solvent. The polar outer-sphere electron transferring solvent may include liquid ammonia, methylamine, and/or hexamethylphosphoramide. The metal additive may include an alkali metal and/or an alkaline earth metal. The solvated metal additive within the polar outer-sphere electron transferring solvent may be used to coat a metal particle and/or a metalloid particle as a layer. As the polar outer-sphere electron transferring solvent evaporates, the solvated metal additive is coupled to the metal particle and/or the metalloid particle.

Some variations provide a process for additive manufacturing of a nanofunctionalized metal alloy, comprising: providing a nanofunctionalized metal precursor containing metals and grain-refining nanoparticles; exposing a first amount of the nanofunctionalized metal precursor to an energy source for melting the precursor, thereby generating a first melt layer; solidifying the first melt layer, thereby generating a first solid layer; and repeating many times to generate a plurality of solid layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction. The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains. Other variations provide an additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy comprising metals selected from aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, or lead; and grain-refining nanoparticles selected from zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, or oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, wherein the additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains.

Disclosed are a lithium metal composite electrode material for a lithium metal battery, a preparation method for the same, and an electrode, battery, battery module, battery pack and apparatus comprising the same. The lithium metal composite electrode material comprises: lithium metal particles and a lithium-containing conductive layer serving as a supporting framework, the supporting framework being filled with the lithium metal particles; wherein the lithium-containing conductive layer comprises an inorganic lithium compound and a lithium alloy. The lithium metal composite electrode material can solve the problems that, when lithium metal is used as a negative electrode, the electrolyte is easily consumed, and lithium dendrites are easily produced, deposited and dissolved to change electrode thickness, which in turn affects the cycle stability, electrical performance and structural stability of the battery, so as to achieve the purpose of improving the structural stability and cycle stability of the lithium metal electrode.

Some variations provide a process for additive manufacturing of a nanofunctionalized metal alloy, comprising: providing a nanofunctionalized metal precursor containing metals and grain-refining nanoparticles; exposing a first amount of the nanofunctionalized metal precursor to an energy source for melting the precursor, thereby generating a first melt layer; solidifying the first melt layer, thereby generating a first solid layer; and repeating many times to generate a plurality of solid layers in an additive-manufacturing build direction. The additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains. Other variations provide an additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy comprising metals selected from aluminum, iron, nickel, copper, titanium, magnesium, zinc, silicon, lithium, silver, chromium, manganese, vanadium, bismuth, gallium, or lead; and grain-refining nanoparticles selected from zirconium, tantalum, niobium, titanium, or oxides, nitrides, hydrides, carbides, or borides thereof, wherein the additively manufactured, nanofunctionalized metal alloy has a microstructure with equiaxed grains.

A method for manufacturing a material layer includes a first step S101 of arranging first particles P1 in a pattern on a base material 11 and a second step S102 of arranging second particles in regions in which the first particles P1 are not arranged on the base material 11. The second step S102 includes a step of rubbing bearing materials S2 that carry the second particles P2 against the base material 11 on which the first particles P1 are arranged.

To show an LNCAO-type positive electrode active material for a lithium ion battery having a high discharge capacity per unit volume and excellent discharging capacity-holding properties. Nickel-lithium metal composite oxide powder includes a nickel-lithium metal composite oxide represented by General Formula (1) described below:
Li.sub.xNi.sub.1-y-zM.sub.yN.sub.zO.sub.1.7-2.2(1), in which the breakdown strength of secondary particles is in a range of 80 MPa or less, the density is 3.30 g/cm.sup.3 or higher when compressed at a pressure of 192 MPa, and the density is 3.46 g/cm.sup.3 or higher when compressed at a pressure of 240 MPa. A method for producing the nickel-lithium metal composite oxide powder includes a water washing step after a firing step for producing a nickel-lithium metal composite oxide powder precursor.