Process for synthesizing a material, the process including the steps consisting in: a) providing a plurality of powders including: at least one powder including lithium, at least one powder including, for more than 95.0% of its mass, a transition metal chosen from titanium, cobalt, manganese, nickel, niobium, tin, iron and mixtures thereof, and at least one powder including, for more than 95.0% of its mass, a chalcogen element chosen from sulfur, selenium, tellurium and mixtures thereof, b) preparing a particulate mixture by mixing all the powders of the plurality or by mixing one of the powders of the plurality with a milled material obtained by milling a particulate assembly formed by mixing at least two of the other powders of the plurality, and milling the particulate mixture to form the material.

A hydrothermal synthesis for LiFePO.sub.4 is provided. First, each raw material solution is prepared using a degassed water in advance, second, those solution are mixed by dripping in a fixed order, and then those materials are reacted in a hydrothermal synthesis, so that LiFePO.sub.4 is obtained in a predesigned form.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder, including the steps of (a) preparing a mixture solution by adding a lithium precursor, an iron precursor and a phosphorus precursor in a glycerol solvent, and (b) putting the mixture solution into a reactor and heating to prepare the lithium iron phosphate nanopowder under pressure conditions of 10 bar to 100 bar, and a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder prepared by the method. When compared to a common hydrothermal synthesis method and a supercritical hydrothermal synthesis method, a reaction may be performed under a relatively lower pressure. When compared to a common glycothermal synthesis method, a lithium iron phosphate nanopowder having effectively controlled particle size and particle size distribution may be easily prepared.

The present invention relates to Li-ion cells area, particularly relates to lithium source material and preparation method thereof and use in Li-ion cells. Wherein the lithium source material which is represented by a formula Li.sub.yFe.sub.1-xM.sub.xO.sub.4R.sub.z, wherein M represents one or more of transition metal elements, R represents halogen element, 0x0.9, 0<z0.2, 3.5<y[5(1x)+6x]. The lithium source material of the present invention which is lithium deficient relative to its stoichiometric lithium formulation, is a lithium source additive material to the cathode material for Li-ion cells, and exhibits high capacity and high stability.

Thermochemical storage materials having the general formula A.sub.xA.sub.1-xB.sub.yB.sub.1-yO.sub.3-, where A=La, Sr, K, Ca, Ba, Y and B=Mn, Fe, Co, Ti, Ni, Cu, Zr, Al, Y, Cr, V, Nb, Mo, are disclosed. These materials have improved thermal storage energy density and reaction kinetics compared to previous materials. Concentrating solar power thermochemical systems and methods capable of storing heat energy by using these thermochemical storage materials are also disclosed.

The present invention is directed to a method for generating oxygen comprising providing at least one oxygen source, providing at least one ionic liquid, providing at least one metal oxide compound, wherein the oxygen source is a peroxide compound, the ionic liquid is in the liquid state at least in the temperature range from 10 C. to +50 C., and the metal oxide compound is an oxide of one single metal or of two or more different metals, said metal(s) being selected from the metals of groups 2 to 14 of the periodic table of the elements, and contacting the oxygen source, the ionic liquid, and the metal oxide compound.

The present invention provides a positive-electrode active material for non-aqueous secondary battery comprising a sodium transition metal composite oxide represented by Formula:
Na.sub.xFe.sub.1-yM.sub.yO.sub.2, wherein 0.4x0.7, 0.25y<1.0, and M is at least one element selected from the group consisting of manganese, cobalt and nickel, the sodium transition metal composite oxide having a crystal structure substantially composed of P6.sub.3/mmc alone.

A process for preparing a stable Li.sub.xMn.sub.2-yMe.sub.yO.sub.4-zCl.sub.z material with a MO.sub.b or MMn.sub.aO.sub.b charge transfer catalyst coating is provided, where Me is Fe, Co, or Ni and M is Bi, As, or Sb. In addition, a Li.sub.xMn.sub.2-yMe.sub.yO.sub.4-zCl.sub.z material with a MO.sub.b or MMn.sub.aO.sub.b charge transfer catalyst coating is provided. Furthermore, a lithium or lithium ion rechargeable electrochemical cell is provided, which includes a cathode material (in a positive electrode) containing a Li.sub.xMn.sub.2-yMe.sub.yO.sub.4-zCl.sub.z material with a MO.sub.b or MMn.sub.aO.sub.b charge transfer catalyst coating.

Lithium-containing thiostannate spinel compounds having the formula Li.sub.2M.sub.1+xSn.sub.3?xS.sub.8, where x is 0 or 1 and M is Mg, Fe, Mn, Ni, Ga, In, or a combination thereof; or the formula Li.sub.1.66CuSn.sub.3.33S.sub.8 are provided. Methods and devices for detecting incident neutrons and alpha-particles using the compounds are also provided. For thermal neutron detection applications, the compounds can be enriched with lithium-6 isotope (.sup.6Li) to enhance their neutron detecting capabilities.

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.