Provided is a carbon foam and a membrane electrode assembly having linear portions and node portions joining the linear portions; and a carbon foam and a membrane electrode assembly having linear portions and node portions joining the linear portions, where the carbon content is 51 mass % or more, and the mean deviation of coefficient of friction by the Kawabata evaluation system method is 0.006 or less.

A process for the production of highly carbonaceous material, including combining a structured precursor including fibres and an unstructured precursor, in the form of a fluid, wherein the fluid has a viscosity of less than 45,000 mPa.Math.s.sup.−1 at the temperature at which the combination step occurs, and including at least a cyclic organic or aromatic compound in the molten state, or in solution at a concentration by weight of less than or equal to 65%, in order to obtain a combined precursor corresponding to the structured precursor covered by the unstructured precursor, wherein the process further includes step of thermal and dimensional stabilization of the combined precursor in order to obtain fibres covered with a cyclic organic or aromatic compound deposit, and a step of carbonization of the fibres covered with a cyclic organic or aromatic compound deposit in order to obtain a highly carbonaceous material.

Composites of silicon and various porous scaffold materials, such as carbon material comprising micro-, meso- and/or macropores, and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. The compositions find utility in various applications, including electrical energy storage electrodes and devices comprising the same.

Silicon-carbon composite materials and related processes are disclosed that overcome the challenges for providing amorphous nano-sized silicon entrained within porous carbon. Compared to other, inferior materials and processes described in the prior art, the materials and processes disclosed herein find superior utility in various applications, including energy storage devices such as lithium ion batteries.

Composites of silicon and various porous scaffold materials, such as carbon material comprising micro-, meso- and/or macropores, and methods for manufacturing the same are provided. The compositions find utility in various applications, including electrical energy storage electrodes and devices comprising the same.

Carbon nanoparticle-porous skeleton composite material, its composite with lithium metal, and their preparation methods and use A carbon nanoparticle-porous skeleton composite material, its composite with lithium metal, and their preparation methods and use. In the carbon nanoparticle-porous skeleton composite material, the porous skeleton is a carbon-based porous microsphere material with a diameter of 1 to 100 μm or a porous metal material having internal pores with a micrometer-scale pore size distribution, and the carbon nanoparticles are distributed in pores and on the surface of the carbon-based porous microsphere material or the porous metal material. The carbon nanoparticle-porous skeleton composite material is mixed with a molten lithium metal to form a lithium-carbon nanoparticle-porous skeleton composite material. The carbon nanoparticles present in the material can better conduct lithium ions during the battery cycle, thereby inhibiting the formation of lithium dendrites, and improving the safety and cycle stability of the battery.

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a thin-film carbon foam and a method of manufacture the same. It is another object of the present disclosure to provide a stack carbon foam having fewer through holes and a method of manufacturing the same. The carbon foam of the present disclosure is, for example, a stack carbon foam being a stack of at least two monolayer carbon foams stacked one another, each monolayer carbon foam comprising linear portions and node portions joining the linear portions, or a carbon foam comprising linear portions and node portions joining the linear portions, wherein the ratio of the number of large through holes having a diameter of 1 mm or more to the surface area of the carbon foam is 0.0003/mm.sup.2 or less.

The present disclosure relates to a shaped article for an energy storage device comprising greater than 60.0 wt % of an inorganic endothermic material and having an open porosity of greater than 10% v/v and less than 60% v/v, wherein the inorganic endothermic material comprises particles of inorganic endothermic material coated with a binder.

The present invention addresses the problem of providing: a porous carbon structure that has a high micropore volume and can be self-contained; a manufacturing method therefor; a positive electrode material using the same; and a battery (particularly an air battery) using the same. The present invention is a porous carbon structure that is for a positive electrode for an air battery and has voids and a skeleton formed by incorporating carbon, the porous carbon structure satisfying all of the following conditions (a) to (d). (a) The t-plot external specific surface area is within the range of 300m.sup.2/g to 1600m.sup.2/g; (b) the total volume of micropores having a diameter of lnm to 200 nm is within the range of 1.2 cm.sup.3/g to 7.0cm.sup.3/g; (c) the total volume of micropores having a diameter of lnm to 1000 nm is within the range of 2.3cm3/g to 10.0 cm.sup.3/g; and (d) the overall porosity is within the range of 80% to 99%.

The disclosure relates to a process for preparing particulate materials having high electrochemical capacities that are suitable for use as anode active materials in rechargeable metal-ion batteries. In one aspect, the disclosure provides a process for preparing a particulate material comprising a plurality of composite particles. The process includes providing particulate porous carbon frameworks comprising micro pores and/or mesopores, wherein the porous carbon frameworks have a D.sub.50 particle diameter of at least 20 μm; depositing an electroactive material selected from silicon and alloys thereof into the micropores and/or mesopores of the porous carbon frameworks using a chemical vapour infiltration process in a fluidised bed reactor, to provide intermediate particles; and comminuting the intermediate particles to provide said composite particles.