The present application provides a system and method for discharging and processing of lithium ion batteries to extract one or more metals. The extracted metals are in a powder form that can be reused at second stage processing facilities. The extracted metal powder can include lithium and at least one of cobalt, nickel, manganese, and carbon.

A material of formula Li.sub.aTi.sub.b(A.sub.xS.sub.3-x).sub.c wherein A is a metalloid element chosen from selenium, tellurium and mixtures thereof, and the stoichiometric coefficients a, b, c and x are such that 0<x<2.2; 0.4≤a≤4.5; 0.9≤b≤1.1; and 0.9≤c≤1.1.

A method of making a lithiated silicon-based precursor material for a negative electrode material of an electrochemical cell that cycles lithium ions is provided. An admixture comprising a plurality of lithium particles and a plurality of silicon particles is briquetted by applying pressure of greater than or equal to about 10 MPa and applying heat at a temperature of less than or equal to about 180° C. to form a precursor briquette. The briquette has lithium particles and silicon particles distributed in a matrix and has a porosity level of less than or equal to about 60% of the total volume of the precursor briquette. The briquetting is conducted in an environment having less than or equal to about 0.002% by weight of any oxygen-bearing species or nitrogen (N.sub.2).

A blower (100) blows inert gas. A crusher (200) repeats vitrifying plural kinds of inorganic compounds (A1) by mechanical energy and blowing up the plural kinds of vitrified inorganic compounds (A1) by the inert gas blown from the blower (100). At least some of the plural kinds of inorganic compounds (A1) blown up by the inert gas enter into a first collector (300). The first collector (300) returns the at least some of the plural kinds of inorganic compounds to the crusher (200). A system (S) (for example, a pipe (Pa), a buffer tank (110), a pipe (Pb), a pipe (Pc), and a pipe (Pi) described below) circulates the inert gas from the blower (100) through the crusher (200) and the first collector (300) to the blower (100).

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.

Provided is a potassium titanate powder that can avoid safety and health concerns and concurrently, during use in a friction material, can give excellent frictional properties. A potassium titanate powder is a powder formed of bar-like potassium titanate particles having an average length of 30 μm or more, an average breadth of 10 m or more, and an average aspect ratio of 1.5 or more, wherein the bar-like potassium titanate particles are represented by a composition formula K.sub.2Ti.sub.nO.sub.2n+1 (where n=5.5 to 6.5).

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.

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.

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.

The present invention provides a lithium metal powder protected by a substantially continuous layer of a polymer. Such a substantially continuous polymer layer provides improved protection such as compared to typical CO.sub.2-passivation.