The present disclosure provides porous composites for manufacture of cathodes for secondary sulfur batteries and batteries containing such cathodes.

An electrochemical apparatus formed by stacking and then winding a first separator, a negative electrode plate, a second separator, and a positive electrode plate. The negative electrode plate includes a negative electrode current collector, a first active material layer and a second active material layer. In a winding direction, a length of the first active material layer is greater than a length of the second active material layer. The first separator comprises a first substrate layer, a first coating layer and a second coating layer. The second separator comprises a second substrate layer, a third coating layer and a fourth coating layer. A bonding force between a first active material layer and a second coating layer is less than a bonding force between a second active material layer and a fourth coating layer.

A first negative electrode mixture layer contains a first negative electrode active material and a first water-soluble polymer material; and a second negative electrode mixture layer contains a second negative electrode active material and a second water-soluble polymer material. The ratio of the amount (S1) of the first water-soluble polymer material present on the surface of the first negative electrode active material to the amount (V1) of the first water-soluble polymer material present in voids among particles of the first negative electrode active material, namely S1/V1 is larger than the ratio of the amount (S2) of the second water-soluble polymer material present on the surface of the second negative electrode active material to the amount (V2) of the second water-soluble polymer material present in voids among particles of the second negative electrode active material, namely S2/V2.

A separator for a battery formed from a polymer gel electrolyte that is disposed within the pores of a polymer mesh. The polymer gel electrolyte is formed from a crosslinked ion-conducting polymer and an ionic liquid. The separator is formed from a gel loaded with an electrolyte, which prevents issue with electrolyte leakage. The polymer mesh provides stability to the polymer gel electrolyte, allowing for use of thin films of the polymer gel electrolyte and use of soft polymer gel electrolytes.

Electrolytes, anodes, lithium ion cells and methods are provided for preventing lithium metallization in lithium ion batteries to enhance their safety. Electrolytes comprise up to 20% ionic liquid additives which form a mobile solid electrolyte interface during charging of the cell and prevent lithium metallization and electrolyte decomposition on the anode while maintaining the lithium ion mobility at a level which enables fast charging of the batteries. Anodes are typically metalloid-based, for example include silicon, germanium, tin and/or aluminum. A surface layer on the anode bonds, at least some of the ionic liquid additive to form an immobilized layer that provides further protection at the interface between the anode and the electrolyte, prevents metallization of lithium on the former and decomposition of the latter.

A coated hybrid electrode for a composite solid-state battery cell is disclosed. Systems and methods are further provided for forming an electrolyte coating including a solid ionically conductive polymer material in the coated hybrid electrode. In one example, the coated hybrid electrode can include an anode material coating, the solid polymer electrolyte coating, and a cathode material coating, such that the solid polymer electrolyte coating can function as a separator coating between the anode material coating and the cathode material coating, thus eliminating a need for a conventional battery separator. In some examples, a slurry-based coating process can be utilized for forming the solid polymer electrolyte coating. As such, the solid polymer electrolyte coating can be mechanically robust with uniform thickness. Further, a battery cell can be formed by utilizing a sub-assembly stacking technique to provide battery cell stiffness and increase precision and accuracy of coating.

Provided is a negative electrode active material which includes: a silicon-based core; and an outer coating layer formed on the silicon-based core and including polyimide, wherein the polyimide comprises a fluorine-containing imide unit. The outer coating layer may be included in an amount of more than 0 wt % and 4.5 wt % or less in the negative electrode active material.

An iterative approach to dynamic covalent polymerizations of elemental sulfur with functional comonomers to prepare sulfur prepolymers that can further react with other conventional, commercially available comonomers to prepare a wider class of functional sulfur polymers. This iterative method improves handling, miscibility and solubility of the elemental sulfur, and further enables tuning of the sulfur polymer composition. The sulfur polymers may be a thermoplastic or a thermoset for use in elastomers, resins, lubricants, coatings, antioxidants, cathode materials for electrochemical cells, and polymeric articles such as polymeric films and free-standing substrates.

Described herein are composite battery electrode structures and methods of forming such structures. Composite battery electrode structures comprise active electrode material structures and polymer structures such that at least a portion of the polymer structures at least partially protrudes into some of the high capacity structures. Some of these polymer structures may be fully enclosed by the active electrode material structures. Other polymer structures may only partially extend inside the active electrode material structures. Furthermore, additional polymer structures may be bound to the external surface of the active electrode material structures. Composite battery electrode structures may be formed using low-temperature deposition techniques, such as solvent-thermal synthesis, direct chemical reduction, and electrochemical deposition. More specifically, composite battery electrode structures may be formed from a solution comprising active electrode material precursors and polymer precursors, e.g., dissolved polymers, monomers, and/or conductive polymers electrically coupled to the working electrodes.

A battery, having polyvalent aluminum metal as the electrochemically active anode material and also including a solid ionically conducting polymer material.