A method for the preparation of an electrode comprising a substrate made of an aluminium based material, vertically aligned carbon nanotubes and an electrically conductive polymer matrix, the method comprising the following successive steps: (a) synthesising, on a substrate made of an aluminium based material, a carpet of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes according to the technique of CVD (Chemical Vapour Deposition) at a temperature less than or equal to 650° C.; (b) electrochemically depositing the polymer matrix on the carbon nanotubes from an electrolyte solution including at least one precursor monomer of the matrix, at least one ionic liquid and at least one protic or aprotic solvent. Further disclosed is the prepared electrode and a device for storing and returning electricity such as a supercapacitor comprising the electrode.

An electrochemical cell is provided which includes a cathode, an anode, an electrolyte separator, and an anode current collector located on the anode. The anode is a three-dimensional (3D) porous anode including ionically conducting electrolyte strands and pores which extend through the anode from the anode current collector to the electrolyte separator. The anode also includes electronically conducting networks extending on sidewall surfaces of the pores from the anode current collector to the electrolyte separator.

A lithium ion battery current collector which is used in a lithium ion battery in contact with an electrode active material at one principal surface, characterized in that the current collector is provided with a surface layer on the principal surface in contact with the electrode active material, and an uneven structure is provided on a surface in which the surface layer is in contact with the electrode active material, the uneven structure is any of a plurality of recesses composed of closed figures as seen from above, a network structure, or a pattern of recesses and protrusions, which is provided in an outermost layer of the surface layer, and a depth of the recess is 10 to 45 μm, a length of a shortest portion of lengths passing through a centroid of the recess is 30 to 105 μm, and a proportion of an area of the recess as seen from above is 19% to 61% with respect to an area of a surface of the current collector provided with the recess as seen from above.

A battery having a plurality of series bodies including a first series body and a second series body, in which each of the series bodies has a plurality of electrode bodies and has at least one intermediate current collector, the series bodies is electrically connected in parallel to each other, in each of the series bodies, the electrode bodies are electrically connected in series to each other through the intermediate current collector, and the intermediate current collectors in the first series body and the second series body are directly connected electrically to each other.

A solid electrolyte layer having a solid electrolyte and carbon, in which a dispersion degree (CV value) of the carbon measured by a quadrat method in a cross section of the solid electrolyte layer is more than zero and less than one.

A positive electrode used in a secondary cell that is an example of the present embodiment is provided with a positive electrode collector, an intermediate layer formed on the positive electrode collector, and a positive electrode mixture layer formed on the intermediate layer. The positive electrode mixture layer has a thermally expandable material and a positive electrode active material. The thermally expandable material content of the positive electrode mixture layer is at least 0.1% by mass and less than 5% by mass. The intermediate layer has an insulating inorganic material and a conductive agent. The insulating inorganic material content of the intermediate layer is 80-99% by mass.

A metal foil including on at least one of its sides a layer of a material including: a metal or a metal alloy, carbon, hydrogen, and optionally oxygen, the atomic percentage of the metal or of the metals of the alloy in the material ranging from 10 to 60%, the atomic percentage of carbon in the material ranging from 35 to 70%, the atomic percentage of hydrogen in the material ranging from 2 to 20%, and the atomic percentage of oxygen if present in the material being less than or equal to 10%. The metal foil can be used in the manufacture of a cathode of a lithium-ion electrochemical cell. The deposition of this layer reduces the internal resistance of the cell.

An electrochemical cell is provided, which includes a cathode comprising a three dimensional (3D) porous cathode structure, an anode, an electrolyte separator, comprised of a ceramic material, located between the cathode and the anode, and a cathode current collector, wherein the cathode is located between the cathode current collector and the electrolyte separator. The 3D porous cathode structure includes ionically conducting electrolyte strands extending through the cathode from the cathode current collector to the electrolyte separator, pores extending through the cathode from the cathode current collector to the electrolyte separator, and an electronically conducting network extending on sidewall surfaces of the pores from the cathode current collector to the electrolyte separator.

A current collector is disclosed and comprises a conductive material and an elemental metal of a group 6 metal contacting the conductive material. Also disclosed are an electrochemical cell comprising a current collector, a cathode adjacent to the current collector, and an alkali metal-based electrolyte between the current collector and the cathode, with the cathode separated from the group 6 metal by the alkali metal-based electrolyte. A method of operating the electrochemical cell is also disclosed.

An anode includes: (1) a current collector; and (2) an interfacial layer disposed over the current collector. The interfacial layer includes a film of a layered material and a reinforcing material selectively disposed over certain regions of the film, while other regions of the film remain exposed from the reinforcing material.