The present invention relates to nanostructured materials (including nanowires) for use in batteries. Exemplary materials include carbon-comprising, Si-based nanostructures, nanostructured materials disposed on carbon-based substrates, and nanostructures comprising nanoscale scaffolds. The present invention also provides methods of preparing battery electrodes, and batteries, using the nanostructured materials.

Presented are metalworking systems for forming metallic workpieces, methods for making such workpieces and methods for operating such systems, and battery cell tabs bent by a multistage plunger press. A metalworking system includes a plunger fixture that mounts adjacent metallic workpieces, and a plunger head movably mounted to the plunger fixture to move between activated and deactivated positions. A first row of plunger fingers is mounted to the plunger head and moves in one direction to press against and bend one metallic workpiece a predefined bend angle. Likewise, a second row of plunger fingers is mounted to the plunger head and moves in an opposite direction to press against and bend another metallic workpiece another predefined bend angle. The plunger head then moves to the activated position, in tandem with the plunger fingers bending the metallic workpieces, to cause the plunger fingers to bend the workpieces additional respective bend angles.

A clamping device for an electrochemical cell stack is provided. The clamping device can include a first plate and a second plate. The second plate can be positionable relative to the first plate such that a space between the first plate and the second plate can be sized to receive an electrochemical cell stack. The device also can include a coupling member coupling the first plate to the second plate. At least one of the first and second plates can be movable away from the other plate. The coupling member can have a first end portion and a second end portion. The device further can include an elastic member disposed between the first end portion and the second end portion.

A battery module includes a lower housing and a plurality of battery cells. The plurality of battery cells are electrically coupled together to produce a voltage. The module also includes an assembly disposed over the battery cells and coupled to the lower housing. The assembly may include a lid and a plurality of bus bar interconnects mounted on the lid. The module also includes a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly disposed on and coupled to the assembly. The PCB assembly may include a PCB. The module also includes a cover disposed over and coupled to the lower housing to hermetically seal the battery module. Also disclosed is a method of manufacturing the battery module.

A battery pack has bus bars at one end, freeing the other end of the battery pack for cooling or other arrangements. A plurality of battery cells has first terminals of the battery cells at first ends of the battery cells. Portions of second terminals of the battery cells are at the first ends of the battery cells. The first ends of the battery cells are in a coplanar arrangement. A plurality of bus bars is assembled proximate to the first ends of the battery cells. The bus bars are coupled to the first terminals and the second terminals of the battery cells at the first ends of the battery cells to place the battery cells in one of a series connection, a parallel connection or a series and parallel connection.

A battery module includes a plurality of battery cells disposed in at least two rows. The battery cells in adjacent rows are offset from each other. Each of the plurality of battery cells includes a cover and a first terminal that extends from the cover outward. The first terminal is configured to be coupled to a second terminal on an adjacent battery cell. The plurality of battery cells are electrically coupled to each other in a zigzag pattern via the first and second terminals.

After a separator is brought into a tension-free state, a plurality of guide members are crossed in a horizontal direction between rows of the guide members to fold the separator or a superposed body zigzag. Positive electrode plates or negative electrode plates are inserted into the resulting furrows to produce a secondary battery.

An electrochemical device (e.g., a battery (cell)) including: an aqueous electrolyte and one or two electrodes (e.g., an anode and/or a cathode), one or both of which is a Prussian Blue analogue material of the general chemical formula A.sub.xP[R(CN).sub.6−jL.sub.j].sub.z.nH.sub.2O, where: A is a cation; P is a metal cation; R is a transition metal cation; L is a ligand that may be substituted in the place of a CN.sup.− ligand; 0≦x≦2; 0≦z≦1; and 0≦n≦5, the electrode including a polymer coating to reduce capacity loss.

A secondary battery includes an electrode assembly having a relatively large capacity due to reducing a width of an uncoated portion and increasing a width of a coated portion by improving welding strength through a combination of ultrasonic welding and laser welding, and a manufacturing method thereof. The manufacturing method of the secondary battery includes preparing at least one electrode assembly including an uncoated portion, provisionally welding the uncoated portion by ultrasonic welding, coupling a current collector having an elastic property to the provisionally welded uncoated portion, and welding the uncoated portion and the current collector by laser welding.

A battery comprising an electrode stacked body that includes a plurality of electrodes and a plurality of separators that are alternately stacked; and a film-made cover member that, by joining mutually overlapped peripheral portions of films, constitute a package for hermetically receiving therein the electrode stacked body, in which the plurality of separators include separators that are flat in shape and larger in size and separators that are flat in shape and smaller in size, and the separators that are flat in shape and larger in size project outward from a side of the electrode stacked body and joined to the films of the film-made cover member at a position inside the mutually joined peripheral portions of the film-made cover member.