3809results about "Electrolytes" patented technology

A composite solid electrolyte include a monolithic solid electrolyte base component that is a continuous matrix of an inorganic active metal ion conductor and a filler component used to eliminate through porosity in the solid electrolyte. In this way a solid electrolyte produced by any process that yields residual through porosity can be modified by the incorporation of a filler to form a substantially impervious composite solid electrolyte and eliminate through porosity in the base component. Methods of making the composites is also disclosed. The composites are generally useful in electrochemical cell structures such as battery cells and in particular protected active metal anodes, particularly lithium anodes, that are protected with a protective membrane architecture incorporating the composite solid electrolyte. The protective architecture prevents the active metal of the anode from deleterious reaction with the environment on the other (cathode) side of the architecture, which may include aqueous, air and organic liquid electrolytes and/or electrochemically active materials.

The present invention provides a cathode for use in a secondary electrochemical cell, such cathode being coated with a very thin, protective film, permeable to ions. The protective film of the cathode usually has a thickness of up to about 0.1 mum and it provides protection against high voltage charging and overdiscbarging. The present invention further provides a secondary electrochemical cell comprising such a cathode.

A lithium ion conductive solid electrolyte formed by sintering a molding product containing an inorganic powder and having a porosity of 10 vol % or less, which is obtained by preparing a molding product comprising an inorganic powder as a main ingredient and sintering the molding product after pressing and/or sintering the same while pressing, the lithium ion conductive solid electrolyte providing a solid electrolyte having high battery capacity without using a liquid electrolyte, usable stably for a long time and simple and convenient in manufacture and handling also in industrial manufacture in the application use of secondary lithium ion battery or primary lithium battery, a solid electrolyte having good charge/discharge cyclic characteristic in the application use of the secondary lithium ion battery a solid electrolyte with less water permeation and being safe when used for lithium metal-air battery in the application use of primary lithium battery, a manufacturing method of the solid electrolyte, and a secondary lithium ion battery and a primary lithium battery using the solid electrolyte.

A ceramic material that can exhibit sufficient compactness and lithium (Li) conductivity to enable the use thereof as a solid electrolyte material for a lithium secondary battery and the like is provided. The ceramic material contains aluminum (Al) and has a garnet-type crystal structure or a garnet-like crystal structure containing lithium (Li), lanthanum (La), zirconium (Zr) and oxygen (O).

A power generation system and method providing an engine configured to produce hydrogen rich reformate to feed a solid oxide fuel cell includes an engine having an intake and an exhaust; an air supply in fluid communication with the engine intake; a fuel supply in fluid communication with the engine intake; at least one solid oxide fuel cell having an air intake in fluid communication with an air supply, a fuel intake in fluid communication with the engine exhaust, a solid oxide fuel cell effluent and an air effluent. Engines include a free piston gas generator with rich homogenous charge compression, a rich internal combustion engine cylinder system with an oxygen generator, and a rich inlet turbo-generator system with exhaust heat recovery. Oxygen enrichment devices to enhance production of hydrogen rich engine exhaust include pressure swing absorption with oxygen selective materials, and oxygen separators such as an solid oxide fuel cell oxygen separator and a ceramic membrane oxygen separator.

Solid-state, ion-conducting batteries with an ion-conducting, solid-state electrolyte. The solid-state electrolyte has at least one porous region (e.g., porous layer) and a dense region (e.g., dense layer). The batteries are, for example, lithium-ion, sodium-ion, or magnesium-ion conducting solid-state batteries. The ion-conducting, solid-state electrolyte is, for example, a lithium-garnet material.

A system includes a thin-film battery and an activity-activated switch. The system is placed on a substrate with an adhesive backing. In some embodiments, the substrate is flexible. Also formed on the substrate is an electrical circuit that includes electronics. The activity-activated switch places the thin-film battery in electrical communication with the circuit and electronics. The battery and the circuit are formed on the substrate and may be comprised of one or a plurality of deposited layers.

A method and apparatus for making thin-film batteries having composite multi-layered electrolytes with soft electrolyte between hard electrolyte covering the negative and/or positive electrode, and the resulting batteries. In some embodiments, foil-core cathode sheets each having a cathode material (e.g., LiCoO₂) covered by a hard electrolyte on both sides, and foil-core anode sheets having an anode material (e.g., lithium metal) covered by a hard electrolyte on both sides, are laminated using a soft (e.g., polymer gel) electrolyte sandwiched between alternating cathode and anode sheets. A hard glass-like electrolyte layer obtains a smooth hard positive-electrode lithium-metal layer upon charging, but when very thin, have randomly spaced pinholes/defects. When the hard layers are formed on both the positive and negative electrodes, one electrode's dendrite-short-causing defects on are not aligned with the other electrode's defects. The soft electrolyte layer both conducts ions across the gap between hard electrolyte layers and fills pinholes.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

Active metal electrochemical structure, in particular an active metal negative electrode (anode) protected with an ionically conductive protective architecture incorporating a glassy, ceramic or glass-ceramic solid electrolyte material based on lithium hafnium phosphate, and associated electrochemical devices and methods, provides advantages over conventional structures. The protective architecture prevents the active metal from deleterious reaction with the environment on the other (cathode) side of the architecture, which may include aqueous, air or organic liquid electrolytes and/or electrochemically active materials.

A disclosed apparatus for generating electrical power has, according to one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of tubular solid oxide fuel cells contained in a reaction chamber. The fuel cells are secured at one end thereof in a manifold block, the other ends thereof passing freely through apertures in a baffle plate to reside in a combustion chamber. Reaction gases are supplied to the insides of the tubular fuel cells from a plenum chamber below the manifold block and to the reaction chamber surrounding the outsides of the fuel cells through an annular inlet path, which may include a reformation catalyst. The gases inlet path to the plenum chamber, and the annular inlet path surround the reaction chamber, are both in heat conductive relation with the reaction chamber and the combustion chamber, and raise the gases to formation and reaction temperatures as appropriate.

A process for forming a porous nanoscale membrane is described. The process involves applying a nanoscale film to one side of a substrate, where the nanoscale film includes a semiconductor material; masking an opposite side of the substrate; etching the substrate, beginning from the masked opposite side of the substrate and continuing until a passage is formed through the substrate, thereby exposing the film on both sides thereof to form a membrane; and then simultaneously forming a plurality of randomly spaced pores in the membrane. The resulting porous nanoscale membranes, characterized by substantially smooth surfaces, high pore densities, and high aspect ratio dimensions, can be used in filtration devices, microfluidic devices, fuel cell membranes, and as electron microscopy substrates.

A solid oxide fuel cell stack having a plurality of integral component fuel cell units, each integral component fuel cell unit having a porous anode layer, a porous cathode layer, and a dense electrolyte layer disposed between the porous anode layer and the porous cathode layer. The porous anode layer forms a plurality of substantially parallel fuel gas channels on its surface facing away from the dense electrolyte layer and extending from one side to the opposite side of the anode layer, and the porous cathode layer forms a plurality of substantially parallel oxidant gas channels on its surface facing away from the dense electrolyte layer and extending from one side to the opposite side of the cathode. A flexible metallic foil interconnect is provided between the porous anode and porous cathode of adjacent integral component fuel cell units.

A powder of a layered lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt composite oxide for use as a positive-electrode material for lithium secondary battery is provided which, when used as a positive-electrode material for lithium secondary battery, enables a cost reduction and higher safety to be reconciled with improved battery performances.

The powder of a layered lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt composite oxide for use as a positive-electrode material for lithium secondary battery is composed of secondary particles formed by the aggregation of primary particles. It has a composition represented by the following formula (I), has a volume resistivity of 5×10⁵ Ω·cm or lower in the state of being compacted at a pressure of 40 MPa, and has a value of C/S, wherein C is the concentration of carbon contained therein (% by weight) and S is the BET specific surface area thereof (m²/g), of 0.025 or smaller. The powder has been regulated so as to have a volume resistivity not higher than the specified value and a considerably reduced carbon content while having a composition in a limited range, whereby a cost reduction and higher safety can be reconciled with improved battery performances.

Li_1+zNi_xMn_yCo_1−x−yO_δ  (I)

(0<z≦0.91, 0.1≦x≦0.55, 0.20≦y≦0.90, 0.50≦x+y≦1, 1.9≦δ≦3)

A nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a nonaqueous electrolyte. The negative electrode contains a titanium-containing oxide. The nonaqueous electrolyte contains a compound having a functional group represented by the formula (1) below and a sultone having an unsaturated hydrocarbon group.

[Chem.]

Sodium ion batteries are based on sodium based active materials selected among compounds of the general formula:

A_aM_b(XY₄)_cZ_d,

wherein A comprises sodium, M comprises one or more metals, comprising at least one metal which is capable of undergoing oxidation to a higher valence state, Z is OH or halogen, and XY₄ represents phosphate or a similar group. The anode of the battery includes a carbon material that is capable of inserting sodium ions. The carbon anode cycles reversibly at a specific capacity greater than 100 mAh/g.

Set forth herein are garnet material compositions, e.g., lithium-stuffed garnets and lithium-stuffed garnets doped with alumina, which are suitable for use as electrolytes and catholytes in solid state battery applications. Also set forth herein are lithium-stuffed garnet thin films having fine grains therein. Disclosed herein are novel and inventive methods of making and using lithium-stuffed garnets as catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes for all solid state lithium rechargeable batteries. Also disclosed herein are novel electrochemical devices which incorporate these garnet catholytes, electrolytes and/or anolytes. Also set forth herein are methods for preparing novel structures, including dense thin (<50 um) free standing membranes of an ionically conducting material for use as a catholyte, electrolyte, and, or, anolyte, in an electrochemical device, a battery component (positive or negative electrode materials), or a complete solid state electrochemical energy storage device. Also, the methods set forth herein disclose novel sintering techniques, e.g., for heating and/or field assisted (FAST) sintering, for solid state energy storage devices and the components thereof.

An electrolyte composition containing an ionic liquid and conductive particles as main components, an electrolyte composition containing an ionic liquid, and oxide semiconductor particles or oxide semiconductor particles, and conductive particles, and an electrolyte composition containing an ionic liquid and insulating particles are provided. Furthermore, a photoelectric conversion element comprising: a working electrode, the working electrode comprising an electrode substrate and an oxide semiconductor porous film formed on the electrode substrate and sensitized with a dye; a counter electrode disposed opposing the working electrode; and an electrolyte layer made of these electrolyte compositions is provided.