Duracell Inc.

The Gillette Company

Enoch I Wang

William L Bowden

Lifun Lin

Francis Wang

Guang Wei

Paul Gionet

Stuart Michael Davis

Peter R Moses

David Lloyd Anglin

Philip D Trainer

James Rozelle

J Simon Xue

Joseph Drennan

Alwyn H Taylor

Andrew Kallmes

Shuming Zeng

An alkaline cell having an anode comprising zinc, an alkaline electrolyte solution, a separator, and a cathode comprising copper iodate. The cathode preferably also includes a graphitic carbon to improve electrical conductivity. The graphtic carbon can comprise natural or synthetic graphites including expanded graphites and graphitic carbon fibers. Preferably, the graphitic carbon comprises graphitic carbon nanofibers. The carbon nanofibers desirably have a mean average diameter less than 500 nanometers. The cathode can also include sulfur in admixture with the copper iodate to improve cell performance.

Alkaline cell with improved cathode

An alkaline battery has a cathode including a nickel oxyhydroxide.

Primary alkaline battery including nickel oxyhydroxide

An alkaline battery has a cathode including a hydrogen absorbing material and an anode including zinc free of lead, mercury, or cadmium.

Battery including a hydrogen-absorbing cathode material

A process is described whereby commercial manganese dioxide, for example, electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD), is treated with ozone before it is utilized as cathode active material in an alkaline cell. The pretreatment of the manganese dioxide is accomplished by contacting manganese dioxide with ozone gas. Alternatively, the manganese dioxide may be treated with ozone while the cathode comprising said manganese dioxide is already in the cell casing. The treatment of the manganese dioxide improves the cell's open circuit voltage (OCV) and results in an increase in service life of the cell, particularly under high power application.

Akaline cell with improved cathode

A method of making lithium manganese oxide of spinel structure is disclosed. The method involves the step of prelithiating a manganese oxide by reacting it with lithium hydroxide or lithium salt and then reacting the prelithiated manganese oxide in a second step at elevated temperature, for example, with lithium carbonate to form a lithium manganese oxide spinel. The spinel product may be used advantageously in secondary (rechargeable) batteries. The spinel product may be admixed with a partially substituted nickelite, preferably, LiNi.sub.x Co.sub.1-x O.sub.2 (0.1&lt;x&lt;0.9) or LiNi.sub.x Mg.sub.1-x O.sub.2 (0.85&lt;x&lt;0.97) and mixtures thereof to form the active material for the positive electrode of a rechargeable lithium ion cell. A preferred mixture for the positive electrode of lithium ion cells comprises lithium manganese oxide spinel and LiNi.sub.x Co.sub.1-x O.sub.2 (0.1&lt;x&lt;0.9). The positive electrode for lithium ion cells may also be formed of a layer comprising active material of lithium manganese oxide spinel overlayed with a second layer comprising active material formed of a partially substituted nickelite, preferably LiNi.sub.x Co.sub.1-x O.sub.2 (0.1&lt;x&lt;0.9) or LiNi.sub.x Mg.sub.1-x O.sub.2 (0.85&lt;x&lt;0.97) and mixtures thereof.

Mixtures of lithium manganese oxide spinel as cathode active material

A lithium ion cell having an amount of a Group 1 element between the positive electrode and the negative electrode is described. The Group 1 element can be on an surface of an electrode separator as a deposit. The Group 1 element can increase the charging capacity of the cell, eliminate the irreversible capacity of the cell, improve the rechargeable cell cyclability, or increase the charging reversibility of the cell.

Lithium ion electrochemical cell

A method of treating lithium manganese oxide of spinel structure is disclosed. The method involves heating the lithium manganese oxide spinel in an atmosphere of an inert gas, e.g, argon, helium, nitrogen or carbon dioxide, which does not react with the spinel. Alternatively, the spinel may be first coated with an alkali metal hydroxide, preferably lithium, sodium or potassium hydroxide and then heated in an atmosphere preferably containing carbon dioxide. Such treatment of lithium manganese oxide spinel improves the performance of the spinel when employed as an electrode in rechargeable cells such as lithium-ion cells. Alternatively, the spinel may be first treated in an aqueous solution of a soluble metal salt of a carboxylic acid prior to treatment with heated carbon dioxide or inert gas. In such latter case the spinel may optionally also be treated with an alkali metal hydroxide prior to treatment with carbon dioxide or inert gas.

Method of treating lithium manganese oxide spinel

A method of making lithium manganese oxide of spinel structure is disclosed. The method involves the step of prelithiating a manganese oxide by reacting it with lithium hydroxide or lithium salt and then reacting the prelithiated manganese oxide in a second step at elevated temperature to form a lithium manganese oxide spinel. In a specific embodiment manganese dioxide powder is reacted with lithium hydroxide to prelithiate the manganese dioxide and the prelithiated manganese dioxide is separated from the reaction mixture and heated and reacted with lithium carbonate at elevated temperature to convert it to lithium manganese oxide spinel. The spinel product may be used advantageously in secondary (rechargeable) batteries.

Method of preparation of lithium manganese oxide spinel

A method of treating lithium manganese oxide of spinel structure is disclosed. The method involves heating the lithium manganese oxide spinel in an atmosphere of an inert gas which does not react with the spinel. Such gases may be selected advantageously from argon, helium, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Preferred nonreacting gases which may be employed for spinel treatment are nitrogen or carbon dioxide. The spinel is advantageously treated with such gases at elevated temperatures. Alternatively, the spinel may be first coated with a hydroxide, preferably lithium, sodium or potassium hydroxide and then heated in an atmosphere of carbon dioxide gas at elevated temperatures. Such treatment of lithium manganese oxide spinel has been determined to improve the performance of the spinel when employed as an electrode in rechargeable cells such as lithium-ion cells.

Disclosed is a process for making a lithiated lithium manganese oxide spinel of the formula Li.sub.(1+x)Mn.sub.2 0.sub.4 comprising contacting a lithium manganese oxide spinel of the formula LiMn.sub.2 O.sub.4 with a lithium carboxylate compound, at a temperature and for a time sufficient to decompose the carboxylate compound and free the lithium to form said lithiated spinel.

Process for making a lithiated lithium manganese oxide spinel

The invention relates to the manufacture of manganese dioxide by a chemical process. The resulting product takes the form of gamma manganese dioxide particles characterized by filament-like protrusions of ramsdellite manganese dioxide jutting out from the surface of the particles. The manganese dioxide particles having such features can be manufactured by reacting manganese sulfate with sodium peroxodisulfate in an aqueous solution. The process can be controlled to yield high density manganese dioxide. The manganese dioxide formed in the process can be deposited directly onto the surface of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD). The manganese dioxide product is particularly suitable for use as a cathode active material in electrochemical cells.

Manganese dioxide product

The invention relates to the manufacture of manganese dioxide by a chemical process. The resulting manganese dioxide product takes the form of particles characterized by filament-like protrusions jutting out from its surface. The manganese dioxide particles having such surface features can be manufactured by reacting manganese sulfate with sodium peroxodisulfate in an aqueous solution. The process can be controlled to yield high density manganese dioxide. The manganese dioxide formed in the process can be deposited directly onto the surface of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD). The manganese dioxide product is particularly suitable for use as a cathode active material in electrochemical cells.

Electrochemical cell comprising gamma MnO.sub.2 cathode having

The invention relates to the manufacture of manganese dioxide by a chemical process. The resulting manganese dioxide product takes the form of particles characterized by filament-like protrusions jutting out from its surface. The manganese dioxide particles having such surface features can be manufactured by reacting manganese sulfate with sodium peroxodisulfate in an aqueous solution. The process can be controlled to yield manganese dioxide of varying density and surface area. The manganese dioxide formed in the process can be deposited directly onto the surface of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD) or onto the surface of other particles. The manganese dioxide product is particularly suitable for use as a cathode active material in electrochemical cells.

Process for producing manganese dioxide

The invention relates to the manufacture of manganese dioxide by a chemical process. The resulting manganese dioxide product takes the form of particles characterized by filament-like protrusions jutting out from its surface. The manganese dioxide particles having such surface features can be manufactured by reacting manganese sulfate with sodium peroxodisulfate in an aqueous solution. The process can be controlled to yield high density manganese dioxide. The manganese dioxide formed in the process can be deposited directly onto the surface of electrolytic manganese dioxide (EMD). The manganese dioxide product the is particularly suitable for use as a cathode active material in electrochemical cells.

Growing community of inventors

Mansfield, MA, United States of America

Enoch I Wang