Sri International

General Petrochemical Industries, Limited

Amp LLC

Nippon Shokubai Co., Ltd.

Exsorbtion Inc.

Susanna C Ventura

Subhash C Narang

Philip Cox

Tilak R Bhardwaj

Asutosh Nigam

Sunity Kumar Sharma

Marc D Hornbostel

Gary A Koolpe

Luying Sun

Georgina P Hum

Srinivas Bhamidi

Prema Ranganathan

Peikang Liu

Sivapackia Ganapathiappan

David Olmeijer

Yoshihiro Arita

John Stephens Stotts

Anoop Nagar

Suniti K Sharma

Apparao Satyam

Stuart Smedley

Ming Zhao

Brian J Dougherty

Marc Hornbostel

A system and method that includes flowing brine containing a metal ion through a reactor that includes porous particles having metal ion imprinted polymer having selective binding sites. The system and method further include discharging the brine from the reactor, contacting the porous particles with water, and pressurizing the reactor with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide reacts with the adsorbed metal ions to form a metal carbonate solution, where the metal carbonate solution can then be continuously purified with ion exchange. The method can include recycling eluent from the ion exchange back into the system for re-use. The method further includes depressurizing the reactor to precipitate metal carbonate from the metal carbonate solution and discharging the metal carbonate solution from the reactor.

Concentrating lithium carbonate after regeneration of lithium sorbent

A material includes a porous particle that includes a metal ion imprinted polymer. The metal ion imprinted polymer is formed from a hydrophilic co-monomer, a metal containing polymerizable compound, and a cross-linking agent. The metal containing polymerizable compound includes at least one metal chelating ligand. The metal ion imprinted polymer includes a plurality of metal ion selective binding sites. A method includes flowing brine containing a metal ion through a reactor that includes the material. The method further includes discharging the brine from the reactor, contacting the porous particles with water, and pressurizing the reactor with carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide reacts with the adsorbed metal ions to form a metal carbonate solution. The method further includes depressurizing the reactor to precipitate metal carbonate from the metal carbonate solution and discharging the metal carbonate solution from the reactor.

Metal ion extraction from brines

The invention includes compositions comprising at least first and second polymers and optionally a third polymer wherein acid subunits, basic subunits and elastomeric subunits are contained in the polymers. In one aspect, the composition comprises a ternary polymer blend comprising an acidic polymer comprising acidic subunits, a basic polymer comprising basic subunits and an elastomeric polymer comprising elastomeric subunits. In an alternate aspect, the composition comprises a binary polymer blend which comprises acidic or basic subunits in one polymer and a copolymer comprising the other of the acidic or basic subunit and an elastomeric subunit. Such polymer compositions may be formed into a membrane having electrochemical properties which permit the use of such a membrane in an electrochemical device.

Polymer electrolyte having acidic, basic and elastomeric subunits

A battery includes an anode comprising a metal, a cathode comprising an active oxygen species, and a non-aqueous electrolyte, wherein oxidation of the metal and reduction of the active oxygen species provides the current of the battery.

Metal/active oxygen batteries

Electrodes for secondary (rechargeable) batteries are fabricated using active material particles such as flakes, fingers, projections, needles, threads, fibers, pods, hairs, ribbons and the like, which have an aspect ratio of at least 1:3:1. The high aspect ratio, in combination with relatively shallow discharge cycles, provides high power of at least 800 W/kg sustainable over at least ten seconds, high energy of at least 7 W-hr/kg, and a high cycle life of at least 250 cycles. Selection of parameters also provides power to energy ratios for high power, high energy batteries of at least 10. Preferred chemistries for the novel batteries include lithium ion, and preferred active materials include carbon, metal oxides and metal. Batteries including the novel technology can advantageously be used in electric vehicles, consumer electronics, electrical appliances, and industrial applications such as battery backup systems and switches.

Ion battery using high aspect ratio electrodes

An electrolyte is provided having a backbone that includes a plurality of aromatic constituents coupled together by at least one atom having a &pgr;-cloud, and in which a halogen atom and an ion exchange group are covalently bound directly to the backbone. Furthermore, the electrolyte is high temperature resistant and may comprise perhalogenated polymers, including perhalogenated polyphenylenes, perhalogenated polyamides, perhalogenated aromatic polyesters, perhalogenated polyimide, etc. Still further, the electrolyte may have acidic groups as ion exchange groups, including sulfonic acid groups, or phosphoric acid groups.

High temperature polymer electrolytes

High temperature polybenzazole and polyether polymer electrolytes are provided. High temperature polybenzazole polymer electrolytes may comprise a benzobisoxazole, a benzobisthiazole, a benzobisimidazole, a difluorodisulfonated phenyl ring or a sulfonated bisphenylether. High temperature polyether polymers comprise a persulfonated phenyl ring, and a substituted phenyl ring or a substituted bisphenylsulfonyl ring system.

High temperature polybenzazole and polyether electrolytes

Electrodes are manufactured using a fire-retardant solvent and a polymerizable monomer. Electrodes according to the present invention are contemplated to find applicability in substantially any electrode containing device, including batteries. A preferred class of fire-retardant solvents includes solvents that generate a fire-retardant gas upon decomposition. One subclass includes compositions that produce carbon dioxide upon decomposition. Other subclasses include species that generate non-CO,gases upon decomposition, such as CO, SO,, SO,, NO, N,O, NO,, or N,. A second preferred class of fire-retardant solvents include solvents that are fire-retardant without generating a fire-retardant gas upon decomposition, and are electrochemically inactive. Subclasses here include the many phosphates, phosphazenes, borates, siloxanes, fluorinated carbonates and fluorinated ethers that are already known to be included in a fire-retardant electrolyte. It is contemplated that the same solvent may be used in both an electrode paste and an electrolyte. It is also contemplated that the same polymer may be used in both an electrode paste and an electrolyte. An exemplary polymer for this purpose is polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). In one or both such cases, an electrolyte may advantageously be applied directly to the porous electrode surface, providing excellent interlayer adhesion and thus low interfacial resistance.

Fabrication of electrodes and devices containing electrodes

Secondary metal ion batteries are fabricated using a working electrolyte that is substantially incompatible with the anode material. This is accomplished by forming an SEI on the anode material at least in part using a compatible (i.e., SEI developing) electrolyte, and including a substantially incompatible (non-SEI forming) composition as the working electrolyte.

Metal ion batteries having non-compatible electrolytes and methods of

Novel liquid electrolyte plasticizers having enhanced ambient temperature conductivity are provided. These plasticizers have the following general structures ##STR1## in which R.sup.a, R.sup.b, R.sup.c, R.sup.e, R.sup.f, R.sup.i, .alpha., .beta., .gamma., l, p and q are as defined herein. Also provided are conductive compositions containing these novel plasticizers, particularly film compositions, and batteries formulated with such compositions.

Batteries, conductive compositions, and conductive films containing

A single-ion electrolyte achieves conductivity greater than 10.sup.-3 S/cm at 20.degree. C. by employing repeating mer units which are functionalized by fluoroalkylsulfonate groups. Preferred backbones for the electrolyte include polysiloxanes, polymethacrylates and poly(alkylene oxides). More preferred backbones have the structure ##STR1## wherein A is selected from the group consisting of C and Si such that when A is C then R.sup.4 is (CH.sub.2).sub.1-100' and when A is Si then R.sup.4 is O; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, fluorinated lower alkyl, fluorinated lower alkoxy, and fluoroalkylsulfonate; and R.sup.3 is null or selected from the group consisting of O, (O).sub.1-100, O--CH.sub.2, (O).sub.1-100 --(CH.sub.2).sub.1-100.

Single-ion conducting solid polymer electrolytes, and conductive

Novel compositions and methods are provided for use in the stepwise, layer by layer fabrication of three-dimensional objects, in which a build material contains a metal having a covalent bond to a non-metal, and the layers are processed to produce the three-dimensional object at least in part through a chemical reaction which alters the covalent bond of the metal. In a first aspect of the invention the build material includes a metal that is covalently bound to a polymeric precursor. In another aspect of the invention, the build material includes a metal, Me, that is covalently bound to a first ligand, L.sub.1. Following deposition of the build material, the first ligand undergoes a redox reaction with a second ligand, L.sub.2, thereby breaking the covalent bond of the metal. In more preferred embodiments of this class, L.sub.1 and L.sub.2 react to form a gas, and the metal reacts to form an oxide such as MeSO.sub.x, MeNO.sub.x, MeCO.sub.x and so forth. In yet another aspect of the invention, multiple build materials are employed to provide non-uniformities such as electrical, thermal, and magnetic conduction paths, structural supports, chemical and wear resistant areas, and so forth.

Rapid prototyping using multiple materials

Novel fire-retardant electrolyte compositions are provided. These compositions comprise a lithium salt dissolved in a fire-retardant solvent selected from the group consisting of phosphates, phospholanes, cyclophosphazenes, silanes, fluorinated carbonates, fluorinated polyethers and mixtures thereof. The electrolyte composition optionally contains a CO.sub.2 -generating compound. Also provided are fire-retardant batteries and fire-retardant conductive films formulated with such compositions, as well as methods of manufacturing such films.

Nonflammable/self-extinguishing electrolytes for batteries

Novel batteries formulated with compositions comprising liquid electrolyte plasticizers having enhanced ambient temperature conductivity are provided. These plasticizers have the following general structures ##STR1## in which R.sup.a, R.sup.b, R.sup.c, X, Y, Z, .alpha., .beta., .gamma., and l are as defined herein. Novel compositions and films comprising these plasticizers are also provided.

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Mountain View, CA, United States of America

Susanna C Ventura