Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Tohru Shiga

Kensuke Takechi

Akane Okada

Toshio Kurauchi

Mitsuru Nakano

Yoko Hase

Yoshiharu Hirose

Akihiko Koiwai

Takashi Ohta

Norio Sato

Norihiko Setoyama

Hideyuki Nakano

Haruo Imagawa

Shigehiro Kawauchi

Hideroh Takahashi

In an F-type electrochemical cell, in a casing, a positive electrodein which carbon dioxide gas is used as a positive electrode active material and a negative electrodeare placed so as to face each other with a separatortherebetween, and an electrolyte solutionis injected between the positive electrodeand the negative electrode. A tankstoring carbon dioxide gas is connected to the positive electrode, and carbon dioxide gas is supplied to the positive electrodethrough a holding member. By supplying carbon dioxide gas to the positive electrode in such a manner, the cell can be operated as a battery. Furthermore, when used a primary battery, carbon dioxide can be immobilized in the battery, which is desirable.

Gas battery comprising carbon dioxide gas as a positive electrode active material and method of use of gas battery

A F-type electrochemical cell, which is a lithium air battery, includes a positive electrode facing a negative electrode composed of metallic lithium with a separator provided therebetween in a casing. Air is capable of flow to the positive electrode. A nonaqueous electrolytic solution is charged into a space between the positive electrode and the negative electrode. At least one of the positive electrode and the nonaqueous electrolytic solution of the lithium air battery contains a compound having a stable radical skeleton. The compound also serves as a redox catalyst for oxygen.

Alkali metal air battery

A nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes a negative electrode composed of a metallic lithium foil and a positive electrode, the negative electrode and the positive electrode being arranged so as to face each other with an ion-conducting medium therebetween. The positive electrode is formed by a method in which a conductive agent and a binder are mixed, and then the mixture is press-formed onto a current collector. The ion-conducting medium contains, in addition to a lithium salt such as lithium hexafluorophosphate, a halogen such as iodine, and a halogen compound (e.g., lithium iodide). Furthermore, the positive electrode may contain a lithium halide.

Nonaqueous electrolyte battery

A non-aqueous air battery of the present invention includes a negative electrode for which a material which absorbs and releases lithium ions is used as a negative electrode active material, a positive electrode for which oxygen is used as a positive electrode active material, and a non-aqueous electrolyte disposed between the negative electrode and the positive electrode. The positive electrode contains a donor-acceptor molecule in which an electron-donating donor (D) having a porphyrin ring is connected to an electron-accepting acceptor (A) composed of a fullerene derivative, with a conductive spacer therebetween. An example of the donor-acceptor molecule is triphenylporphyrinyl bithienyl N-methylpyrrolidino[60]fullerene. 

Non-aqueous air battery and catalyst therefor

A lithium secondary battery exhibiting very high safety, which is ensured by restraining both the generation of flammable gas caused by the decomposition of an electrolyte, and the emission of oxygen from a positive active material even during overcharging. The lithium secondary battery includes a positive electrode of which an active material is a lithium transition metal composite oxide, a negative electrode of which an active material is a carbon material, and a nonaqueous electrolyte containing an organic solvent in which a lithium salt is dissolved. The nonaqueous electrolyte contains at least one kind of conductive polymer-forming monomers which have an alkyl group and is electrochemically polymerizable on the positive electrode within a battery operation voltage, and at least one kind of film-forming agents which electrochemically decompose within the battery operation voltage to form films on a surface of the negative electrode.

Lithium secondary battery

Disclosed are a nonaqueous electrolytic solution for a battery comprising a supporting electrolyte which can react with water to produce a hydrogen halide and a specific organic compound capable of reacting with water to decompose it for preventing acid generation, and a nonaqueous electrolytic solution battery comprising the same.

Nonaqueous electrolytic solution for battery and nonaqueous electrolytic solution battery using the same

A nonaqueous electrolytic solution for a battery, which contains a supporting electrolyte which reacts with water to produce an acid; and a complex-forming compound which forms an inert complex by reacting with water and a supporting electrolyte to prevent acid generation.

Nonaqueous electrolytic solution for battery and nonaqueous electrolytic

A method for detecting stresses includes the steps of dispersing a fluorescent substance in a solid portion where stresses are to be detected, measuring fluorescence decay time of the fluorescent substance dispersed in the solid portion, and detecting stresses in the solid portion based on the measured fluorescence decay time. The method enables to non-destructively detect stresses in resin-molded products without impairing their mechanical properties.

Method for detecting stresses

A variable-modulus material is composed of a polymer whose constituent unit is a thiophene or pyrrole molecule having from one to three C.sub.4-12 alkyl side chains, or a copolymer whose constituent unit is the thiophene or pyrrole molecule and which includes in a main chain thereof a conjugated compound with a K-electron bond directly bonded to the above molecule, and at least one additive (in an amount of 0.5-20 wt % of said polymer) selected from halogens, protonic acids, and transition metal halides. It greatly decreases in modulus upon application of an electric field as low as 5-150 V/mm and restores its original modulus upon removal of the electric field. It is suitable for use as vibration dampers and shock absorbers.

Variable-modulus material

A material with variable viscoelasticity is composed of an electrically insulating polymeric material, and fine particles dispersed therein and capable of electric polarization under an applied electric field. The particles may, for example, be of a conjugated and unsaturated organic compound, a polyelectrolyte, or an organometallic complex salt. The material is capable of a reversible change of viscoelasticity depending on the intensity of the applied electric field.

Growing community of inventors

Okazaki, Japan

Tohru Shiga