Sony Corporation

Apple Inc.

Sony Deutschland Gmbh

Tsuyonobu Hatazawa

Tomitaro Hara

Kazuhito Hatta

Takahiro Endo

Takashi Tomita

Koichiro Kezuka

Tamon Ikeda

Yukiko Iijima

Takashi Ono

Kazuhito Hatsuta

Kazuo Yamazaki

Akio Yasuda

Eriko Matsui

Jurina Wessels

Yusuke Suzuki

Shinichi Uesaka

William E Ford

Hideki Sakai

Yuzuru Fukushima

Mashio Shibuya

Shuji Goto

Goro Shibamoto

Ryosuke Takagi

Ryuichiro Maruyama

Peng Lu

Masami Miyake

Takayuki Kondo

Wei Zhou

Kouji Watanabe

Masanori Hori

Ryuichi Nawa

Yuuichi Ishikawa

Kiyomitsu Matsune

Tomitara Hara

Kai Yan

An electrochemical cell for a lithium ion battery has an anode comprising a silicon-based active material, a cathode comprising a cathode active material, and a capacity compensating electrolyte comprising a linear sulfite-based solvent and a lithium imide salt. A molar ratio of the lithium imide salt to the linear sulfite-based solvent is between 1:5 and 1:1.

Capacity compensating electrolyte with sulfite solvent for lithium ion batteries with silicon-based anodes

A fuel cell which utilizes the biogenic metabolism to produce a high current density is provided. The fuel cell generates electric power in such a way that the fuel is decomposed stepwise by a plurality of enzymes and those electrons formed by oxidation are transferred to the electrode. The enzymes work such that the enzyme activity of the enzyme involved in decomposition in the early stage is smaller than the sum of the enzyme activities of the enzymes involved in decomposition in the later stage. In the case where a coenzyme is involved, the enzyme activity of the oxidase that oxidizes the coenzyme is greater than the sum of the enzyme activities of the enzymes involved in the formation of the reduced form of the coenzyme, out of the enzymes involved in the stepwise decomposition of the fuel.

Fuel cell with sequential enzymatic reactions

Disclosed is a nonaqueous electrolyte battery including a battery element contained in an outer covering member composed of a laminated film and sealed therein by heat seal, and a gas absorbable material interposed between the outermost layer of the outer covering member and the battery element. Such a battery is advantageous in that even if gas occurs in the battery element, the laminated film as the outer covering member is prevented from being swelled.

Nonaqueous electrolyte battery

A functional device which is composed of a nanometer-sized functional structure, which can reduce connection resistance in connecting the functional structure to an external electrode, and which includes a wiring section capable of minimizing constraints given to structural designs of various functional structures, and a method of manufacturing it are provided. A functional device in which a functional structure having contained sections in positions spaced from each other is retained by a carbon nanotube. A gap is formed in the carbon nanotube, and the carbon nanotube is segmented into a first carbon nanotube and a second carbon nanotube by the gap. One of the contained sections is contained in the first carbon nanotube at an opening of the first carbon nanotube facing the gap, and the other of the contained sections is contained in the second carbon nanotube at an opening of the second carbon nanotube facing the gap.

Functional device and method of manufacturing it

Provided is a battery capable of preventing the entry of water even if a sealing width is reduced. A battery element comprising a cathode and an anode is accommodated in a film-shaped casing. The casing includes a metal layer, a resin layer disposed on a side of the metal layer closer to the battery element with an adhesive layer in between, and a resin layer disposed on a side of the metal layer opposite to the side where the resin layer is formed with an adhesive layer in between. The adhesive layer has a water vapor transmission rate of 800 g/m&#xb7;day or less for a thickness of 25 &#x3bc;m at 40&#xb0; C. and 90% RH and a thickness of 10 &#x3bc;m or less. Thereby, even if the sealing width is reduced, the entry of water into the battery can be prevented.

Battery

A nonaqueous electrolyte battery that includes a unit cell and a battery case that encloses the unit cell. The battery case includes a laminate film that encloses the unit cells by heat welding at least a portion of the laminate film. Upon heat welding, the unit cell further includes a number of electrode terminal leads in which a portion of the electrical terminal leads extend from the battery case. A sealant layer is further applied to at least a portion of the electrode terminal leads so as to contact the battery case upon heat welding in order to further seal the case and to further prevent short circuiting of the nonaqueous-electrolyte battery.

Non-aqueous electrolyte battery

A nonaqueous-electrolyte battery which is capable of preventing introduction of water and deterioration in the capacity thereof is disclosed. The nonaqueous-electrolyte battery according to the present invention incorporates a case constituted by laminated films; and a unit cell which is accommodated in the case and having a structure that the peripheries of the case is sealed with heat, wherein when an assumption is made that the quantity of water capable of penetrating a heat-weld resin layer which is the innermost layer of the case having a thickness of T (&#x3bc;m) is R (g/m&#xb7;day), the cross sectional area of resin in a heat-sealed portion is S (cm), an average width of the heat-sealed portion is W (cm) and the capacity of the unit cell is C (Wh), the following relationship is satisfied: (T&#xd7;R&#xd7;S)/(W&#xd7;C)&#x2266;0.96 &#x3bc;g/Wh&#xb7;day. When the foregoing structure is employed, water introducing rate can be reduced to 350 &#x3bc;g/year or lower per capacity (Wh).

Nonaqueous-electrolyte secondary battery

A solid-electrolyte secondary battery is provided which comprises a positive electrode, negative electrode and a solid electrolyte provided between the electrodes. The solid electrolyte contains as a matrix polymer a fluorocarbon polymer of 550,000 in weight-average molecular weight (Mw). The fluorocarbon polymer having a weight-average molecular weight of more than 550,000 shows an excellent adhesion to the active material layers of the positive and negative layers. Therefore, the high polymer solid (or gel) electrolyte adheres to the active material layers of the electrodes with a sufficient adhesive strength. A fluorocarbon polymer having a weight-average molecular weight (Mw) over 300,000 and under 550,000 may be used in combination with a fluorocarbon polymer of 550,000 or more in weight-average molecular weight to lower the viscosity for facilitating the formation of a film of the electrolyte.

Solid electrolytic secondary battery

The present invention is relative to a battery capacity calculating method including a reference discharge curve calculating step of finding a discharge curve, operating as a reference, a corrected voltage calculating step of correcting a measured voltage Vof the battery with a component of an electrical resistance to find a corrected voltage V, and a capacity calculating step of finding the discharging capacity of the battery from the discharge curve, operating as a reference, using the corrected voltage V. The capacity calculating step includes a sub-step of calculating a capacity deterioration index S, as a ratio of capacity decrease caused by battery deterioration. The discharging capacity, calculated from the discharging capacity, operating as a reference, using the corrected voltage V, is further multiplied with the capacity deterioration index S to calculate the discharging capacity.

Battery capacity calculating method

A battery calculating method, apparatus, and program are provided. The battery capacity calculating method and apparatus can very accurately calculate a residual capacity of a secondary battery especially in the last stage of discharging independently of environmental conditions such as a temperature or a deteriorated state. the battery capacity calculating apparatus is equipped with a voltage measuring circuit which measures the terminal voltage (V) of a battery at the time of discharging, a current measuring circuit which measures the current value (I) of the battery at the time of discharging, and a control circuit which calculates a residual capacity and/or residual power. The operation unit in the control circuit calculates a discharged capacity (Q) and an apparent discharged capacity (Q) based on a terminal voltage (V) and a current value (I) measured by the voltage measuring circuit and the current measuring circuit, respectively, estimates a discharge curve (C) in the future including the last stage of discharging based on a capacity shift (&#x394;Q) being the difference between the discharged capacity (Q) and the apparent discharged capacity (Q) during discharging, and calculates the residual capacity and/or the residual power of the battery based on the estimated discharge curve (C).

Battery capacity calculating method, battery capacity calculating apparatus and battery capacity calculating program

A nonaqueous-electrolyte battery that includes a unit cell and a battery case that encloses the units. The battery case includes a laminate film that sealingly encloses the units by heat welding at least a portion of the laminate film. Upon heat welding, the unit cell further includes a number of electrode terminal leads in which a portion of the electrical terminal leads extend from the battery case. A sealant layer is further applied to at least a portion of the electrodeterminal leads so as to contact the battery case upon heat welding in order to further seal the case and to further prevent short circuiting of the nonaqueous-electrolyte battery.

Non-aqueous electrolytic battery and manufacturing method

Disclosed is a solid electrolyte battery including: a first electrode including a first collector, and a first active material layer formed on one surface of the first collector with an outer peripheral edge portion of the first collector remaining as a collector exposed portion; a second electrode including a second collector and second active material layers formed on both surfaces of the second collector; and a solid electrolyte interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; wherein the second electrode is held in the first electrode in such a manner that the first active material layer is opposed to each of the second active material layers via the solid electrolyte, and is sealed in the first electrode by joining the collector exposed portion of the first electrode to each other. This battery is allowed to be further thinned and reduced in weight, to be improved in energy density per weight and energy density per volume, and to be enhanced in air-tightness.

Solid electrolyte battery and production method thereof

A secondary cell exhibiting superior flexibility and cell characteristics. This secondary cell has an anode, a polymer electrolyte layer and an anode, layered together. At least one of the anode and the anode is formed by a sheet-like electrode comprised of a current collector, composed mainly of carbon fibers, and an electrode mixture carried thereon. A metal foil is provided in sliding contact with the sheet electrode on the opposite side of the sheet electrode with respect to the polymer electrolyte layer, and an electrode terminal is taken from said metal foil. The cell device is sealed under a reduced pressure by an exterior member.

Secondary cell and method for preparation thereof

The present invention provides a gel electrolyte cell including a non-aqueous electrolytic solution containing lithium-containing electrolyte salt solved in a non-aqueous solvent and made into a gel state by a matrix polymer, and the gel electrolyte contains vinylene carbonate or derivative thereof in the amount not less than 0.05 wt % and not greater than 5 wt %. This gel electrolyte exhibits an excellent chemical stability with the negative electrode, strength, and liquid-retention characteristic. This gel electrolyte enables to obtain a gel electrolyte cell satisfying the cell capacity, cycle characteristic, load characteristic, and low-temperature characteristic.

Gel electrolyte and gel electrolyte cell

A solid-electrolyte secondary battery is provided which comprises a positive electrode, negative electrode and a solid electrolyte provided between the electrodes. The solid electrolyte contains as a matrix polymer a vinylidene fluoride/hexafluoropropylene block copolymer. The film of the block copolymer has a high mechanical toughness and solvent retaining capability. Use of this block copolymer film as the matrix polymer of the solid electrolyte greatly improves the adhesive strength, load characteristic and low-temperature performance. In the block copolymer, the proportion of hexafluoropropylene should preferably be 3 to 7.5% by weight. The molecular weight should preferably be of over 550,000. A block copolymer of over 300,000 in Mw and under 550,000 in Mw is used in combination with the above one.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Tsuyonobu Hatazawa