Ovonic Battery Company, Inc.

Basf Corporation

Energy Conversion Devices, Inc.

Texaco Ovonic Battery Systems, LLC

William C Mays

Benjamin Reichman

Michael A Fetcenko

Kwo Young

Stanford R Ovshinsky

Diana F Wong

James L Strebe

Martin L Panchula

Beth Sommers

Lixin Wang

Christian Fierro

Jean Nei

John M Koch

Jack Thomas Bender

Xue Wu Liu

Kwo-hsiung Young

Dieter G Von Deak

Tinoush Dinn

Gary A Yacobian

Hu Chao-Ian

Benjamin S Chao

Cristian Fierro

Taihei Ouchi

Avram Zallen

Tim Hicks

Martin Lawrence Panchula

Provided are processes for extracting nickel and lithium from a Ni/Lisolution. The process for extracting nickel and lithium includes providing a Ni/Lisolution comprising an amount of lithium and an amount of nickel, treating the Ni/Lisolution with an alkaline agent to adjust the pH of the Ni/Lisolution to between about 1.0 to about 10.0, and treating the Ni/Lisolution with a nickel selective extractant, the nickel selective extractant suitable to extract nickel from the Ni/Lisolution at said pH to thereby produce a Lisolution with less than 1000 parts per million Ni. Once complete, the process provides for recoverable nickel and/or lithium that may be recycled into batteries or sold for other uses.

Methods for extracting elements from a solution

Provided are processes for the formation of electrochemically active materials such as lithiated transition metal oxides that solve prior issues with throughput and calcination. The processes include forming the materials in the presence of a processing additive that includes potassium prior to calcination that produces active materials with increased primary particle grain sizes.

Process for producing lithiated transition metal oxides

Provided are processes for the formation of electrochemically active materials such as lithiated transition metal oxides that solve prior issues with throughput and calcination. The processes include forming precursor materials into agglomerates prior to calcination. The use of the agglomerates improves gas flow into and out of the materials thereby improving calcination results, electrochemical properties of the resulting materials, and allows for use of high temperature kilns not previously suitable for such materials thereby lowering production costs.

Provided are processes for extracting lithium and optionally nickel from a Nickel(II)/Lithium(I) (Ni/Li) solution. The extraction is optionally performed in a series of steps with counterflow of aqueous and organic flows to thereby produce a lithium poor solution. The lithium poor solution may be treated so that remaining Ni in the lithium poor solution may be directly precipitated therefrom in the form of a Ni salt. Once complete, the process provides for recoverable nickel and/or lithium that may be recycled into batteries or sold for other uses.

Methods for extracting Li and Ni from a solution

Provided are uniquely structured electrochemically active particles characterized by a first electrochemically active material and a second electrochemically active material disposed about the first material whereby at least the second material includes a modifier present as a continuous transition concentration gradient from the first material into the second material whereby the concentration is lower in the first material than the second material. Also provided are processes of producing the particle and electrochemical cells incorporating the particles as a positive electrode material in a cathode.

Nickel hydroxide composite material for alkaline rechargeable battery

Certain nickel hydroxide active cathode materials for use in alkaline rechargeable batteries are capable of transferring &#x3e;1.3 electrons per Ni atom under reversible electrochemical conditions. The specific capacity of the nickel hydroxide active materials is for example &#x2265;325 mAh/g. The cathode active materials exhibit an additional discharge plateau near 0.8 V vs. a metal hydride (MH) anode. Ni in an oxidation state of less than 2, such as Ni, is able to participate in electrochemical reactions when using the present cathode active materials. It is possible that up to 2.3 electrons, up to 2.5 electrons or more may be transferred per Ni atom under electrochemical conditions.

Nickel hydroxide positive electrode for alkaline rechargeable battery

Certain nickel hydroxide active cathode materials for use in alkaline rechargeable batteries are capable of transferring &#x3e;1.3 electrons per Ni atom under reversible electrochemical conditions. The specific capacity of the nickel hydroxide active materials is for example &#x2267;325 mAh/g. The cathode active materials exhibit an additional discharge plateau near 0.8 V vs. a metal hydride (MH) anode. Ni in an oxidation state of less than 2, such as Ni, is able to participate in electrochemical reactions when using the present cathode active materials. It is possible that up to 2.3 electrons, up to 2.5 electrons or more may be transferred per Ni atom under electrochemical conditions.

Lithiated composite materials and methods of manufacture are provided that are capable of imparting excellent capacity and greatly improved cycle life in lithium-ion secondary cells. By supplementing a high nickel content lithium storage material with a transition metal oxide lithium storage material or a dopant at relatively low levels, the capacity of the high nickel content lithium storage materials is maintained while cycle life is dramatically improved. These characteristics are promoted by methods of producing the materials that intermix unlithiated precursor materials with a lithium source and sintering the materials together in a single sintering reaction. The resulting lithiated composite materials provide for the first time both high capacity and excellent cycle life to predominantly high nickel content electrodes.

Composite cathode materials having improved cycle life

An electrochemical cell is provided that includes a structurally and compositionally disordered electrochemically active alloy material as an anode active material with unexpected capacity against a nickel hydroxide based cathode active material. The disordered metal hydroxide alloy includes three or more transition metal elements and is formed in such a way so as to produce the necessary disorder in the overall system. When an anode active material includes nickel as a predominant, the resulting cells represent the first demonstration of a functional Ni/Ni cell.

Disordered anodes for Ni-metal rechargeable battery

A hybrid power cell is provided that combines a nickel-metal hydride battery, solid state hydrogen storage, and alkaline fuel cell technologies in a single cell operating within a targeted intermediate temperature range. A cell includes a cathode that is capable of using raw atmospheric air as an oxygen source and an anode that is capable of reversible electrochemical and gas phase hydrogen storage, where the anode and the cathode are highly functional at intermediate temperatures. The resulting hybrid power cell overcomes prior challenges of reliable high-capacity grid-tied energy storage necessary for greater renewable energy adoption.

Shared electrode hybrid battery-fuel cell system

A base-facilitated process for producing hydrogen. Hydrogen is produced from a reaction of carbonaceous matter with a base and water, preferably through the formation of a bicarbonate or carbonate by-product. The base-facilitated hydrogen-producing reactions are thermodynamically more spontaneous and are able to produce hydrogen gas at less extreme reaction conditions than conventional reformation or gasification reactions of carbonaceous matter. In another embodiment, the instant reactions permit the production of hydrogen from carbonaceous matter without the production of carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. In a preferred embodiment, the carbonaceous matter is coal or a derivative thereof.

Base-facilitated produciton of hydrogen from carbonaceous matter

A low temperature alkaline fuel cell having a hydrogen electrode and an oxygen electrode, both of which are comprised of high performance non-precious metal catalytic materials providing high performance at low temperatures.

Low temperature alkaline fuel cell

A method of producing hydrogen gas from a reaction of carbon monoxide with a base. Hydrogen is produced in a reaction of a base with carbon monoxide that proceeds through the formation of a bicarbonate or carbonate compound as a by-product. In some embodiments, the reaction may occur in the presence of water and may produce carbon dioxide as a by-product. The instant base-facilitated hydrogen-producing reactions are thermodynamically more spontaneous than the water-gas shift reaction and are able to produce hydrogen gas from carbon monoxide at greater reaction rates than is possible with the water-gas shift reaction. Carbon monoxide in a purified or unpurified state or as a component within a mixture of gases is suitable for use in the instant invention. Metal hydroxides are the preferred base reactant. The base reactant can be in the solid phase, molten phase, liquid phase or solution phase.

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Commerce, MI, United States of America

William C Mays