[0021] The present invention provides a process for pro› ducing an electrochemical cell (e.g. a battery or lithium-ion capacitor) having a high active material mass loading, exceptionally low overhead weight and volume (relative to the active material mass and volume), high volumetric capacity, and unprecedentedly high volumetric energy den› sity and power density. This battery metal battery can be a primary battery (non-rechargeable) or a secondary battery (rechargeable), including a rechargeable alkali metal battery (having a lithium, sodium, or potassium metal anode) and an alkali metal-ion battery (e.g. having a first lithium or sodium intercalation compound as an anode active material and a second lithium or sodium intercalation or absorbing com› pound, having a much higher electrochemical potential than the first one, as a cathode active material). The electrochemi› cal potential of the cathode active material in a battery of the instant invention is higher than that of the anode active material by at least 1.0 volt, preferably at least 1.5 volts, further preferably at least 2.0 volts, more preferably at least 3.0 volts, even more preferably at least 3.5 volts, and most preferably at least 4.0 volts. 

[0022] In some embodiments, the invention provides a process for producing an electrochemical cell. The process comprises: (A) continuously depositing a wet cathode active material mixture onto at least a surface of a cathode current collector to form a wet cathode electrode ( electrode remain› ing wet; the liquid solvent in the electrolyte not fully removed), wherein the wet cathode active material mixture preferably contains 30% to 85% by volume of a cathode active material and 0% to 15% by volume of a conductive additive dispersed in a first liquid or polymer gel electrolyte; (B) continuously depositing a wet anode active material mixture onto at least a surface of an anode current collector to form a wet anode electrode, wherein the wet anode active material mixture contains 30% to 85% by volume of an anode active material and 0% to 15% by volume of a conductive additive dispersed in a second liquid or polymer gel electrolytes; and (C) combining the wet cathode elec› trode or a portion thereof and the wet anode electrode or a portion thereof to form an electrochemical cell or multiple electrochemical cells; wherein the anode electrode and/or the cathode electrode has a thickness from 200 µm to 3,000 µm. Each cathode electrode may be cut and slit into multiple pieces of cathode layers and each anode electrode may be cut and slit into multiple pieces of anode layers. A cathode layer and an anode layer (along with a separator disposed between the two layers) may be assembled into a battery cell. 

[0023] In certain embodiments, in the above process, step (A) includes delivering, continuously or intermittently on demand, the wet cathode active material mixture to the at least a surface through spraying, printing, coating, casting, conveyor film delivery, and/or roller surface delivery; and/or wherein step (B) includes delivering, continuously or inter› mittently on demand, the wet anode active material mixture to the at least a surface through spraying, printing, coating, casting, conveyor film delivery, and/or roller surface deliv› ery. 

[0024] In certain embodiments, either the anode electrode or the cathode electrode is made by using the presently invented direct mixture deposition method. For instance, in one embodiment, the cathode is produced by the instant process but the anode can be produced by a different 

## SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 

process. In this embodiment, the process comprises: (A) continuously or non-continuously depositing a wet cathode active material mixture onto at least a surface of a cathode current collector to form a wet cathode electrode, wherein the wet cathode active material mixture contains a cathode active material, an optional conductive additive, and a first liquid or polymer gel electrolyte; wherein the cathode elec› trode has a thickness from 200 µm to 3,000 µm; (B) introducing an anode electrode having an anode current collector that has two opposed primary surfaces wherein at least one of the two primary surfaces is deposited with a layer of an anode active material; and (C) combining the wet cathode electrode or a portion thereof and the anode elec› trode or a portion thereof to form an electrochemical cell. In this process, step (A) preferably includes delivering the wet cathode active material mixture, continuously or intermit› tently on demand, to the at least a surface through spraying, printing, coating, casting, conveyor film delivery, and/or roller surface delivery. 

[0025] In another embodiment, the anode is produced by the instant process but the cathode can be produced by a different process. In this embodiment, the process com› prises: (A) continuously or non-continuously depositing a wet anode active material mixture onto at least a surface of an anode current collector to form an anode electrode, wherein the wet anode active material mixture contains an anode active material, an optional conductive additive, and a first liquid or polymer gel electrolyte; wherein the anode electrode has a thickness from 200 µm to 3,000 µm; (B) introducing a cathode electrode having a cathode current collector that has two opposed primary surfaces wherein at least one of the two primary surfaces is deposited with a layer of a cathode active material; and (C) combining the cathode electrode or a portion thereof and the wet anode electrode or a portion thereof to form an electrochemical cell. 

[0026] In any of the above versions of the process, step (C) may comprise continuously laminating the anode electrode, a separator layer, and the cathode electrode into a multi-layer laminated electrochemical cell having a length greater than 10 cm, preferably > 100 cm, and further preferably > 100 meters; there is no theoretical limitation on the length of the laminated cell, which is limited by the length of the anode current collector or the length of the cathode current col› lector. 

[0027] Alternatively, step (C) comprises cutting the anode electrode into multiple anode layers and cutting the cathode electrode into multiple cathode layers and assembling at least an anode layer and at least a cathode layer to form an electrochemical cell. Multiple cells can be made this way. 

[0028] The cathode electrode thickness or the anode elec› trode thickness is preferably >250 µm, further preferably >300 µm, more preferably >400 µm; further more preferably >500 µm, still more preferably >600 µm, or even> 1,000 µm; no theoretical limitation on the thickness of the presently invented electrode. 

[0029] In any version of the invented process, the wet cathode active material mixture and/or the wet anode active material mixture may contain a polymer binder. The first polymer gel electrolyte or the second polymer gel electrolyte may contain a reactive monomer or oligomer that gets polymerized or cured after the cathode electrode or the anode electrode is formed. 

