New converse Lyapunov theorems and related results on exponential stability

We treat the problem of constructing Lyapunov functions for systems which are, by assumption, exponentially stable. The construction we present results in a larger set of functions than those obtainable by previously known methods. A useful property of the proposed Lyapunov functions is that they preserve information on the rate of exponential convergence of the system. Some useful applications are given.