Probe electrode study of cathodically polarized PtIr-YSZ interfaces

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Local cathodic polarizations of yttria-stabilized zirconia were carried out with a PtIr probe as the working electrode in a controlled atmosphere high...     

Optimization of the cathode porosity via mechanochemical synthesis with carbon black

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Nanostructured carbon–coated composite cathode materials LiFe0.5Mn0.5PO4/C (LFMP/C) are prepared by the mechanochemically assisted solid-state...     

Synthesis of dimethyl ether from CO and H<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Thermodynamic conditions for synthesizing dimethyl ether from synthesis gas are determined. The optimum conditions of the process are as follow: T ∼ 300°C at p = 3 MPa for two catalysts loaded into the reactor: methanol synthesis catalyst (Katalco-58) and catalyst of methanol dehydration to dimethyl ether (γ-Al₂O₃). The changes that occur with the catalysts during this process are demonstrated by electron scanning microscopy.     

A Ready‐to‐Use Electrochemical Kit Design for the Diagnosis of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms

In this study, for the first time a model electrochemical kit was constructed for the detection of a functional polymorphism in catechol‐O‐methyl transferase (COMT) gene which is important for diagnosis of neuropsychiatric disorders as Alzheimer disease. The disposable pencil graphite electrode (PGE) is designed as a “kit” and the probe DNA covered PGE can detect single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from real samples based on the guanine oxidation signal even after 5 months of kit preparation (150 days durability).The detection limit (S/N=3) of the biosensor was calculated as 1.18 pmol of synthetic target sequence and 6.09×10⁵ molecules of real samples in 30 min detection time.     

Inversionless Superradiance and the Duffing Model

Superradiance of three-level optical systems with a doublet in the ground state (Λ-scheme) placed in a high-Q cavity is studied theoretically. The conservation laws are obtained, which allow to considerably reduce the dimension of the phase space of the examined model (R¹¹→R⁵). In the particular case of a degenerate doublet, a mapping that makes it possible to reduce the problem of the three-level superradiance to a Duffing oscillator model (R⁵→R²) is found. It is shown the possibility to initiate the superradiance generation even in the case when the population of the upper level is smaller than the total population of the lower doublet, i.e., without population inversion on the whole.     

Disordering and Electronic State of Cobalt Ions in Mechanochemically Synthesized LiCoO2

Mechanical activation (MA) combined with heat treatment at moderate temperatures was used to prepare disordered and highly dispersed LiCoO₂ starting from the mixtures of various cobalt precursors (CoOOH, Co(OH)₂, and Co) and LiOH. X-ray powder diffraction and IR spectroscopy were used to investigate the phase composition and the crystal structure of as-prepared samples, while the electronic state of cobalt ions was characterized by diffuse reflectance electron spectroscopy. MA of the LiOH+CoOOH mixture led to the formation of LT-LiCoO₂ with a cubic spinel-related structure. Heat treatment at 600°C of the latter resulted in the formation of HT-LiCoO₂ with a hexagonal layered structure similar to ceramic LiCoO₂. However, as-prepared HT-LiCoO₂ is characterized by Co³⁺O₆ octahedra less perfect than those of ceramic LiCoO₂. All MA-LiCoO₂ samples are exclusively described by localized d electrons.     

Synthesis of nanosized materials for lithium-ion batteries by mechanical activation. Studies of their structure and properties

This short review reports on the synthesis of nanosized electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries by mechanical activation (MA) and studies of their properties. Different structural types of compounds were considered, namely, compounds with a layered (LiNi_{1 − x − y} Co _x Mn _y O₂), spinel (LiMn₂O₄, Li₄Ti₅O₁₂), and framework (LiFePO₄, LiTi₂(PO₄)₃) structures. The compounds also differed in electronegativity, which varied from 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹ for LiCoO₂ to 10⁻⁹ S cm⁻¹ for LiFePO₄. The preliminary MA of mixtures of reagents in energy intensive mechanoactivators led to the formation of highly reactive precursors, and annealing of the latter formed nanosized products (the mean particle size is 50–200 nm). The local structure of the synthesized compounds and the composition of their surface were studied by spectral methods. An increase in the dispersity and defect concentration, especially in the region of the surface, improved some electrochemical characteristics. It increased the stability during cycling (LiMn₂O₄, at 3 V) and the regions of the formation of solid solutions during cycling (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂, LiFePO₄), led to growth of surface Li-ion conductivity (LiTi₂(PO₄)₃), etc. The mechanochemical approach was also used for the synthesis of core-shell type composite materials (LiFePO₄/C, LiCoO₂/MeO _x ) and materials based on two active electrode components (LiCoO₂/LiMn₂O₄).     

LiVPO4F/Li3V2(PO4)3 nanostructured composite cathode materials prepared via mechanochemical way

Single-phase LiVPO₄F and LiVPO₄F/Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ nanostructured composite cathode materials were prepared by heating of the VPO₄?+?LiF mechanochemically activated mixture to 700 °C and subsequent quick or slow cooling to room temperature, respectively. The formation of the composites was proved by a combination of different physico-chemical methods, including XRD, FTIR, ⁶Li and ³¹P NMR, SEM, TEM, and HRTEM. It has been shown that in the composites LiVPO₄F and Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ nanocrystals well inset into each other resulting in the nanodomain composite formation. Charge–discharge curves of the composites have a sloping profile both in the high-voltage (3.0–4.5 V) and in the low-voltage (1.3–2.5 V) ranges, noticeably different from plateaus for a phase-pure LiVPO₄F, thus indicating a probable change of a two-phase regime of lithium intercalation for a single-phase one. Enhanced rate capability of the LiVPO₄F/Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃ composites is associated with their microstructure and high ionic conductivity of Li₃V₂(PO₄)₃.     

LiMn<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> and LiCoO<Subscript>2</Subscript> composite cathode materials obtained by mechanical activation

New composite cathode materials xLiMn₂O₄/(1 ? x) LiCoO₂(x = 0.7, 0.6, 0.5 и 0.4) were obtained by mechanical activation. According to scanning electron microscopy data, the process was accompanied by pronounced dispersion and fine mixing of the initial components. In the course of the preparation and electrochemical cycling of the composites, LiMn₂O₄ and LiCoO₂ partially reacted, leading to the replacement of manganese with cobalt in the structure of spinel, which was detected by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), IR and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and cyclic chronopotentiometry. The specific discharge capacity of composites was ～100 mAh/g.