Effects of pyridine carboxylic acid on the positive electrolyte for vanadium redox flow battery

Ionics - In this work, dipicolinic acid and quinolinic acid are employed as additives to improve the thermal stability and electrochemical performance for the positive electrolyte of vanadium redox...     

Carbon paper modified by hydrothermal ammoniated treatment for vanadium redox battery

Modification of carbon paper by hydrothermal ammoniated treatment for vanadium redox battery was investigated in this paper. The content of nitrogen in the carbon paper improved from 2.957 to 6.432 % due to the introduced of nitrogenous groups. The surface smoothness and morphology of carbon fiber did not change after the hydrothermal ammoniated treatment. In the mean time, the hydrophilicity has been enhanced because of the introduction of nitrogenous groups to the surface of carbon paper. The sample, which was treated at 220 °C for 15 h, shows the best performance in electrochemical activity and charge–discharge among all the samples. At the current density of 20 mA/cm² after 50th cycles, the coulombic efficiency, voltage efficiency, as well as energy efficiency of the fabricated cell has reached up to 97.2, 85.3, and 82.9 %, respectively. It indicates the hydrothermal ammoniated treatment might be a promising approach to modify carbon paper for vanadium redox battery.     

Study of the electrochemical performance of VO2+/VO2 + redox couple in sulfamic acid for vanadium redox flow battery

The present work was performed in order to evaluate sulfamic acid as the supporting electrolyte for VO²⁺/VO₂ ⁺ redox couple in vanadium redox flow battery. The oxidation process of VO²⁺ has similar electrochemical kinetics compared with the reduction process of VO₂ ⁺. The exchange current density and standard rate constant of VO²⁺/VO₂ ⁺ redox reaction on a graphite electrode in sulfamic acid are determined as 7.6?×?10^?4 A cm^?2 and 7.9?×?10^?5 cm s^?1, respectively. The energy efficiency of the cell employing sulfamic acid as supporting electrolyte in the positive side can reach 75.87 %, which is adequate for redox flow battery applied in energy storage. The addition of NH₄ ⁺ to the positive electrolyte can enhance the electrochemical performance of the cell, with larger discharge capacity and energy efficiency. The preliminary exploration shows that the vanadium sulfamate electrolyte is promising for vanadium redox flow battery and is worthy of further study.     

Design and synthesis of highly stable poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-zirconium phosphate (PTFE-ZrP) ion-exchange membrane for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB)

Vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is a promising technology for large-scale renewable energy storage. Design of ion-exchange membrane (IEM) with desired properties like low-cost, mechanically chemically stable, low vanadium ion permeability and high proton conductivity is one of the major challenges. Here, we report the design and synthesis of novel poly(tetrafluoroethylene)-zirconium phosphate (PTFE-ZrP) asymmetric IEM using a simple brush coating method. XRD results confirmed the presence of α-ZrP crystalline phase onto the top layer of the membrane. Excellent mechanical strength was observed with burst pressure of 3.22 × 10⁵ N m^?2. Oxidative stability of membrane in Fenton’s reagent was much better than Nafion-115. Vanadium ion (V⁴⁺) permeability of the membrane was more than three times lower than that of Nafion-115. Single-cell VRFB with PTFE-ZrP membrane showed ～80% energy efficiency below 30 mA cm^?2. Very high columbic efficiency ～100% of VRFB with PTFE-ZrP membrane confirmed little contamination of electrolyte due to cross-mixing.     

Preparation of activated carbon paper by modified Hummer’s method and application as vanadium redox battery

Ionics - In this report, the activated carbon papers were prepared by the modified Hummer’s method. After the treatment by the modified Hummer’s method, the specific surface areas of...     

钒电池电解液中不同价态钒的分光光度分析

采用先还原后络合的方法,利用草酸将V(V)离子还原并形成络合物,使得全钒氧化还原液流电池(钒电池)电解液的四种价态离子在紫外可见光范围内均具有不同的特征吸收峰.基于此建立了钒电池电解液中不同价态钒离子的光度分析方法,实现对钒离子定性、定量测定.不同价态钒离子标准曲线线性相关系数都大于0.999 0,线性范围分别为0.3...     

Effect of In3+ ions on the electrochemical performance of the positive electrolyte for vanadium redox flow batteries

Influence of In³⁺ ions on electrochemical performance of positive electrolyte for vanadium redox flow battery was investigated in this paper. The electrochemical activity and kinetics of V(IV)/V(V) redox couple can be enhanced by the addition of In³⁺ ions, and the optimal concentration of In³⁺ ions was found at 10 mM. At this condition, the oxidation peak current with 10 mM In³⁺ ions is 46.6 mA at a scan rate of 20 mV s^?1, larger than that of pristine electrolyte (41.8 mA), and the standard rate constant is 6.53?×?10^?5 cm s^?1, 42 % larger than that of the pristine electrolyte (4.58?×?10^?5 cm s^?1). The cell using electrolyte with 10 mM In³⁺ ions was assembled, and the charge–discharge performance was evaluated, and the average energy efficiency increases by 1.9 % compared with the pristine cell. The improved electrochemical performance may be ascribed to that In³⁺ ions change the hydration state of vanadium ions in electrolyte and promote charge transfer process.     

Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene/sulfur composite for lithium-sulfur battery

A three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene/sulfur composite (NGS3) was synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method using urea as the nitrogen source and subsequent thermal treatment. The structure and electrochemical performance of the prepared nitrogen-doped graphene/sulfur composite (NGS3) were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM), Energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping (EDS), and galvanostatic charge/discharge measurements. SEM and EDS mapping show that NGS3 exhibits a porous structure with uniform distribution of sulfur. Compared with the graphene/sulfur composite (NGS1), NGS3 delivers an outstanding rate capability with 1501, 1278, 1136, and 1024 mAh g^?1 at 200, 400, 800, and 1000 mA g^?1, respectively, and the cycle stability of NGS3 is also wonderful, a reversible discharge capacity of 1330 mAh g^?1 is obtained after 80 cycles under the current rate of 200 mA g^?1. The wonderful electrochemical performance could be attributed to the special three-dimensional conductive structure with the help of nitrogen atom.     

Tamarind seed polysaccharide biopolymer membrane for lithium-ion conducting battery

Solid biopolymers have gained much attention in the development of polymer electrolytes due to its biocompatibility, film-forming nature, and non-toxicity. In the present work, biopolymer membrane has been prepared using tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP) as host polymer and various concentrations of lithium chloride (LiCl) salt as dopant by solution casting technique. The prepared biopolymer electrolyte has been characterized by XRD, FTIR, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, AC impedance spectroscopy analysis, and transference number measurement. XRD analysis has been done to investigate the amorphous/crystalline nature of the polymer membrane. The highest amorphous nature has been found for 1 g of TSP with 0.4 g LiCl. FTIR spectrum analysis confirms the complex formation between TSP biopolymer with LiCl. From AC impedance conductivity analysis, the maximum ionic conductivity is of the order of 6.7?×?10^?3 S cm^?1 at room temperature for 1 g TSP with 0.4 g LiCl, whereas for pure TSP biopolymer membrane, the ionic conductivity is of the order of 5.48?×?10^?7 S cm^?1. The glass transition temperature for the highest conducting biopolymer membrane for the composition of 1 g TSP: 0.4 g LiCl has been found to be 44.25 °C using the DSC technique. Employing the maximum conducting biopolymer membrane, a lithium-ion conducting battery has been fabricated and its discharge characteristics have been studied.     

A facile pyrolysis method to prepare vanadium oxides for high performance aqueous Zn-ion battery

Vanadium oxides, as one of the most promising cathode materials for zinc ion batteries, have attracted extensive attention in recent years. Different from the generally used hydrothermal and solvothermal methods to adjust the composition, structure, morphology and electrical properties of vanadium oxides, we firstly adopt a simple pyrolysis method to synthesize a series of vanadium oxides and use them as cathode materials for aqueous Zn-ion battery, whose electrochemical performances is superior to most state-of-the-art vanadium oxides. The as-obtained V₄O₇ under the calcination temperature of 700 °C exhibits excellent zinc ion storage performance with maximum specific capacity of 367.2 mAh g⁻¹ at the current density of 1 A g⁻¹, about 84.9% capacity retention after 100 cycles, excellent rate performance, high capacity. In addition, a series of structural and electrochemical characterization are used to reveal the possible mechanism of charge and discharge.     

MnO2-polypyrrole conducting polymer composite electrodes for electrochemical redox supercapacitors

Redox supercapacitors using electrochemically synthesised MnO₂-polypyrrole composite electrodes have been fabricated with different electrolytes, namely polymer electrolyte film (polyvinyl alcohol, PVA-H₃PO₄ aqueous blend), aprotic liquid electrolyte (LiClO₄-propylene carbonate, PC) and polymeric gel electrolyte [poly methyl methacrylate, (PMMA)-Ethylene carbonate (EC)-Propylene carbonate (PC)-NaClO₄]. The capacitors have been characterised using galvanostatic charge-discharge methods. The cell with aqueous PVA-H₃PO₄ shows non-capacitive behaviour owing to some reversible chemical reaction of MnO₂ with water while the MnO₂-polypyrrole composite is found to be a suitable electrode material for redox supercapacitors with aprotic (non-aqueous) electrolytes. The solid state supercapacitor based on MnO₂-polypyrrole composite electrodes with gel electrolyte gives stable values of capacitance of 10.0–18.0 mF cm⁻² for different discharge current densities.     

PVA nano composite membrane for DMFC application

A new PEM composite membrane comprising of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), sulfonic acid functionalized CNT and fluorinated MMT has been fabricated. Composite polymer membrane has been prepared by simple solution casting method. Composite properties have been evaluated by using thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and FTIR techniques. The proton conductivity, methanol crossover and water uptake properties of newly fabricated membrane have been studied. The polymer membrane shows good thermal properties. The water content is in the range of 35-45%. Especially, it has been found that the fluorinated MMT used in this study plays a decisive role in water uptake and acts as a hydrophobic surface for controlling the swelling. The proton conductivities and the methanol permeabilities of all the membranes are in the range of 10^− 3 to 10^− 2 S/cm and 2.08 × 10^− 6 cm²/s at room temperature, respectively.     

A pressure-based algorithm for multi-phase flow at all speeds

A new finite volume-based numerical algorithm for predicting incompressible and compressible multi-phase flow phenomena is presented. The technique is equally applicable in the subsonic, transonic, and supersonic regimes. The method is formulated on a non-orthogonal coordinate system in collocated primitive variables. Pressure is selected as a dependent variable in preference to density because changes in pressure are significant at all speeds as opposed to variations in density, which become very small at low Mach numbers. The pressure equation is derived from overall mass conservation. The performance of the new method is assessed by solving the following two-dimensional two-phase flow problems: (i) incompressible turbulent bubbly flow in a pipe, (ii) incompressible turbulent air–particle flow in a pipe, (iii) compressible dilute gas–solid flow over a flat plate, and (iv) compressible dusty flow in a converging diverging nozzle. Predictions are shown to be in excellent agreement with published numerical and/or experimental data.     

A ZnO/PVA/PAADDA composite electrode for rechargeable zinc-air battery

Ionics - A ZnO/PVA/PAADDA composite electrode for rechargeable zinc-air battery was prepared by chemical cross-linked PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) with poly(acrylamide-co-diallyldimethylammonium...     

Performance studies on composite gel polymer electrolytes for rechargeable magnesium battery application

Effect of micron-sized MgO particles dispersion on poly(vinylidenefluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVdF–HFP) based magnesium-ion (Mg²⁺) conducting gel polymer electrolyte has been studied using various electrical and electrochemical techniques. The composite gel films are free-standing and flexible with enough mechanical strength. The optimized composition with 10 wt% MgO particles offers a maximum electrical conductivity of ∼6×10⁻³ S cm⁻¹ at room temperature (∼25°C). The Mg²⁺ ion conduction in gel film is confirmed from cyclic voltammetry, impedance spectroscopy and transport number measurements. The applicability of the composite gel electrolyte to a rechargeable battery system has been examined by fabricating a prototype cell consisting of Mg (or Mg–MWCNT composite) and V₂O₅ as negative and positive electrodes, respectively. The rechargeability of the cell has been improved, when Mg metal was substituted by Mg–MWCNT composite as negative electrode.     

Sn/carbon nanotube composite anode with improved cycle performance for lithium-ion battery

Anode material for lithium-ion battery based on Sn/carbon nanotube (CNT) composite is synthesized via a chemical reduction method. The Sn/CNT composite is characterized by thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, and transition electron microscopy. The Sn/CNT composite delivers high initial reversible capacity of 630.5 mAh g^?1 and exhibits stable cycling performance with a reversible capacity of 413 mAh g^?1 at the 100th cycle. The enhanced electrochemical performance of the Sn/CNT composite could be mainly attributed to the well dispersion of Sn nanoparticles on CNT and partially filling Sn nanoparticles inside the CNT. It is proposed that the chemical treatment of CNT with concentrated nitric acid, which cuts carbon nanotube into short pieces and increases the amount of oxygen-functional groups on the surface, plays an important role in the anchoring of Sn nanoparticles on carbon nanotube and inhibiting the agglomeration of Sn nanoparticles during the charge–discharge process.     

Synthesis of hollow silica-sulfur composite nanospheres towards stable lithium-sulfur battery

Herein, porous hollow silica nanospheres were prepared via a facile sol-gel process in an inverse microemulsion, using self-assemblies of chiral amphiphile as a soft template and fine water droplets as a hard template. The shells of the hollow silica nanospheres are composed of flake-like nanoparticles with dense big holes on the surface. After covering a layer of sulfur on the silica nanospheres, followed by hydrothermal treatment in a D-glucose aqueous solution, silica-sulfur and silica-sulfur-carbon nanospheres were successfully fabricated. The silica-sulfur composites exhibit a stable capacity of 454 mAh g^?1 at current density of 335 mA g^?1 after 100 cycles with capacity retention of 85%, demonstrating a promising cathode material for rechargeable lithium-sulfur batteries. We believe that the approach for synthesis of porous hollow silica nanospheres and its carbon spheroidal shell can also be applicable for designing other electrode materials for energy storage.     

Vibrations of a composite annular membrane

This paper deals with the free vibrations of a composite annular membrane and gives some particular cases.     

Li4Ti5O12/Ag composite as electrode materials for lithium-ion battery

The Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/Ag composites were prepared by thermal decomposition of AgNO₃ added to Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ powders. The influence of the Ag contents and the mixing media on the particle size, morphology and electrochemical performance of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/Ag composites were investigated. The highest discharge capacity of the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/Ag composite reached at the 5 wt.% of Ag content. Compared with alcohol medium, distilled water as mixing medium presented the Li₄Ti₅O₁₂/Ag composite with higher specific capacity and better cycling performance, leading to a reversible capacity after 50 cycles of 184.2 mAh/g with a capacity degradation of 3.31% compared to the second cycle at 2 C rate.     

Fiber optic flow and cure sensing for liquid composite molding

The Polymer Composites group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology has efforts in both on-line flow and cure sensing for liquid composite molding. For our flow program, a novel fiber optic real-time sensor system has been developed that can sense resin at various locations on a single fiber using long-period gratings and a polychromatic source. The sensor operation and characterization will be discussed along with sensor performance during mold filling with various types of reinforcement. The cure sensing program focuses on the interface-sensitive fluorescence response of a dye molecule grafted to a high-index glass fiber. The fluorescence emission of the fluorophore undergoes a blue shift as the resin cures. The fluorescence sensor is made by grafting a silane functional fluorophore onto the surface of the glass with close attention to layer thickness. Fluorescence emission of the grafted fluorophore film is shown to be sensitive to epoxy resin cure, co-silane, and layer thickness. The response of the grafted fluorophore to cure on a high-index fiber is demonstrated.