Modification of electrolyte transport within the cathode for high-rate cycle performance of Li-ion battery

During high-rate cycling of Li-ion batteries (LIBs) at elevated temperatures, the detachment of the cathode materials from their Al substrate is a major cause of the deterioration in the performance of LIBs. This detachment is suppressed by the addition of an electrolyte additive, poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate, which can act as a buffer zone to prevent the abrupt mass transport of electrolyte within the cathode and as a swing to transport Li⁺ ions dissociating from the active materials of the cathode. Owing to the dual effects of this type of monomer, an acrylate monomer with one side ether chain, the cathode materials are maintained without detachment from the Al substrate, even under severe cycling conditions. This idea can be applied to LIBs for a series of electric vehicles, which require superior high-rate performance at elevated temperatures.     

A semiconductor-electrochemistry model for design of high-rate Li ion battery

For designing batteries with high-rate and long-life, electronic/ionic transport and reaction must be unified for metal oxide electrodes. However, it remains challenging for effectively integrating the whole substrate/active materials/electrolyte interfaces. Herein by taking Li ion battery as example, we propose a semiconductor-electrochemistry model by which a general but novel insight has been gained into interfacial effect in batteries. Different from those traditional viewpoints, this derived model lies across from physics to electrochemistry. A reaction driving force can be expressed in terms of Fermi energy change,based on the tradeoff between electronic and ionic concentration at the reaction interfacial region. Therefore, at thermodynamic-controlled interface I of substrate/electrode, increasing contact areas can afford higher activity for active materials. Whereas at kinetically-governed interface II of electrode/electrolyte or inside active materials, it is crucial to guarantee high-reaction Li ionic concentration, with which some sufficient reaction degrees can reach.     

Spin crossover active iron(II) complexes of selected pyrazole-pyridine/pyrazine ligands

This review begins with a brief introduction to pyrazole and to spin crossover. The focus then moves to a detailed consideration of the synthesis and magnetic properties of structurally characterized iron(II) spin crossover (SCO) active complexes of pyrazole- and pyrazolate-based ligands that also contain at least one pyridine or pyrazine unit within the ligand motif. The syntheses and crystallization methods reported in the original publications are emphasized in this review. The reason for this is that these factors often affect the exact nature of the final product, including the amount and nature of the crystallization solvent molecules present and/or what polymorph is obtained, and hence they can impact strongly on the SCO properties of the resulting materials, as can be seen in this review.     

Electrochemical reactivity of atomic and molecular species under solid-state confinement

The nanoconfinement of electrochemically-active guest species in host solid state electrode materials provides opportunities to tune mass transport between the bulk electrolyte and inner surface of the electrode, enhance electron-transfer rates, and/or improve the stability and dispersion of active material. This review summarizes recent experimental and theoretical electrochemical studies of three types of nanoconfined guest species: (1) ion adsorption of electrolyte ions, (2) confined redox-active molecules, and (3) electrocatalytic reactions of confined ions/solvents and catalytic particles. The examples discussed in this review illustrate how the confinement of guest species within enclosed spaces with nanoscale dimensions – such as pores, pockets, channels, and interlayers – can lead to improved electrochemical performance.     

锂离子电池低温性能改善研究进展

锂离子电池因其能量密度高,循环寿命长等优点已成为新型动力电池领域的研究热点,但其温度特性尤其是低温性能较差制约着锂离子电池的进一步使用. 本文综述了锂离子电池低温性能的研究进展,系统地分析了锂离子电池低温性能的主要限制因素. 从正极、电解液、负极三个方面讨论了近年来研究者们提高电池低温性能的改性方法. 并对提高锂离子电池低温性能的发展方向进行了展望.     

Vanadium-based cathodes for aqueous zinc ion batteries: Structure,mechanism and prospects

As an emerging energy storage device with high-safety aqueous electrolytes, low-cost, environmental benignity and large-reserves, the rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries(AZIBs) have attracted more and more attention. Vanadium-based compounds are also supposed as the potential candidate cathode materials for AZIBs due to their wide variety of phases, variable crystal structures and high theoretical capacity. In this review, the recent progress in the development of vanadium-based materials wa...     

锂离子电池多孔电极理论的回顾与新思考

本文总结了Newman多孔电极理论的基本内容,提出若干改进思路. 提出基于离子-空穴耦合传输机制描述浓电解质中的离子输运过程,在此基础上引入离子-电子耦合转移反应的思想处理电极材料中的离子传输问题,并通过计算嵌锂材料的离子扩散系数验证其合理性. 总结了描述多孔电极多尺度结构的相关理论和技术,表明均质化方法和基于结构重建的介观模拟方法均能给出比较合理的有效输运参数,从而提高多孔电极理论模拟结果的准确性.     

锂离子电池高电压正极粘结剂的研究进展

锂离子电池在高电压下会导致严重的电解液分解以及不稳定的正极与电解质界面问题,严重制约高电压正极材料的商业化.粘结剂不仅可以将正极活性材料和导电炭紧密粘结在集流体上,还对构建电解质与正极之间的多尺度相容性界面起积极作用,因此,粘结剂的优化可以有效解决上述难题.本文提出了高电压锂离子电池正极粘结剂需具备的必要条件,如:粘结性能和机械性能优异,具有出色的电化学稳定性和热力学稳定性以及良好的离子和电子传输能力等.综述了近些年来高电压正极粘结剂的研究及发展现状,通过天然粘结剂和合成粘结剂对目前已报道的高电压粘结剂进行了评述,介绍了各种粘结剂对电极的粘结性能和包覆以及对锂离子电池性能的影响机制,重点阐述了粘结剂分子结构中的极性基团与活性物质间的相互作用,如氢键和离子-偶极相互作用,并讨论了设计开发高电压正极粘结剂的途径以及展望了高电压正极粘结剂的发展前景.     

Uncovering the Shuttle Effect in Organic Batteries and Counter‐Strategies Thereof: A Case Study of the N,N′‐Dimethylphenazine Cathode

The main drawback of organic electrode materials is their solubility in the electrolyte, leading to the shuttle effect. Using N,N′‐dimethylphenazine (DMPZ) as a highly soluble cathode material, and its PF₆^? and triflimide salts as models for its first oxidation state, a poor correlation was found between solubility and battery operability. Extensive electrochemical experiments suggest that the shuttle effect is unlikely to be mediated by molecular diffusion as commonly understood, but rather by electron‐hopping via the electron self‐exchange reaction based on spectroscopic results. These findings led to two counter‐strategies to prevent the hopping process: the pre‐treatment of the anode to form a solid–electrolyte interface and using DMPZ salt rather than neutral DMPZ as the active material. These strategies improved coulombic efficiency and capacity retention, demonstrating that solubility of organic materials does not necessarily exclude their applications in batteries.     

The kinetics of the cathodic reactions of oxygen and water at a solid ceramic electrolyte interface at high temperature

The high temperature reduction processes for oxygen and water at the catodic interface with an oxygen ion conducting ceramic electrolyte have been reviewed.Different Investigators provided different interpretations for the rate limiting step of the overall reaction, but it seems clear that at temperatures around 1000°C the kinetics does not depend solely on the concentration polarization of the oxygen ion vacancies in the electrolyte, but also by the transport either of the parent or the intermediate species feeding the charge exchange process through the porous structure of metal cathodes.For oxide cathodes the kinetic parameters appear interesting as the reaction rates at these electrodes may be affected not only by the conductivity and transport properties through the electrode material but also by its catalytic activity for the water chemical equilibrium at the cathode surface. Further improvements in the water decomposition rates may be achieved by using oxides of suitable defective structure.The rate of the overall cathodic process is, at any rate, limited by the process of injection of free carriers in the electrolyte. This results in an irreversible alteration (blackening) of the electrolyte with a sharp decay of both the electrical conductivity characteristics and mechanical properties.     

A review on electrode and electrolyte for lithium ion batteries under low temperature

Under low temperature (LT) conditions (−80 °C∼0 °C), lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) may experience the formation of an extensive solid electrolyte interface (SEI), which can cause a series of detrimental effects such as Li⁺ deposition and irregular dendritic filament growth on the electrolyte surface. These issues ultimately lead to the degradation of the LT performance of LIBs. As a result, new electrode/electrolyte materials are necessary to address these challenges and enable the proper functioning of LIBs at LT. Given that most electrochemical reactions in lithium-ion batteries occur at the electrode/electrolyte interface, finding solutions to mitigate the negative impact caused by SEI is crucial to improve the LT performance of LIBs. In this article, we analyze and summarize the recent studies on electrode and electrolyte materials for low temperature lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). These materials include both metallic materials like tin, manganese, and cobalt, as well as non-metallic materials such as graphite and graphene. Modified materials, such as those with nano or alloying characteristics, generally exhibit better properties than raw materials. For instance, Sn nanowire-Si nanoparticles (SiNPs−In-SnNWs) and tin dioxide carbon nanotubes (SnO₂@CNT) have faster Li⁺ transport rates and higher reversible capacity at LT. However, it′s important to note that when operating under LT, the electrolyte may solidify, leading to difficulty in Li⁺ transmission. The compatibility between the electrolyte and electrode can affect the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and the stability of the electrode/electrolyte system. Therefore, a good electrode/electrolyte system is crucial for successful operation of LIBs at LT.     

Transport in ceria electrolytes modified with sintering aids: effects on oxygen reduction kinetics

Small (2 mol%) cobalt oxide additions to ceria-gadolinia (CGO) materials considerably improve sinterability, making it possible to obtain ceramics with 95–99% density and sub-micrometre grain sizes at 1,170–1,370 K. The addition of Co causes a significant shift of the electrolytic domain to lower pO₂. This modification to the minor electronic conductivity of the electrolyte material has influence on the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. The impedance technique is shown to provide information not only about polarisation resistance, but also about the active electrode area from analysis of the current constriction resistance. It is demonstrated that this current constriction resistance can be related to the minor electronic contributions to total conductivity in these materials. A simple imbedded grid approach gives control of the contact area allowing the properties of the electrolyte materials to be studied. A much lower polarisation resistance for the Co-containing CGO electrolyte is observed, which can be clearly attributed to an increased three-phase reaction area in the Co-containing material, as a consequence of elevated p-type conductivity.     

Highly Active Cobalt‐Based Electrocatalysts with Facile Incorporation of Dopants for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

In situ formation of electroactive cobalt species for the oxygen evolution reaction is simply achieved by applying an anodic bias to a commercially available cobalt precursor and Nafion binder mixture coated on a glassy carbon electrode. This preparation does not require energy‐intensive materials preparation steps or noble metals, yet a low overpotential of 322 mV at 10.2 mA cm^?2 and a high current density of more than 300 mA cm^?2 at 1.7 V_NHE were obtained in 1 m KOH. An operando electrochemical Raman spectroscopy study confirmed the formation of cobalt oxyhydroxide species and the iron stimulated the equilibrium state between Co³⁺ and Co⁴⁺. The iron present in the alkali electrolyte or ink solution effectively activated the cobalt species, and most of the first row transition metals could also enhance the catalytic performance. The concept presented here is one of the simplest strategies for preparing highly active electrocatalysts and is very flexible for the replacement of cobalt by other transition metals.     

Numerical analysis of the thermal effect on electroosmotic flow and electrokinetic mass transport in microchannels

Joule heating is present in electrokinetically driven flow and mass transport in microfluidic systems. Nowadays, there is a trend of replacing costly glass-based microfluidic systems by the disposable, cheap polymer-based microfluidic systems. Due to poor thermal conductivity of polymer materials, the thermal management of the polymer-based microfluidic systems may become a problem. In this study, numerical analysis is presented for transient temperature development due to Joule heating and its effect on the electroosmotic flow (EOF) and mass species transport in microchannels. The proposed model includes the coupling Poisson-Boltzmann (P-B) equation, the modified Navier-Stokes (N-S) equations, the conjugate energy equation, and the mass species transport equation. The results show that the time development for both the electroosmotic flow field and the Joule heating induced temperature field are less than 1 s. The Joule heating induced temperature field is strongly dependent on channel size, electrolyte concentration, and applied electric field strength. The simulations reveal that the presence of the Joule heating can result in significantly different characteristics of the electroosmotic flow and electrokinetic mass transport in microchannels.     

Self-assembling bipyridinium multilayers

The identification of strategies to assemble nanostructured films with engineered properties on solid supports can lead to the development of innovative functional materials. In particular, the self-assembly of electroactive multilayers from simple molecular building blocks on metallic electrodes can offer the opportunity to regulate the exchange of electrons between the underlying substrate and solution species. In this context, we designed an experimental protocol to prepare electroactive films from bipyridinium bisthiols. Specifically, we found that a compound incorporating two bipyridinium dications at its core and terminal thiol groups self-assembles into remarkably stable multilayers on polycrystalline gold. The surface coverage of the resulting films can be regulated by adjusting the exposure time of the gold substrate to the bipyridinium solution. Control experiments with appropriate model compounds demonstrate that both bipyridinium dications as well as both thiol groups must be present in the molecular skeleton to encourage multilayer growth. The resulting films transport electrons efficiently from the electrode surface to the film/solution interface. Indeed, they mediate the reduction of Ru(NH(3))(6)(3+) in the electrolyte solution but prevent the back oxidation of the resulting Ru(NH(3))(6)(2+). Furthermore, these polycationic bipyridinium films capture electrostatically Fe(CN)(6)(4-) tetraanions, which can also be exploited to transport electrons across the interfacial assembly. In fact, electrons can travel through the bipyridnium(2+/1+) couples to redox probes in solution and then back to the electrode through the Fe(CN)(6)(4/3-) couples. Thus, our original approach to self-assembling multilayers can produce stable electroactive films with unique electron transport properties, which can be regulated with a careful choice of the anionic components.     

Application of 7Li NMR to characterize the evolution of intercalated and non-intercalated lithium in LiFePO4-based materials for Li-ion batteries

Different synthesis batches of LiFePO₄/C materials were prepared, and their electrochemical properties as positive cathodes for lithium-ion batteries were evaluated. Using standard solid-state NMR conditions, such as a 7-mm magic-angle-spinning probe performing at low spinning rates, information on both intercalated and non-intercalated (stored on the grain boundaries) lithium was obtained. A sharp signal assigned to non-intercalated lithium could be observed by diluting the active material in silica. Correlations could be, thus, obtained between the amount of each type of lithium and the electrochemical history and state of the material, revealing that the relative amount of surface lithium in a pristine LiFePO₄/C material is rather constant and cannot be used as a criterion for its further specification. However, a drastic increase of this surface lithium was observed in the cathode materials of out-of-order batteries. As the cathode material recovered from the batteries after electrochemical testing was carefully washed before analysis, we can conclude that the non-intercalated lithium is strongly bound to the active material probably inside the so-called solid electrolyte interface layer at the surfaces of LiFePO₄ particles. This work illustrates that solid-state lithium NMR can allow rapid characterization and testing of LiFePO₄/C cathode materials.     

Optimization of a permeation-based microfluidic direct formic acid fuel cell (DFAFC)

A design for a passive, air-breathing microfluidic fuel cell utilizing formic acid (FA) as a fuel is described and its performance characterized. The fuel cell integrates high surface area platinum (cathode) and palladium-platinum (anode) alloy electrodes within a PDMS microfluidic network that keeps them fully immersed in a liquid electrolyte. The polymer network that comprises the device also serves as a self-supporting membrane through which FA and oxygen are supplied to the alloy anode and cathode, respectively, by passive permeation from external sources. The cell is based on a planar form-factor and in its operation exploits FA concentration gradients that form across the PDMS membrane. These latter gradients allow the device to operate stably, producing a nearly constant limiting power density of ~0.2 mW/cm2, without driven laminar flow of fluids or the incorporation of an in-channel separator between the anodic and the cathodic compartments. The power output of this elementary device in air is subject to electrolyte mass transport impacts, which can be reduced for a given design rule by decreasing the internal ohmic resistance of the cell. The results suggest that operational stability can be improved by decreasing the kinetic losses imposed on the cathode side of the cell due to FA crossover and modalities for doing so, such as by increasing the efficiency of fuel capture at the anode.     

Catalysis by metal-organic frameworks: fundamentals and opportunities

Crystalline porous materials are extremely important for developing catalytic systems with high scientific and industrial impact. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) show unique potential that still has to be fully exploited. This perspective summarizes the properties of MOFs with the aim to understand what are possible approaches to catalysis with these materials. We categorize three classes of MOF catalysts: (1) those with active site on the framework, (2) those with encapsulated active species, and (3) those with active sites attached through post-synthetic modification. We identify the tunable porosity, the ability to fine tune the structure of the active site and its environment, the presence of multiple active sites, and the opportunity to synthesize structures in which key-lock bonding of substrates occurs as the characteristics that distinguish MOFs from other materials. We experience a unique opportunity to imagine and design heterogeneous catalysts, which might catalyze reactions previously thought impossible.     

Uncovering the Shuttle Effect in Organic Batteries and Counter-Strategies Thereof: A Case Study of the N,N′-Dimethylphenazine Cathode

The main drawback of organic electrode materials is their solubility in the electrolyte, leading to the shuttle effect. Using N,N′-dimethylphenazine (DMPZ) as a highly soluble cathode material, and its PF₆⁻ and triflimide salts as models for its first oxidation state, a poor correlation was found between solubility and battery operability. Extensive electrochemical experiments suggest that the shuttle effect is unlikely to be mediated by molecular diffusion as commonly understood, but rather by electron-hopping via the electron self-exchange reaction based on spectroscopic results. These findings led to two counter-strategies to prevent the hopping process: the pre-treatment of the anode to form a solid–electrolyte interface and using DMPZ salt rather than neutral DMPZ as the active material. These strategies improved coulombic efficiency and capacity retention, demonstrating that solubility of organic materials does not necessarily exclude their applications in batteries.     

Conversion-type fluoride cathodes: Current state of the art

Conversion-type transition metal fluoride cathodes offer a 200%–300% higher theoretical energy density limit than state-of-the-art intercalation cathodes. Recent publications have reshaped our understanding of the reaction mechanism in these materials. Herein, we review recent reports highlighting how active material dissolution, particle fusing, electrolyte consumption, and the resultant capacity fade can be mitigated by rational electrolyte design. Recent work has established the possibility of high discharge rate in transition metal fluorides at significant active material mass fraction; we examine the relationship between rate capability and active material fraction. Tuning transition metal fluoride chemistry via cation and anion substitution has demonstrated the potential to improve its electrochemical properties. A brief technoeconomic analysis is presented to highlight the practical advantages of different transition metal chemistries.