Process-Structure-Formulation Interactions for Enhanced Sodium Ion Battery Development: A Review

Before the viability of a cell formulation can be assessed for implementation in commercial sodium ion batteries, processes applied in cell production should be validated and optimized. This review summarizes the steps performed in constructing sodium ion (Na-ion) cells at research scale, highlighting parameters and techniques that are likely to impact measured cycling performance. Consistent process-structure-performance links have been established for typical lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells, which can guide hypotheses to test in Na-ion cells. Liquid electrolyte viscosity, sequence of mixing electrode slurries, rate of drying electrodes and cycling characteristics of formation were found critical to the reported capacity of laboratory cells. Based on the observed importance of processing to battery performance outcomes, the current focus on novel materials in Na-ion research should be balanced with deeper investigation into mechanistic changes of cell components during and after production, to better inform future designs of these promising batteries.     

Chemical bath deposition of CdS quantum dots on vertically aligned ZnO nanorods for quantum dots-sensitized solar cells

Formation of CdS quantum dots (Q dots) on the vertically aligned ZnO nanorods electrode was carried out by chemical bath deposition. The diameter and thickness of ZnO nanorods are ～100–150 nm and ～1.6 μm, respectively, and CdS Q dots on ZnO nanorods have a diameter of smaller than 15 nm. In application of the Q dots-sensitized solar cells, composite film exhibited a power conversion efficiency of 0.54% under air mass 1.5 condition (80 mW/cm²), and incident-photon-to-current conversion efficiency showed 18.6%.     

Blocking effects in irreversible adsorption of linear macromolecules

A new variant of random sequential adsorption (RSA), namely random sequential ballistic adsorption (RSBA), is proposed to explore the possible role of blocking effects in the adsorption dynamics of ballistically arriving objects. These objects upon adsorption can protrude outside the substrate and in turn can obstruct and hence reject the adsorption of newly arriving objects. Adsorption of linear macromolecules (modeled as infinitesimally thin needles), on a two-dimensional continuum substrate is studied using RSBA model. It is shown analytically that in late time regime, the number n(t) of adsorbed objects at time t follows a power law n(t) ∼ t^α, as in RSA, but with a different exponent, α = 2/3. Computer simulations are also carried out. The simulation results are found to be in close agreement with the analytical results. The exponent behavior for real experimental conditions is also analyzed.     

Co-occurrence of superparamagnetism and anomalous hall effect in highly reduced cobalt-doped rutile TiO2-delta films

We report a detailed magnetic and structural analysis of highly reduced Co doped rutile TiO(2-delta) films displaying an anomalous Hall effect (AHE). The temperature and field dependence of magnetization, and transmission electron microscopy, clearly establish the presence of nanosized superparamagnetic cobalt clusters of approximately 8-10 nm size in the films at the interface. The co-occurrence of superparamagnetism and AHE raises questions regarding the use of the AHE as a test of the intrinsic nature of ferromagnetism in diluted magnetic semiconductors.     

Resistance changes in thin metallic films under ion bombardment

Resistance changes in thin films of copper, aluminium and bismuth have been studied under the bombardment of nitrogen, carbon and argon ions. Variations in resistance with implantation dose have been observed upto doses of ∼ 3 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm² for ion energies in the range 40 to 120 keV. The results are discussed in terms of desorption of gases from the film and a composite action of sputter removal of the film and its structural changes upon ion bombardment. A simple theoretical model is discussed which can qualitatively explain the experimental observations.     

Difference in the dynamic scaling behavior of droplet size distribution for coalescence under pulsed and continuous vapor delivery

Dynamic scaling behavior of the droplet size distribution in the coalescence regime for growth by pulsed laser deposition is studied experimentally and by computer simulation, and the same is compared with that for continuous vapor deposition. The scaling exponent for pulsed deposition is found to be (1.2 +/- 0.1), which is significantly lower as compared to that for continuous deposition (1.6 +/- 0.1). Simulations reveal that this dramatic difference can be traced to the large fraction of multiple droplet coalescence under pulsed vapor delivery. A possible role of the differing diffusion fields in the two cases is also suggested.     

Coherent Solution‐phase Synthesis of a Germanium‐Graphitic Nanocomposite and Its Evaluation for Lithium‐Ion Battery Anodes: Non‐innocent Role of the Mashima Reagent

The organosilicon reagent 1,4‐bis‐(trimethylsilyl)‐1,4‐diaza‐2,5‐cyclohexadiene 2 plays the binary role of the simultaneous reduction of GeCl₂.dioxane 1 dissolved in oleylamine to Ge nanocrystals and the formation of graphitic sheets under hot‐injection conditions. This colloidal synthetic route to germanium nanocrystals embedded on N‐doped graphitic nanosheets Ge/NG is free of any template or catalyst and involves easy purification techniques. The Ge/NG/C obtained after carbonization has been explored for anode performance in lithium‐ion batteries. Both Ge/NG and Ge/NG/C can be obtained on a gram scale and are bottleable under argon for months.     

A conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy study of pulsed laser treatment at α-Fe2O3/H2O interface

Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) has been synthesized for the first time by using pulsed ruby laser induced reactive quenching process at α-Fe₂O₃/H₂O interface. Iron foils (99.99% pure) were oxidised at 450° C for four hours to form a thick layer of α-Fe₂O₃ on it. These oxidised samples were immersed in water and then treated with ruby laser pulses (λ=0.694 μm, pulse width = 30 ns, energy density = 10 J/cm²). The conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) has been used to characterize the laser induced surface modifications. It is shown that laser treated samples show the formation of Fe₃O₄ phase along with FeO. The stability of magnetite phase in laser treated sample against thermal treatment is also studied by investigating the changes in hyperfine interaction parameters upon vacuum annealing at 300° C.     

A conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy study of ion beam mixing at Fe: Polyethylene interface

The effects of ion beam induced atomic mixing at the Fe-Polyethylene interface have been investigated by means of conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy [CEMS]. It is shown that the as deposited and ion beam mixed composites exhibit distinctly different features. In particular, the ion beam mixed composite shows that presence of Fe²⁺ state in polyethylene matrix along with the Fe?C austenite like phase.