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Ivanov, Sergei

Publications and source records attributed to Ivanov, Sergei.

Low‐Temperature and High‐Rate Rechargeable Aluminum Batteries Enabled by Ternary Eutectic Electrolytes

Abstract Rechargeable aluminum batteries (RABs) have garnered extensive scientific attention as a promising alternative chemistry due to the inherent advantages associated with aluminum (Al) metal anodes, including their high theoretical capacities, cost‐effectiveness, environmental friendliness, and inherent non‐flammable properties. Nonetheless, the practical energy density of RABs is constrained by the electrolytes that support lower operational voltage windows. Herein, we report a ternary eutectic electrolyte composed of 1‐ethyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([C 2 C 1 im]Cl):1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium chloride ([C 4 C 1 im]Cl):aluminum chloride (AlCl 3 ) for the application of RABs. The electrolyte exhibits a high operational potential window (~3 V vs. Al/Al 3+ on SS 316) and high ionic conductivity (~8.3 mS cm −1 ) while exhibiting only a low temperature glass transition at −65 °C suitable for all‐climate conditions. Al||graphene nanoplatelets cell delivers a high capacity of ~117 mAh/g, and ~43 mAh/g at a very high current densities of 1 A/g and 5 A/g, respectively. The cells render a reversible capacity of 20 mAh/g at −20 °C and 17 mAh/g at −40 °C, indicating their suitability for operation under extreme environmental conditions. We comprehensively evaluated the design and optimization of carbon paper‐based battery systems. The ternary eutectic electrolyte demonstrates exceptional electrochemical performance, thus signifying its substantial potential for utilization in high‐performance energy storage systems in all climates.

Vadthya, Raju↗

Rapid Prototyping for Nanoparticle-Based Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensors

The advent of nanotechnology has motivated a revolution in the development of miniaturized sensors. Such sensors can be used for radiation detection, temperature sensing, radio-frequency sensing, strain sensing, and more. At the nanoscale, integrating the materials of interest into sensing platforms can be a common issue. One promising platform is photonic crystal fibers, which can draw in optically sensitive nanoparticles or have its optical properties changed by specialized nanomaterials. However, testing these sensors at scale is limited by the the need for specialized equipment to integrate these photonic crystal fibers into optical fiber systems. Having a method to enable rapid prototyping of new nanoparticle-based sensors in photonic crystal fibers would open up the field to a wider range of laboratories that could not have initially studied these materials in such a way before. This manuscript discusses the improved processes for cleaving, drawing, and rapidly integrating nanoparticle-based photonic crystal fibers into optical system setups. The method proposed in this manuscript achieved the following innovations: cleaving at a quality needed for nanoparticle integration could be done more reliably (≈100% acceptable cleaving yield versus ≈50% conventionally), nanoparticles could be drawn at scale through photonic crystal fibers in a safe manner (a method to draw multiple photonic crystal fibers at scale versus one fiber at a time), and the new photonic crystal fiber mount was able to be finely adjusted when increasing the optical coupling before inserting it into an optical system (before, expensive fusion splicing was the only other method).

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Characterization of Cycle-Aged Commercial NMC and NCA Lithium-ion Cells: I. Temperature-Dependent Degradation

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in applications from consumer electronic devices to stationary energy storage. Appropriate management of batteries is challenging due to limited data on their performance and materials degradation. Previous studies have focused on characterization of single cells under specific operating conditions. In the present work, commercial 18650 lithium-ion cells with LiNi x Mn y Co 1-x-y O 2 (NMC) and LiNi x Co y Al 1-x-y O 2 (NCA) positive electrodes were characterized by a wide range of electrochemical and materials techniques after cycling at 15, 25, or 35 °C to ∼80% capacity. The NCA cells exhibit weak temperature dependence in their cycle aging and materials degradation. The NMC cells exhibited increased capacity fade and materials degradation as ambient temperature decreased. All cells exhibited loss of lithium inventory as their primary degradation mode. However, the NCA cells only showed evidence of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) growth whereas the NMC cells showed signs of Li plating at 15 °C, transitioning to SEI growth at 35 °C. The NMC cells displayed signs of loss of active material at the positive electrode at lower temperatures, suggesting that Li plating is correlated to additional processes that increase the rate of degradation. These results highlight the importance of avoiding broad generalizations about Li-ion battery temperature dependence.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Orbital correlations in ultrathin films of late transition metals

We develop a two-orbital Hubbard model of electron correlations in ultrathin (111)-oriented fcc films of late transition metals such as Co and Ni. Our model indicates that the Mott-Hund’s interaction results in ferromagnetic nearest-neighbor orbital correlations. Frustration associated with the mismatch between orbital and crystal symmetries prevents orbital ordering, resulting in the orbital liquid state. This state can be manifested in phenomena involving spin-orbit coupling, such as magnetic anisotropy.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Maximal absorption in ultrathin TiN films for microbolometer applications

Ultrathin light absorbers present a viable route toward improving the specific detectivity and response time of microbolometers. However, for an ultrathin film to absorb light efficiently, the dielectric function of the film and its thickness must satisfy strict requirements. Here we experimentally demonstrate an average absorptance of 48% ± 2.5% in the 8–13 μm (769–1250 cm -1 ) spectral range for 10 nm thick titanium nitride (TiN), a value bordering on the 50% fundamental absorptance limit for a suspended thin film. The heat capacity per unit area of this absorber is only 1.2 × 10 -6 J/K/cm 2 , which is beneficial for improving the response time of a microfabricated bolometer. We also show that a sufficient condition for reaching maximal absorption in an ultrathin film is that ε" $\gg$ |ε'|.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗