Progress in High-Voltage Cathode Materials for Rechargeable Sodium-Ion Batteries
Not provided.
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
Not provided.
The hollandite supergroup of minerals has received considerable attention as a nuclear waste form for immobilization of Cs. The radiation stability of synthetic hollandite-type compounds described generally as Ba{sub 1.0}Cs{sub 0.3}A{sub 2.3}Ti{sub 5.7}O{sub 16} (A=Cr, Fe, Al) were evaluated by heavy ion (Kr) irradiations on polycrystalline single phase materials and multiphase materials incorporating the hollandite phases. Ion irradiation damage effects on these samples were examined using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Single phase compounds possess tetragonal structure with space group I4/m. GIXRD and TEM observations revealed that 600 keV Kr irradiation-induced amorphization on single phase hollandites compounds occurred at a fluence between 2.5×10{sup 14} Kr/cm{sup 2} and 5×10{sup 14} Kr/cm{sup 2}. The critical amorphization fluence of single phase hollandite compounds obtained by in situ 1 MeV Kr ion irradiation was around 3.25×10{sup 14} Kr/cm{sup 2}. The hollandite phase exhibited similar amorphization susceptibility under Kr ion irradiation when incorporated into a multiphase system. - Graphical abstract: 600 keV Kr irradiation-induced amorphization on single phase hollandites compounds occurred at a fluence between 2.5×10{sup 14} Kr/cm{sup 2} and 5×10{sup 14} Kr/cm{sup 2}. The hollandite phase exhibited similar amorphization susceptibility under Kr ion irradiation when incorporated into a multiphase system. This is also the first time that the critical amorphization fluence of single phase hollandite compounds were determined at a fluence of around 3.25×10{sup 14} Kr/cm{sup 2} by in situ 1 MeV Kr ion irradiation. Display Omitted.
Li-rich layered materials are important cathode compounds used in commercial lithium ion batteries, which, however, suffers from some drawbacks including the so-called voltage fade upon electrochemical cycling. Here, our study employs novel transmission X-ray microscopy to investigate the electrochemical reaction induced morphological and chemical changes in the Li-rich Li 2 Ru 0.5 Mn 0.5 O 3 cathode particles at the meso to nano scale. We performed combined X-ray spectroscopy, diffraction and microscopy experiments to systematically study this cathode material's evolution upon cycling as well as to establish a comprehensive understanding of the structural origin of capacity fade through 2D and 3D fine length scale morphology and heterogeneity change of this material. This work suggests that atomic manipulation (e.g. doping, substitution etc.) or nano engineering (e.g. nano-sizing, heterogeneous structure) are important strategies to mitigate the internal strain and defects induced by extensive lithium insertion/extraction. It also shows that maintaining the structural integrity is the key in designing and synthesizing lithium-rich layered materials with better cycle stability.
Nickel(Ni)-rich lithium transition metal oxides (e.g. LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 (NCA), LiNi1-x-yMnxCoyO2 (x+y<1) (NMC)) with layered structure are regarded as promising cathode candidates for constructing high energy density lithium ion batteries, so as to promote the market penetration of zero-emission electric vehicles. However, the poor structural and interfacial stability of Ni-rich NMC or NCA still hamper their large-scale applications. This review article mainly summarizes the recent progress achieved in the development of Ni-rich cathode materials, with an aim to provide important clues for future design Ni-rich cathodes and eventually enable their practical applications. Firstly, we introduce the improved method for the synthesis of Ni-rich cathode materials and discuss the relationships between the synthesis method, physicochemical properties, and the electrochemical performances of the cathode materials. Secondly, the insightful understandings on the capacity and voltage fading mechanism as well as the reasons of poor structure stability are comprehensively overviewed. Then, we summarize the main progress regarding to the novel approaches and attempts to prolong the cycling lifetime of Ni-rich materials and safety. Finally, we end up this review by proposing new perspectives and insights to stimulate more revolutionary strategies to boost the practical applications of Ni-rich cathodes.
Not Available
Extraction of uranium (U) from seawater for use as a nuclear fuel is a significant challenge due to the low concentration of U in seawater (~3.3 ppb) and difficulties to selectively extract U from the background of major and trace elements in seawater. The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL)’s Marine Sciences Laboratory (MSL) has been serving as a marine test site for determining performance characteristics (adsorption capacity, adsorption kinetics, and selectivity) of novel amidoxime-based polymeric adsorbents developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) under natural seawater exposure conditions. This manuscript describes the performance of three formulations (38H, AF1, AI8) of amidoxime-based polymeric adsorbents produced at ORNL in MSL’s ambient seawater testing facility. The adsorbents were produced in two forms, fibrous material (40-100 mg samples) and braided material (5-10 g samples), and exposed to natural seawater using flow-through columns and recirculating flumes. All three formulations demonstrated high 56 day uranium adsorption capacity (>3 g U/kg adsorbent). The AF1 formulation had the best uranium adsorption performance, with a 56 day capacity of 3.9 g U/ kg adsorbent, a saturation capacity of 5.4 g U/kg adsorbent, and ~25 days half-saturation time. The two exposure methods, flowthrough columns and flumes, were demonstrated to produce similar performance results, providing confidence that the test methods were reliable, that scaling up from 10’s of mg quantities of exposure in flow-through columns to gram quantities in flumes produced similar results, and confirm that the manufacturing process produces a homogeneous adsorbent. Adsorption kinetics appear to be element specific, with half-saturation times ranging from minutes for the major cations in seawater, to 8-10 weeks for V and Fe. Reducing the exposure time provides a potential pathway to improve the adsorption capacity of U by reducing the V/U ratio on the adsorbent.
Efficient energy storage systems based on lithium-ion batteries represent a critical technology across many sectors including consumer electronics, electrified transportation, and a smart grid accommodating intermittent renewable energy sources. Nanostructured electrode materials present compelling opportunities for high-performance lithium-ion batteries, but inherent problems related to the high surface area to volume ratios at the nanometer-scale have impeded their adoption for commercial applications. Here, we demonstrate a materials and processing platform that realizes high-performance nanostructured lithium manganese oxide (nano-LMO) spinel cathodes with conformal graphene coatings as a conductive additive. The resulting nanostructured composite cathodes concurrently resolve multiple problems that have plagued nanoparticle-based lithium-ion battery electrodes including low packing density, high additive content, and poor cycling stability. Moreover, this strategy enhances the intrinsic advantages of nano-LMO, resulting in extraordinary rate capability and low temperature performance. With 75% capacity retention at a 20C cycling rate at room temperature and nearly full capacity retention at -20 degrees C, this work advances lithium-ion battery technology into unprecedented regimes of operation.
Herein, we describe a novel multifunctional metal–organic framework (MOF) materials platform that displays both porosity and tunable emission properties as a function of the metal identity (Eu, Nd, and tuned compositions of Nd/Yb). Their emission collectively spans the deep red to near-infrared (NIR) spectral region (~614–1350 nm), which is highly relevant for in vivo bioimaging. These new materials meet important prerequisites as relevant to biological processes: they are minimally toxic to living cells and retain structural integrity in water and phosphate-buffered saline. To assess their viability as optical bioimaging agents, we successfully synthesized the nanoscale Eu analog as a proof-of-concept system in this series. In vitro studies show that it is cell-permeable in individual RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage and HeLa human cervical cancer tissue culture cells. The efficient discrimination between the Eu emission and cell autofluorescence was achieved with hyperspectral confocal fluorescence microscopy, used here for the first time to characterize MOF materials. Importantly, this is the first report that documents the long-term conservation of the intrinsic emission in live cells of a fluorophore-based MOF to date (up to 48 h). As a result this finding, in conjunction with the materials’ very low toxicity, validates the biocompatibility in these systems and qualifies them as promising for use in long-term tracking and biodistribution studies.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Abstract The repeated slab approach has become a de facto standard to accurately describe surface properties of materials by density functional theory calculations with periodic boundary conditions. For materials exhibiting spontaneous polarization, we show that the conventional scheme of passivation with pseudo hydrogen is unable to realize a charge-neutral surface. The presence of a net surface charge induces via Gauss’s law a macroscopic electric field through the slab and results in poor size convergence with respect to the thickness of the slab. We propose a modified passivation method that accounts for the effect of spontaneous polarization, describes the correct bulk limits and boosts convergence with respect to slab thickness. The robustness, reliability, and superior convergence of energetics and electronic structure achieved by the proposed method are demonstrated using the example of polar ZnO surfaces.
The charge distribution in materials at the nanoscale can often explain the origin of macroscopic properties such as localized conductivity or the plasmonic response and illuminate more fundamental changes in the microscopic structure such as changes in chemical bonding characteristics. Previously, direct visualization of the charge density with high spatial resolution was often a missing link in the formation of structure–property relationships, especially in heterogeneous materials systems. Furthermore, recent advancements in microscopy technology have enabled researchers to visualize the charge distribution in materials down to subatomic length scales. In this Technical Review, we discuss the developments in high-resolution real-space charge distribution imaging using diffraction techniques and electron microscopy, with a focus on the recent advancement of four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy, electron holography, and applications to materials interfaces.
Additive manufacturing (AM) is enabling the fabrication of materials with engineered lattice structures at the micron scale. These mesoscopic structures fall between the length scale associated with the organization of atoms and the scale at which macroscopic structures are constructed. Dynamic compression experiments were performed to study the emergence of behavior owing to the lattice periodicity in AM materials on length scales that approach a single unit cell. For the lattice structures, both bend and stretch dominated, elastic deflection of the structure was observed ahead of the compaction of the lattice, while no elastic deformation was observed to precede the compaction in a stochastic, random structure. The material showed lattice characteristics in the elastic response of the material, while the compaction was consistent with a model for compression of porous media. Here, the experimental observations made on arrays of 4 x 4 x 6 lattice unit cells show excellent agreement with elastic wave velocity calculations for an infinite periodic lattice, as determined by Bloch wave analysis, and finite element simulations.
Chromium-based layered cathode materials suffer from the irreversible disproportionation reaction of Cr 4+ to Cr 3+ and Cr 6+ , which hinders the reversible multi-electron redox of Cr ions in layered cathodes, and limits their capacity and reversibility. To address this problem, a novel O3-type layer-structured transition metal oxide of NaCr 1/3 Fe 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 (NCFM) was designed and studied as a cathode material. A high reversible capacity of 186 mA h g –1 was achieved at a current rate of 0.05C in a voltage range of 1.5 to 4.2 V. X-ray diffraction revealed an O3 → (O3 + P3) → (P3 + O3'') → O3'' phase-transition pathway for NCFM during charge. X-ray absorption, X-ray photoelectron and electron energy-loss spectroscopy measurements revealed the electronic structure changes of NCFM during Na + deintercalation/intercalation processes. It is confirmed that the disproportionation reaction of Cr 4+ to Cr 3+ and Cr 6+ can be effectively suppressed by Fe 3+ and Mn 4+ substitution. Lastly, these results demonstrated that the reversible multi-electron oxidation/reduction of Cr ions can be achieved in NCFM during charge and discharge accompanied by CrO 6 octahedral distortion and recovery.
We report there still exists a crucial need for new thermoelectric materials to efficiently recover waste heat as electrical energy. Although metal phosphides are stable and can exhibit excellent electronic properties, they have traditionally been overlooked as thermoelectrics due to expectations of displaying high thermal conductivity. Based on high-throughput computational screening of the electronic properties of over 48000 inorganic compounds, we find that several metal phosphides offer considerable promise as thermoelectric materials, with excellent potential electronic properties (e.g. due to multiple valley degeneracy). In addition to the electronic band structure, the phonon dispersion curves of various metal phosphides were computed indicating low-frequency acoustic modes that could lead to low thermal conductivity. Several metal phosphides exhibit promising thermoelectric properties. The computed electronic and thermal properties were compared to experiments to test the reliability of the calculations indicating that the predicted thermoelectric properties are semi-quantitative. As a complete experimental study of the thermoelectric properties in MPs, cubic-NiP2 was synthesized and the low predicted lattice thermal conductivity (~1.2 W m -1 K -1 at 700 K) was confirmed. The computed Seebeck coefficient is in agreement with experiments over a range of temperatures and the phononic dispersion curve of c-NiP 2 is consistent with the experimental heat capacity. Finally, the predicted high thermoelectric performance in several metal phosphides and the low thermal conductivity measured in NiP 2 encourage further investigations of thermoelectric properties of metal phosphides.
Li-Intercalation in nano-rutile TiO 2 -anodes induces loss of long-range order with the formation of ∼5 nm layered Li x TiO 2 domains with ∼1 nm columbite-like grain boundaries.
The integration of machine learning techniques in materials discovery has become prominent in materials science research and has been accompanied by an increasing trend towards open data and open-source tools to propel the field. Despite the increasing usefulness and capabilities of these tools, developers neglecting to follow reproducible practices presents a significant barrier for other researchers looking to use or build upon their work. In this study, we investigate the challenges encountered while attempting to reproduce a section of the results presented in “A general-purpose machine learning framework for predicting properties of inorganic materials.” Our analysis identifies four major categories of challenges: (1) reporting software dependencies, (2) recording and sharing version logs, (3) sequential code organization, and (4) clarifying code references within the manuscript. The result is a proposed set of tangible action items for those aiming to make material informatics tools accessible to, and useful for the community.
We explore ways to actively control near-field radiative heat transfer between two surfaces that relies on electrical tuning of phonon modes of ferroelectric materials. Ferroelectrics are widely used for tunable electrical devices, such as capacitors and memory devices; however, their tunable properties have not yet been examined for heat transfer applications. We show via simulations that radiative heat transfer between two ferroelectric materials can be enhanced by over two orders of magnitude over the blackbody limit in the near field, and can be tuned as much as 16.5% by modulating the coupling between surface phonon polariton modes at the two surfaces via varying external electric fields. We then discuss how to maximize the modulation contrast for tunable thermal devices using the studied mechanism.