Elucidating the Effect of Borate Additive in High-Voltage Electrolyte for Li-Rich Layered Oxide Mate
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A new commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) gate driver designed to drive both the high-side and the low-side enhancement-mode GaN FETs, National Semiconductor's type LM5113, was evaluated for operation at temperatures beyond its recommended specified limits of -40 C to +125 C. The effects of limited thermal cycling under the extended test temperature, which ranged from -194 C to +150 C, on the operation of this chip as well as restart capability at the extreme cryogenic and hot temperatures were also investigated. The driver circuit was able to maintain good operation throughout the entire test regime between -194 C and +150 C without undergoing any major changes in its outputs signals and characteristics. The limited thermal cycling performed on the device also had no effect on its performance, and the driver chip was able to successfully restart at each of the extreme temperatures of -194 C and +150 C. The plastic packaging of this device was also not affected by either the short extreme temperature exposure or the limited thermal cycling. These preliminary results indicate that this new commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) halfbridge eGaN FET driver integrated circuit has the potential for use in space exploration missions under extreme temperature environments. Further testing is planned under long-term cycling to assess the reliability of these parts and to determine their suitability for extended use in the harsh environments of space.
Lithium metal is considered one of the most promising anode materials for realizing high volumetric and gravimetric energy density, owing to the high specific capacity (~3860 mAh g -1 ) and the low electrochemical potential of lithium (-3.04 V vs. the standard hydrogen electrode). However, undesirable dendritic lithium growth and corresponding instability of the solid electrolyte interphase prevent safe and long-term use of lithium metal anodes. Here, this paper presents a simple electrolyte approach to enhance the performance of lithium metal batteries by tuning the dielectric constant of the liquid electrolyte. Electrolyte formulations are designed by changing the concentration of ethylene carbonate to have various dielectric constants. This study confirms that high ethylene carbonate content in a liquid electrolyte enhances the cycling performance of lithium metal batteries because the electric field intensity applied to the electrolyte is reduced in relation to the polarization of the electrolyte and thus allows smooth lithium plating and formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase. Lastly, we believe that this approach provides an important concept for electrolyte system design suitable to lithium metal batteries.
The dry processing technique of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibrillation offers significant advancements in cost reduction, environmental impact, and electrochemical performance. Dry processing alone allows for ∼ 20–60% cost reduction and increases of up to 40 mg cm⁻2 of areal loading – it typically comes at a reduction of rate capability. By leveraging the network structure of fibers, this method enhances rate capability and cycling performance, providing a compelling alternative to the conventional and currently predominant wet processing. The review delves into PTFE fibrillation mechanisms and examines critical influencing factors including material properties and processing parameters. It also discusses challenges associated with the electrodes fabricated by PTFE fibrillation, including structural instability due to insufficient PTFE fibrillization, compromised electrical conductivity from an insufficient conductive network, inhomogeneous dispersion resulting from the absence of solvents, restricted ionic transport due to increased electrode thickness, inadequate adhesion to current collector because of low surface energy of PTFE, electrochemical degradation due to low lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of PTFE, particle damage during processing and environmental concerns related PTFE being a perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Recent research innovations aimed at mitigating these issues, their application in beyond-lithium batteries, and future research directions are thoroughly discussed.
An investigation of alternative lithium salts, lithium tetrafluoroborate (LiBF 4 ), lithium difluoro(oxalato)borate (LiDFOB) and lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF 6 ), in novel ester-based (methyl acetate/fluoroethylene carbonate- MA/FEC or methyl propionate/fluoroethylene carbonate- MP/FEC) electrolyte formulations has been conducted in LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 (NCM622)/graphite cells to improve low temperature cycling performance of lithium ion batteries at −20 °C. Improved low temperature performance was observed with all the lithium salts in MA/FEC electrolyte while comparable room temperature (25 °C) capacities were observed with LiPF 6 salt only. Detailed ex-situ analysis of surface films generated with LiBF 4 , LiDFOB and LiPF 6 in ester-based electrolytes reveals that the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is predominately composed of lithium salt decompaction products and addition of 10% FEC (by volume%) may not be sufficient at forming a protective SEI.
Directly heated supercritical oxy-fuel power cycles have potential to offer a higher thermal efficiency and lower pollutant emissions compared to existing power cycles. Recent thermodynamic analysis of the cycle performed by several groups including the UTEP-Air Liquide research team show that combustion in the vicinity of 300 bar pressure and 1000-1400 K temperature allows for relatively high system efficiencies while operating within the limit of practical combustor materials. However, the realization of directly heated supercritical power cycle requires combustion systems be designed to operate in supercritical conditions and at temperature far below the blowout limit of conventional flames (above 1500 K), where not only the thermodynamic properties but also the combustion properties and kinetics are unexplored. To minimize these knowledge gaps, some intermediate pressure ranges (up to 20 bar) are experimented and modeled using a CFD simulation tool. The knowledge obtained from the high pressure test will assist in understanding the combustion chamber pressurization mechanism, ignition and flame behavior at the elevated pressure. This is a systematic first step in testing at higher pressures of 100 and 300 bar pressures. The primary objective of this dissertation is to perform qualitative analysis on oxy-methane combustion at high pressure (< 20 bar) and compare to CFD model for future scale up to supercritical condition. For modeling of the system, a commercial computational fluid dynamics simulation tool, ANSYS Fluent, is used. The inlet conditions for the CFD analysis are obtained from the experiments. The geometry used for the study is same as the test apparatus and operates at the same power ratings. The expertise gained from this experimental study is important to accurately and safely design combustors at elevated pressures up to 300bar. A high pressure methane-oxygen fuel burner and combustor have been developed to accommodate oxycombustion environment. A detailed CFD analysis is conducted to understand the flame length and cooling phenomenon inside the combustor first at pressures up to 20 bar to compare to experiments then at supercritical pressure. The first part of the dissertation compares CFD results with high pressure burner experiments at pressures up to 20 bar. The test is conducted for 30 s within 150 kW – 250 kW thermal power inputs. Afterwards, based on the simulation results a cooling system is proposed for steady state high pressure combustion experiments. It is observed from the experimental study that the proposed pressurization mechanism able to pressurize the vessel up to 20 bar. It is also determined that the current combustor can operate up to 20 bar for short term. The steady state CFD simulation demonstrates that a cooling system must be incorporated for continuous operation. Additionally, the study focuses on the ignition delay due to added diluent during the combustion process. It is observed that as the carbon dioxide recirculation ratio increases the ignition delay time increases. Later part of the dissertation provides a preliminary guideline for developing a laboratory scale supercritical oxy combustor. The employment of supercritical fluid in gas turbine is fairly a new concept. Hence, there are many questions that need to be answered. During this dissertation study an investigation is performed to understand the impact of equation of state in the supercritical combustion simulation. Finally, a CFD model for developing supercritical oxy-methane burner and the combustor, incorporating real gas model, is presented. Although Lee-Kesler equation of state provides better accuracy than Peng Robinson, due to the computational time Peng Robinson equation of state is used for the simulation. It is found that existing knowledge is not enough to simulate combustion at supercritical phase. Detailed combustion chemistry at the supercritical condition must be developed and should be incorporated to accurately replicate the combustion phenomenon.
Discovering high-performance energy storage materials is indispensable for renewable energy, electric vehicle performance, and mobile computing. Owing to the open atomic framework and good room temperature conductivity, bronze-phase vanadium dioxide [VO 2 (B)] has been regarded as a highly promising electrode material for Li ion batteries. However, previous attempts were unsuccessful to show the desired cycling performance and capacity without chemical modification. Here, we show with epitaxial VO 2 (B) films that one can accomplish the theoretical limit for capacity with persistent charging–discharging cyclability owing to the high structural stability and unique open pathways for Li ion conduction. Atomic-scale characterization by scanning transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory calculations also reveal that the unique open pathways in VO 2 (B) provide the most stable sites for Li adsorption and diffusion. Furthermore, this work ultimately demonstrates that VO 2 (B) is a highly promising energy storage material and has no intrinsic hindrance in achieving superior cyclability with a very high power and capacity in a Li-ion conductor.
The development of safe and high-performance lithium (Li) metal anodes has been a challenging issue that has not been addressed for decades. In this study, we have developed a thermally stable polydopamine-treated three-dimensional (3D) carbon fiber-coated separator (P3D-CFS) using an economical and environment-friendly process. P3D-CFS has a conductive coating layer that is used as a 3D hosting structure, which does not cause morphological changes in the Li metal anode. As a result, the unit cells (LiMn2O4/Li metal) employing P3D-CFS improve the cycle performance and rate capability compared to commercial polyethylene (PE) separators. P3D-CFS maintained 83.1% of the initial discharge capacity at the 400th cycle, whereas bare PE maintains only 74.3% of the initial discharge capacity after the 250th cycle (C/2?=?0.5?mA?cm-2). P3D-CFS maintains 42.8% of the initial discharge capacity at a 7C rate (7?mA?cm-2), whereas only 0.19% is maintained by bare PE under the same condition. Owing to the thermally stable properties of P3D-CFS, the open-circuit voltage of the unit cells (LiMn2O4/graphite) that employed P3D-CFS is maintained for over 60?min?at 140?°C, whereas the unit cells that employed bare PE show a sudden voltage drop after only 3?min.
Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were performed on the Lockheed Martin Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft preliminary design to assess inlet performance. The FUN3D flow solver and its adjoint-based grid refinement capability was used for the simulations in hopes of determining internal "best practices" for predicting inlet performance on top-aft-mounted inlets. Several parameters were explored including tetrahedral vs. pentahedral cells in/around the boundary-layer regions, an engine axis-aligned linear pressure sensor vs. a pressure box objective as the grid adaptation metric, and the number of grid adaptation cycles performed. Additional simulations were performed on manually refined grids for comparison with the adjoint-based adapted grids
Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) simulations were performed on the Lockheed Martin Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) aircraft preliminary design to assess inlet performance. The FUN3D flow solver and its adjoint-based grid refinement capability was used for the simulations in hopes of determining internal "best practices" for predicting inlet performance on top-aft-mounted inlets. Several parameters were explored including tetrahedral vs. pentahedral cells in/around the boundary-layer regions, an engine axis-aligned linear pressure sensor vs. a pressure box objective as the grid adaptation metric, and the number of grid adaptation cycles performed. Additional simulations were performed on manually refined grids for comparison with the adjoint-based adapted grids
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Calcium-ion batteries (CIBs) are under investigation as next-generation energy storage devices due to their theoretically high operating potentials and lower costs tied to the high natural abundance of calcium. However, the development of CIBs has been limited by the lack of available positive electrode materials. In this study, for the first time, we report two functional polyanionic phosphate materials as high-voltage cathodes for CIBs at room temperature. NaV 2 (PO 4 ) 3 electrodes were found to reversibly intercalate 0.6 mol of Ca 2+ (81 mA h g –1 ) near 3.2 V (vs Ca 2+ /Ca) with stable cycling performance at a current density of 3.5 mA g –1 . The olivine framework material FePO 4 reversibly intercalates 0.2 mol of Ca 2+ (72 mA h g –1 ) near 2.9 V (vs Ca 2+ /Ca) at a current density of 7.5 mA g –1 in the first cycle. Structural, electronic, and compositional changes are consistent with reversible Ca 2+ intercalation into these two materials.
Lithium (Li) metal is a promising anode for high-performance secondary lithium batteries with high energy density due to its highest theoretical specific capacity and lowest electrochemical potential among anode materials. However, the dendritic growth and detrimental reactions with electrolyte during Li plating raise safety concerns and lead to premature failure. Herein, we report that a homogeneous nanocomposite protective layer, prepared by uniformly dispersing AlPO 4 nanoparticles into the vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene matrix, can effectively prevent dendrite growth and lead to superior cycling performance due to synergistic influence of homogeneous Li plating and electronic insulation of polymeric layer. The results reveal that the protected Li anode is able to sustain repeated Li plating/stripping for >750 cycles under a high current density of 3 mA cm -2 and under a practical specific capacity of 2 mAh cm -2 . Moreover, full-cell Li-ion battery is constructed by using LiFePO 4 and protected Li as a cathode and anode, respectively, rendering a stable capacity after 400 charge/discharge cycles. The current work presents a promising approach to stabilize Li metal anodes for next-generation Li secondary batteries.
Silicon monoxide is a promising anode candidate because of its high theoretical capacity and good cycle performance. To solve the problems associated with this material, including large volume changes during charge-discharge processes, we report a ternary hierarchical silicon oxide–nickel–graphite composite prepared by a facile two-step ball-milling method. The composite consists of nano-Si dispersed silicon oxides embedded in nano-Ni/graphite matrices (Si@SiOx/Ni/graphite). In the composite, crystalline nano-Si particles are generated by the mechanochemical reduction of SiO by ball milling with Ni. These nano-Si dispersed oxides have abundant electrochemical activity and can provide high Li-ion storage capacity. Furthermore, the milled nano-Ni/graphite matrices stick well to active materials and interconnect to form a crosslinked framework, which functions as an electrical highway and a mechanical backbone so that all silicon oxide particles become electrochemically active. Owing to these advanced structural and electrochemical characteristics, the composite enhances the utilization efficiency of SiO, accommodates its large volume expansion upon cycling, and has good ionic and electronic conductivity. The composite electrodes thus exhibit substantial improvements in electrochemical performance. This ternary hierarchical Si@SiOx/Ni/graphite composite is a promising candidate anode material for high-energy lithium-ion batteries. Additionally, the mechanochemical ball-milling method is low cost and easy to reproduce, indicating potential for the commercial production of the composite materials.
The Fe/V redox flow battery has demonstrated promising performance that is advantageous over other redox flow battery systems. The less oxidative nature of the Fe(III) species enables use of hydrocarbon - based ion exchange membranes or separators. Daramic(reg. sign) microporous polyethylene separators were tested on Fe/V flow cells using the sulphuric/chloric mixed acid - supporting electrolytes. Among them, Daramic(reg. sign) C exhibited good flow cell cycling performance with satisfactory repeatability over a broad temperature range of 5 - 50 degrees C. Energy efficiency (EE) of C remains above 67% at current densities of 50 - 80 cm{sup -2} in the temperature range from room temperature to 50 degrees C. The capacity decay problem could be circumvented through hydraulic pressure balancing by applying different pump rates to the positive and negative electrolytes. Stable capacity and energy were obtained over 40 cycles at room temperature and 40 degrees C. These results manifest that the extremely low-cost separators ($10/cm2) are applicable in the Fe/V flow battery system at an acceptable sacrifice of energy efficiency. This stands for a remarkable breakthrough in significant reduction of the capital cost of the Fe/V flow battery system, and is promising to promote its market penetration in grid stabilization and renewable integration.
The pressing demand in electrical vehicle (EV) markets for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) requires further increasing the Ni content in high-Ni and low-Co cathodes. However, the commercialization of high-Ni cathodes is hindered by their intrinsic chemomechanical instabilities and fast capacity fade. The emerging single-crystalline strategy offers a promising solution, yet the operation and degradation mechanism of single-crystalline cathodes remain elusive, especially in the extremely challenging ultrahigh-Ni (Ni > 90%) regime whereby the phase transformation, oxygen loss, and mechanical instability are exacerbated with increased Ni content. Herein, we decipher the atomic-scale stabilization mechanism controlling the enhanced cycling performance of an ultrahigh-Ni single-crystalline cathode. We find that the charge/discharge inhomogeneity, the intergranular cracking, and oxygen-loss-related phase degradations that are prominent in ultrahigh-Ni polycrystalline cathodes are considerably suppressed in their single-crystalline counterparts, leading to improved chemomechanical and cycling stabilities of the single-crystalline cathodes. Furthermore, our work offers important guidance for designing next-generation single-crystalline cathodes for high-capacity, long-life LIBs.
Electroless plating of tin on copper foil (2-D) and foams (3-D) was used to create carbon- and binder-free thin films for solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) property investigation. When electrochemically cycled vs lithium metal in coin cells, the foam electrodes exhibited better cycling performance than the planar electrodes due to electrode curvature. The effect of the additive/cosolvent fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC) was found to drastically improve the capacity retention and Coulombic efficiency of the cells. The additive amount of 2% FEC is enough to derive the benefits in the cells at a slow (C/9) cycling rate. The interfacial properties of Sn thin film electrodes in electrolyte with/without FEC additive were investigated using in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (EQCM-D). The processes of the decomposition of the electrolyte on the electrode surface and Li alloying/dealloying with Sn were characterized quantitatively by surface mass change at the molecular level. FEC-containing electrolytes deposited less than electrolyte without FEC on the initial reduction sweep, yet increased the overall thickness/mass of SEI after several cyclic voltammetry cycles. EQCM-D studies demonstrate that the mass accumulated per mole of electrons (mpe) was varied in different voltage ranges, which reveals that the reduction products of the electrolyte with/without FEC are different.