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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.

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At least 469 records · Page 26
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Exploring solvation structure and transport behavior for rational design of advanced electrolytes for next generation of lithium batteries

The efficacy of electrolytes significantly affects battery performance, leading to the development of several strategies to enhance them. Despite this, the understanding of solvation structure remains inadequate. It is imperative to understand the structure–property–performance relationship of electrolytes using diverse techniques. Here, this review explores the recent advancements in electrolyte design strategies for high capacity, high-voltage, wide-temperature, fast-charging, and safe applications. To begin, the current state-of-the-art electrolyte design directions are comprehensively reviewed. Subsequently, advanced techniques and computational methods used to understand the solvation structure are discussed. Additionally, the importance of high-throughput screening and advanced computation of electrolytes with the help of machine learning is emphasized. Finally, future horizons for studying electrolytes are proposed, aimed at improving battery performance and promoting their application in various fields by enhancing the microscopic understanding of electrolytes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
NASA NTRS2016

The Effect of Electrolyte Composition on Lithium Plating During Low Temperature Charging of Li-Ion Cells

In the present work, a number of additives have been investigated for their effect on the charge characteristics of cells containing low temperature, high ester content electrolytes (1.0 M LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate (EC) + ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) + methyl propionate (MP) 20:20:60 vol % + X additive). These experimental three-electrode cells are composed of graphite anodes, LiNiCoAlO2 cathodes, and a lithium metal reference electrode. Cells were first subjected to electrochemical characterization at various temperatures, consisting of performing Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), linear micropolarization and Tafel polarization measurement to determine the kinetic parameters for both the anodes and cathodes. Following electrochemical characterization, the cells were subjected to charging at decreasing temperatures using C/5 rates to 4.10V, with a constant potential C/50 current taper. Analysis of the C/20 discharge following the charge at low temperature revealed either the presence or absence of a high voltage plateau during the initial stages of the discharge. This plateau has been linked to the presence of lithium metal on the anode previously and was used as a measure for the extent of lithium plating in the cell. Differential analysis (dV/dQ) was applied as well to more clearly visualize the position of the high voltage plateau and use the peak position (x-axis) in the dV/dQ plot as a gauge for the amount of plating which took place in the cell on the prior charge. Most additives investigated increased the resistance of the anode and decreased the resistance of the cathode, thereby leading to an overall increase in plating observed at low temperature. One additive, LiFSI, was found to be beneficial during low temperature charging, however studies of electrode kinetics from the cell containing LiFSI did not reveal significant improvements compared to the baseline.

Jones, John-Paul↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterization of the structure and chemistry of the solid–electrolyte interface by cryo-EM leads to high-performance solid-state Li-metal batteries

Solid-state lithium-metal (Li 0 ) batteries are gaining traction for electric vehicle applications because they replace flammable liquid electrolytes with a safer, solid-form electrolyte that also offers higher energy density and better resistance against Li dendrite formation. Solid polymer electrolytes (SPEs) are highly promising candidates because of their tunable mechanical properties and easy manufacturability; however, their electrochemical instability against lithium metal (Li 0 ), mediocre conductivity, and poorly understood Li 0 /SPE interphases have prevented extensive application in real batteries. In particular, the origin of the low Coulombic efficiency (CE) associated with SPEs remains elusive, as the debate continues as to whether it originates from unfavored interfacial reactions or lithium dendritic growth and dead lithium formation. In this work, we use state-of-the-art cryo-electromicroscopy (cryoEM) imaging and spectroscopic techniques to characterize the structure and chemistry of the interface between Li 0 and a polyacrylate-based SPE. Contradicting the conventional knowledge, we find that no protective interphase forms, owing to the sustained reactions between deposited Li dendrites and polyacrylic backbones and succinonitrile plasticizer. Due to the reaction induced volume change, large amounts of cracks form inside the Li dendrites with a stress corrosion-cracking behavior, indicating that Li0cannot be passivated in this SPE system. Based on this observation, we then introduce additive engineering leveraging on the knowledge of liquid electrolytes, and demonstrate that the Li 0 surface can be effectively protected against corrosion using fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), leading to densely packed Li 0 domes with conformal and stable solid-electrolyte interphases (SEIs) films. Owing to the high room temperature ionic conductivity of 1.01 mS/cm -1 , the high transference number of 0.57 and the stabilized lithium electrolyte interface, this improved new SPE delivers an excellent lithium plating/stripping CE of 99% and 1800 hours of stable cycling in Li||Li symmetric cells (0.2 mA/cm -2 , 1mAh/cm -2 ). Furthermore, this improved cathodic stability along with the high anodic stability enables record high cycle life of >2000 cycles for Li||LiFePO 4 and >400 cycles for Li||LiCoO 2 full cells.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Complete characterization of a lithium battery electrolyte using a combination of electrophoretic NMR and electrochemical methods

Improving transport properties of electrolytes is important for developing lithium-ion batteries for future energy storage applications. In Newman's concentrated solution theory, electrolytes are characterized by three transport parameters, conductivity, diffusion coefficient, and transference number, in addition to the thermodynamic factor. In this work, these parameters are all determined for an exemplar liquid electrolyte, lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide mixed in tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether, using electrochemical methods. The intrinsic coupling between parameters obtained by electrochemical methods results in large error bars in the transference number that obscure the transport behavior of the electrolyte. Here, we use electrophoretic NMR (eNMR) to measure the electric-field-induced ion and solvent velocities to obtain the transference number directly, which enables determination of the thermodynamic factor with greater certainty. In conclusion, our work indicates that the combination of eNMR and electrochemical methods provides a robust approach for complete characterization of battery electrolytes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Editors’ Choice—Rapid Deactivation Convolutes Electrochemical CO 2 Reduction Selectivity Measurements on Gold Rotating Ring Disk Electrodes

Voltammetric measurements of electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) selectivity on rotating ring disk electrodes (RRDE) are a rapid and sensitive method for quantifying an electrocatalyst’s selectivity, i.e. faradaic efficiency (FE). This method has been applied to polycrystalline Au electrocatalysts where a Au disk electrode catalyzes both the CO 2 RR and hydrogen evolution reaction while the concentric Au ring electrode selectively senses CO by oxidizing CO back to CO 2 . Such measurements enabled fundamental mechanistic studies but suffer from poor inter-laboratory reproducibility. This work identifies causes of variability in RRDE selectivity measurements by comparing protocols with different electrochemical methods, reagent purities, and glassware cleaning procedures. We observed FE CO decrease by 56% during 5 min chronoamperometry measurements, a phenomenon that is not readily apparent in voltammetric scans due to their dynamic nature. Electroplating of electrolyte impurities onto the disk and ring surfaces were identified as a major contributor to Au deactivation. Additionally, the oxygen reduction reaction may lead to higher disk currents in inadequately purged electrolytes, causing an apparent underestimation of FE CO at low overpotentials. Lastly, we propose operational bounds for CO 2 RR selectivity measurements on Au using the RRDE method and provide suggestions on steps for improving the accuracy of this technique.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Decoupling Failure Pathways in Li-O 2 Cells Operated Under Lean Electrolyte Conditions

The operation of lithium-oxygen (Li-O 2 ) batteries under lean electrolyte conditions offers higher energy density but leads to rapid degradation and short cycle life. Although cathode passivation and electrolyte decomposition occur in all regimes, we show that under lean electrolyte conditions, failure is primarily driven by progressive electrolyte consumption at the lithium/solid electrolyte interphase (SEI), rather than by irreversible cathode passivation. Poor wetting of the lithium surface results in heterogeneous SEI growth and high local current densities, which accelerate electrolyte loss and cell failure. Strategies aimed at improving interfacial stability, including optimized wetting and SEI forming additives, significantly extend cycle life without compromising energy density. Our results establish anode-electrolyte interactions as the dominant degradation mechanism under lean electrolyte conditions, and emphasize the need to engineer a stable Li/SEI interface for long-lasting Li-O 2 batteries.

Córdoba, Daniel [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)↗
DOE OSTI2021

Stabilizing the Solid‐Electrolyte Interphase with Polyacrylamide for High‐Voltage Aqueous Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract The introduction of “water‐in‐salt” electrolyte (WiSE) concept opens a new horizon to aqueous electrochemistry that is benefited from the formation of a solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI). However, such SEI still faces multiple challenges, including dissolution, mechanical damaging, and incessant reforming, which result in poor cycling stability. Here, we report a polymeric additive, polyacrylamide (PAM) that effectively stabilizes the interphase in WiSE. With the addition of 5 molar % PAM to 21 mol kg −1 LiTFSI electrolyte, a LiMn 2 O 4 ∥L‐TiO 2 full cell exhibits enhanced cycling stability with 86 % capacity retention after 100 cycles at 1 C. The formation mechanism and evolution of PAM‐assisted SEI was investigated using operando small angle neutron scattering and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which reveal that PAM minimizes the presence of free water molecules at the anode/electrolyte interface, accelerates the TFSI − anion decomposition, and densifies the SEI.

Hou, Xu↗
DOE OSTI2020

Analysis of an all-solid state nanobattery using molecular dynamics simulations under an external electric field

Present Li-ion battery (LIB) technology requires strong improvements in performance, energy capacity, charging-time, and cost to expand their application to e-mobility and grid storage. Li-metal is one of the most promising materials to replace commercial anodes such as graphite because of its 10 times higher specific capacity. However, Li-metal has high reactivity with commercial liquid electrolytes; thus, new solid materials are proposed to replace liquid electrolytes when Li-metal anodes are used. We present a theoretical analysis of the charging process in a full nanobattery, containing a LiCoO 2 cathode, a Li 7 P2S 8 I solid-state electrolyte (SSE), a Li-metal anode as well as Al and Cu collectors for the cathode and anode, respectively. In addition, we added a Li 3 P/Li 2 S film as a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer between the Li-anode and SSE. Thus, we focus this study on the SEI and SSE. We simulated the charging of the nanobattery with an external voltage by applying an electric field. We estimated temperature profiles within the nanobattery and analyzed Li-ion transport through the SSE and SEI. Here, we observed a slight temperature rise at the SEI due to reactions forming $PS_{3}^{–}$ and $P_{2}S_{7}^{4}$$^{–}$ fragments at the interfaces; however, this temperature profile changes due to the charging current under the presence of the external electric field ε = 0.75 V Å –1 . Without the external field, the calculated open-circuit voltage (OCV) was 3.86 V for the battery, which is within the range of values of commercial cobalt-based LIBs. This voltage implies a spontaneous fall of available Li-ions from the anode to the cathode (during discharge). The charge of this nanobattery requires overcoming the OCV plus an additional voltage that determines the charging current. Thus, we applied an external potential able to neutralize the OCV, plus an additional 1.6 V to induce the transport of Li + from the cathode up to the anode. Several interesting details about Li + transport paths through the SSE and SEI are discussed.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

The electrolyte comprising more robust water and superhalides transforms Zn-metal anode reversibly and dendrite-free

A great challenge for all aqueous batteries, including Zn-metal batteries, is the parasitic hydrogen evolution reaction on the low-potential anode. Herein, we report the formula of a highly concentrated aqueous electrolyte that mitigates hydrogen evolution by transforming water molecules more inert. The electrolyte comprises primarily ZnCl 2 and LiCl as an additive, both of which are inexpensive salts. The O–H covalent bonds in water get strengthened in a chemical environment that has fewer hydrogen bonding interactions and a greater number of Zn–Cl superhalides, as suggested by integrated characterization and simulation. As a result, the average Coulombic efficiency of zinc-metal anode is raised to an unprecedented >99.7% at 1 mA cm –2 . In the new electrolyte, the plating/stripping processes leave the zinc-metal anode dendrite-free, and the zinc-metal anode delivers stable plating/stripping cycles for 4000 hours with an areal capacity of 4 mAh cm –2 at 2 mA cm –2 . Furthermore, the high Coulombic efficiency of zinc-metal anode in the ZnCl 2 -LiCl mixture electrolyte is demonstrated in full cells with a limited anode. The V 2 O 5 ·H 2 O| |Zn full cell with an N/P mass ratio of 1.2 delivers a stable life of more than 2500 cycles, and the LiMn 2 O 4 | |Zn hybrid cell with an N/P mass ratio of 0.6 exhibits 1500 cycles in its stable life.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Additives for high voltage lithium ion batteries

This invention relates to a method for preparing an electrochemical cell comprising the sequential steps of preparing a solution of a lithium salt in an non-aqueous solvent containing an additive compound, and maintaining the solution at a temperature in the range of about 20 to about 30° C. for about 5 to 10 days to form an aged electrolyte; assembling an electrochemical cell from an anode, a cathode, and the aged electrolyte; and electrochemically subjecting the electrochemical cell to formation cycling. The additive compound comprises one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of: (R3SiO)3B, (R3SiO)3XY, (R3SiO)3P, (R′O)3PO, (R3Si)3X′, R3SiOS(O)2R′; (R3Si)OC(═O)R′; wherein each R and R′ independently is a hydrocarbyl group; X is P or B; Y is O or S; X is Ti or Al. Electrochemical cells and batteries also are described.

Peebles, Cameron↗
DOE OSTI2026

Tailored Solvent Treatment for Optimized Production of Upcycled Anodes from End-Of-Life Li-Ion Batteries

Recycling processes for lithium-ion batteries typically overlook graphite because of its lower market value relative to that of transition-metal-containing cathode materials. However, graphite recovered from cycled lithium-ion batteries holds additional engineered value associated with the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI). The SEI contributes critical electronic passivation of the graphite surface but becomes highly resistive with extended cycling, yielding poor cell performance. In this work, we apply tailored solvent treatment to end-of-life (EOL) graphite anodes to selectively remove adverse SEI components while retaining beneficially passivating species. We evaluate a series of polar protic solvents to achieve targeted removal of SEI components and control selectivity through rational variation in solvent properties. The physiochemical properties of treatment solvents correlate with both the retained SEI composition and the corresponding electrochemical performance of solvent-treated “upcycled” graphite anodes. Within the initial set of solvents evaluated, top-performing candidates show capacity and Coulombic efficiency nearly equivalent to those of an analogous pristine anode, as well as promising electrochemical performance enhancement with regard to irreversible capacity-loss metrics. This study establishes critical design principles for an optimized anode upcycling method that enhances the value of recycled graphite by retaining and upgrading the SEI.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Building interface bonding and shield for stable Li-rich Mn-based oxide cathode

Implementation of Li-rich Mn-based oxide cathode with high-energy-density has been restrained by capacity/voltage degradation that results from irreversible lattice oxygen loss and structure rearrangements. To resolve these challenges, in this work, Li 1.2 Mn 0.54 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 O 2 encapsulated by amorphous Co x B (CB-LRM) is rationally designed via autocatalytic plating for highly reversible cationic/anionic hybrid cathode material. Band coherency is ingeniously evoked by interface-reconstruction between bulk structure and amorphous coating layer, which lower the energy of O $2p$ states. Furthermore, this is associated with strengthened orbital hybridization of O $2p$-Mn $3d$ and increased formation energy of oxygen vacancy, which mitigates the lattice oxygen loss considerably. Additionally, interface shielding effects that protect electrode against electrolyte corrosion and the reduction of surface oxygen are also present with fully coverage of amorphous Co x B coating layer. As a result, the as-designed CBLRM cathode exhibits excellent cycle stability after 100 loops with only 0.154% per cycle capacity fade and improved voltage degradation. Given this, this work provides a potential avenue for rational design of lattice oxygen-based electrode materials with high-energy-density.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Fundamental benchmarking of the discharge properties of negative electrodes in lead acid batteries

The unprecedented scale of energy storage deployment needed to allow high penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources into the electrical grid places significant economic cost and performance targets on battery technologies. Lead batteries, owing to their highly abundant and inexpensive raw materials, can be considered an important solution to grid storage as long as they achieve high material utilization, fast recharge rates, and long cycle life. To address the limitations in material utilization, we need to revisit the electrochemical processes during the discharge step and answer the following question: what are the fundamental limits of the discharge reaction? In this work we discuss how well-defined lead metal surfaces with nanometer scale roughness allow us to resolve the accessible discharge capacity for both faradaic and non-faradaic processes as a function of electrolyte concentration and in the presence of traditional additives. The direct connection between PbSO 4 layer morphology and discharge rates gives us important insights on the mechanism of discharge as related to the dissolution and passivation events. In conclusion, this work sets the stage for reimagining the design of lead batteries with implications to grid storage applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Stable electrospray signal on a microfabricated glass chip with three-dimensional open edge and tiered depth geometries

This paper presents the microfabrication and performance of a three-dimensional electrospray ionization (ESI) emitter tip made from glass, which achieves stable current signals important for chemical analysis. Our novel microfabrication process and custom-built signal conditioning hardware provides the advantage of providing accurate features and steady signals. The fabrication process relies on standard microfabrication techniques (i.e., deposition, photolithography, and wet etching). This fabrication method involves the novel application of two layers of positive and negative photoresists in addition to Parafilm® wax tape. Open edge and tiered depth details were successfully created from a multilayer planar mask. This is a benefit for integrated miniaturized and microfluidic systems that often require micro features for their functionality but relatively large millimeter size features for their physical periphery. We demonstrate the fundamental performance of electrospray with this microfluidic chip. The emitter tip was fixed on a linear axis stage with high resolution (10 μm) to finely control the tip distance from a metal counter electrode plate. Further, a custom printed circuit board system was built to safely control four voltages applied to the microchip ports from a single high voltage power supply. To readily form the electrospray, non-aqueous solvents were used for their low viscosity and a constant voltage of +2.7 kV was applied to the sheath electrospray microchannel. The liquid being sprayed was 80/20 (v/v) methanol/acetonitrile with 0.1% acetic acid in the sheath microchannel and with ammonium acetate (10–40 mM) in its remaining microchannels. The electrospray signal was measured in response to varying the distance (1.4 to 1.6mm) between the electrospray emitter tip and a metal counter electrode plate in addition to the varying concentration of the background electrolyte, ammonium acetate. Stable and repeatable electrospray signal showed linear relationships with emitter tip distance and concentration (r 2 ≥ 0.95).

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Emerging Atomistic Modeling Methods for Heterogeneous Electrocatalysis

Heterogeneous electrocatalysis lies at the center of various technologies that could help enable a sustainable future. However, its complexity makes it challenging to accurately and efficiently model at an atomic level. Herein, we review emerging atomistic methods to simulate the electrocatalytic interface with special attention devoted to the components/effects that have been challenging to model, such as solvation, electrolyte ions, electrode potential, reaction kinetics, and pH. Additionally, we review relevant computational spectroscopy methods. Then, we showcase several examples of applying these methods to understand and design catalysts relevant to green hydrogen. We also offer experimental views on how to bridge the gap between theory and experiments. Finally, we provide some perspectives on opportunities to advance the field.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Atomistic Insights into Lithium–Glyme Solvate Ionic Liquids: Effects of Chain Length and Anion Coordination

For this study, mixtures of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) in diglyme (G2), triglyme (G3) and tetraglyme (G4) at solvate ionic liquid (SIL) concentrations were investigated using classical molecular dynamics (cMD) simulations with a physically motivated force-field specifically developed for modeling these systems. The structural and dynamical properties of the mixtures were computed and analyzed. Lithium solvation shells, radial distribution functions, and X-ray structure factors were studied across the different SIL systems. Translational diffusion and rotational relaxation times were also evaluated, exhibiting similar trends with increasing glyme chain length. The results are consistent with experimental data and in good agreement with previous computational studies on G3 and G4. These findings validate the accuracy of the force field in modeling glyme systems and its use for describing the [Li(G2) 4/3 ][TFSI] mixture. Additionally, the thermal and electrochemical stability of these electrolytes were systematically examined. The thermal stability appears to be governed by cooperative interactions among glyme molecules, while the electrochemical stability is primarily influenced by Li + -anion interactions, which vary significantly with glyme chain length. Overall, the study sheds light on the crucial role of the anion in these glyme-based SILs and offers valuable insights into Li + -glyme systems at SIL concentrations, highlighting their promise as potential Li-ion battery electrolytes.

anions↗
DOE OSTI2024

Towards predictive control of reversible nanoparticle assembly with solid-binding proteins

Although a broad range of ligand-functionalized nanoparticles and physico-chemical triggers have been exploited to create stimuli-responsive colloidal systems, little attention has been paid to the reversible assembly of unmodified nanoparticles with non-covalently bound proteins. Previously, we reported that a derivative of green fluorescent protein engineered with oppositely located silica-binding peptides mediates the repeated assembly and disassembly of 10-nm silica nanoparticles when pH is toggled between 7.5 and 8.5. We captured the subtle interplay between interparticle electrostatic repulsion and their protein-mediated short-range attraction with a multiscale model energetically benchmarked to collective system behavior captured by scattering experiments. Here, in this work, we show that both solution conditions (pH and ionic strength) and protein engineering (sequence and position of engineered silica-binding peptides) provide pathways for reversible control over growth and fragmentation, leading to clusters ranging in size from 25 nm protein-coated particles to micrometer-size aggregate. We further find that the higher electrolyte environment associated with successive cycles of base addition eventually eliminates reversibility. Our model accurately predicts these multiple length scales phenomena. The underpinning concepts provide design principles for the dynamic control of other protein- and particle-based nanocomposites.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗