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At least 613 records · Page 34

Electrochemically induced amorphous-to-rock-salt phase transformation in niobium oxide electrode for Li-ion batteries

Intercalation-type metal oxides are promising negative electrode materials for safe rechargeable lithium-ion batteries due to the reduced risk of Li plating at low voltages. Nevertheless, their lower energy and power density along with cycling instability remain bottlenecks for their implementation, especially for fast-charging applications. Here, we report a nanostructured rock-salt Nb 2 O 5 electrode formed through an amorphous-to-crystalline transformation during repeated electrochemical cycling with Li + . This electrode can reversibly cycle three lithiums per Nb 2 O 5 , corresponding to a capacity of 269 mAh g –1 at 20 mA g –1 , and retains a capacity of 191 mAh g –1 at a high rate of 1 A g –1 . Further, it exhibits superb cycling stability with a capacity of 225 mAh g –1 at 200 mA g –1 for 400 cycles, and a Coulombic efficiency of 99.93%. We attribute the enhanced performance to the cubic rock-salt framework, which promotes low-energy migration paths. Our work suggests that inducing crystallization of amorphous nanomaterials through electrochemical cycling is a promising avenue for creating unconventional high-performance metal oxide electrode materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Co-sputtered CuNi heteroatomic electrocatalyst for enhanced 5-hydroxymethylfurfural selective electrochemical conversion

The electrochemical conversion of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) represents a promising, economically viable, and environmentally sustainable approach for producing value-added chemicals using renewable energy and in situ hydrogen generated through water electrolysis. However, the electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of HMF remains challenging due to the inherently low catalytic activity and selectivity of the electrodes, compounded by competition with the kinetically favored hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous electrolytes. In this work, we demonstrate that Cu x Ni 100−x heteroatomic thin films, fabricated via direct current (DC) magnetron co-sputtering, achieve a more than one order of magnitude increase in the HMF to 2,5-Bis-hydroxymethylfuran (BHMF) conversion rate, with nearly 50% faradic efficiency (FE) for BHMF, when compared to pure Cu and Ni electrodes (~ 10% BHMF FE). Our results suggest that the synergistic interaction between Cu and Ni creates an optimal catalytic environment for both HMF and adsorbed hydrogen (H ads ) species, thereby enhancing BHMF formation through the ECH pathway.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Phase segregation of a composite air electrode unlocks the high performance of reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells

One breakthrough in developing highly efficient air electrodes for reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (R-PCECs) is optimizing the sluggish oxygen reduction and water oxidation reactions. Here, we present a novel composite material with a nominal formula of high-entropy Ce 0.2 Ba 0.2 Sr 0.2 La 0.2 Ca 0.2 CoO 3–δ (CBSLCC) that spontaneously self-assembles to three-phase electrocatalysts composed of deficient Ce 0.2–y Ba 0.2 Sr 0.2–x La 0.2–x Ca 0.2 CoO 3–δ (CD-CBSLCC), CeO 2 , and La 0.5 Sr 0.5 CoO 3–δ (LSC). Mechanistic studies corroborate that oxygen reduction may occur on entire air electrode surfaces, followed by water formation preferentially at or near CD-CBSLCC. The CeO 2 phase could provide or consume protons to facilitate the oxygen evolution/reduction kinetics in R-PCECs. The developed electrodes demonstrate a record-high electrochemical performance in dual modes of fuel cells and electrolysis cells, delivering a peak power density of 1.66 W cm –2 at 600 °C and a current density of –1.76 A cm –2 at 1.3 V and 600 °C. Finally, excellent operational stabilities of the fuel cell (200 h at 600 °C), electrolysis cell (200 h at 600 °C), and reversible cycling (548 h at 550 °C) provide a promising and reliable step towards realizing the commercialization of R-PCECs.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Instrument for spatially resolved, temperature-dependent electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of thin films under locally controlled atmosphere

We demonstrate an instrument for spatially resolved measurements (mapping) of electrochemical impedance under various temperatures and gas environments. Automated measurements are controlled by a custom LabVIEW program, which manages probe motion, sample motion, temperature ramps, and potentiostat functions. Sample and probe positioning is provided by stepper motors. Dry or hydrated atmospheres (air or nitrogen) are available. The configurable heater reaches temperatures up to 500 °C, although the temperature at the sample surface is moderated by the gas flow rate. The local gas environment is controlled by directing flow toward the sample via a glass enclosure that surrounds the gold wire probe. Software and hardware selection and design are discussed. Reproducibility and accuracy are quantified on a Ba(Zr,Y)O 3-δ proton-conducting electrolyte thin film synthesized by pulsed laser deposition. The mapping feature of the instrument is demonstrated on a compositionally graded array of electrocatalytically active Ba(Co,Fe,Zr,Y)O 3-δ thin film microelectrodes. The resulting data indicate that this method proficiently maps property trends in these materials, thus demonstrating the reliability and usefulness of this method for investigating electrochemically active thin films.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Origin for electrochemically driven phase transformation in the oxygen electrode for a solid oxide cell

The next generation of fuel cells, electrolyzers, and batteries requires higher power, faster kinetics, and larger energy density, which necessitate the use of compositionally complex oxides to achieve multifunctionalities and activity. These compositionally complex oxides may change their phases and structures during an electrochemical process—a so-called “electrochemically driven phase transformation.” The origin for such a phase change has remained obscure. The aim of this paper is to present an experimental study and a theoretical analysis of phase evolution in praseodymium nickelates. Nickelate-based electrodes show up to 60 times greater phase transformation during operation when compared with thermally annealed ones. Theoretical analysis suggests that the presence of a reduced oxygen partial pressure at the interface between the oxygen electrode and the electrolyte is the origin for the phase change in an oxygen electrode. Guided by the theory, the addition of the electronic conduction in the interface layer leads to the significant suppression of phase change while improving cell performance and performance stability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Mechanisms enabling reconfigurability and long-term retention in vanadium oxide electrochemical memory

Phase coexistence in nanoscale electrochemical random-access memory (ECRAM) has recently been demonstrated to enable both information storage and extraordinary reconfigurability. These proof-of-principle demonstrations have left the mechanistic details of such a process unresolved. Particularly, the mechanisms that stabilize the multiple phases, and the underlying processes behind sustained memory retention, remain unclear, and are necessary to design such devices. Here we report microscale ECRAM devices composed of V⁢O𝑥, which enables us to directly probe the active region in an operando fashion using optical techniques. Using Raman mapping, we show the phase coexistence driven by the electrochemical injection of O vacancies to be spatially uniform (i.e., with no filaments). The stability was observed to be unusually long, with 1% loss over 14 years in ambient conditions. First-principles calculations of the oxygen vacancy formation energies in V⁢O 𝑥 further support the thermodynamic coexistence of multiple V⁢O 𝑥 phases and clarify the origin of the observed long-term retention in the ECRAM devices. Further, we demonstrate single devices that can be voltage programmed to exhibit synaptic, neuronal, and reconfigurable logic gate functionalities. Furthermore, we not only uncover the phase coexistence mechanism that may help device design, but also demonstrate the circuit-level applications of reconfigurability.

Electrical conductivity↗

Benchtop Autonomous Electrochemical Characterization System for Combinatorial Thin-Film Solid Oxide Electrodes

The design of materials for electrochemical energy conversion is complicated by a vast search space of candidate materials and multifaceted property requirements: multicarrier conductivity, stability, and catalytic activity are all necessary but rarely intersect. Although self-driving laboratories are rapidly rising to address such material optimization problems, the required infrastructure for integrated, large-scale robotic facilities can be cost-prohibitive. Here we develop and evaluate a closed-loop measurement system for efficient screening of proton-conducting oxide electrodes for ceramic fuel cells and electrolyzers, building on top of an existing benchtop instrument and integrating techniques for rapid impedance measurement and automated analysis. This system exemplifies a “minimum viable” self-driving implementation that can deliver substantial benefits with relatively simple infrastructure. Combinatorial thin-film microelectrode libraries are characterized with a recently developed joint time-domain and frequency-domain impedance measurement technique, which provides an order-of-magnitude acceleration relative to conventional impedance spectroscopy. The distribution of relaxation times is extracted from impedance data and analyzed without human intervention. These results feed an active learning and Bayesian optimization process that learns to predict electrochemical impedance as a function of material composition, measurement temperature, oxygen partial pressure, and electrical bias, which further reduces the screening time by tenfold with optimized experimental sequences. We apply this system to Ba⁡(Co,Fe,Zr,Y)⁢O 3−𝛿 combinatorial libraries and evaluate its effectiveness for learning material property trends and optimizing expensive-to-evaluate properties such as activation energy. This offers insights into key methodological aspects of practical autonomous experimentation, including surrogate model validation, cost-aware acquisition functions, and high-throughput data interpretation. Our results demonstrate the efficacy of the system for rapidly gathering information, but also highlight real-world experimental challenges of thin-film degradation and numerical instability in surrogate models.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Modeling Isotope Separation in Electrochemical Lithium Deposition

Naturally occurring Li consists of two stable isotopes, 6 Li with an abundance of about 7.5%, and 7 Li making up the remainder with 92.5%. The development of a 6 Li enrichment technique, in terms of technical reliability and environmental safety to reach 6 Li future requirements, represents a key step in the roadmap for nuclear fusion energy supply worldwide. This paper uses finite element analysis-based models to simulate electrochemical Li isotope separation, which is an attractive method in terms of simplicity, safety, and scalability. In the model, we quantitatively analyze how different electrochemical factors including thermodynamics, charge-transfer kinetics, and diffusivities affect the separation process (separation factor), together with cell parameters, such as cell length and current density. The maximum separation factor of 1.128 could be obtained with the cell under the optimal thermodynamic, kinetic, and diffusive conditions, which is among the highest separation factors ever reported. Furthermore, these results will assist in designing the actual isotope separation setup with large separation factor and appropriate timing for sample collection.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

The Electrochemical Behavior of As-Prepared Aluminum Alloy A360 Produced by Selective Laser Melting Fabrication with and without a Trivalent Chromium Process Conversion Coating

In this paper, we report on the electrochemical behavior and corrosion resistance of as-prepared aluminum alloy, A360 (AlSi10Mg), fabricated by additive manufacturing, with and without a trivalent chromium process conversion coating. Selective laser melting was the 3D printing process used for the alloy build. The corrosion suppression provided by the coating system was assessed through electrochemical measurements and accelerated degradation testing during a 14-day continuous neutral salt-spray exposure. The results indicate that the conversion coating can be formed by solution pretreating (degreasing and deoxidation) the alloy (X-Z plane perpendicular to the build plane) with its native surface roughness (as-prepared) followed by immersion for 10, 15 or 20 min in the coating bath. All three immersion times provide an equivalent level of corrosion protection to the alloy. The conversion coating suppresses both anodic and cathodic currents, increases the polarization resistance, and provides both anodic and cathodic corrosion protection to the as-prepared alloy. The conversion-coated specimens exhibit good stand-alone corrosion resistance during a 14-day neutral salt-spray exposure with corrosion intensity values (g/m 2 -year) ~10x lower than values for the uncoated, as-prepared alloy specimens.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Characterization of Electrochemical Behavior for Aqueous Organic Redox Flow Batteries

Use of aqueous redox flow batteries with organic redox-active materials holds great promise for large-scale and sustainable energy storage. The development of low-cost, highly efficient aqueous redox flow batteries lies in a comprehensive understanding of the electrochemical behaviors of redox-active compounds. In this work, an alkaline redox battery with organic dihydroxyphenazine sulfonate (DHPS) anolyte and ferro-/ferricyanide (Fe(CN) 6 ) catholyte is investigated as a typical example of aqueous redox flow batteries using organic redox-active materials. The electrochemical kinetics of DHPS and Fe(CN) 6 are separately characterized using the symmetrical cell design. The resistance components are calculated directly from the experimental measurement. The key kinetic parameters are extracted and compared for DHPS and Fe(CN) 6 electrolytes. The extracted parameters are validated with symmetrical and full flow cell simulations at different operating conditions. Key parameters and internal loss are also compared with all-vanadium redox flow batteries, representing current state of the art. In addition, our extracted key parameters from a symmetrical flow cell are compared with the measured key parameters by cyclic voltammetry, a widely deployed electroanalytical technique. The cell performance prediction of DHPS anolyte on a 780 cm 2 interdigitated cell is made and found the power density is peaked at 475 mW cm -2 at our measurement condition.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Machine Learning Benchmarks for the Classification of Equivalent Circuit Models from Electrochemical Impedance Spectra

Analysis of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) data for electrochemical systems often consists of defining an Equivalent Circuit Model (ECM) using expert knowledge and then optimizing the model parameters to deconvolute various resistance, capacitive, inductive, or diffusion responses. For small data sets, this procedure can be conducted manually; however, it is not feasible to manually define a proper ECM for extensive data sets with a wide range of EIS responses. Automatic identification of an ECM would substantially accelerate the analysis of large sets of EIS data. We showcase machine learning methods to classify the ECMs of 9,300 impedance spectra provided by QuantumScape for the BatteryDEV hackathon. The best-performing approach is a gradient-boosted tree model utilizing a library to automatically generate features, followed by a random forest model using the raw spectral data. A convolutional neural network using boolean images of Nyquist representations is presented as an alternative, although it achieves a lower accuracy. We publish the data and open source the associated code. The approaches described in this article can serve as benchmarks for further studies. A key remaining challenge is the identifiability of the labels, underlined by the model performances and the comparison of misclassified spectra.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Identifying Critical Electrode Metrics for Efficient, Selective CO 2 Electrochemical Conversion

Low-temperature electrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO 2 R) in zero-gap membrane electrode assembly (MEA) reactors presents a scalable route to fuels and carbon utilization. However, performance at industrially relevant current densities hinges on mesoscale catalyst layer integration, particularly at the ionomer|catalyst interface. Here, we demonstrate a generalizable in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method. We utilize this technique to decouple electrode-level parameters that are correlated to the overall MEA performance. By performing this ex situ EIS method on CO 2 -to-CO catalyst-coated membranes with systematically varied ionomer-to-catalyst (I:C) ratios, we reveal a pronounced dependence of performance, ion transport resistance, and catalyst utilization on the I:C ratio as well as the electrode conditioning. We demonstrate that an optimal I:C ratio exists at which ion transport resistance is minimized and Faradaic efficiency for CO production is maximized. Beyond the electrodes examined, here we compare ion transport resistance to MEA selectivity/Faradaic efficiency obtained in prior studies, revealing a clear correlation between the two. These results suggest that ion transport resistance within the catalyst layer may be a quantitative predictor of MEA performance which underscores the importance of mesoscale integration in achieving scalable CO 2 R technologies.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Temporal and spatial tuning of optical constants in praseodymium doped ceria by electrochemical means

Abstract Temporal and spatial tuning of the refractive index of optical thin films is desired for flat optics applications. The redistribution of mobile ions in mixed ionic-electronic conductors (MIEC) has been demonstrated to serve as a viable means for achieving optical tuning down to the nanoscale. Here we studied the dynamic range of the optical tuning achievable in the refractive index, in the MIEC oxide – Pr x Ce 1− x O 2− δ (PCO), for x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4, at 500 °C, by in-situ spectrophotometry. Significant increases in the modulation of both the imaginary and real optical constants in the visible and the adjacent spectra were obtained for increased doping levels. Device employing an electrochemical titration method was implemented to modulate the oxygen concentration, and thereby the optical transmission of PCO. Incorporation of a patterned top electrode allowed for the demonstration of spatial control of PCO thin film properties by in-situ video imaging of the optical switching process. The electrochemically induced optical state is shown to remain non-volatile upon quenching the device to room temperature under applied bias.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Integrated CO 2 -facilitated Hydrometallurgical and Electrochemical Technology for Sustainable Mining and Recovery of Critical Elements from Wastes and Ashes

The availability of critical materials and other metals is very important for our national security and economic growth since they are widely used in defense and energy applications including batteries and wind turbines. Unfortunately, high grade ores have become scarce and their productions is dominated by limited countries. Thus, there is a strong need to obtain these materials from domestic sources. Municipal wastes are great candidates since they often contain high concentrations of metals. Since the metals in wastes and waste ashes are not in the form found in natural ores and contain a wide range of impurities, conventional extraction processes would not be effective. Thus, our project has developed an innovative MIDAS process based on the integrated CO2-facilitated hydrometallurgical and electrochemical technology that can effectively recover critical materials and metals from waste ashes while minimizing the environmental impacts. We have (i) characterized waste ashes to understand their physico-chemical properties, (ii) developed green solvent systems for hydrometallurgical extraction of critical elements and metals from waste ashes, (iii) explored electrochemical interfaces to refine the extracted metals.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Assessment of Flow-Enhanced Electrochemical Sensor Testing and Deployments for MSRs

This report serves as the deliverable for Milestone M3RS-23AN0401061 that is part of Work Package RS-23AN040106 (Flow Enhanced Sensors for MSRs – ANL). The goal of this milestone was to determine performance of the flow enhanced electrochemical sensor (FEES) and modular flow instrumentation testbed (MFIT) in safeguards relevant scenarios. Flow enhanced electrochemical sensors are a type of electroanalytical sensor that has been developed at Argonne National Laboratory to be installed directly into MSR flow conduits to make measurements of the salt composition. These sensors represent a significant improvement in capabilities compared to earlier electroanalytical sensors that instead can only be operated in quiescent conditions. Previous work has focused on testing of the FEES in flowing conditions provided by the MFIT to assess the accuracy and precision of the sensor measurements. To further improve this capability, in FY23 we undertook a campaign of safeguards relevant scenarios in molten salt containing a range of uranium chloride concentrations (0 to 3 wt%). All the testing carried out in FY23 was aided by a control system designed to automatically actuate flow conditions and collect data. This new automation system is estimated to have increased experimental throughput by a factor of four and enabled testing in a variety of complex conditions. The advancements in throughput and repeatability led to improved quantification of actinide concentrations using the in-flow sensors, with a reduction of the mean absolute relative error from 5.6% in FY22 to 3.1% in FY23. In addition to safeguards scenarios run in the MFIT, FY23 work included deployment of a FEES at a partner institution where it will be tested in a flowing salt loop. The FEES was successfully integrated into that loop and is being tested prior to loop startup. In FY23, work also continued on the smaller flow system that we have named the mini-MFIT. This smaller system is capable of rapid prototyping of new sensor designs prior to installation in the larger MFIT radiological flow system. Work was carried out to test this new system in non-radiological molten salts in a separate glovebox. This work is helping us to enhance the accuracy of our salt monitoring capabilities through the integration of multiple types of sensors. The high degree of accuracy required by 10 CFR 74 represents a significant challenge, and further design evolution and integration of the sensors into multimodal sensing frameworks will be needed to further push the measurement accuracy to the needed level.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

Innovative Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Production with Microbial Electrochemical Technology (MET)

The project “Innovative Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) Production with Microbial Electrochemical Technology (MET)” addressed food waste disposal challenges by successfully converting food waste to bioplastics (known as PHAs). The novel process created by our team of researchers from universities, national labs, and industry substantially enhanced overall carbon conversion efficiency of food waste processing (> 50%), while reducing disposal costs (> 25%). The project showed economic viability potential at community scale through pilot-scale demonstration at a relevant scale (50 L reactor volume) with more than 100 hours of PHA production using realistic conditions. The project goal was to valorize food waste by shunting traditional anaerobic digestion processing and creating a value-added PHA processing route that improves the economics and sustainability of local, community-scale, wet organic waste treatment. First, the food waste undergoes microbial-based, dark fermentation to break down the food to small carbon chains known as volatile fatty acids (VFAs). Instead of microorganisms converting the VFAs into methane using normal anaerobic digestion processing, our innovative process inhibits methane production. This preserves the produced VFAs for extraction and use by a novel Haloferax mediterranei (HM) archaea, which effectively converts the VFAs to bioplastics. The project added microbial electrochemical cells (MEC) to the dark fermentation process to enhance the VFAs produced and optimize the type of bioplastics formed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Membrane Electrode Assembly Manufacturing Automation Technology for the Electrochemical Compression of Hydrogen: Cooperative Research and Development (Final Report)

Electrochemical compression has the possibility to outcompete mechanical compression for hydrogen end- use applications. While HyET has a compressor that can output JO kilograms (kg)/day (fully scalable from home-to-industrial application) at up to 700 bar, the energy demand and reliability require top-quality electrochemical hydrogen compression (EHC) membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs), preferably prepared by cost-effective high-capacity manufacturing. High pressure requires a special MEA design, deviating from typical proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) MEAs with adapted catalyst layer substrates, asking for a modified coating process. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will help HyET by developing an automated catalyst coating process fit for EHC MEA manufacturing. In addition, inline quality inspection methods will be developed/selected to improve the MBA quality as it is used for EHC stack assembly. In a joint effort, NREL and HyET will even design an automated manufacturing process for the EHC MEA and approach potential United States (US) suppliers of manufacturing equipment.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗

Breaking C-C Bonds via Electrochemically Mediated Hydrogen Atom Transfer Reactions

Cleaving inert SP3-SP3 carbon-carbon (C-C) bonds selectively remains a major challenge in organic chemistry and a main bottleneck in the chemical upcycling of recalcitrant polyolefin waste. Here, we present an electrochemical strategy using redox mediators to activate and break C-C bonds at room temperature and ambient pressure. Specifically, we use N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) as a redox mediator that undergoes electrochemical oxidation to form the phthalimide-N-oxyl (PINO) radical to initiate hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) reactions with benzylic C-H bonds. The resulting benzylic carbon radical is readily captured by molecular oxygen to form a peroxy radical that decomposes into oxygenated C-C bond-scission fragments. This indirect, mediated approach for Csp3-Csp3 bond cleavage reduces the oxidation potential by > 1.2 V compared to the direct oxidation of the substrate, thereby eliminating deleterious side reactions, such as solvent oxidation, that may occur at high potentials. Studies with a bibenzyl model compound revealed a bifurcated reaction pathway following the initial HAT step. At a bibenzyl conversion of 61.0%, the C-C bond cleavage pathway generates benzaldehyde and benzoic acid products at 38.4% selectivity, and the C-H bond oxygenation pathway leads to 1,2-diphenylethanone and benzil products at 39.2% selectivity. Changes in reaction selectivity were investigated with various model compounds, including bibenzyl, 1,3-diphe-nylpropane, 1,4-diphenylbutane, and their derivatives. Product selectivity is correlated with the C-C bond strength of the reactant, with weaker C-C bonds favoring the C-C bond cleavage pathway. We also evaluated the mediated oxidation of oligo-meric styrene (Mn= 510 Da, OS510) which were converted into oxygenated products. Lastly, proof-of-concept depolymeriza-tion of polystyrene (PS, ~10,000 Da) into oxygenated monomers, dimers, and oligomers was demonstrated using NHPI-mediated oxidation.

benzoic acid↗