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Journal articleChen B, Zhang H, Xuan J, et al., 2020,
Seeing is Believing: In Situ/Operando Optical Microscopy for Probing Electrochemical Energy Systems
, ADVANCED MATERIALS TECHNOLOGIES, Vol: 5, ISSN: 2365-709X- Author Web Link
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- Citations: 26
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Journal articleJiang Y, Offer GJ, Jiang J, et al., 2020,
Voltage hysteresis model for silicon electrodes for lithium ion batteries, including multi-step phase transformations, crystallization and amorphization
, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol: 167, Pages: 1-9, ISSN: 0013-4651Silicon has been an attractive alternative to graphite as an anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The development of better silicon electrodes and the optimization of their operating conditions for longer cycle life require a quantitative understanding of the lithiation/delithiation mechanisms of silicon and how they are linked to the electrode behaviors. Herein we present a zero-dimensional mechanistic model of silicon anodes in LIBs. The model, for the first time, quantitatively accounts for the multi-step phase transformations, crystallization and amorphization of different lithium-silicon phases during cycling while being able to capture the electrode behaviors under different lithiation depths. Based on the model, a linkage between the underlying reaction processes and electrochemical performance is established. In particular, the two sloping voltage plateaus at low lithiation depth are correlated with two electrochemical phase transformations and the emergence of the single broad plateau at high lithiation depth is correlated with the amorphization of c-Li15Si4. The model is then used to study the effects of crystallization rate and surface energy barriers, which clarifies the role of surface energy and particle size in determining the performance behaviors of silicon. The model is a necessary tool for future design and development of high-energy-density, longer-life silicon-based LIBs.
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Journal articleBravo Diaz L, He X, Hu Z, et al., 2020,
Review—meta-review of fire safety of lithium-ion batteries: industry challenges and research contributions
, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol: 167, Pages: 1-14, ISSN: 0013-4651The Lithium-ion battery (LIB) is an important technology for the present and future of energy storage, transport, and consumer electronics. However, many LIB types display a tendency to ignite or release gases. Although statistically rare, LIB fires pose hazards which are significantly different to other fire hazards in terms of initiation route, rate of spread, duration, toxicity, and suppression. For the first time, this paper collects and analyses the safety challenges faced by LIB industries across sectors, and compares them to the research contributions found in all the review papers in the field. The comparison identifies knowledge gaps and opportunities going forward. Industry and research efforts agree on the importance of understanding thermal runaway at the component and cell scales, and on the importance of developing prevention technologies. But much less research attention has been given to safety at the module and pack scales, or to other fire protection layers, such as compartmentation, detection or suppression. In order to close the gaps found and accelerate the arrival of new LIB safety solutions, we recommend closer collaborations between the battery and fire safety communities, which, supported by the major industries, could drive improvements, integration and harmonization of LIB safety across sectors.
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Journal articleNguyen T-T, Demortière A, Fleutot B, et al., 2020,
The electrode tortuosity factor: why the conventional tortuosity factor is not well suited for quantifying transport in porous Li-ion battery electrodes and what to use instead
, npj Computational Materials, Vol: 6, ISSN: 2057-3960The tortuosity factor of porous battery electrodes is an important parameter used to correlate electrode microstructure with performance through numerical modeling. Therefore, having an appropriate method for the accurate determination of tortuosity factors is critical. This paper presents a numerical approach, based on simulations performed on microstructural image data, which enables a comparison between two common experimental methods. Several key issues with the conventional “flow through” type tortuosity factor are highlighted, when used to characterise electrodes. As a result, a new concept called the “electrode tortuosity factor” is introduced, which captures the transport processes relevant to porous electrodes better than the “flow through” type tortuosity factor. The simulation results from this work demonstrate the importance of non-percolating (“dead-end”) pores in the performance of real electrodes. This is an important result for optimizing electrode design that should be considered by electrochemical modelers. This simulation tool is provided as an open-source MATLAB application and is freely available online as part of the TauFactor platform.
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Journal articleDondelewski O, Szemberg OConnor T, Zhao Y, et al., 2020,
The role of cell geometry when selecting tab or surface cooling to minimise cell degradation
, eTransportation, Vol: 5, Pages: 1-12, ISSN: 2590-1168Thermal management of lithium ion batteries is critical to maintain cells at their optimum temperature and balance performance with degradation. Previous work has shown tab cooling to be better for performance and lifetime, but only if sufficient heat removal can be achieved, which depends in part on cell geometry. In this paper, a large form-factor pouch cell is shown to suffer from faster degradation when tab-cooled although still benefitting from higher useable energy. This paper introduces the ratio of surface-to-tab cell cooling coefficient, CCCratio, as a qualitative measure to assess a cell’s suitability for tab cooling. For low CCCratio cells, tab cooling results in more useable energy and lower degradation rates than surface cooling. However, the large pouch cell used in this study has a high CCCratio, indicating that it is difficult to remove sufficient heat through tab cooling. At beginning of life, tab cooling allows access to more usable energy in the cell, but the rate of high temperature-induced degradation is greater, compared to the surface cooled cell. As a result, the useable energy from the tab cooled cell diminishes more rapidly, and after a certain cycle count, the useable energy from the surface cooled cell is superior. The optimum cooling approach will therefore be dependent on the desired lifetime of the system. This research should be of particular interest to cell and battery pack designers.
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ReportOffer G, Szemberg O'Connor T, De Marco M, 2020,
Opportunities for disruptive advances through engineering for next generation energy storage
Throughout human history, major economic disruption has been due to technological breakthroughs.Since 1990 the energy density of lithium-ion cells has increased by a factor of four and the cost has dropped by a factor of 10.This has caused disruption to the energy industry, but advances are slowing.The manufacturing and supply chain complexity means that the next big technology will take 15 years to dominate.The academic literature charts this process of development and can be used to show what is in the pipeline.Three candidates that have had a large increase in publication count are: lithium sulphur, solid-state, and sodium-ion technology.From the level of investments in start-ups and academic publication counts, solid‑state cells are closest to maturity.To identify disruption potential, look at uncertainty in performance. Cell lifetime in lithium-ion cells indicates room for improvement.Define a new disruption metric: . Look for areas of industry that lower this metric.Thermal management is a lucrative area for improvement. Cooling the cell tabs of a 5Ah cell reduces the lifetime cost by 66%, compared to 8%/pa for 13 years relying on cost reduction.Second life applications lower the lifetime cost by using the remaining 75% of energy throughput available in a cell after use in an electric vehicle.Drop-in changes to standard manufacturing processes enable huge disruption. Electrolyte additives can increase cell life by 10 times, lowering lifetime cost by 90% in a simple manufacturing intervention.
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Journal articleGayon-Lombardo A, Lukas M, Brandon N, et al., 2020,
Pores for thought: generative adversarial networks for stochastic reconstruction of 3D multi-phase electrode microstructures with periodic boundaries
, npj Computational Materials, Vol: 6, ISSN: 2057-3960The generation of multiphase porous electrode microstructures is a critical step in the optimisation of electrochemical energy storage devices. This work implements a deep convolutional generative adversarial network (DC-GAN) for generating realistic n-phase microstructural data. The same network architecture is successfully applied to two very different three-phase microstructures: A lithium-ion battery cathode and a solid oxide fuel cell anode. A comparison between the real and synthetic data is performed in terms of the morphological properties (volume fraction, specific surface area, triple-phase boundary) and transport properties (relative diffusivity), as well as the two-point correlation function. The results show excellent agreement between datasets and they are also visually indistinguishable. By modifying the input to the generator, we show that it is possible to generate microstructure with periodic boundaries in all three directions. This has the potential to significantly reduce the simulated volume required to be considered “representative” and therefore massively reduce the computational cost of the electrochemical simulations necessary to predict the performance of a particular microstructure during optimisation.
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Journal articleOffer G, Patel Y, Hales A, et al., 2020,
Cool metric for lithium-ion batteries could spur progress
, Nature, Vol: 582, Pages: 485-487, ISSN: 0028-0836 -
Journal articleO'Kane SEJ, Campbell ID, Marzook MWJ, et al., 2020,
Physical origin of the differential voltage minimum associated with lithium plating in Li-Ion batteries
, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol: 167, Pages: 1-11, ISSN: 0013-4651The main barrier to fast charging of Li-ion batteries at low temperatures is the risk of short-circuiting due to lithium plating. In-situ detection of Li plating is highly sought after in order to develop fast charging strategies that avoid plating. It is widely believed that Li plating after a single fast charge can be detected and quantified by using a minimum in the differential voltage (DV) signal during the subsequent discharge, which indicates how much lithium has been stripped. In this work, a pseudo-2D physics-based model is used to investigate the effect on Li plating and stripping of concentration-dependent diffusion coefficients in the active electrode materials. A new modelling protocol is also proposed, in order to distinguish the effects of fast charging, slow charging and Li plating/stripping. The model predicts that the DV minimum associated with Li stripping is in fact a shifted and more abrupt version of a minimum caused by the stage II-stage III transition in the graphite negative electrode. Therefore, the minimum cannot be used to quantify stripping. Using concentration-dependent diffusion coefficients yields qualitatively different results to previous work. This knowledge casts doubt on the utility of DV analysis for detecting Li plating.
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Journal articleNguyen T-T, Demortiere A, Fleutot B, et al., 2020,
Resolving the Discrepancy in Tortuosity Determination for Battery Porous Electrodes Via a Numerical Approach
, ECS Meeting Abstracts, Vol: MA2020-01, Pages: 2724-2724<jats:p> The tortuosity factor of porous electrode microstructure is a crucial input parameter for numerical models of batteries as it strongly influences the electrode performance. As such, it is very important to have a method to determine this parameter accurately, based on a definition that reflects the design of the cell.</jats:p> <jats:p>Various experimental methods have been developed for either directly measuring or indirectly inferring the tortuosity factor; however, numerical approaches, based on 3D image data, are now gaining interest in the battery community, due to the advances in nanoscale tomographic imaging methods. The standard definition of the tortuosity factor solves the Fick diffusion equation at steady-state, <jats:italic>i.e.,</jats:italic> between two parallel constant-value boundaries. Although this approach has been widely used for porous materials, including both electronic insulators (<jats:italic>e.g.,</jats:italic> a battery separator), and electronic conductors (<jats:italic>e.g.</jats:italic>, battery porous electrodes), it may be the case that the definition needs to be adjusted depending on the scenario being observed.</jats:p> <jats:p>In this study, we intend to give an insight into the appropriate way to determine the tortuosity factor of battery porous electrodes and the impact of various tortuosity determination methods is investigated. An additional module that relies on the symmetric cell method [1] [2] was implemented in the TauFactor software package [3] to compare with the already-implemented diffusion-based method [4]. This symmetric cell method refers to the measurement of the ionic current distribution inside the pores using AC impedance based on a symmetric cell setup. Figure 1 shows the workflow for tortuosity determination applied in this study. The integration of this module in TauFactor might be interesting for tortuosity
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Journal articleMadabattula G, Wu B, Marinescu M, et al., 2020,
Degradation diagnostics for Li4Ti5O12-based lithium ion capacitors: insights from a physics-based model
, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol: 167, ISSN: 0013-4651Lithium ion capacitors are an important energy storage technology, providing the optimum combination of power, energy and cycle life for high power applications. However, there has been minimal work on understanding how they degrade and how this should influence their design. In this work, a 1D electrochemical model of a lithium ion capacitor with activated carbon (AC) as the positive electrode and lithium titanium oxide (LTO) as the negative electrode is used to simulate the consequences of different degradation mechanisms in order to explore how the capacity ratio of the two electrodes affects degradation. The model is used to identify and differentiate capacity loss due to loss of active material (LAM) in the lithiated and de-lithiated state and loss of lithium inventory (LLI). The model shows that, with lower capacity ratios (AC/LTO), LAM in the de-lithiated state cannot be identified as the excess LTO in the cell balances the capacity loss. Cells with balanced electrode capacity ratios are therefore necessary to differentiate LAM in lithiated and de-lithiated states and LLI from each other. We also propose in situ diagnostic techniques which will be useful to optimize a LIC's design. The model, built in COMSOL, is available online.
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Journal articleFeng X, Merla Y, Weng C, et al., 2020,
A reliable approach of differentiating discrete sampled-data for battery diagnosis
, ETRANSPORTATION, Vol: 3, ISSN: 2590-1168- Author Web Link
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- Citations: 61
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Journal articleHales A, Marzook MW, Bravo Diaz L, et al., 2020,
The surface cell cooling coefficient: a standard to define heat rejection from lithium ion battery pouch cells
, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol: 167, ISSN: 0013-4651There is no universal and quantifiable standard to compare a given cell model's capability to reject heat. The consequence of this is suboptimal cell designs because cell manufacturers do not have a metric to optimise. The Cell Cooling Coefficient for pouch cell tab cooling (CCC tabs ) defines a cell's capability to reject heat from its tabs. However, surface cooling remains the thermal management approach of choice for automotive and other high-power applications. This study introduces a surface Cell Cooling Coefficient, CCC surf which is shown to be a fundamental property of a lithium-ion cell. CCC surf is found to be considerably larger than CCC tabs , and this is a trend anticipated for every pouch cell currently commercially available. However, surface cooling induces layer-to-layer nonuniformity which is strongly linked to reduced cell performance and reduced cell lifetime. Thus, the Cell Cooling Coefficient enables quantitative comparison of each cooling method. Further, a method is presented for using the Cell Cooling Coefficients to inform the optimal design of a battery pack thermal management system. In this manner, implementation of the Cell Cooling Coefficient can transform the industry, by minimising the requirement for computationally expensive modelling or time consuming experiments in the early stages of battery-pack design.
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Journal articleMadabattula G, Wu B, Marinescu M, et al., 2020,
How to design lithium ion capacitors: modelling, mass ratio ofelectrodes and pre-lithiation
, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol: 167, ISSN: 0013-4651Lithium ion capacitors (LICs) store energy using double layer capacitance at the positive electrode and intercalation at the negative electrode. LICs offer the optimum power and energy density with longer cycle life for applications requiring short pulses of high power. However, the effect of electrode balancing and pre-lithiation on usable energy is rarely studied. In this work, a set of guidelines for optimum design of LICs with activated carbon (AC) as positive electrode and lithium titanium oxide (LTO) as negative electrode was proposed. A physics-based model has been developed and used to study the relationship between usable energy at different effective C rates and the mass ratio of the electrodes. The model was validated against experimental data from literature. The model was then extended to analyze the need for pre-lithiation of LTO. The limits for pre-lithiation in LTO and use of negative polarization of the AC electrode to improve the cell capacity have been analyzed using the model. Furthermore, the model was used to relate the electrolyte depletion effects to poorer power performance in a cell with higher mass ratio. The open-source model can be re-parameterised for other LIC electrode combinations, and should be of interest to cell designers.
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SoftwareMadabattula G, Wu B, Marinescu M, et al., 2019,
1D Electrochemical Model for Lithium Ion Capacitors in Comsol
Lithium ion capacitor is an electrochemical energy storage device with optimum energy density, power density and longer cycle life. A 1D-electrochemical model for activated carbon (AC)/ lithium titanium oxide (LTO) based lithium ion capacitor was built in COMSOL multiphyisics, v5.3a. The model was used to generate the data in an open-access paper: How to Design Lithium Ion Capacitor: Modelling, Mass Ratio of Electrodes and Pre-lithiation, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 2020, 167. (http://jes.ecsdl.org/content/167/1/013527.abstract) The model can be used to optimize the mass ratio of electrodes and pre-lithiation level. It can be extended to study the capacity fade in the devices.
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Journal articlePang M-C, Hao Y, Marinescu M, et al., 2019,
Experimental and numerical analysis to identify the performance limiting mechanisms in solid-state lithium cells under pulse operating conditions.
, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, Vol: 21, Pages: 22740-22755, ISSN: 1463-9076Solid-state lithium batteries could reduce the safety concern due to thermal runaway while improving the gravimetric and volumetric energy density beyond the existing practical limits of lithium-ion batteries. The successful commercialisation of solid-state lithium batteries depends on understanding and addressing the bottlenecks limiting the cell performance under realistic operational conditions such as dynamic current profiles of different pulse amplitudes. This study focuses on experimental analysis and continuum modelling of cell behaviour under pulse operating conditions, with most model parameters estimated from experimental measurements. By using a combined impedance and distribution of relaxation times analysis, we show that charge transfer at both interfaces occurs between the microseconds and milliseconds timescale. We also demonstrate that a simplified set of governing equations, rather than the conventional Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations, are sufficient to reproduce the experimentally observed behaviour during pulse discharge, pulse charging and dynamic pulse. Our simulation results suggest that solid diffusion in bulk LiCoO2 is the performance limiting mechanism under pulse operating conditions, with increasing voltage loss for lower states of charge. If bulk electrode forms the positive electrode, improvement in the ionic conductivity of the solid electrolyte beyond 10-4 S cm-1 yields marginal overall performance gains due to this solid diffusion limitation. Instead of further increasing the electrode thickness or improving the ionic conductivity on their own, we propose a holistic model-based approach to cell design, in order to achieve optimum performance for known operating conditions.
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Journal articleZhao Y, Diaz LB, Patel Y, et al., 2019,
How to cool lithium ion batteries: optimising cell design using a thermally coupled model
, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol: 166, Pages: A2849-A2859, ISSN: 0013-4651Cooling electrical tabs of the cell instead of the lithium ion cell surfaces has shown to provide better thermal uniformity within the cell, but its ability to remove heat is limited by the heat transfer bottleneck between tab and electrode stack. A two-dimensional electro-thermal model was validated with custom made cells with different tab sizes and position and used to study how heat transfer for tab cooling could be increased. We show for the first time that the heat transfer bottleneck can be opened up with a single modification, increasing the thickness of the tabs, without affecting the electrode stack. A virtual large-capacity automotive cell (based upon the LG Chem E63 cell) was modelled to demonstrate that optimised tab cooling can be as effective in removing heat as surface cooling, while maintaining the benefit of better thermal, current and state-of-charge homogeneity. These findings will enable cell manufacturers to optimise cell design to allow wider introduction of tab cooling. This would enable the benefits of tab cooling, including higher useable capacity, higher power, and a longer lifetime to be possible in a wider range of applications.
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Journal articleTomaszewska A, Chu Z, Feng X, et al., 2019,
Lithium-ion battery fast charging: A review
, eTransportation, Vol: 1, Pages: 1-28, ISSN: 2590-1168In the recent years, lithium-ion batteries have become the battery technology of choice for portable devices, electric vehicles and grid storage. While increasing numbers of car manufacturers are introducing electrified models into their offering, range anxiety and the length of time required to recharge the batteries are still a common concern. The high currents needed to accelerate the charging process have been known to reduce energy efficiency and cause accelerated capacity and power fade. Fast charging is a multiscale problem, therefore insights from atomic to system level are required to understand and improve fast charging performance. The present paper reviews the literature on the physical phenomena that limit battery charging speeds, the degradation mechanisms that commonly result from charging at high currents, and the approaches that have been proposed to address these issues. Special attention is paid to low temperature charging. Alternative fast charging protocols are presented and critically assessed. Safety implications are explored, including the potential influence of fast charging on thermal runaway characteristics. Finally, knowledge gaps are identified and recommendations are made for the direction of future research. The need to develop reliable in operando methods to detect lithium plating and mechanical degradation is highlighted. Robust model-based charging optimisation strategies are identified as key to enabling fast charging in all conditions. Thermal management strategies to both cool batteries during charging and preheat them in cold weather are acknowledged as critical, with a particular focus on techniques capable of achieving high speeds and good temperature homogeneities.
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Journal articleBoldrin P, Brandon NP, 2019,
Progress and outlook for solid oxide fuel cells for transportation applications
, Nature Catalysis, Vol: 2, Pages: 571-577, ISSN: 2520-1158With their high temperatures and brittle ceramic components, solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) might not seem the obvious fit for a power source for transportation applications. However, over recent years, advances in materials and cell design have begun to mitigate these issues, leading to the advantages of SOFCs such as fuel flexibility and high efficiency being exploited in vehicles. Here, we review these advances, look at the vehicles that SOFCs have already been used in, discuss the areas that need improvement for full commercial breakthrough and the ways in which catalysis can assist with these. In particular, we identify lifetime and degradation, fuel flexibility, efficiency and power density as key aspects for SOFCs’ improvement. Expertise from the catalysis landscape, ranging from surface science and computational materials design, to improvements in reforming catalysts and reformer design, are instrumental to this goal.
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Journal articleChen J, Ouyang M, Boldrin P, et al., 2019,
Fabrication and Characterisation of Nanoscale Ni-CGO Electrode from Nano-Composite Powders
, ECS Transactions, Vol: 91, Pages: 1799-1805, ISSN: 1938-6737 -
Journal articleHales A, Diaz LB, Marzook MW, et al., 2019,
The cell cooling coefficient: A standard to define heatrejection from lithium-ion batteries
, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol: 166, Pages: A2383-A2395, ISSN: 0013-4651Lithium-ion battery development is conventionally driven by energy and power density targets, yet the performance of a lithium-ion battery pack is often restricted by its heat rejection capabilities. It is therefore common to observe elevated cell temperatures and large internal thermal gradients which, given that impedance is a function of temperature, induce large current inhomogeneities and accelerate cell-level degradation. Battery thermal performance must be better quantified to resolve this limitation, but anisotropic thermal conductivity and uneven internal heat generation rates render conventional heat rejection measures, such as the Biot number, unsuitable. The Cell Cooling Coefficient (CCC) is introduced as a new metric which quantifies the rate of heat rejection. The CCC (units W.K−1) is constant for a given cell and thermal management method and is therefore ideal for comparing the thermal performance of different cell designs and form factors. By enhancing knowledge of pack-wide heat rejection, uptake of the CCC will also reduce the risk of thermal runaway. The CCC is presented as an essential tool to inform the cell down-selection process in the initial design phases, based solely on their thermal bottlenecks. This simple methodology has the potential to revolutionise the lithium-ion battery industry.
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Journal articleBravo Diaz L, Hales A, Zhao Y, et al., 2019,
Cell Heat Generation and Dissipation: From Experimentation to Application for Cell Design.
, ECS Meeting Abstracts, Vol: MA2019-04, Pages: 185-185<jats:p> Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are increasingly important in ensuring sustainable mobility and reliable energy supply, storing and managing energy from renewable sources [1]. Temperature is a critical factor in LIBs performance optimisation where large temperature deviations within the cell could lead to accelerated degradation and in extreme cases, thermal runaway. Thermal management has therefore become the focus of intensive research in an attempt to improve battery performance and lifespan [2-5]. Despite the growing research interest in this area, cell heat generation and heat dissipation pathways are not usually considered when designing a cell. This typically leads to cells with thermal bottlenecks prone to internal thermal gradients. With the goal of improving performance and lifetime, a two-dimensional electro-thermal model has been developed to simulate cell performance and internal states under complex thermal boundary conditions [6]. This model can be used to assess different cooling strategies and parameters such us tab position and dimensions can be optimised from the thermal performance perspective for a particular cell chemistry and geometry. </jats:p> <jats:p>In this study, a novel experimental procedure is employed to evaluate cell heat generation and dissipation for various operation conditions. The two-dimensional electro-thermal model was employed to assess the internal temperature distribution during the measurements and to verify the heat dissipation patterns observed during the experiments. As a result, a new metric, the Cell Cooling Coefficient (CCC) is proposed to evaluate the thermal pathways of a cell cooled via its tabs. <jats:list list-type="simple"> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>International Energy Agency. Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2017. 1–82 (2017). doi:10.1787/energy_tech-2014-en</jats:p> <
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Journal articleChen B, Offer GJ, Wang H, 2019,
Visualising and Characterising Zinc Ion Transport for Zinc Ion Batteries By Fluorescence Microscopy
, ECS Meeting Abstracts, Vol: MA2019-04, Pages: 225-225<jats:p> Zinc has been regarded as a promising anode material for aqueous batteries in view of its advantages including high specific capacity, abundance and intrinsic safety. Aqueous zinc ion batteries have attracted growing attention as a potential alternative to lithium ion batteries, especially for medium and large-scale energy storage. Aqueous zinc ion batteries consist of a zinc anode and a zinc intercalating cathode in a zinc-salt-containing electrolyte and use zinc ions as charge carriers. The electrolyte transporting zinc ions between the anode and the cathode plays an essential role in determining battery performance and life. Visualising ion transport in the electrolytes of zinc ion batteries can give insights into electrolyte dynamics as well as battery processes. Yet, this is limited by the spatial-temporal resolution of the existing techniques. Moreover, most of the existing in-situ visualisation techniques are very expensive and not easily accessible. Fluorescence microscopy provides a powerful tool for probing tiny structures and tracking species in real time. It relies on fluorescence which occurs when molecules absorb light with a certain wavelength followed by the re-emission of light with a longer wavelength. These excitation and emission wavelengths are usually unique fingerprints of certain substances. Fluorescent sensors, with high sensitivity of fluorescence assays, have been widely exploited as a useful tool for species detection and mechanistic studies in biology and chemistry. In this study, a novel microfluidics-based fluorescence microscopy platform is developed for visualising and characterising zinc ion transport in the electrolytes of zinc ion batteries. The platform is calibrated by comparing the measurement results with the literature data. Key transport properties of zinc ions are quantified under different electrolyte conditions. The developed platform is demonstrated to be a simple and versatile tool for electrolyte charac
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Journal articleMadabattula G, Marinescu M, Wu B, et al., 2019,
Effect of Mass Ratio of Electrodes in Lithium Ion Capacitors: Insights from a Physics-Based Model
, ECS Meeting Abstracts, Vol: MA2019-04, Pages: 193-193<jats:p> Lithium ion capacitors (LICs) store electrical energy in the form of a double layer at the high surface area positive electrode such as activated carbon (AC) and in the form of lithium intercalation at the negative electrode through materials such as lithium titanium oxide (LTO). Due to unequal specific capacities and different physical properties of the electrodes, the mass ratio of electrodes (AC/LTO) has to be optimized for the improved performance of LICs at high currents. In this work, we use a physics-based model and compare the model predictions with the experimental data to show the effect of electrode mass ratio and highlight the influence of electrolyte salt depletion/precipitation effects at different currents. Our results show that lower mass ratio of the electrodes (AC/LTO) is better for high power performance of LICs. </jats:p>
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Conference paperPang M-C, Hao Y, Wang H, et al., 2019,
What is the rate-limiting mechanism in solid-state lithium cells at different pulse operating conditions?
, 236th ECS Meeting -
Conference paperPang M-C, Hao Y, Wang H, et al., 2019,
Experimental Parameterisation of the Continuum Models for Solid-state Lithium Batteries
, 3rd Annual Oxford ECS Student Chapter Symposium -
Conference paperStevenson GR, Boldrin P, Brandon NP, 2019,
Liquid-based synthesis of nickel- And lanthanum- co-doped strontium titanates for use as anodes in all-ceramic solid oxide fuel cell anodes
, Pages: 1761-1770, ISSN: 1938-6737Nickel- lanthanum- co-doped compositions of strontium titanate have been synthesized and characterized by a scaleable liquid-based synthesis that may offer an alternative to conventional solid-state synthesis. La0.52Sr0.28Ti0.94Ni0.06O3 is synthesized from soluble precursors followed by calcination in air. The materials can be made phase pure at temperatures as low as 1250°C, as highlighted by X-ray diffraction, and nickel exsolves in hydrogen in the same way as solid-state-synthesized materials. The particle size can be varied by calcination temperature and ball milling between 2 µm and 20 µm. The material is then measured electrochemically by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and 4-point DC conductivity. A reduction in particle size from 20 µm to 9 µm results in a large improvement in impedance response measured.
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Journal articleOuyang M, Bertei A, Cooper SJ, et al., 2019,
Design of fibre Ni/CGO anode and model interpretation
, ECS Transactions, Vol: 91, Pages: 1721-1739, ISSN: 1938-6737A new structure of Ni/gadolinium-doped ceria (CGO) is prepared by a highly tuneable and facile combination of electrospinning and tape-casting method. The structure consists of a network made by continuous Ni fibres and filled in with CGO matrices. When used as the anode of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), though it has a lower triple phase boundary (TPB) density, it exhibits better performance compared with impregnated and cermet Ni/CGO with higher nickel loading. An algorithm is developed to determine the ceria-pore double phase boundary (DPB) density with different distance from nickel phase. Using the results, the relative electrochemical reaction rate on DPB and TPB of three different electrodes are calculated and proves that fibre-matrices structure has the morphology advantage of efficiently making use of all ceria-pore DPB. The relative contribution of DPB and TPB in anode reaction of SOFC is quantified in the first time and the importance of DPB is further stressed. This work provides new inspirations in material design of SOFC/SOEC and develops a novel strategy to evaluate the performance of electrodes quantitatively.
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Journal articleDaemi SR, Tan C, Volkenandt T, et al., 2018,
Visualizing the carbon binder phase of battery electrodes in three dimensions
, ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol: 1, Pages: 3702-3710, ISSN: 2574-0962This study presents a technique to directly characterize the carbon and binder domain (CBD) in lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery electrodes in three dimensions and use it to determine the effective transport properties of a LiNi0.33Mn0.33Co0.33O2 (NMC) electrode. X-ray nanocomputed tomography (nano-CT) is used to image an electrode composed solely of carbon and binder, whereas focused ion beam–scanning electron microscopy is used to analyze cross-sections of a NMC electrode to gain morphological information regarding the electrode and CBD porosity. Combining the information gathered from these techniques reduces the uncertainty inherent in segmenting the nano-CT CBD data set and enables effective diffusivity of its porous network to be determined. X-ray microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) is then used to collect a NMC data set that is subsequently segmented into three phases, comprised of active material, pore, and CBD. The effective diffusivity calculated for the nano-CT data set is incorporated for the CBD present in the micro-CT data set to estimate the ensemble tortuosity factor for the NMC electrode. The tortuosity factor greatly increases when compared to the same data set segmented without considering the CBD. The porous network of the NMC electrode is studied with a continuous pore size distribution approach that highlights median radii of 180 nm and 1 μm for the CBD and NMC pores, respectively, and with a pore throat size distribution calculation that highlights median equivalent radii of 350 and 700 nm.
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Journal articleNiania M, Podor R, Britton TB, et al., 2018,
In situ study of strontium segregation in La<inf>0.6</inf>Sr<inf>0.4</inf>Co<inf>0.2</inf>Fe<inf>0.8</inf>O<inf>3- δ</inf>in ambient atmospheres using high-temperature environmental scanning electron microscopy
, Journal of Materials Chemistry A, Vol: 6, Pages: 14120-14135, ISSN: 2050-7496Samples of the solid oxide fuel cell cathode material La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ(LSCF) were annealed using High-Temperature Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (HT-ESEM) from room temperature to 1000 °C in atmospheres of pure oxygen, pure water and ambient lab air. Image series of each heat treatment were taken where microstructural changes were observed and compared between samples. Strontium segregation rate was found to be significantly increased in the presence of pure water as compared to pure O2and ambient air. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) was performed in order to assess the effect of crystal orientation on particle formation and surface sensitive chemical analysis techniques were used to determine the chemical changes at the grain surface as a result of the different heat treatments. It was shown that crystal orientation affected the nature and growth rate of strontium-based particles, however, due to the pseudo-symmetry of La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ, precise crystal orientation relationships could not be determined. The chemical composition of the grain surface was found to be approximately equal under each atmosphere.
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Dr Vladimir Yufit
Dr Vladimir Yufit
Visiting Researcher
Dr Yan Zhao
Dr Yan Zhao