No Arabic abstract
The reversible heat in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to entropy change is fundamentally important for understanding the chemical reactions in LIBs and developing proper thermal management strategies. However, the direct measurements of reversible heat are challenging due to the limited temperature resolution of applied thermometry. In this work, by developing an ultra-sensitive thermometry with a differential AC bridge using two thermistors, the noise-equivalent temperature resolution we achieve (10 uK) is several orders of magnitude higher than previous thermometry applied on LIBs. We directly observe reversible heat absorption of a LIR2032 coin cell during charging with negligible irreversible heat generation and a linear relation between heat generations and discharging currents. The cell entropy changes determined from the reversible heat agree excellently with those measured from temperature dependent open circuit voltage. Moreover, it is found that the large reversible entropy change can cancel out the irreversible entropy generation at a charging rate as large as C/3.7 and produce a zero-heat-dissipation LIB during charging. Our work significantly contributes to fundamental understanding of the entropy changes and heat generations of the chemical reactions in LIBs, and reveals that reversible heat absorption can be an effective way to cool LIBs during charging.
Solid polymer electrolytes for lithium batteries promise improvements in safety and energy density if their conductivity can be increased. Nanostructured block copolymer electrolytes specifically have the potential to provide both good ionic conductivity and good mechanical properties. This study shows that the previously neglected nanoscale composition of the polymer electrolyte close to the electrode surface has an important effect on impedance measurements, despite its negligible extent compared to the bulk electrolyte. Using standard stainless steel blocking electrodes, the impedance of lithium salt-doped poly(isoprene-b-styrene-b-ethylene oxide) (ISO) exhibited a marked decrease upon thermal processing of the electrolyte. In contrast, covering the electrode surface with a low molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) brush resulted in higher and more reproducible conductivity values, which were insensitive to the thermal history of the device. A qualitative model of this effect is based on the hypothesis that ISO surface reconstruction at the different electrode surfaces leads to a change in the electrostatic double layer, affecting electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements. As a main result, PEO-brush modification of electrode surfaces is beneficial for the robust electrolyte performance of PEO-containing block-copolymers and may be crucial for their accurate characterization and use in Li-ion batteries.
Solar-driven interfacial steam generation for desalination has attracted broad attention. However, a significant challenge still remains for achieving a higher evaporation rate and high water quality, together with a cost-effective and easy-to-manufacture device to provide a feasible solar-driven steam generation system. In this study, a novel ultra-black paint, Black 3.0, serving as a perfect solar absorber is introduced into the hot-pressed melamine foam networks, allowing us to construct an ultra-black (99% absorptance in the solar region) and self-floating evaporation device. The high performing features of effective solar absorptance and salt-rejection capability contribute to a high-to-date evaporation rate of freshwater at 2.48 kg m-2 h-1 under one sun (1 kW m-2). This interfacial solar evaporator has a daily drinkable water yield of 2.8 kg m-2 even in cloudy winter weather and maintains stability in water with a wide range of acidity and alkalinity (pH 1~14). These features will enable the construction of a facilely fabricated, robust, highly-efficient, and cost-effective solar steam generation system for freshwater production.
Solid state battery technology has recently garnered considerable interest from companies including Toyota, BMW, Dyson, and others. The primary driver behind the commercialization of solid state batteries (SSBs) is to enable the use of lithium metal as the anode, as opposed to the currently used carbon anode, which would result in ~20% energy density improvement. However, no reported solid state battery to date meets all of the performance metrics of state of the art liquid electrolyte lithium ion batteries (LIBs) and indeed several solid state electrolyte (SSE) technologies may never reach parity with current LIBs. We begin with a review of state of the art LIBs, including their current performance characteristics, commercial trends in cost, and future possibilities. We then discuss current SSB research by focusing on three classes of solid state electrolytes: Sulfides, Polymers, and Oxides. We discuss recent and ongoing commercialization attempts in the SSB field. Finally, we conclude with our perspective and timeline for the future of commercial batteries.
Despite recent significant developments of Si composites, use of silicon with significance in the anodes for Li-ion batteries is still limited. In fact, nominal energy density is to be saturated around ~750 Wh/L regardless of cell-types under the current material strategies. Use of Si-rich anode can push the limit; however, the prolonged irreversible Li consumption becomes more prominent. We previously showed that repeating c-Li3.75(+{delta})Si formation/decomposition, typically recognized to degrade the anodes, can improve the irreversibility and accumulatively minimize the gross consumption. Utilizing the insights combined with prelithiation techniques, here we provide prototypic cell designs that can nonlinearly deplete the consumption.
Compton scattering is one of the promising probe to quantitate of the Li under in-operando condition, since high-energy X-rays which have high penetration power into the materials are used as incident beam and Compton scattered energy spectrum have specific line-shape by the elements. We develop in-operando quantitation method of Li composition in the electrodes by using line-shape (Sparameter) analysis of Compton scattered energy spectrum. In this study, we apply S-parameter analysis to commercial coin cell Li-ion rechargeable battery and obtain the variation of S-parameters during charge/discharge cycle at positive and negative electrodes. By using calibration curves for Li composition in the electrodes, we determine the change of Li composition of positive and negative electrodes through S-parameters, simultaneously.