Engineering topics

Zhamu, Aruna

Publications and source records attributed to Zhamu, Aruna.

4 records

DOE OSTI2021

Alkali metal-sulfur secondary battery containing cathode material particulates

Provided is a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell comprising an anode active material layer, an electrolyte, and a cathode active material layer comprising multiple particulates, wherein at least one of the particulates comprises one or a plurality of sulfur-containing material particles being embraced or encapsulated by a thin layer of a conductive sulfonated elastomer composite having from 0.01% to 50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material, wherein the conductive reinforcement material is selected from graphene sheets, carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, metal nanowires, conductive polymer fibers, or a combination thereof and the composite has a recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, a lithium ion conductivity from 10−7 S/cm to 5×10−2 S/cm, and a thickness from 0.5 nm to 10 μm. This battery exhibits an excellent combination of high sulfur content, high sulfur utilization efficiency, high energy density, and long cycle life.

Zhamu, Aruna↗

DOE OSTI2021

Method of protecting sulfur cathode materials for alkali metal-sulfur secondary battery

Provided is a method of producing a rechargeable alkali metal-sulfur cell, comprising: (a) providing an anode layer; (b) providing particulates comprising primary particles of a sulfur-containing material encapsulated or embraced by a thin layer of a conductive sulfonated elastomer composite, wherein the conductive sulfonated elastomer composite comprises from 0% to 50% by weight of a conductive reinforcement material dispersed in a sulfonated elastomeric matrix material, and the conductive sulfonated elastomer composite has a thickness from 1 nm to 10 μm, a fully recoverable tensile strain from 2% to 500%, a lithium ion conductivity from 10−7 S/cm to 5×10−2 S/cm, and an electrical conductivity from 10−7 S/cm to 100 S/cm; (c) forming the particulates, a resin binder, and an optional conductive additive into a cathode layer; and (d) combining the anode layer, the cathode layer, an optional porous separator, and an electrolyte to form the alkali metal-sulfur cell.

Zhamu, Aruna↗

DOE OSTI2019

Lithium-ion cell having a high-capacity cathode

A method of operating a lithium-ion cell comprising (a) a cathode comprising a carbon or graphitic material having a surface area to capture and store lithium thereon; (b) an anode comprising an anode active material; (c) a porous separator disposed between the two electrodes; (d) an electrolyte in ionic contact with the two electrodes; and (e) a lithium source disposed in at least one of the two electrodes to obtain an open circuit voltage (OCV) from 0.5 volts to 2.8 volts when the cell is made; wherein the method comprises: (A) electrochemically forming the cell from the OCV to either a first lower voltage limit (LVL) or a first upper voltage limit (UVL), wherein the first LVL is no lower than 0.1 volts and the first UVL is no higher than 4.6 volts; and (B) cycling the cell between a second LVL and a second UVL.

Zhamu, Aruna↗

DOE OSTI2018

Flexible asymmetric electrochemical cells using nano graphene platelet as an electrode material

A flexible, asymmetric electrochemical cell comprising: (A) A sheet of graphene paper as first electrode comprising nano graphene platelets having a platelet thickness less than 1 nm, wherein the first electrode has electrolyte-accessible pores; (B) A thin-film or paper-like first separator and electrolyte; and (C) A thin-film or paper-like second electrode which is different in composition than the first electrode; wherein the separator is sandwiched between the first and second electrode to form a flexible laminate configuration. The asymmetric supercapacitor cells with different NGP-based electrodes exhibit an exceptionally high capacitance, specific energy, and stable and long cycle life.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗