Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Electrode Engineering”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Engineering block co-polymer anion exchange membrane domains for highly efficient electrode-decoupled redox flow batteries

We report, anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with high permselectivity, chemical stability and mechanical robustness are a key enabling technology for a variety of electrochemical energy conversion and storage systems such as fuel cells, redox flow batteries and water electrolyzers. Herein we examine well understood chemically stable triblock co-polymer AEMs derived by the chloromethylation (CM-) and subsequent trimethylamine (TMA) functionalization of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene-ran-butylene)-block-polystyrene (SEBS) block co-polymers. We show using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) that the introduction of a hydrophobic reinforcement matrix disrupts phase segregation and decreases ionic domain sizes in these AEM separators. The reinforcement matrix simultaneously causes the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of the reinforced separator to increase by almost 600% compared to the unreinforced form, while maintaining comparable elasticity (ca. 500% elongation at break). Such reinforced r-SEBS30-TMA separators enable electrode-decoupled redox flow batteries (ED-RFBs) with significantly improved lifetimes by decreasing per cycle capacity fade from 0.5% to <0.05%. This 10× improvement in operando permselectivity opens the door to ED-RFBs employing inexpensive elemental actives achieving decades-long usable lifespans.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

4D imaging of lithium-batteries using correlative neutron and X-ray tomography with a virtual unrolling technique

The temporally and spatially resolved tracking of lithium intercalation and electrode degradation processes are crucial for detecting and understanding performance losses during the operation of lithium-batteries. Here, high-throughput X-ray computed tomography has enabled the identification of mechanical degradation processes in a commercial Li/MnO 2 primary battery and the indirect tracking of lithium diffusion; furthermore, complementary neutron computed tomography has identified the direct lithium diffusion process and the electrode wetting by the electrolyte. Virtual electrode unrolling techniques provide a deeper view inside the electrode layers and are used to detect minor fluctuations which are difficult to observe using conventional three dimensional rendering tools. Moreover, the 'unrolling' provides a platform for correlating multi-modal image data which is expected to find wider application in battery science and engineering to study diverse effects e.g. electrode degradation or lithium diffusion blocking during battery cycling.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Morphology and Crystallinity Effects of Nanochanneled Niobium Oxide Electrodes for Na-Ion Batteries

Niobium pentoxide (Nb 2 O 5 ) is a promising negative electrode for sodium ion batteries (SIBs). By engineering the morphology and crystallinity of nanochanneled niobium oxides (NCNOs) the kinetic behavior and charge storage mechanism of Nb 2 O 5 electrodes were investigated. Amorphous and crystalline NCNO samples were made by modulating anodization conditions (20 - 40V and 140 - 180 °C) to synthesize nanostructures of differing pore sizes and wall thicknesses with identical chemical composition. The electrochemical energy storage properties of the NCNOs were studied with the amorphous samples showing better overall rate performance than the crystalline samples. The enhanced rate performance of the amorphous samples is attributed to the higher capacitive contributions and Na-ion diffusivity analyzed from cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT). It was found that the amorphous samples with smaller wall thicknesses facilitated improved kinetics. Among samples with similar pore size and wall thickness, the difference in their power performance stems from crystallinity effect, which plays a more significant role in the resulting kinetics of the materials for Na-ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal processing to modulate surface chemistry and bulk charge distribution in nickel-rich layered lithium positive electrodes

The broader application of nickel-rich layered oxides as positive electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries has been hindered by their high manufacturing cost and inferior cycling stability. Thermal processing, which is integral to electrode materials manufacturing and fundamental in materials science, has not been fully utilized to design advanced positive electrode materials. Herein, we demonstrate the capability of using quenching heat treatment to regulate Li distribution and modulate electronic structure near particle surface. The resulting materials exhibit less parasitic reactions with the electrolyte and an improved charge distribution homogeneity in secondary particles, leading to more stable cycling performance at high voltages (4.5 V vs Li/Li + ). Our synchrotron X-ray analyses reveal the underlying interplay between surface structure and bulk charge distribution in positive electrode materials particles. While strategies used to stabilize positive electrode materials through compositional control, surface modification, and electrolyte engineering have become mature, thermal processing can be advantageous to further improve positive electrode materials manufacturing.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Materials Science of Electrodes and Interfaces for High-Performance Organic Photovoltaics

The science of organic photovoltaic (OPV) cells has made dramatic advances over the past three years with power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) now reaching ~12%. The upper PCE limit of light-to-electrical power conversion for single-junction OPVs as predicted by theory is ~23%. With further basic research, the vision of such devices, composed of non-toxic, earth-abundant, readily easily processed materials replacing/supplementing current-generation inorganic solar cells may become a reality. Organic cells offer potentially low-cost, roll-to-roll manufacturable, and durable solar power for diverse in-door and out-door applications. Importantly, further gains in efficiency and durability, to that competitive with inorganic PVs, will require fundamental, understanding-based advances in transparent electrode and interfacial materials science and engineering. This team-science research effort brought together an experienced and highly collaborative interdisciplinary group with expertise in hard and soft matter materials chemistry, materials electronic structure theory, solar cell fabrication and characterization, microstructure characterization, and low temperature materials processing. We addressed in unconventional ways critical electrode-interfacial issues underlying OPV performance -- controlling band offsets between transparent electrodes and organic active-materials, addressing current loss/leakage phenomena at interfaces, and new techniques in cost-effective low temperature and large area cell fabrication. The research foci were: 1) Theory-guided design and synthesis of advanced crystalline and amorphous transparent conducting oxide (TCO) layers which test our basic understanding of TCO structure-transport property relationships, and have high conductivity, transparency, and tunable work functions but without (or minimizing) the dependence on indium. 2) Development of theory-based understanding of optimum configurations for the interfaces between oxide electrodes/interfacial layers and OPV active layer organic molecules/polymers. 3) Exploration and perfection of new processing strategies and cell architectures for the next-generation, large-area flexible OPVs. The goal has been to develop for the solar energy community the fundamental scientific understanding needed to design, fabricate, prototype, and ultimately test high-efficiency cells incorporating these new concepts. We achieved success in all of these directions.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

The Unified Electrochemical Band Diagram Framework: Understanding the Driving Forces of Materials Electrochemistry

Recent work that establishes a picture of the driving forces that govern material transformations and degradation in electrochemical environments to enable the ab initio design of electrochemical materials is highlighted. Select prototype systems are used to describe how the interplay between materials properties such as crystal field splitting, band edge energies, surface termination, material length scale, dielectric constant, and isoelectric point, and electrolyte properties such as pH and ion type, impacts electrochemical behavior - i.e., redox potentials, reaction enthalpies, reactivity, and decoupled ionic/electronic processes. Ab initio modeling of charged defects and intercalants within the grand canonical unified electrochemical band-diagram (UEB) framework is shown to enable the quantitative prediction of electrochemical materials behavior. UEB combines electrochemical theory, charged defect theory, and band diagram descriptions and can be used both for materials discovery and development. First, a pedagogical description of the UEB framework is presented, and then the application of this framework to reveal mechanisms for high rate electronic charge storage in cation incorporated α.-MnO 2 and λ-MnO 2 , high desalination efficiency of thin-film NaMn 4 O 8 , and the flat charge/discharge profile of FePO 4 is reviewed. Finally, new prospects for the application of the UEB framework to electrolyte design, interfacial engineering, and catalysis are suggested.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Combined Cr and S poisoning behaviors of La 1-x Sr x MnO 3±δ and La 1-x Sr x Co 1-y FeyO 3-δ cathodes in solid oxide fuel cells

Although the individual effects of airborne Cr and S contaminants on SOFC cathode performance degradation have been extensively studied, the combined effects of Cr and S contaminants remain largely unexplored. Under the real SOFC operating condition where the Cr and S species coexist, their effects may compete, affecting the poisoning behavior. Here, our investigation reveals that the combined Cr and S poisoning behavior of LSCF remains different from those of individual Cr and S poisonings, while the combined poisoning mechanism of LSM is equivalent to the sum of those of individual Cr and S effects. For LSCF electrode, gaseous Cr species are deposited mainly at the LSCF/GDC interface by electrochemical reduction, rather than forming SrCrO 4 on LSCF surfaces (as in the case of Cr-only poisoning), indicating no reaction between Cr vapors and SrO on the LSCF surface. Thermodynamic analysis demonstrates that the SrO on LSCF surface absorbs SO 2 (g) and thereby loses the Cr-gettering effect, allowing Cr vapors to flow through LSCF and to reach the LSCF/GDC interface where the Cr deposition occurs. Unlike LSCF, LSM electrode shows cumulative effects of Cr and S, as Cr accumulation occurs at the triple-phase boundary and S absorption takes place at localized Sr-rich regions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Tracking the prelude of the electroreduction of carbon monoxide via its interaction with Cu(100): Studies by operando scanning tunneling microscopy and infrared spectroscopy

The first isolable intermediate in the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide is carbon monoxide. This species, or its hydrated form, formic acid, is also the primary end product from all but a handful of metallic electrodes; with the latter, hydrogen gas is generated, but it emanates from the reduction of water and not from CO 2 . Only one electrode material, zerovalent copper, can spawn, in greater-than-trace quantities, a variety of species that are more highly reduced than CO. Hence, if the aim is to pursue a reaction trail of the reduction of CO 2 to products other than CO, it would be both logical and expedient to track the electrocatalytic reaction of CO itself. Heterogeneous electrocatalysis is a surface phenomenon; it transpires only when the reactant, CO in this case, chemisorbs on, or chemically interacts with, the Cu electrode surface. There is no electrocatalytic reaction if there is no CO adsorption. In ultrahigh vacuum, no CO resides on the Cu(100) surface at temperatures higher than 200 K. However, under electrochemical conditions, CO is chemisorbed on Cu at ambient temperatures at a given potential. Here, we thus paired, in seriatim fashion, scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and polarization-modulation IR reflection-absorption spectroscopy (PMIRS) to document the influence of applied potential on the coverage, the molecular orientation, and the adlattice structure of CO adsorbed on Cu(100) in alkaline solutions; the results are described in this paper.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Welding Heat Input Influence on UNS S82441 Lean Duplex Stainless Steel Corrosion Resistance Assessed by Scanning Vibrating Electrode Technique (SVET)

The precipitation of the intermetallic phases can impair mechanical and corrosion properties. In the case of lean duplex stainless steels, they present solidification mode as primary ferrite, with austenite precipitation in the solid state, during cooling. This means the heat-affected zone balanced microstructure can be changed during the welding by the cooling rate, which is associated to the welding heat input, the thickness of the plate and the physical properties of the material. This work intends to present the influence of welding heat input on the corrosion resistance of UNS S82441 lean duplex stainless steel. The gas metal arc welding process was used to make the weld beads, using ER2209 as filler metal, which characterizes a dissimilar welded joint. The corrosion resistance of these specimens was analyzed through scanning vibrating electrode technique. It was observed that welding heat input variation distinctly influences corrosion in different zones of the weld beads over the specimen exposure time. The weld bead under intermediate welding heat input showed the highest corrosion rate and the one under the highest welding heat input, the lowest corrosion rate intensity.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Bending-induced Symmetry Breaking of Lithiation in Germanium Nanowires

From signal transduction of living cells to oxidation and corrosion of metals, mechanical stress intimately couples with chemical reactions, regulating these biological and physiochemical processes. The coupled effect is particularly evident in electrochemical lithiation/delithiation cycling of high-capacity electrodes, such as silicon (Si), where on one hand lithiation-generated stress mediates lithiation kinetics, and on the other electrochemical reaction rate regulates stress generation and mechanical failure of the electrodes. Here we report for the first time the evidence on the controlled lithiation in germanium nanowires (GeNWs) through external bending. Contrary to the symmetric core-shell lithiation in free-standing GeNWs, we show bending GeNWs breaks the lithiation symmetry, speeding up lithaition at the tensile side while slowing down at the compressive side of the GeNWs. The bending-induced symmetry breaking of lithiation in GeNWs is further corroborated by chemomechanical modeling. In the light of the coupled effect between lithiation kinetics and mechanical stress in the electrochemical cycling, our findings shed light on strain/stress engineering of durable high-rate electrodes and energy harvesting through mechanical motion.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗
DOE OSTI2016

Nano-micro-structured Graphene Film Electrodes for Enhanced Performance of Supercapacitors

The graphene structures at either nanoscale and microscale are important to the film electrode performance. At nanoscale, a molecular engineering approach (i.e., molecular ligand grafting) was used to control the interspacing between restacked graphene sheets. At microscale, this work applied an external field to align the graphene sheets along the field direction during the film deposition from liquid slurry of molecularly engineered graphene. Five different ligand molecules were effectively grafted on the surfaces of well-dispersed graphene oxides (GOs) in liquid suspension and chemically reduced to GOs (rGOs), which then were modified by grafted molecules to form (m-rGOs). XRD data shows well controlled nanometer sized interlayer spacings between the re-stacked sheets of m-rGOs. Then, we investigated the effects of ligand grafting on the deposit film structure. Their baseline electrochemical cell performance was evaluated by different aqueous electrolytes (e.g., H2SO4 vs. KOH) for the following external field alignment. Initially, the m-rGO film electrodes exhibited higher capacitance performance with H2SO4 electrolyte, compared with KOH. Also, the external field has rendered the graphene sheets oriented velrtically to the film surface, resulting in enhanced capacitance due to enhanced diffusion and accessibility of electrolyte ions into the graphene film structure. Aligning graphene nanosheets in film deposits via external field could be a novel versatile fabrication technique to tailor microscopic architecture of graphene coatings for high performance supercapacitor.

Jang, Gyoung Gug↗
DOE OSTI2012

Refractive optical elements and optical system for high energy x-ray microscopy

In material science, X-ray radiation with photon energies above 25 keV is used because of its penetration into high density materials. Research of the inner structure of novel materials, such as electrodes in high power batteries for engines, require X-ray microscopes operating in the hard X-ray energy range. A flexible X-ray microscope for hard X-rays with photon energies higher than 25 keV will be realized at the synchrotron source ANKA in Karlsruhe, Germany. The device will use refractive X-ray lenses as condenser as well as objective lenses.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Highly Reversible Sodiation/Desodiation from a Carbon-Sandwiched SnS2 Nanosheet Anode for Sodium Ion Batteries

The further improvement of sodium ion batteries requires the elucidation of the mechanisms pertaining to reversibility, which allows the novel design of the electrode structure. Her; through a hydrogel-embedding method, we are able to confine the growth of few-layer SnS 2 nanosheets between a nitrogen- and sulfur-doped carbon nanotube (NS-CNT) and amorphous carbon. The obtained carbon-sandwiched SnS 2 nanosheets demonstrate excellent sodium storage properties. In operando small-angle X-ray scattering combined with the ex situ X-ray absorption near edge spectra reveal that the redox reactions between SnS 2 /NS-CNT and the sodium ion are highly reversible. Furthermore, on the contrary, the nanostructure evolution is found to be irreversible, in which the SnS 2 nanosheets collapse, followed by the regeneration of SnS 2 nanoparticles. This work provides operando insights into the chemical environment evolution and structure change of SnS 2 -based anodes, elucidating its reversible reaction mechanism, and illustrates the significance of engineered carbon support in ensuring the electrode structure stability.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2014

In Situ One-Step Synthesis of Hierarchical Nitrogen-Doped Porous Carbon for High Performance Supercapacitors

Electrochemical performance of the existing state-of-the art capacitors is not very high, key scientific barrier is that its charge storage mechanism wholly depends on adsorption of electrolyte on electrode. We present a novel method for the synthesis of nitrogen -doped porous carbons and address the drawback by precisely controlling composition and surface area. Nitrogen-doped porous carbon was synthesized using a self-sacrificial template technique without any additional nitrogen and carbon sources. They exhibited exceptionally high capacitance (239 Fg-1) due to additional pseudocapacitance originating from doped nitrogen. Cycling tests showed no obvious capacitance decay even after 10,000 cycles, which meets the requirement of commercial supercapacitors. Our method is simple and highly efficient for the production of large quantities of nitrogen-doped porous carbons.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Development of a Hybrid Lagrangian–Eulerian Model to Describe Spark-Ignition Processes at Engine-Like Turbulent Flow Conditions

With the engine technology moving toward more challenging (highly dilute and boosted) operation, spark-ignition processes play a key role in determining flame propagation and completeness of the combustion process. On the computational side, there is plenty of spark-ignition models available in literature and validated under conventional, stoichiometric spark ignition (SI) operation. Nevertheless, these models need to be expanded and developed on more physical grounds since at challenging operation they are not truly predictive. This paper reports on the development of a dedicated model for the spark-ignition event at nonquiescent, engine-like conditions, performed in the commercial CFD code converge. The developed methodology leverages previous findings that have expanded the use and improved the accuracy of Eulerian-type energy deposition models. In this work, the Eulerian energy deposition is coupled at every computational time-step with a Lagrangian-type evolution of the spark channel. Typical features such as spark channel elongation, stretch, and attachment to the electrodes are properly described to deliver realistic energy deposition along the channel during the entire ignition process. The numerical results are validated against schlieren images from an optical constant volume chamber and show the improvement in the simulation of the spark channel during the entire ignition event, with respect to the most commonly used energy deposition approach. Further developmental pathways are discussed to provide more physics-based features from the developed ignition model in the future.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2024

Evaluation of Fe-βGa 2 O 3 for Photoconductive Semiconductor Switching

We present iron-doped beta gallium oxide (Fe- β Ga2O3) as a candidate for photoconductive semiconductor switches (PCSSs) with sub-bandgap light. From a commercially available Fe- β Ga2O3 wafer, we first did material characterization. This included measurements of absorption coefficient and dopant composition, carrier activation energy up to 200 °C, break down field of planar electrodes (limited from material passivation), and free carrier recombination lifetime, and thermal effects up to 203 °C on photocurrent with a 447 nm light emitting diode (LED) source. Here, we then demonstrated pulsed operation of a Fe- β Ga2O3 PCSS under different sub-bandgap wavelengths (355, 532, and 1064 nm) and sub-ns pulses. Fe- β Ga2O3 is a candidate for high temperature PCSS with 355 nm responsivity of 7×10 -7 A-cm/W-kV at room temperature and up to 5.5×10 -4 A-cm/W-kV at 200 °C. From these investigations, we discuss a simple trap model to describe the illumination process of the PCSS. Fe- β Ga2O3 has a high breakdown field and has moderate responsivity characteristics, but the dark current at high temperature leads to low photo-to-dark current ratio (PDCR). Regardless, we verify its potential as a PCSS material for harsh environment applications.

42 ENGINEERING↗