Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “tin anode”

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 37 records · Page 2
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
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 OSTI2023

Magnesium production by molten salt electrolysis with liquid tin cathode and multiple effect distillation

Low-cost clean primary production of magnesium metal is important for its use in many applications, from light-weight structural components to energy technologies. This work describes new experiments and cost and emissions analysis for a magnesium metal production process. The process combines molten salt electrolysis of MgO using MgF₂-CaF₂ electrolyte and a reactive liquid tin cathode, with gravity-driven multiple effect thermal system (G-METS) distillation to separate out the magnesium product, and re-use of the tin. Electrolysis experiments with carbon anodes showed current yield above 90%, while a yttria-stabilized zirconia solid oxide membrane (SOM) anode experiment showed 84% current yield. G-METS distillation is an important component of the envisioned process. It can potentially lower costs and energy use considerably compared with conventional magnesium distillation. Techno-economic analysis including detailed mass and energy balances shows that this electrolyte composition could lower costs by utilizing CaO, which is the primary impurity in MgO, as the Hall-Héroult process uses the sodium impurity in alumina. Analysis options include: raw material types (magnesite rock vs. brine or seawater), drying and calcining using electricity vs. natural gas, and carbon vs. SOM anode type. Using SOM inert anodes results in a cost premium around 10%–15%, mostly due to higher electrical energy usage resulting from membrane resistance, and reduces GHG emissions by approximately 1 kg CO₂/kg Mg product. Capital and operating cost estimates, and cradle to gate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions analysis under several raw material and process technology scenarios, show comparable costs and emissions to those of aluminum production.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Novel One-Step Production of Carbon-Coated Sn Nanoparticles for High-Capacity Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries

Lithium-ion batteries offer the highest energy density of any currently available portable energy storage technology. By using different anode materials, these batteries could have an even greater energy density. One material, tin, has a theoretical lithium capacity (994 mAh/g) over three-times higher than commercial carbon anode materials. Unfortunately, to achieve this high capacity, bulk tin undergoes a large volume expansion, and the material pulverizes during cycling, giving a rapid capacity fade. To mitigate this issue, tin must be scaled down to the nano-level to take advantage of unique micromechanics at the nanoscale. Synthesis techniques for Sn nanoparticle anodes are costly and overly complicated for commercial production. A novel one-step process for producing carbon-coated Sn nanoparticles via spark plasma erosion (SPE) shows great promise as a simple, inexpensive production method. The SPE method, characterization of the resulting particles, and their high-capacity reversible electrochemical performance as anodes are described. With only a 10% addition of these novel SPE carbon-coated Sn particles, one anode composition demonstrated a reversible capacity of ~460 mAh/g, achieving the theoretical capacity of that particular electrode formulation. These SPE carbon-coated Sn nanoparticles are drop-in ready for present commercial lithium-ion anode processing and would provide a ~10% increase in the total capacity of current commercial lithium-ion cells.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrochemical Corrosion and Catalysis Dynamics of Tin Oxide during Water Oxidation

Metal oxide corrosion severely limits anodic electrocatalysis, particularly at high potentials in acidic environments, where degradation pathways remain poorly defined. This study establishes explicit connections between corrosion and electrocatalysis on tin oxide during water oxidation by examining the roles of lattice defects, reactive oxygen species, interfacial pH variations, and speciation of corroded tin in acid. We first demonstrate the presence of structural defects such as oxygen vacancies and substoichiometric Sn(II) species by integrating electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and Mott–Schottky analysis. Kohn–Sham density functional theory calculations reveal that explicit water structures thermodynamically stabilize reaction intermediates and lower reaction overpotentials. Moreover, we propose that water dissociation leads to hydrogen-bonding networks formed by H* and OH* intermediates, which may span the entire catalyst surface and decrease the interfacial pH to drive corrosion. In contrast, the electrochemical generation of reactive oxygen species is shown to play a minor role in catalyst corrosion during water oxidation using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry coupled with selective chemical scavengers. Square-wave voltammetry combined with rotating ring-disk electrodes is used to reveal that under open-circuit conditions, only Sn(IV) cations chemically dissolve from tin oxide, while both Sn(IV) and Sn(II) species electrochemically corrode during water oxidation. Our results unveil a dynamic and complicated interplay between corrosive and catalytic pathways on metal oxide electrocatalysts: a decrease in interfacial pH due to water oxidation exacerbates Sn(II)/Sn(IV) corrosion. Subsequently, the electrochemical corrosion of Sn(II)/Sn(IV) facilitates product formation from lattice oxygen, while the redeposition of corroded Sn(II) as Sn(IV) can enable oxygen exchange with water. By elucidating the roles of defects and interfacial chemistry, this work provides a roadmap for engineering improved electrocatalysts that balance activity and stability, a critical step toward scalable and durable energy technologies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Copper Electrode on Flexible Substrate by Intense Pulsed Light Sintering of Microsized Copper Particles

Metal electrodes deposited in a grid pattern onto flexible polymer substrates have been shown to be a viable alternative to replace indium tin oxide (ITO) as the transparent anode for organic photovoltaics. copper may be a better alternative in terms of cost and stability for large area low-cost solar modules, specifically on roll-to-roll platforms. These customized electrode patterns can be fabricated from copper nanoparticles through various printing techniques applicable to solution phase processing. The Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) technique has been used to sinter copper nanoparticles (~100nm) to fabricate conductive copper electrodes on flexible polymer substrates. However, compared to nanosized (~100 nm) copper particles, microsized (~2 um) copper is much cheaper. In this work, microsized (~2 um) copper is used to produce high conductive copper inks. The conductivity of the print can be adjusted through the use of surfactant. IPL sintering was optimized to obtain high conductivity copper films. In conclusion, several microscopic and electrical spectroscopic characterization techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), 4-point probe resistivity measurements were employed to characterize the copper electrodes.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2024

All‐Solid‐State Lithium–Sulfur Batteries of High Cycling Stability and Rate Capability Enabled by a Self‐Lithiated Sn‐C Interlayer

Abstract All‐solid‐state lithium–sulfur batteries (ASSLSBs) have attracted intense interest due to their high theoretical energy density and intrinsic safety. However, constructing durable lithium (Li) metal anodes with high cycling efficiency in ASSLSBs remains challenging due to poor interface stability. Here, a compositionally stable, self‐lithiated tin (Sn)‐carbon (C) composite interlayer (LSCI) between Li anode and solid‐state electrolyte (SSE), capable of homogenizing Li‐ion transport across the interlayer, mitigating decomposition of SSE, and enhancing electrochemical/structural stability of interface, is developed for ASSLSBs. The LSCI‐mediated Li metal anode enables stable Li plating/stripping over 7000 h without Li dendrite penetration. The ASSLSBs equipped with LSCI thus exhibit excellent cycling stability of over 300 cycles (capacity retention of ≈80%) under low applied pressure (<8 MPa) and demonstrate improved rate capability even at 3C. The enhanced electrochemical performance and corresponding insights of the designed LSCI broaden the spectrum of advanced interlayers for interface manipulation, advancing the practical application of ASSLSBs.

Ye, Lei↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cycling-Induced Microstructural Changes in Alloy Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract High-capacity electrochemical alloying materials, such as tin and tin-based alloys, present an opportunity for the advancement of lithium-ion batteries. However, the destructive effects of volumetric expansion must be mitigated in order to sustain this high capacity during extended cycling. One way to mitigate these effects is by alloying Sn with more malleable metals to accommodate the strain related to severe volumetric expansion. Ex situ X-ray microtomography data of cycled Cu6Sn5 pellets were used to quantify the microstructural changes that occur during lithiation and delithiation. The microtomography data were segmented into three distinct phases to evaluate phase size distributions, specific surface area, and tortuosity. Electrodes lithiated and then delithiated showed the most substantial reduction in overall phase sizes. This suggests that full lithiation of the Sn followed by partial delithiation of the Li4.4Sn to Li2CuSn can cause substantial microstructural changes related to volume expansion on lithiation and structural collapse upon delithiation. When considering other microstructural characteristics, this subset of the electrodes analyzed showed the highest tortuosity values. These results show that in addition to the mechanical degradation of the electrodes, excessive volume expansion can also influence transport networks in the active material and supporting phases of the electrode. While based on studies of the active–inactive alloy Cu6Sn5 for lithium-ion battery applications, the insights obtained are expected to be applicable to other alloy electrodes and battery chemistries.

Electrochemistry↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrochemical Behavior of Cerium at an Indium Tin-Doped Oxide Electrode in Acidic Media

The redox behavior and speciation of cerium at mesoporous thin films composed of nanoparticles of indium tin-doped oxide (nITO) electrodes were characterized in pH 4.8, 0.1 M acetate buffer and both 0.1 and 1 M HNO 3 using electrochemical techniques and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Anodic deposition of ceria species from Ce(III) to the nITO electrode was achieved under all solvent conditions via spontaneous condensation of electrochemically generated ceric hydroxide species. In 1 M nitric acid, the rate of CeO 2 dissolution is on the same order as CeO 2 deposition, resulting in negligible amounts of CeO 2 electrodeposited at the nITO surface. The cathodic stripping of CeO 2 from the nITO substrate deposited in 0.1 M nitric acid or pH 4.8 acetate buffer follows a 2-step process where Ce(IV)-oxide is initially reduced to an unstable Ce(III)-oxide species that rapidly undergoes acid catalyzed dissolution to yield soluble Ce(III) (aq) . These findings provide a foundation for the pH and anodic potential controlled deposition of CeO 2 thin films to ITO substrates, which can aid in the development of materials composed of ceria. As a result, they can also be used to infer likely analogous actinide redox behavior and speciation at these electrodes.

Cerium↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ionically conductive powders and films, and methods of preparation

A solid ionically conductive composition (e.g., nanoparticles of less than 1 micron or a continuous film) comprising at least one element selected from alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, aluminum, zinc, copper, and silver in combination with at least two elements selected from oxygen, sulfur, silicon, phosphorus, nitrogen, boron, gallium, indium, tin, germanium, arsenic, antimony, bismuth, transition metals, and lanthanides. Also described is a battery comprising an anode, a cathode, and a solid electrolyte (corresponding to the above ionically conductive composition) in contact with or as part of the anode and/or cathode. Further described is a thermal (e.g., plasma-based) method of producing the ionically conductive composition. Further described is a method for using an additive manufacturing (AM) process to produce an object constructed of the ionically conductive composition by use of particles of the ionically conductive composition as a feed material in the AM process.

Kercher, Andrew K.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Non-noble metal based electro-catalyst compositions for proton exchange membrane based water electrolysis and methods of making

The invention provides electro-catalyst compositions for an anode electrode of an acid mediated proton exchange membrane-based water electrolysis system. The compositions include a noble metal component selected from the group consisting of iridium oxide, ruthenium oxide, rhenium oxide and mixtures thereof, and a non-noble metal component selected from the group consisting of tantalum oxide, tin oxide, niobium oxide, titanium oxide, tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, yttrium oxide, scandium oxide, cooper oxide, zirconium oxide, nickel oxide and mixtures thereof. Further, the non-noble metal component can include a dopant. The dopant can be at least one element selected from Groups III, V, VI and VII of the Periodic Table. The compositions can be prepared using any solution based methods involving a surfactant approach or a sol gel approach. Further, the compositions are prepared using noble metal and non-noble metal precursors. Furthermore, a thin film containing the compositions can be deposited onto a substrate to form the anode electrode.

Kumta, Prashant N.↗
DOE OSTI2020

A self-healing liquid metal anode with PEO-Based polymer electrolytes for rechargeable lithium batteries

In this study, a Ga-Sn liquid metal alloy material is demonstrated as a self-healing anode system due to its fluidity via operando synchrotron-based transmission X-ray microscopy and X-ray diffraction experiments. Cracks formed due to volume expansions can be recovered by the fluidity of the liquid metals. By incorporating with a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based electrolyte at 60°C, the Ga-Sn anode shows a reversible lithium insertion and extraction process with a high initial discharge specific capacity of 682 mAh g -1 , followed by delivering a capacity of 462 mAh g -1 in the second cycle at C/20 rate. Furthermore, compared with its solid counterparts, the Ga-Sn liquid metal anode demonstrates a better capability to maintain its mechanical integrity and better contact with PEO solid electrolytes due to its advantageous features of the liquid. This study suggests a potential strategy to use liquid metal alloys with polymer solid electrolyte to solve the anode challenges in rechargeable lithium batteries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrolytic gold plating, stripping, and ion transport dynamics through a solid-state iodide perovskite

The pronounced electrochemical reactivity between halide perovskites and metal electrodes can introduce mobile extrinsic metal ions which can cause device instability or enable novel functionalities. Here we systematically investigate the kinetics of gold cation (Au + ) migration in indium tin oxide (ITO)/methylammonium lead triiodide (MAPbI 3 )/Au model devices under long-term potentiostatic biasing. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT) analyses reveal that Au + ions, electrochemically generated at the Au anode, traverse the perovskite layer with diffusion coefficients on the order of 10 −11 to 10 −10 cm 2 s −1 and are subsequently reduced at the cathode as Au 0 clusters, resembling metal plating behavior in electrolytic cells and solid-state batteries during charging. Furthermore, reversing the applied bias strips the plated Au 0 , revealing reversibility suitable for bipolar resistive switching devices and providing direct evidence of the electrochemical and ionic nature of Au transport within the perovskite matrix. Quantitatively determining diffusion coefficients and ion concentrations provides foundational inputs for future drift-diffusion modelling opportunities and allows us to relate our findings to implications on long term operation of devices like photovoltaic modules. These results clearly demonstrate the solid-state electrochemical nature of perovskite devices, highlight methods to be more quantitative about ion transport properties, provide and emphasize the importance of disentangling electro-, photo-, photoelectrochemical processes for understanding device performance and unlocking new functionalities.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Electrodepositing Textured Sn Film as a Highly Reversible Anode for Aqueous Batteries

Electrodepositing metal materials in large capacity, at low potential, and with high reversibility serves as the foundation for any aqueous rechargeable battery chemistry to realize the promises of high energy, low cost, and high safety. However, such a foundation is not solid because of the natural tendency of metals to form irregular, nonplanar, and often dendritic morphologies during electrochemical crystallization, which is further amplified in an acidic environment due to the faster kinetics of the coupled proton and mass-transport processes between hydrated metal ions and free metal atoms. As a typical representative, tin metal (Sn 0 ) has potential to achieve high energy in acidic batteries, but its nonuniform large-particle morphology, obtained from traditional electrodeposition, leads to dead Sn 0 formation and deteriorating reversibility, accompanied by the sustained hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and active Sn 0 loss. Here, in this study, we report quaternary onium salts as effective interfacial cocations that, via selective adsorption, steadily texturize Sn 0 deposition along the (211) plane, which is intrinsically inert to the HER, thus regulating the film deposition process by favoring the formation of planar Sn 0 film. Such Sn 0 film brings exceptional reversibility in acidic electrolytes, which translates into sustained cycling stability at applicable areal capacities in both anode-half cells (similar to 1500 deposition/dissolution cycles at 5 mAh cm -2 ) and full cells (350 charge/discharge cycles at 5 mAh cm -2 ). Textured electrodeposition with intrinsic HER-suppression capability provides a universal solution for diverse metal anode materials in rechargeable energy-dense aqueous batteries.

Sn metal↗
DOE OSTI2023

Growth of titania and tin oxide from Ti 2 SnC via rapid thermal oxidation in air for lithium-ion battery application

Herein, we report the synthesis of TiO 2 –SnO 2 –C/carbide hybrid electrode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) via two different methods of controlled oxidation of layered Ti 2 SnC. The material was partially oxidized in an open-air furnace (OAF) or using a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) approach to obtain the desired TiO 2 –SnO 2 –C/carbide hybrid material; the carbide phase encompassed both residual Ti 2 SnC and TiC as a reaction product. We tested the oxidized materials as an anode in a half cell to investigate their electrochemical performance in LIBs. Analysis of the various oxidation conditions indicated the highest initial lithiation capacity of 838 mAh/g at 100 mA/g for the sample oxidized in the OAF at 700°C for 1 h. Still, the delithiation capacity dropped to 427 mAh/g and faded over cycling. Long-term cycling demonstrated that the RTA sample treated at 800°C for 30 s was the most efficient, as it demonstrated a reversible capacity of around 270 mAh/g after 150 cycles, as well as a specific capacity of about 150 mAh/g under high cycling rate (2000 mA/g). Given the materials’ promising performance, this processing method could likely be applied to many other members of the MAX family, with a wide range of energy storage applications.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

DEVELOPMENT OF STABLE ANODE AND CATHODE MATERIALS FOR RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES

Batteries have been employed in a variety of applications, such as portable electronics, electric vehicles (EVs), and stationary energy storage to preserve energy from other renewable sources (like wind or solar energy). The ultimate goal is to develop high energy density, long life span, better safety, and low cost of the batteries. However, current commercialized batteries (like lead-acid, zinc-alkaline, lithium-ion batteries (LIBs)) could not fulfill all the demands of diversified applications. LIBs predominate the market because of their high energy density. To achieve a higher capacity of the cell, high-nickel layered (Ni > 90%) cathode materials are promising candidates since they compose high specific capacity and discharge voltage. In chapter 1, an introduction to cell energy density and the development of high-nickel layered cathode materials along with associated obstacles of poor cycling stability and thermal stability have been discussed. Associated works like doping or surface coating have also been mentioned in this section. In chapter 2, Al doping in high-nickel layered cathode materials to enhance the structural and thermal stability was introduced. Uniform incorporation of Al doping is achieved by mechanical fusion and calcination processes. The Al doping not only decreased the Li/Ni mixing ratio but also enhance the thermal resistance to oxygen evolution because of strong Al-O bonding, which leads to elevated electrochemical and thermal stability. In chapter 3, TiN is implemented as a Ti dopant for high-nickel layered cathode materials to improve the electrochemical performance in the LIBs. The Ti not only diffused within the bulk structure but also formed segregation on the surface, which improved the structural stability and led to better cycling performance. Although LIBs deliver high energy density, safety concerns of flammable organic electrolytes have not been resolved yet. Therefore, the aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIB) have been praised for their safe, low-cost, eco-friendly stationary energy storage, which is considered as a complementary system to LIBs. In chapter 4, the mechanism, advantages, and challenges of ZIBs would be given and the strategies for solving the zinc metal anode issues have been discussed in this section. In chapter 5, a polymer coating method was reported to facilitate Zn deposition/ stripping by coordination with Zn2+ and prevented direct contact with aqueous electrolyte to block corrosion side-reactions. With this coating, a boost in a lifetime (up to 400 hours) and lower polarization under extremely high current conditions (10 mA cm-2) have been achieved in repeated Zn deposition/ stripping cycling.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Process for making manganese dioxide and its polymorphs reversible

A method of forming a layered manganese dioxide for use in a cathode of a battery comprises disposing a cathode into a housing of an electrochemical cell, disposing an anode into the housing, disposing a polymeric separator between the anode and the cathode such that the anode and the cathode are electrically separated, adding an alkaline electrolyte to the housing, cycling the electrochemical cell into the 2nd electron capacity of the manganese dioxide, and forming a layered manganese dioxide having a layered manganese dioxide structure with the one or more additives incorporated into the layered manganese dioxide structure. The cathode comprising a cathode material comprising: a manganese dioxide compound, one or more additives selected from the group consisting of bismuth, copper, tin, lead, silver, cobalt, nickel, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, lithium, calcium, gold, antimony, iron, zinc, and combinations thereof, and a conductive carbon.

Yadav, Gautam G.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ultrathin alumina passivation for improved photoelectrochemical water oxidation catalysis of tin oxide sensitized by a phosphonate-functionalized perylene diimide first without, and then with, CoOy

Previously, a photoanode composed of nanostructured SnO 2 coated with the perylene diimide dye N,N'-bis(phosphonomethyl)-3,4,9,10-perylenediimide (PMPDI) plus photoelectrochemically deposited cobalt oxide (CoO y ) was shown to photoelectrochemically oxidize water at 31 ± 7% faradaic efficiency. A non-ideal part of that prior system is that the addition of the known CoO y water oxidation catalyst (WOC) resulted in a reduction of the total photocurrent rather than the anticipated increase, due to an increase in charge-carrier recombination. Herein, we show deposition of an ultrathin alumina overlayer applied by atomic layer deposition (ALD) on the SnO 2 /PMPDI photoanode can improve the photoactivity and catalytic activity of the system; the addition a ca. 1 nm-thick AlO x layer deposited on a 4000 nm (i.e., 4 micron) thick mesoporous anode system can and does have a positive, 2.5-fold improvement in the steady-state photocurrent with 29 ± 9% faradaic efficiency vs. the control anode without alumina passivation by reducing charge-carrier recombination. Moreover, ALD-deposited AlO x layer does help support the understanding of the “anti-catalysis” of co-depositing a CoO y WOC on the SnO 2 /PMPDI DS-PECs—specifically the picture of direct CoO y –SnO 2 contact-mediated recombination—but that AlO x layer was unable to improve the photocurrent in a net SnO 2 /PMPDI/AlO x (/CoO y ) system. We attribute the lack of a performance enhancement by CoOy WOC to incomplete coverage of each SnO 2 nanoparticle by the AlO x . Overall, we find the addition of an optimized ultrathin AlOx layer (0.6 nm thick; deposited at 85 °C) improves the SnO 2 /PMPDI/AlO x system's photoactivity by a factor of up to ca. 3-fold with reduced recombination. These results document that metal-oxide passivation by low-temperature ALD can be an effective strategy for improving the water oxidation performance of even nanostructured dye sensitized-photoelectrochemical cell.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗