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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.

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At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Elastic NaxMoS2-carbon-BASE triple interface direct robust solid-solid interface for all-solid-state Na-S batteries

The promises of all-solid-state (ASS) sodium batteries for the next generation energy storage are widely recognized but their developments have been severely constrained by the difficulties to design favorable solid-solid interfaces for unhindered Na-ion transport. Using the most promising ß?-Al2O3 solid state electrolyte (BASE) as a platform, we demonstrate here a triple nanojunction strategy that provides simultaneous strong Na adhesion and continuous Na-ions diffusion at solid-solid interface. Such triple junctions (NaxMoS2-carbon-BASE) were constructed by adhering ternary composite Na anodes containing dispersed 3 wt% MoS2 and 3 wt% carbon on BASE, and provide nearly complete adhesion of Na on BASE with a much smaller contact angle (~ 45o vs. 120o of pristine Na). The composite Na anodes exhibited ~ 3 times improved elastic property and the synergy of NaxMoS2 and carbon provides the required ionic and electronic diffusion channels at solid-solid interface, which significantly improve Na utilization and resist premature failure due to loss of solid-solid contact as Na shrink during high capacity stripping. As a result, Na metal at the triple junction exhibited more than five time reduced charge transfer resistance and at least 200 hours stable battery cycling at practical current densities. The novel anode architecture also enabled high capacity cycling of prototype ASS sodium sulfur batteries when coupled with advanced sulfur cathodes containing intrinsic Na-ions diffusion channels and redox catalytic mediators, leading to stable cycling with specific capacity of 1110 mAh g-1.

ß”-Al2O3 solid electrolyte, solid state batteries,↗
DOE OSTI2024

CEBAF Injector for K Long Beam Conditions

The Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) at Jefferson Lab concurrently operates four experimental Halls with distinct bunch charge specifications and repetition rates. Numerous critical beam parameters within CEBAF are configured in the injector, some remaining unchanged throughout the accelerator. Consequently, the injector plays a crucial role in determining final beam characteristics, including bunch structure, beam sizes, bunch lengths, energy spread, and beam transmission. The Jefferson Lab KL experiment is scheduled to take place at CEBAF in Hall D, featuring a much lower bunch repetition rate of 7.80 MHz or 15.59 MHz, below the nominal values of 249.5 MHz or 499 MHz. Although the proposed average current of 5 ?A or 10 ?A is low compared to the maximum CEBAF cur- rent of approximately 180 ?A, the corresponding bunch charge is unusually high for CEBAF injector operation. This study focuses on the behavior of low-repetition-rate, high-bunch- charge (0.32 to 0.64 pC) beams in the CEBAF injector. We investigated the evolution and transmission of low-charge beams to space-charge dominated high-charge beams in the front end of the CEBAF injector for two configurations: the pre-existing CEBAF Phase 1 injector upgrade, operated at 130 kV, and the existing CEBAF Phase 2 injector upgrade, operated at 140 kV, 180 kV, and to be operated at 200 kV. The electron beam through the CEBAF injector is characterized using beam dynamics simulations and comparisons with the available measurements performed at 130 kV. Multi-objective genetic optimizations of the CEBAF injector were performed to determine the operating magnetic elements and RF settings for the evolution and transmission of low, moderate, and high charge beams in the CEBAF injector at 180 kV and 200 kV DC gun voltages. Subsequently, simulations at the same voltages were conducted to obtain the beam characteristics at the front end of the CEBAF injector. The laser spot size and laser pulse length at the cathode were varied to observe their effects on beam transmission in the injector at different voltages (130 kV, 180 kV, and 200 kV). Experimental studies at 130 kV, 140 kV, and 180 kV validate the simulations. Beam study measurements are carried out using EPICS tools, while optimizations and simulations are facilitated by General Particle Tracer. Based on the findings, optimal parameters for the upcoming Jefferson Lab KL experiment are proposed, utilizing a lower repetition rate and higher bunch charge

Pokharel, Sunil↗
NASA NTRS2014

Method for Making a Fuel Cell

The invention is a novel solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) stack comprising individual bi-electrode supported fuel cells in which an electrolyte layer is supported between porous electrodes. The porous electrodes may be made from graded pore ceramic tape that has been created by the freeze cast method followed by freeze-drying. Each piece of graded pore tape later becomes a graded pore electrode scaffold that, subsequent to sintering, is made into either an anode or a cathode. The electrode scaffold comprising the anode includes a layer of liquid metal. The pores of the electrode scaffolds gradually increase in diameter as the layer extends away from the electrolyte layer. As a result of this diameter increase, any forces that would tend to pull the liquid metal away from the electrolyte are reduced while maintaining a diffusion path for the fuel. Advantageously, the fuel cell of the invention may utilize a hydrocarbon fuel without pre-processing to remove sulfur.

Cable, Thomas L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Eliminating dissolution of platinum-based electrocatalysts at the atomic scale

Deployment of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells is limited by the durability of Pt-nanoscale catalysts during cathodic oxygen reduction reactions. Dissolution processes on single crystalline and thin film surfaces are now correlated leading to the design of PtAu catalysts with suppressed dissolution. A remaining challenge for the deployment of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells is the limited durability of platinum (Pt) nanoscale materials that operate at high voltages during the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. In this work, atomic-scale insight into well-defined single-crystalline, thin-film and nanoscale surfaces exposed Pt dissolution trends that governed the design and synthesis of durable materials. A newly defined metric, intrinsic dissolution, is essential to understanding the correlation between the measured Pt loss, surface structure, size and ratio of Pt nanoparticles in a carbon (C) support. It was found that the utilization of a gold (Au) underlayer promotes ordering of Pt surface atoms towards a (111) structure, whereas Au on the surface selectively protects low-coordinated Pt sites. Finally, this mitigation strategy was applied towards 3 nm Pt 3 Au/C nanoparticles and resulted in the elimination of Pt dissolution in the liquid electrolyte, which included a 30-fold durability improvement versus 3 nm Pt/C over an extended potential range up to 1.2 V.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Molten Salt Lattice Confinement Fusion (LCF) Fast Fission Reactor for Lunar and Planetary Surface Power

Molten salt fission reactors (MSR) have been suggested for lunar and planetary surface power systems. They have the advantage of operating at high temperature, for efficient thermal-electrical conversion, low pressure, long-lived with high nuclear fuel burnup. MSR are often designed to breed fissile 233U from natural 232Th by neutron capture and  decay via: 232Th(n,)233Th(,)233Pa(,)233U Unfortunately, this process requires 233Pa isotope separation and segregation to decay to 233U. This requirement prevents additional neutron capture that interferes with 233U breeding. Instead, Wooley’s sub-critical, fast fission, molten salt reactor would use externally generated tokamak fusion neutrons1,2 to fission all actinides.We propose a simpler fusion-fast-fission sub-critical reactor that generates fast neutrons in situ from lattice confinement fusion (LCF) to fission fertile and fissile actinides. This hybrid reactor doesn't require enriched 235U fissile pins to initiate fis-sion reactions, nor 233Pa separation and segregation during operation. Like Wooley’s, this hybrid reactor “burns” natural uranium (238U) or thorium (232Th) which avoids uranium enrichment and additional fissile material launch safety and security costs. The LCF neutron source is initiated by bremsstrahlung photoneutrons (Fig. 1)3 or isotopic neutron sources in electron-screened lattices (Fig. 2)4,5. Alternatively, the electrolytic Pd-deuterium co-deposition6protocol fast fissions7 both 232Th and 238U. However, an aqueous electrolyte-based system, without pressurization similar to conventional pressurized water fission reactors, is incapable of high temperatures due to the boiling point of the electrolyte slightly over 100 C. Molten salts can be used instead as was demonstrated at the University of Hawaii8 using a variety of Ni and Pd cathodes in lithiated, hydrided and deuterated salts. These salts have melting points often exceeding 500C making them suitable to efficiently produce electrical power9 through either Advanced Stirling Genera-tors (< 100 kWe) or closed-Brayton Cycle (> 100 kWe). This hybrid reactor could power a wide range of lunar or Martian applications from unmanned in-struments, to charging vehicles and entire facilities such as human habitats or in situ resource utilization. The power conversion cycles are Carnot Cycle limited, but generally 30% efficient at best. However, waste heat on the moon or Mars is important to surviving either two-week lunar nights or Martian nights as well as providing process heat for mineral extraction and “living off the land”

Lawrence Forsley↗
DOE OSTI2019

Incorporating Solvate and Solid Electrolytes for All‐Solid‐State Li 2 S Batteries with High Capacity and Long Cycle Life

Abstract The development of all‐solid‐state lithium–sulfur batteries is hindered by the poor interfacial properties at solid electrolyte (SE)/electrode interfaces. The interface is modified by employing the highly concentrated solvate electrolyte, (MeCN) 2 −LiTFSI:TTE, as an interlayer material at the electrolyte/electrode interfaces. The incorporation of an interlayer significantly improves the cycling performance of solid‐state Li 2 S batteries compared to the bare counterpart, exhibiting a specific capacity of 760 mAh g −1 at cycle 100 (330 mAh g −1 for the bare cell). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that the interfacial resistance of the interlayer‐modified cell gradually decreases as a function of cycle number, while the impedance of the bare cell remains almost constant. Cross‐section scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/ energy dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) measurements on the interlayer‐modified cell confirm the permeation of solvate into the cathode and the SE with electrochemical cycling, which is related to the decrease in cell impedance. In order to mimic the full permeation of the solvate across the entire cell, the solvate is directly mixed with the SE to form a “solvSEM” electrolyte. The hybrid Li 2 S cell using a solvSEM electrolyte exhibits superior cycling performance compared to the solid‐state cells, in terms of Li 2 S loading, Li 2 S utilization, and cycling stability. The improved performance is due to the favorable ionic contact at the battery interfaces.

Shin, Minjeong↗
DOE OSTI2026

Low-frequency electrochemical pulsing to manage flooding and salt precipitation in zero-gap CO 2 -to-ethylene electrolyzers

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to ethylene presents a promising route for utilizing exhaust gases to produce value-added chemicals with broad manufacturing applications. While zero-gap electrolyzer architectures show great potential to enable commercial-scale CO 2 -to-ethylene conversion, their performance is often limited by failure within the first 100 hours. In this work, we demonstrate that a low-frequency electrochemical pulsing protocol effectively mitigates carbonate salt precipitation and flooding by managing water transport to and through the cathode gas diffusion electrode and associated flow fields. Operando neutron imaging further reveals the dynamics of water crossover and flooding, emphasizing the intricate interplay between electrochemical operation and ionic transport. By mitigating short-term flooding and salt precipitation failure modes, this study establishes a foundation for understanding long-term degradation mechanisms and advancing the practical viability of CO 2 electrolyzers for industrial-scale applications.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Renewable Solvents to Replace Water in the Synthesis of Battery Materials

Our lab has been engaged in using glycerol to replace water in the synthesis of metal oxides, especially those for use in Li-ion battery. Glycerol is a byproduct from biodiesel production. The U.S. biodiesel manufacturers generate about 1 billion pounds of glycerol yearly, which needs to be utilized for producing value added products. By using glycerol as a solvent, we found that it can replace water to prepare many metal oxide powders. The materials synthesis processes have the potential to significantly reduce manufacturing cost and alleviate the environmental issues with aqueous processes. In this talk, I will present some of our work in materials synthesis using glycerol as a solvent. In particular, I will introduce the work on making active cathode materials for the Li-ion battery.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Pulsed Electrical Stimulation Enhances Body Fluid Transport for Collagen Biomineralization

Mechanical loads from physiologic activities such as walking and running generate bioelectricity in bones. By mimicking bioelectricity, external electrical stimulations have also been used therapeutically to stimulate bone-forming cells and, thus, to promote bone regeneration. However, little is known about the physicochemical mechanism(s) by which electrical stimulations drives calcium phosphate mineralization of collagen. Here, we showed that, during in vitro collagen mineralization in the absence of cells, application of pulsed electrical stimulation significantly enhanced the transport of ionic body fluid components through a micrometer-scale channel (~100–200 μm gap space between the inner surfaces of tube-like collagen scaffolds and a cathode placed inside the collagen scaffolds). The enhanced transport of ionic precursors increased diffusion of the charged precursors from the channel to the inner collagen surface, where bone mineralization was otherwise restricted. The results indicate that pulsed electrical signals can locally accelerate the nucleation of calcium phosphate nanocrystals in or on collagen, allowing us to better control the spatial distribution of the nanocrystals at the microscale. Finally, the findings from this study provide insights into the utilization of electrical stimulation for applications such as facilitating bone-fracture healing and designing better bone-specific biomaterials.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2017

Zerovalent Copper Intercalated Birnessite as a Cathode for Lithium Ion Batteries: Extending Cycle Life

Birnessite type layered manganese dioxides (δ-MnO 2 ) have attracted considerable attention in recent years as 2D intercalation cathodes for rechargeable Li + , Na + , and Mg 2+ batteries due to fast ion diffusion through their negatively charged δ-MnO 2 sheets separated by interlayer cations and a stable Mn 3+/4+ redox couple. Here we report the preparation and electrochemistry of zero and divalent copper co-intercalated birnessite type manganese dioxide (Cu 0 0.03 Cu 2+ 0.21 Na 0.12 MnO 2 ·0.9H 2 O). The copper intercalated birnessite materials were fully characterized utilizing powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The mixed valent nature of intercalated Cu 0 and Cu 2+ was confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS). Electrochemical evaluation results show that zero valent copper intercalated birnessite exhibits higher discharge capability, improved cyclability, and lower impedance compared to the Cu 2+ only intercalated (Cu 0.26 MnO 2 ·1.0H 2 O) and Cu free Na birnessite (Na 0.40 MnO 2 ·1.0H 2 O) materials. Remarkably, zero valent copper birnessite shows almost no fade after 10 cycles at 0.1 mV/s. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results suggest that charge transfer resistivity of Cu 0 modified samples was much lower than that of Cu 2+ and Cu free birnessite, indicating that the presence of a small amount of Cu 0 improves the conductivity of birnessite and results in better electrochemical cyclability, rate capability, and lower impedance.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2020

Unraveling the Nature of Excellent Potassium Storage in Small-Molecule Se@Peapod-Like N-Doped Carbon Nanofibers

The potassium-selenium (K-Se) battery is considered as an alternative solution for stationary energy storage because of abundant resource of K. However, the detailed mechanism of the energy storage process is yet to be unraveled. In this work, the findings in probing the working mechanism of the K-ion storage in Se cathode are reported using both experimental and computational approaches. A flexible K-Se battery is prepared by employing the small-molecule Se embedded in freestanding N -doped porous carbon nanofibers thin film (Se@NPCFs) as cathode. The reaction mechanisms are elucidated by identifying the existence of short-chain molecular Se encapsulated inside the microporous host, which transforms to K 2 Se by a two-step conversion reaction via an "all-solid-state" electrochemical process in the carbonate electrolyte system. Through the whole reaction, the generation of polyselenides (K 2 Se n , 3 ≤ n ≤ 8) is effectively suppressed by electrochemical reaction dominated by Se-2 molecules, thus significantly enhancing the utilization of Se and effecting the voltage platform of the K-Se battery. This work offers a practical pathway to optimize the K-Se battery performance through structure engineering and manipulation of selenium chemistry for the formation of selective species and reveal its internal reaction mechanism in the carbonate electrolyte.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mechanically Reinforced Pseudosolid Polyelectrolyte Membranes via Layer-by-Layer Assembly for High-Performing Lithium-Metal Batteries

Ionogels are emerging as high-potential pseudosolid electrolytes for lithium-metal batteries (LMBs), leveraging their intrinsic high ionic conductivity from entrapped ionic liquid (IL) electrolytes. However, their practical application is hindered by poor mechanical strength stemming from the confinement of ILs within a polymer matrix. To address this challenge, the formation of conformal polyion coatings with functional groups is reported to be relevant to LMBs’ application on ionogels, utilizing a layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly strategy. Here, this approach significantly enhances the mechanical strength (Young's modulus and tensile strength) and electrochemical performance of ionogels, owing to the tailored interface modifications introduced by functional groups’ specific conformal polyion coatings. The core of this methodology leverages the inherent ionic structure of ionogels to enable facile interface modification through Coulombic interactions between polyanions and polycations. These conformally coated interface functionalized membranes show improved electrochemical performance when integrated with cathode materials such as LiFePO 4 (LFP) and LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 (NMC811) in an LMB configuration, underscoring their potential for robust, high-conductivity, pseudosolid membranes for LMB applications. These innovative pseudosolid membranes offer improved mechanical and electrochemical properties, leading to higher battery efficiency and safety, making them promising candidates for next-generation LMB technology.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Use of a segmented cell for the combinatorial development of platinum group metal-free electrodes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

The development of novel platinum group metal (PGM)-free catalysts is a difficult task, particularly when coupled with the integration into a cathode catalyst layer (CCL). The optimization of such PGM-free electrode structures is often non-linear and iterative, making it a demanding task due to the high number of parameters that affect performance. To accelerate both materials discovery and electrode development, this work demonstrates the application of a high-resolution segmented cell (SC) with 121 segments of 0.413 cm 2 size for combinatorial high-throughput PGM-free catalyst screening and CCL optimization. The approach utilizes three flow-field strips with active areas of 4.45 cm 2 each, distributed over 11 segments. Electrodes with identical catalyst material and fabrication method result in reproducible data with typically less than 10% variation between each segment and match in performance with differential single cell data. High throughput testing of combinatorial sample sets, with varied PGM-free electrocatalyst materials or electrode composition, demonstrated the ability to rapidly discern high performing outliers, and establish or confirm trends in electrode optimization. The results indicated significant performance benefits of electrodes with ionomer content of 45 wt% over lower values, and of water rich inks with 82% water content over those with 50%.

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Machine-learning-revealed statistics of the particle-carbon/binder detachment in lithium-ion battery cathodes

The microstructure of a composite electrode determines how individual battery particles are charged and discharged in a lithium-ion battery. It is a frontier challenge to experimentally visualize and, subsequently, to understand the electrochemical consequences of battery particles’ evolving (de)attachment with the conductive matrix. Herein, we tackle this issue with a unique combination of multiscale experimental approaches, machine-learning-assisted statistical analysis, and experiment-informed mathematical modeling. Our results suggest that the degree of particle detachment is positively correlated with the charging rate and that smaller particles exhibit a higher degree of uncertainty in their detachment from the carbon/binder matrix. We further explore the feasibility and limitation of utilizing the reconstructed electron density as a proxy for the state-of-charge. Our findings highlight the importance of precisely quantifying the evolving nature of the battery electrode’s microstructure with statistical confidence, which is a key to maximize the utility of active particles towards higher battery capacity.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Electrochemical Carbon Monoxide Reduction on Polycrystalline Copper: Effects of Potential, Pressure, and pH on Selectivity toward Multicarbon and Oxygenated Products

Here by understanding the surface reactivity of CO, which is a key intermediate during electrochemical CO 2 reduction, is crucial for the development of catalysts that selectively target desired products for the conversion of CO 2 to fuels and chemicals. In this study, a custom-designed electrochemical cell is utilized to investigate planar polycrystalline copper as an electrocatalyst for CO reduction under alkaline conditions. Seven major CO reduction products have been observed including various hydrocarbons and oxygenates which are also common CO 2 reduction products, strongly indicating that CO is a key reaction intermediate for these further-reduced products. A comparison of CO and CO 2 reduction demonstrates that there is a large decrease in the overpotential for C–C coupled products under CO reduction conditions. The effects of CO partial pressure and electrolyte pH are investigated; we conclude that the aforementioned large potential shift is primarily a pH effect. Thus, alkaline conditions can be used to increase the energy efficiency of CO and CO 2 reduction to C–C coupled products, when these cathode reactions are coupled to the oxygen evolution reaction at the anode. Further analysis of the reaction products reveals common trends in selectivity that indicate both the production of oxygenates and C–C coupled products are favored at lower overpotentials. These selectivity trends are generalized by comparing the results on planar Cu to current state-of-the-art high-surface-area Cu catalysts, which are able to achieve high oxygenate selectivity by operating at the same geometric current density at lower overpotentials. Combined, these findings outline key principles for designing CO and CO 2 electrolyzers that are able to produce valuable C–C coupled products with high energy efficiency.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2025

Thermal decomposition pathways of bulk electrolytes on vanadium oxide nanocrystals

The thermal stability of electrolytes at an elevated temperature induced by battery charge-discharge cycling is critical for the long cycling performance of a rechargeable battery. For many multivalent systems, such as rechargeable magnesium batteries, which offer great potential for high energy density and utilize earth-abundant resources, electrolyte instability and electrode surface passivation, arising from electrolyte decomposition, remain as major roadblocks. Understanding the electrolyte decomposition pathways at the electrode-electrolyte interface is essential to provide guidance in overcoming this challenge. In this work, in situ 13 C magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) and first-principles calculations were used to investigate the thermal decomposition of the electrolyte in a system consisting of MgV 2 O 4 , a novel cathode for magnesium batteries, mixed with a bulk electrolyte consisting of magnesium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (Mg(TFSI) 2 ) in diglyme (G2). We show that significant electrolyte decomposition is observed in bulk 1.0 M Mg(TFSI) 2 in G2 mixed with nanometer sized MgV 2 O 4 powder at elevated temperatures. This observation is to mimic the possible thermal decomposition that might happen during battery cycling. We demonstrate that the MgV 2 O 4 surface is covered by a layer of decomposed G2 products. We conclude that the dominant reaction pathway for electrolyte decomposition is the thermal decomposition of the pure electrolytes at elevated temperatures, followed by adsorption of G2 decomposition products to the MgV 2 O 4 surface. The activation energy for the major decomposition pathway is obtained. In conclusion, this work highlights the importance of studying thermal decomposition of electrolytes for overall system stability and explores electrolyte stability at significantly elevated temperatures.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Mitigation of rapid capacity decay in silicon-LiNi 0.6 Mn 0.2 Co 0.2 O 2 full batteries

Silicon (Si)-based materials have been considered as the most promising anode materials for high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries because of their higher storage capacity and similar operating voltage, as compared to the commercial graphite (Gr) anode. But the use of Si anodes including silicon-graphite (Si-Gr) blended anodes often leads to rapid capacity decay in Si-Gr/LiNixMnyCo z O 2 (x+y+z=1) full cells, which has been attributed to surface instability of the Si component. In addition to stabilizing the surface, this work investigates the potential of the Si-Gr blended anodes in a full-cell configuration and its impact on the capacity contribution from active components. Using dQ/dV plots of the full cells, a powerful but simple-to-implement differential potential approach is developed to decouple the capacity contribution and degradation from the graphite and silicon components. Data collected from three-electrode cells confirm the results from the differential potential approach, which suggests a voltage slippage to a higher voltage at the blended anode side. Additionally, the voltage slippage causes a reduced utilization of the Gr component and exacerbates side reactions between the Si-Gr anode and carbonate electrolytes. Furthermore, based on these failure mechanisms, we adopted a mitigation strategy to tune the open circuit voltage of the prelithiated anode while stabilizing the surface. As a result, the full cells with the modified Si-Gr anodes (mass loading, 2.5 mAh/cm 2 ) offer a highly reversible full-cell energy density of 390 Wh/kg (based on the mass of both anode and cathode materials in a full cell) with a cycling CE of 99.9% over 200 cycles.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2026

State-of-Charge Investigation of Lithium Manganese Dioxide Primary Batteries Utilizing X-ray Computed Tomography

Lithium primary batteries (LPBs) represent a class of energy storage devices, uniquely suited for mission-critical applications including emergency backup power, aerospace and defense electronics, implantable medical devices, and remote sensing. Despite their technological maturity and distinct advantages over rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (i.e., superior shelf life and operational simplicity), state-of-charge (SoC) estimation in these batteries remains a persistent challenge due to the lack of a reliable, quantifiable diagnostic technique. In this work, we investigate X-ray computed tomography (X-CT) as a transformative and accurate SoC estimation technique for LPBs. Results gained through X-CT measurements reveal systematic, quantifiable structural changes in cathode morphology and geometry during discharge, establishing a direct structural basis for SoC estimation, with a maximum relative standard deviation of 2.3%. This work establishes a pathway toward operando, imaging-driven SoC diagnostics that can significantly enhance the reliability of SoC estimation in LPBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗