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Abstract: Gel-type polymer electrolytes with 1-butyl-4-methylpyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (B4MePyTFSI) ionic liquid are formed by the solution casting method. The conductivity and transference number measurements are carried out to investigate conductivity and charge transport in the gel polymer electrolytes. The conductivity of the samples increases when the amount of B4MePyTFSI ionic liquid is increased. The lithium ion ionic conductivity reaches the maximum value (2.01×10−4 S cm−1) when GPE contains 33.3 wt% B4MePyTFSI. The electrochemical stability window of ILGPE is about 5.5V versus Li+/Li at 20°C, meeting the basic requirement of rechargeable lithium batteries. Discharge performance of lithium battery using this ILGPE membrane shows a capacity of about 160 mAh g−1. The excellent performance with higher capacity, good cycle stability and compatibility are observed for the Li/ILGPE/LiFePO4 cells. The interfacial resistances between ILGPE and electrodes have the less change after 10 cycles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Electrodeposition of Cu–Li alloy from 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate ([BMIm][BF4]) ionic liquid was investigated. The cyclic voltammetry behaviors of [BMIm][BF4] containing Cu(II), Li(I), and mixtures of Cu(II) and Li(I) were studied at a copper working electrode, separately. The Cu–Li alloy produced by direct current electrodeposition was characterized by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The function of 2-butyne-1,4-diol was studied by linear sweep voltammetry. The result shows that the 2-butyne-1,4-diol could improve Li content in deposit, and make the Cu–Li alloy deposits denser and finer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ionic liquid gel polymer electrolyte (ILGPE) based on N-methyl-N-butylpiperidinium-bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (PP14TFSI), bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide lithium salt (LiTFSI) and poly(vinylidene difluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VdF-HFP)) is prepared for lithium ion batteries by solution casting. The ILGPE is characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetry (TG) and electrochemical tests. The results indicate that the addition of PP14TFSI to the P(VdF-HFP)–LiTFSI polymer electrolyte leads to 3-dimensional network structures, and the ILGPE is stable below 150°C and will not decompose until 310°C without considering the volatilizing of the residual solvent. The ionic conductivity increases with the temperature rising, and the ionic conductivity is 0.23×10−3 Scm−1 and 2.1×10−3 Scm−1 at 20°C and 80°C, respectively. The electrochemical window is −0.15 to 4.85V vs. Li+/Li, which is wide enough to be used with common electrode materials. Battery tests show that the ILGPE is stable even at 80°C when operated in Li/LiFePO4 batteries, and Li/LiFePO4 batteries with the gel polymer electrolyte exhibit good cycling performance at 60°C at 1C current rate. The discharge capacity was 131.01mAhg−1 after 100 cycles with 90% capacity retention. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Porous anodic alumina template is synthesized by electrochemical anodization of aluminum and used to grow cobalt nanowires. The cobalt nanowires produced by direct current electrodeposition are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and physical property measurement system. Test results indicate that the average diameter of cobalt nanowires is about 45nm, which is generally the same as the pore diameter of porous anodic alumina template, and the cobalt nanowires electrodeposited from mixture of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid and ethylene glycol have a smoother surface and better magnetic properties than cobalt nanowires electrodeposited from aqueous solution, and they show a better squareness. Therefore it can be concluded that the cobalt nanowires electrodeposited from mixture of 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ionic liquid and ethylene glycol using porous anodic alumina template can be used as a perpendicular magnetic recording film. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Janus Green B (JGB) and Safranine T (ST) were used as levelers in the through-hole (TH) copper electroplating experiments. Although JGB and ST have a similar part in the structure, the results indicate that JGB is an effective leveler used for TH electroplating whereas ST is not. A uniform plating is obtained using 1ppm JGB as a leveler. In contrast, ST could not increase the value of uniformity power (UP). Electrochemical behaviors of JGB and ST were evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization and galvanostatic measurements using rotating disk electrode (RDE). JGB could effectively affect the cathodic polarization. However, the addition of ST changed the cathodic polarization weakly. Quantum chemical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) were used to obtain some electronic properties and orbital information. The calculations on frontier molecular orbital suggested that the electron donating ability of JGB was higher than that of ST, which gave rise to stronger adsorption of JGB on the cathodic surface and stronger inhibition of copper electrodeposition on the cathode. Furthermore, the results of frontier molecular orbital and Fukui function distributions showed that the Nor aminoazobenzene region of JGB was the probable reactive site for the adsorption of JGB on the copper surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Gel polymer electrolytes containing N-butyl-N-methylpyrrolidinum bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl) imide (PYR14TFSI) ionic liquid are prepared by the solution casting method. Thermal and electrochemical properties have been determined for these gel polymer electrolytes. The electrical properties are investigated in detail by the linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry and impedance spectroscopy with the aid of the equivalent circuit fitting of the impedance spectra. The results show that the studied electrolytes have good self-standing characteristics, and also a sufficient level of thermal stability and a good electrochemical window. The conductivity increases with increasing amount of mixture, and for the studied system, the highest value of the conductivity measured at room temperature is 4.0×10−4 Scm−1. The lithium ions transference number reaches the maximum value when the gel electrolyte contains 33.3wt% PYR14TFSI ionic liquid. Based on the experiments, measurements and fitting, the models describing the lithium ion transmission and the properties of electrolyte/electrode interface are developed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Redox polymers bearing stable nitroxyl radical groups, such as poly-TEMPO-methacrylate (PTMA), are attractive candidates for application in power sources of novel kind, which combine the high power output of supercapacitors and high energy of rechargeable batteries. An important advantage of PTMA is the availability and low cost of the starting materials combined with high charging/discharging voltage, fast electron transfer kinetics and good mechanical properties of the polymer. However, low electron conductivity and high solubility in common organic electrolytes hamper the broad application of TEMPO-based compounds as cathode materials. In the present work, we report a simple strategy to overcome these limitations by the use of a practical and polymer-rich electrode based on redox-conducting polymer blends of polymerized nickel complexes with salen-type Schiff bases and PTMA. Electrochemical properties of the material are tested both in thin film systems and in asymmetric supercapacitor prototypes with aqueous electrolyte, which demonstrate high specific capacity (83 mAh g−1 at 1C, 53 mAh g−1 at 5C and 47 mAh g−1 at 10C), high rate capability as well as cycling stability (55% capacity retention after 1000 cycles). Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Novel TEMPO- and Ni-salen polymer composite cathode material is reported. • Synergistic interaction of the components secures good durability and capacity. • TEMPO-based redox polymer increases the specific capacity and stability in water. • Ni-salen allows to overcome the low conductivity typical for redox polymers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a combined approach using density functional theory (DFT), molecular dynamic simulations, and electrochemical experiments was developed to study organic additives used for a cyanide-free gold electrodeposition process. When 5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DMH) is used as the complexing agent, organic additives with either imino groups or nitrogenous heterocyclic rings including polyethyleneimine (PEI), 2,2′-bipyridine, and nicotinic acid (NA) were systematically investigated. Electronic properties and orbital information of these studied additives were determined by quantum chemical calculations based on DFT. Compared to the other additives, PEI was predicted as the most promising one for the introduced DMH based gold electrodeposition. The theoretical prediction was further verified by using experimental results. In particular, the cathodic polarization of the gold electrodeposition was significantly improved in the presence of PEI. Also, the resulting gold electrodeposit shows obviously finer crystalline particles largely. In addition, molecular dynamic simulations determined that PEI molecules possess optimized adsorption behavior on the gold surface, suggesting its effectiveness to be additive in the studied cyanide-free Au-electrodeposition electrolytes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AuPt catalyst has a prospective application in a lithium air battery because of its bi-function on catalyzing Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) and Oxygen Evolution Reaction (OER). Electrodeposition is an in-situ convenient technology for catalyst preparation without chemical residue. In an acid electrolyte, AuPt alloy catalysts were electrodeposited on carbon paper. The effect of main salt concentration, electrodeposition time and current density were studied by deposit micromorphology observation, structure analyses and composition testing. Catalytic abilities of AuPt alloys were measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV) in an ionic liquid of EMI-TFSI/Li-TFSI [1- Ethyl - 3- methylimidazolium–bis (trifluoromethanesulphonyl) imide/lithium–bis (trifluoromethanesulphonyl) imide]. The electrochemical behaviors of Au, Pt and AuPt deposits were also measured. An optimized direct-current electrodeposition process of getting high active AuPt catalyst is concluded, which is an aqueous solution containing 6.7∼10 mmol · L −1 HAuCl 4 , 10∼13.3 mmol · L −1 H 2 PtCl 6 and 0.5 mol · L −1 H 2 SO 4 as the electrolyte, current density of 20mA · cm −2 and electrodeposition time of 8∼34 s. The co-deposition of AuPt alloy is an irregular co-deposition controlled by diffusion, while gold atoms enter the platinum’s crystal lattice in the structure of AuPt alloy. The increase of the concentration of H 2 PtCl 6 in the electrolyte, the extension of the electrodeposition time or the raise of the current density can improve the content of Pt in the deposit. The clusters’ diameters of AuPt catalysts decrease to 150∼250 nm by adjusting current densities during electrodeposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]