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Fuel cells are foreseen to have an important role in sustainable energy systems, provided that catalysts with higher activity and stability are developed. In this study, highly active sputtered thin films of platinum alloyed with yttrium (Pt3Y) are deposited on commercial gas diffusion layers and their performance in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell is measured. After acid pretreatment, the alloy is found to have up to 2.5 times higher specific activity than pure platinum. The performance of Pt3Y is much higher than that of pure Pt, even if all of the alloying element was leached out from parts of the thin metal film on the porous support. This indicates that an even higher performance is expected if the structure of the Pt3Y catalyst or the support could be further improved. The results show that platinum alloyed with rare earth metals can be used as highly active cathode catalyst materials, and significantly reduce the amount of platinum needed, in real fuel cells., QC 20180529

An investigation is conducted into the potential for sodiated PAN-based carbon fibers (CFs) to be used in multifunctional actuation, sensing, and energy harvesting. Axial CF expansion/contraction is measured during sodiation/desodiation using operando strain measurements. The reversible expansion/contraction is found to be 0.1% - which is lower than that of lithiated CFs. The axial sodiation expansion occurs in two well-defined stages, corresponding to the sloping and plateau regions of the galvanostatic cycling curve. The results indicate that the sloping region most likely corresponds to sodium insertion between graphitic sheets, while the plateau region corresponds to sodium insertion in micropores. A voltage-strain coupling is found for the CFs, with a maximum coupling factor of 0.15 +/- 0.01 V/unit strain, which could be used for strain sensing in multifunctional structures. This voltage-strain coupling is too small to be exploited for harvesting mechanical energy. The measured axial expansion is further used to estimate the capacity loss due to solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation, as well as capacity loss due to sodium trapped in the CF microstructure. The outcomes of this research suggest that sodiated CFs show some potential for use as actuators and sensors in future multifunctional structures, but that lithiated CFs show more promise., QC 20181114

In the majority of applications using lithium-ion batteries, batteries are exposed to some harmonic content apart from the main charging/discharging current. The understanding of the effects that alternating currents have on batteries requires specific characterization methods and accurate measurement equipment. The lack of commercial battery testers with high alternating current capability simultaneously to the ability of operating at frequencies above 200 Hz, led to the design of the presented experimental setup. Additionally, the experimental setup expands the state-of-the-art of lithium-ion batteries testers by incorporating relevant lithium-ion battery cell characterization routines, namely hybrid pulse power current, incremental capacity analysis and galvanic intermittent titration technique. In this paper the hardware and the measurement capabilities of the experimental setup are presented. Moreover, the measurements errors due to the setup’s instruments were analysed to ensure lithium-ion batteries cell characterization quality. Finally, this paper presents preliminary results of capacity fade tests where 28 Ah cells were cycled with and without the injection of 21 A alternating at 1 kHz. Up to 300 cycles, no significant fade in cell capacity may be measured, meaning that alternating currents may not be as harmful for lithium-ion batteries as considered so far., QC 20180816

Flexible, low-weight electrodes with integrated current collectors based on chopped polyacrylonitrile carbon fibers (CF) were produced using an easy, aqueous fabrication process, where only 4 wt% of TEMPO-oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) were used as the binder. A flexible full cell was assembled based on a LiFePO4 (LFP) positive electrode with a CF current collector and a current collector-free CF negative electrode. The cell exhibited a stable specific capacity of 121 mAh g(-1) based on the LFP weight. The CF in the negative electrode acted simultaneously as active material and current collector, which has a significant positive impact on energy density. Stable specific capacities of the CF/CNF negative electrode of 267 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C and 150 mAh g(-1) at 1 C are demonstrated. The LFP/CNF with CF/CNF, as the current collector positive electrode (LFP-CF), exhibited a good rate performance with a capacity of -150 mAh g(-1) at 0.1 C and 133 mAh g(-1) at 1 C. The polarization of the LFP-CF electrode was similar to that of a commercial Quallion LFP electrode, while much lower compared to a flexible LFP/CNF electrode with Al foil as the current collector. This is ascribed to good contact between the CF and the active material., QC 20180719

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) can be used for various types of unmanned missions. Currently, the most common energy storage technique is rechargeable batteries. In order to increase the range and endurance of these vehicles, where volume is a limiting factor, fuel cell systems could offer a very attractive solution. Fuel cell systems can have a drastically increased specific energy compared to batteries and are now starting to become well developed technologies. However, in an underwater environment, both hydrogen and oxygen needs to be stored for the fuel cell. This study presents a sizing tool that compares the weight and volume to balance fuel cell and battery energy storage solutions for some selected AUV missions. The main result is the shifting point between batteries and hybrid battery/fuel cell system in terms of volume efficiency, where longer missions favor the latter., QC 20191024

Reformate hydrogen from biogas is an attractive fuel alternative for energy conversion in PEM fuel cells. However, in the reformate traces of ammonia may be found, e.g. if the biogas is produced from agricultural resources. In this investigation the effect of ammonia in the fuel gas, on each part of the fuel cell, is studied by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), symmetrical hydrogen cell (H2|H2)- and real fuel cell operation. A considerable degradation in performance is observed by introducing 200 ppm ammonia. The results show that ammonia not only affects the polymer electrolyte membrane but also the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and catalyst ionomer in both electrodes, whereas the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) is the worst affected. In the short-term, the performance is reversible if running the cell on neat hydrogen after ammonia exposure, but this does not apply for long-term exposure. A mitigation method with air bleed is tested but gives no improvement of the performance., QC 20180328

Sinusoidal ripple-current charging has previously been reported to increase both charging efficiency and energy efficiency and decrease charging time when used to charge lithium-ion battery cells. In this paper, we show that no such effect exists in lithium-ion battery cells, based on an experimental study of large-size prismatic cells. Additionally, we use a physics-based model to show that no such effect should exist, based on the underlying electrochemical principles., QC 20180222

Internal resistance is a key parameter that affects the power, energy, efficiency, lifetime, and safety of a lithium-ion battery. It grows due to chemical and mechanical battery wear during ageing. In this work, the effect of the jelly-roll winding curvature on impedance rise is investigated. NMC electrode samples, harvested from the curved as well as the flat regions of the jelly-roll from cycle-aged and calendar-aged prismatic cells (25 Ah, hard casing) are investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. After cycling, larger impedance rise is observed at the outer radius (concave) of the curved region compared to the inner radius (convex) or the flat region of the jelly-roll, and the difference increases with a decrease in the jelly-roll radius of curvature, from the cell skin towards the core. To identify the causes behind the observed difference in the impedance rise, investigations at different external compression (0 and 2.5 MPa) and temperature (5 and 25 °C) are performed. The results show that contact loss between the current collector and the active layer is the main source of the difference in impedance rise. Mechanical mechanisms that may cause the contact loss are discussed and design recommendations to mitigate the rise in impedance are given., Funding text: This work was supported by the Swedish Energy Agency ( 30770-3 ) under the program Energy Efficient Vehicles, the StandUp for Energy, the Battery Fund Program, and Swedish Electromobility Centre. Dr. Fernanda Marzano (Scania CV AB) is acknowledged for helping with the cell opening. Appendix A. QC 20181127

This paper presents a framework for multiphysics modeling of a novel type of multifunctional composite material, structured on microscale, with ability to function as battery cell in addition to carry mechanical load. The micro-battery consists of a single carbon fiber surrounded by very thin solid electrolyte coating and embedded in a matrix which is a porous material containing active particles able to intercalate lithium. During battery operation (discharging and charging) the structural battery constituents undergo volume changes, caused by lithium-ion movement. The presented mathematical model is solved numerically using COMSOL software and results are used to analyze the physical phenomena occurring in the structural battery material. Parametric analysis is performed to reveal the significance of geometrical parameters like fiber volume fraction in the battery and the porosity content in the matrix on the multifunctional performance of the composite unit including its swelling/shrinking during charging/discharging., QC 20180529

Structural composite materials that simultaneously carry mechanical loads, while storing electrical energy offers the potential of significantly reduced total component weight owing to the multifunctionality. In the suggested micro-battery, the carbon fiber is employed as a negative electrode of the battery and also as a composite reinforcement material. It is coated with a solid polymer electrolyte working as an ion conductor and separator while transferring mechanical loads. The coated fiber is surrounded by a conductive positive electrode material matrix. This paper demonstrates a computational methodology for addressing mechanical stresses arising in a conceptualized micro-battery and dimensional changes of the cell during electrochemical cycling, caused by time-dependent gradients in lithium ion concentration distribution., QC 20180820

State-of-health estimates of batteries are essential for onboard electric vehicles in order to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective battery operation. This paper suggests a method to estimate the 10-s discharge resistance, which is an established battery figure of merit from laboratory testing, without performing the laboratory test. Instead, a state-of-health estimate of batteries is obtained using data directly from their operational use, e.g., onboard electric vehicles. It is shown that simple dynamical battery models, based on a current input and a voltage output, with model parameters dependent on temperature and state of charge, can be derived using AutoRegressive with eXogenous input models, whose order can be adjusted to describe the complex battery behavior. Then, the 10-s discharge resistance can be conveniently computed from the identified model parameters. Moreover, the uncertainty of the estimated resistance values is provided by the method. The suggested method is validated with usage data from emulated electric vehicle operation of an automotive lithium-ion battery cell. The resistance values are estimated accurately for a state-of-charge and temperature range spanning typical electric vehicle operating conditions. The identification of the model parameters and the resistance computation are very fast, rendering the method suitable for onboard application., QC 20180531

For the promising Li-O-2 battery to be commercialized, further understanding of its constituents is needed. This study deals with the role of O-2 in Li-O-2 batteries, both its influence on electrochemical performance and its solubility in lithium-salt-containing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) electrolytes. Experimentally, the electrochemical performance was evaluated using cylindrical ultramicroelectrodes. Two independent techniques, using a mass spectrometer and an optical sensor, were used to evaluate the O-2 solubility, expressed as Henry's constant. Furthermore, the ionic conductivity, dynamic viscosity, and density were also measured. Density functional theory calculations were made of the interaction energy between O-2 and the different species in the electrolytes. When varying O-2 partial pressure, the current was larger at high pressures confirming that the O-2 concentration is of key importance when studying the kinetics of this system. Compared with neat DMSO, the O-2 solubility increased with addition of LiTFSI and decreased with addition of LiClO4, indicating that the salt influences the solubility. This solubility trend is best explained in terms of apparent molar volume and interaction energy between O-2 and the salt anion. In conclusion, this study shows the importance of O-2 concentration, not just its partial pressure, and that the choice of Li salt can make this concentration increase or decrease., QC 20180404

Lignin-based carbon fibers (LCFs) from the renewable resource softwood kraft lignin were synthesized via oxidative thermostabilization of pure melt-spun lignin and carbonization at different temperatures from 1000 degrees C to 1700 degrees C. The resulting LCFs were characterized by tensile testing, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and confocal Raman spectroscopy. The microstructure is mainly amorphous carbon with some nanocrystalline domains. The strength and stiffness are inversely proportional to the carbonization temperature, while the LCFs carbonized at 1000 degrees C exhibit a strength of 628 MPa and a stiffness of 37 GPa. Furthermore, the application potential of LCFs was evaluated as negative electrodes in a lithium-ion battery (LIB) by electrochemical cycling at different current rates in a half-cell setup. The capacity drops with the carbonization temperature and the LCFs carbonized at 1000 degrees C have a capacity of 335 mAh g(-1). All LCFs showed good cycling stability. Because of the mechanical integrity and conductivity of the LCFs, there is no need to apply current collectors, conductive additives or binders. The advantage is an increased gravimetric energy density compared to graphite, which is the most common negative electrode material. LCFs show a promising multifunctional behavior, including good mechanical integrity, conductivity and an ability to intercalate lithium for LIBs., QC 20180219

A structural lithium ion battery is a material that can carry load and simultaneously be used to store electrical energy. We describe a path to manufacture structural positive electrodes via electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of LiFePO4 (LFP), carbon black and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) onto carbon fibers. The carbon fibers act as load-bearers as well as current collectors. The quality of the coating was studied using scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The active electrode material (LFP particles), conductive additive (carbon black) and binder (PVDF) were found to be well dispersed on the surface of the carbon fibers. Electrochemical characterization revealed a specific capacity of around 60–110 mAh g−1 with good rate performance and high coulombic efficiency. The cell was stable during cycling, with a capacity retention of around 0.5 after 1000 cycles, which indicates that the coating remained well adhered to the fibers. To investigate the adhesion of the coating, the carbon fibers were made into composite laminae in epoxy resin, and then tested using 3-point bending and double cantilever beam (DCB) tests. The former showed a small difference between coated and uncoated carbon fibers, suggesting good adhesion. The latter showed a critical strain energy release rate of ∼200–600 J m−2 for coated carbon fibers and ∼500 J m−2 for uncoated fibers, which also indicates good adhesion. This study shows that EPD can be used to produce viable structural positive electrodes., QC 20180530

Carbon fibres (CFs), originally made for use in structural composites, have also been demonstrated as high capacity Li-ion battery negative electrodes. Consequently, CFs can be used as structural electrodes; simultaneously carrying mechanical load and storing electrical energy in multifunctional structural batteries. To date, all CF microstructural designs have been generated to realise a targeted mechanical property, e.g. high strength or stiffness, based on a profound understanding of the relationship between the graphitic microstructure and the mechanical performance. Here we further advance this understanding by linking CF microstructure to the lithium insertion mechanism and the resulting electrochemical capacity. Different PAN-based CFs ranging from intermediate-to highmodulus types with distinct differences in microstructure are characterised in detail by SEM and HRTEMand electrochemical methods. Furthermore, the mechanism of Li-ion intercalation during charge/discharge is studied by in situ confocal Raman spectroscopy on individual CFs. RamanGband analysis reveals a Li-ion intercalation mechanism in the high-modulus fibre reminiscent of that in crystalline graphite. Also, the combination of a relatively low capacity of the high-modulus CFs (ca. 150 mAh g-1) is shown to be due to that the formation of a staged structure is frustrated by an obstructive turbostratic disorder. In contrast, intermediate-modulus CFs, which have significantly higher capacities (ca. 300 mAh g-1), have Raman spectra indicating a Li-ion insertion mechanism closer to that of partly disordered carbons. Based on these findings, CFs with improved multifunctional performance can be realised by tailoring the graphitic order and crystallite sizes., QC 20210929

The effects of external compression on the performance and ageing of NMC(1/3)/Graphite single-layer Li-ion pouch cells are investigated using a spring-loaded fixture. The influence of pressure (0.66, 0.99, 1.32, and 1.98 MPa) on impedance is characterized in fresh cells that are subsequently cycled at the given pressure levels. The aged cells are analyzed for capacity fade and impedance rise at the cell and electrode level. The effect of pressure distribution that may occur in large-format cells or in a battery pack is simulated using parallel connected cells. The results show that the kinetic and mass transport resistance increases with pressure in a fresh cell. An optimum pressure around 1.3 MPa is shown to be beneficial to reduce cyclable-lithium loss during cycling. The minor active mass losses observed in the electrodes are independent of the ageing pressure, whereas ageing pressure affects the charge transfer resistance of both NMC and graphite electrodes and the ohmic resistance of the cell. Pressure distribution induces current distribution but the enhanced current throughput at lower pressures cell does not accelerate its ageing. Conclusions from this work can explain some of the discrepancies in non-uniform ageing reported in the literature and indicate coupling between electrochemistry and mechanics., QC 20180321

This study evaluates the use of energy storage technologies coupled to renewable energy sources in rural electrification as a way to address the energy access challenge. Characteristic energy demanding applications will differently affect the operating conditions for off-grid renewable energy systems. This paper discusses and evaluates simulated photovoltaic power output and battery state of charge profiles, using estimated climate data and electricity load profiles for the Altiplanic highland location of Patacamaya in Bolivia to determine the loss of load probability as optimization parameter. Simulations are performed for three rural applications: household, school, and health center. Increase in battery size prevents risk of electricity blackouts while increasing the energy reliability of the system. Moreover, increase of PV module size leads to energy excess conditions for the system reducing its efficiency. The results obtained here are important for the application of off-grid PV-battery systems design in rural electrification projects, as an efficient and reliable source of electricity., QC 20180316

In this paper, the harmonic content of the battery current in a commercial hybrid vehicle (bus) is measured and analyzed for a number of different driving situations. It is found that the most prominent harmonic reaches peak magnitudes that can be higher than 10% of the maximum dc-current level with a maximum frequency less than 150 Hz. Further, it is found that this harmonic can be approximated using a fitted, simple analytical expression with reasonable agreement for all driving situations considered., QC 20211013

Carboxylated cellulose nanofibers (CNF) prepared using the TEMPO-route are good binders of electrode components in flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIB). However, the different parameters employed for the defibrillation of CNF such as charge density and degree of homogenization affect its properties when used as binder. This work presents a systematic study of CNF prepared with different surface charge densities and varying degrees of homogenization and their performance as binder for flexible LiFePO4 electrodes. The results show that the CNF with high charge density had shorter fiber lengths compared with those of CNF with low charge density, as observed with atomic force microscopy. Also, CNF processed with a large number of passes in the homogenizer showed a better fiber dispersibility, as observed from rheological measurements. The electrodes fabricated with highly charged CNF exhibited the best mechanical and electrochemical properties. The CNF at the highest charge density (ISSO mu mol g(-1)) and lowest degree of homogenization (3 + 3 passes in the homogenizer) achieved the overall best performance, including a high Young's modulus of approximately 311 MPa and a good rate capability with a stable specific capacity of 116 mAh g(-1) even up to 1 C. This work allows a better understanding of the influence of the processing parameters of CNF on their performance as binder for flexible electrodes. The results also contribute to the understanding of the optimal processing parameters of CNF to fabricate other materials, e.g., membranes or separators., QC 20171128

The promising lithium-oxygen battery chemistry presents a set of challenges that need to be solved if commercialization is ever to be realized. This study focuses on how the O2 reaction path is effected by the O2 concentration in the electrolyte. An electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance system was used to measure current, potential, and change in electrode mass simultaneously. It is concluded that the mass reversibility is O2 concentration dependent while the coulombic efficiency is not. The mass reversibility is higher at low O2 concentration meaning that more of the deposited Li2O2 is removed during oxidation in relation to the amount deposited during reduction. The first step of the reduction is the formation of soluble LiO2, which is then either reacting further at the electrode or being transported away from the electrode resulting in low current efficiency and low deposited mass per electrons transferred. During the oxidation, the first step involves de-lithiation of Li2O2 at low potential followed by bulk oxidation. The oxidation behavior is O2 concentration dependent, and this dependence is likely indirect as the O2 concentration effects the amount of discharge product formed during the reduction. The O2 concentration at different saturation pressures was determined using a mass spectrometer. It was found that the electrolyte follows Henry's law at the pressures used in the study. In conclusion, this study provides insight to the O2 concentration dependence and the preferred path of the O2 electrochemical reactions in lithium-oxygen batteries., QC 20170620

TEMPO oxidized cellulose nanofibrils (TOCNF) were used as binder material to prepare bendable Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) electrodes. Carbon fiber (CF) layers were integrated as current collectors to enhance the mechanical properties and to increase the specific energy of the electrodes. These electrodes combined with CF current collectors (LTO/CF) show good electrochemical properties and are flexible, sustainable, mechanical and chemical stable, lightweight and produced by a water-based easy filtration process. An increase of the active material weight (LTO) from around 19% to 71% of the electrode and current collector combined weight is demonstrated with CF compared with a copper current collector. Additionally, preparation of the current collector material is non-expensive, quick and easy compared to that of carbon nanotube or graphene. To test the flexible battery application, 4000 times repeated bending was carried out on both the LTO electrodes and the LTO/CF electrodes. This had no significant effect on the morphology, mechanical and electrochemical properties of neither the LTO nor the LTO/CF electrodes. Addition of the CF layer improves the mechanical properties and specific capacity of the LTO-electrode. A thicker LTO electrode with only 2 wt% TOCNF is demonstrated which is promising for thicker electrodes with high energy density. A full cell was assembled with the LTO/CF as negative electrode and LiFePO4 (LFP)/CF as positive, which exhibited a stable cycling performance and good energy density., QC 20170822

It is important to know the electrode kinetics of hydrogen production as well as to understand the effect of the mass transport in the gas phase for the analysis of the molten carbonate electrolysis cell (MCEC). A one-dimensional model based on the Maxwell-Stefan diffusion equations was applied to predict the mass transfer behavior in gas phase of the porous nickel electrode in the MCEC, combined with equations describing the current distribution in the electrolyte phase. The model gave a fair match to the experimental polarization data of the Ni electrode for varied inlet gas compositions of H2O, CO2 and H-2 between 10 and 40%. The model was also deployed to evaluate the effect of the water-gas shift reaction (WGSR). The fitted kinetic coefficients and electrode porosity differed in the case when including the WGSR compared to when not including the WGSR. In both cases the model was able to well describe the porous nickel electrode behavior in the molten carbonate electrolysis cell., QC 20171102

Producer gas from biomass gasification contains impurities like tars, particles, alkali salts and sulfur/nitrogen compounds. As a result a number of process steps are required to condition the producer gas before utilization as a syngas and further upgrading to final chemicals and fuels. Here, we study the concept of using molten carbonate electrolysis cells (MCEC) both to clean and to condition the composition of a raw syngas stream, from biomass gasification, for further upgrading into SNG. A mathematical MCEC model is used to analyze the impact of operational parameters, such as current density, pressure and temperature, on the quality and amount of tailored syngas produced. Investment opportunity is evaluated as an economic indicator of the processes considered. Results indicate that the production of SNG can be boosted by approximately 50% without the need of an additional carbon source, i.e. for the same biomass input as in standalone operation of the GoBiGas plant., cited By 0. QC 20181003