The performance and lifetime of lithium-ion batteries are strongly influenced by their composition. One category of critical components are electrolyte additives, which are included primarily to stabilize electrode/electrolyte interfaces in the battery cells by forming passivation layers. The presented study aimed to identify and study such an additive that could form a hydrogen-evolution-suppressing solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in lithium-ion batteries based on aqueous electrolytes. A promising molecular additive, ethyl 2,2-difluoroacetate (EDFA), was found to hold the qualities required for an SEI former and was herein further analyzed electrochemically. Analysis of the battery cells were performed with linear sweep voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry with varying scan rate and EDFA concentrations. Results show that both 1 and 10 w-% EDFA in the electrolyte produced hydrogen-evolution-suppressing SEI:s, although the higher concentration provided no apparent benefit. Lithium-ion full-cells based on LiMn2O4 vs. Li4Ti5O12 active materials displayed poor, though partly reversible, dis-/charge cycling despite the operation of the electrode far outside the electrochemical stability window of the electrolyte. Inclusion of reference electrodes in the lithium-ion cells proved to be immensely challenging with unpredictable drifts in their electrode potentials during operation. To summarize, HER-suppressing electrolyte additives are demonstrated to be a promising approach to stabilize high-voltage operation of aqueous lithium-ion cells although further studies are necessary before any practical application thereof can be realized. Electrochemical evaluation of the reaction mechanism and efficiency of the electrolyte additives relies however heavily on the use of reference electrodes and further development thereof is necessary.

During the past decades, emission of greenhouse gases has accelerated to unsustainable levels. This is a serious issue that can have a devastating impact on everything from global economy to the terrestrial or marine ecosystem. A method for reducing the emission is named carbon capture and storage, which this project is based on. In this study, different concentrations of citric acid (CA) is used (as an additive) for the enhancement and optimization of carbon dioxid sorption properties of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), mesoporous magnesium carbonate (MMC) and calcium magnesium carbonate composite (CMC). These materials were heat treated in a calcination and an alternating carbonation process in order to study the carbon dioxid sorption performance. During the calcination process, CA undergoes a pyrolysis reaction in order to increase the specific surface area of the individual nanoparticles, which is an important factor for the sorption capacity. In the case of CMC, different molar ratios of magnesium oxide and calcium oxide were used in order to alter the concentration of the resulting magnesium oxide prior to heating. All three materials consisted of aggregations of nanometer-sized particles. Thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, surface area and porosimetry and infrared spectroscopy analysis suggest that the carbon dioxid sorption properties and the sintering stability of ACC and MMC do not improve since CA evaporates due to pyrolysis. Sintering was a greater problem for the evaluated CA treated ACC sample. However, in the case of CMC, the sorption and sintering properties were enhanced due to the higher Tamman-temperature of magnesium oxide, specifically for the lower concentration of magnesium oxide. After 19 carbonation cycles, CMC-1:1-25% CA showed signs of improved sintering stability and sorption capacity, compared to ACC-75% CA. / <p>Presentationen genomfördes på distans.</p>

In this thesis, the incorporation of drug loaded mesoporous magnesium carbonate as an excipient for the additive manufacturing of oral tablets by fused deposition modeling was investigated. Cinnarizine, a BCS class II drug, was loaded into the pores of the mesoporous material via a soaking method, corresponding to a drug loading of 8.68 wt%. DSC measurements on the loaded material suggested that the drug was partially crystallized after incorporation, meanwhile the XRD diffractogram implied that the drug was in a state lacking long range order. The drug loaded material was combined with two pharmaceutical polymers, Aquasolve LG and Klucel ELF, and extruded into filaments with a single screw extruder. Filaments of Klucel ELF and drug loaded Upsalite (30:70 wt% ratio) were successfully implemented for the printing oral tablets, in contrast to the Aquasolve LG based filaments which were difficult to print due to thickness variations and non-uniform material distributions. The drug content obtained by TGA suggested drug loadings of 7.71 wt% and 2.23 wt% in the drug loaded Upsalite and tablets respectively. Dissolution studies using an USP II apparatus showed a slower API-release from the tablets in comparison to the crystalline drug, most probably due to slow diffusion of drug species through the polymeric matrix. For future studies, pharmaceutical polymers with higher aqueous solubility should be investigated in order to thoroughly examine the potential of utilizing the immediate release property of Upsalite.

PureFize Technologies AB develops and manufactures a broadband ultraviolet (UVC) light technology device that is mercury-free and based on nanotechnology, using the principle of field emission. The light source is made of Ti and glass, which are hermetically bonded, using a low-temperature glass frit, at elevated temperatures. The bonding procedure will induce stresses in the device originating from the mismatch of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) between the materials. Brittle materials, as glass, withstands tensile stresses poorly. Therefore, the stress magnitude and distribution needs to be understood.  This work develops a quality inspection method for the glass bond and internal stresses, as well as stress simulations of the device, to be used in production at the company. The glass bond width and the internal stresses in the device were classified and analyzed by light optical microscopy and by polarised light optical microscopy. The optical analysis was followed by pressure tests of the devices using a chamber that allowed for pressurized air up to 7 bar. In parallell with the experimental work, stress and deformation simulations of the device using the finite element method (FEM) was made. Data collected from the inspections and pressure tests were compiled and analyzed, showing clear connections between the glass bond quality and the device's ability to withstand external pressure. A narrow glass bond could withstand external pressure poorly, whereas a wide glass bond could withstand external pressure well. Correlations could be made both between the glass bond appearance and the stress patterns, as well as between the FEM simulations and the stress patterns in the device. It is clear that the stresses induced in the device after bonding originates from the CTE mismatch of the bonded components when cooling it from the bonding temperature to room temperature. The pressure testing method proved to be an efficient way of verifying the maximum pressure capacity of the devices.  The knowledge from this thesis can be used when further investigating induced stresses from glas frit bonding.

Coil coatings are durable  organic coatings used to protect metal sheets from corrosion and improve their aesthetic properties. Because of their extensive use, coil coatings have long been of interest for industrial and academic researchers. This interest has recently been furthered by a societal push towards the replacement of fossil-based raw materials with alternatives that are biobased and renewable. The aim of this licentiate thesis is to demonstrate how analyses on the macro-, micro-, and nanoscale can be used to better understand the degradation process of polyester-based coil coatings. The included manuscripts showcase methods for evaluating and comparing different coil coating formulations and for verifying accelerated weathering techniques. Multiple techniques, focusing on infrared (IR) spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM), were used to analyze coating systems before and after different types of weathering. IR data acquired from techniques without spatial resolution, such as attenuated total reflection (ATR) and photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) have been expanded upon with spatially resolved focal plane array (FPA) and s-SNOM  (scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy) measurements. Spatially resolved chemical data of coating cross sections were acquired and used to assess how the degradation at the surface and in the bulk was related. Additionally, differences between the degradation behavior of a standard fossil-based coating and a similar coating with biobased components as well as differences between the degradation caused by artificial and natural weathering was discussed. Nanoscale mechanical measurements of simplified coating surfaces showed that weathering increased nanomechanical stiffness and led to homogenization of mechanical properties on the local level. In addition, measurements with nanoscale FTIR correlated with macroscale FTIR. Even relatively minor changes in band intensities could be tracked on a local scale. Although the simplified samples were chemically homogeneous, nanoscale FTIR shows great promise for the assessment of local degradation of full systems. / Bandlackering är en process för att applicera stabila organiska beläggningar på metallytor för att skydda från korrosion och förbättra deras utseende. På grund av beläggningarnas omfattande användning så har utvärdering och analys av dem varit av intresse för både akademi och industri i flera årtionden. Detta långvariga intresse har ytterligare främjats av en ökade miljömedvetenhet och ett tryck att ersätta miljöfarliga och fossila råmaterial mot biobaserade och förnyelsebara alternativ. Målet med denna licentiatavhandling är att visa hur analysmetoder på makro-, mikro-, och nanonivå kan användas för att bättre förstå nedbrytning av bandlackerade beläggningar. Denna förståelse kan användas både för att utvärdera prestandan hos både nya redan befintliga system, men också för att kunna verifiera accelererade testmetoder vars mål är att minska tiden som krävs för utvärdering. Flera tekniker, med fokus på infraröd (IR) spektroskopi och atomkrafts-mikroskopi  (AFM) använts för att analysera beläggningar före och efter att de blivit utsatta för olika typer av aggressiva miljöer. Spektroskopiska data utan spatial upplösning som attenuerad totalreflektions FTIR (ATR) och fotoakustisk spektroskopi (PAS) har kompletterats med spatialt upplösta fokalplans array (FPA) och s-SNOM mätningar. Kemisk information med spatial upplösning har använts för att utvärdera hur nedbrytningen nära ytan relaterade till nedbrytningen längre ner i beläggningen. Likheter och skillnader i nedbrytningen som skedde i en standardbeläggning och ett system med biobaserade additiv jämfördes efter både väderbestendighets-testning som skedde utomhus och i labb. Skillnader mellan dessa exponeringsmetoder diskuterades också. Nanomekanisk analys med hjälp av atomkraftsmikroskopi användes för att bestämma lokala förändringar av mekaniska egenskaper i förenklade klarlacker. Mätningarna visade att exponeringar i aggressiva miljöer leder till en lokal homogenisering av mekaniska egenskaper och ökad styvhet. Utöver detta så utvärderades likheter och skillnader mellan FTIR spektra som tagits på makro- och nanonivå. Dessa mätningar gav lovande resultat för fortsatta ytanalyser. / <p>QC 2023-05-15</p>

The project aims to develop a methodology to study the variation in properties of wood polymer composites (WPC’s) with/without surface treatment at different humidity conditions. The project aims to investigate the behavior of biocomposites at 50%, 80%and 100% relative humidity (RH). Also to clarify if the hydrophilization effect helps to preserve the structural integrity of the materials for longer periods at these conditions. The comparison between biocomposites comprising polypropylene (PP) with both untreated wood fibers (WF) or FibraQ (hydrophobic surface-treated wood fibers from Biofiber Tech) was made. The focus was on the mechanical properties, water absorption, macro- and microstructures. The results show that PP comprising FibraQ exhibits lower moisture uptake than the PP comprising untreated WF at high relative humidity conditions. The mechanical properties did not seem significantly affected by the surface treatment at high relative humidity conditions. It is also concluded that since the study only ran for four weeks, there was not enough time to fully understand the influence of moisture uptake over the materials’ properties.

The lithium-ion battery (LIB) recycling industry is currently under development to improve the yields for critical metals. However, the organic components of LIBs must also be handled, which may result in harmful chemical emissions as by-products. Of particular concern are highly persistent and mobile per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that could be released during LIB recycling since some of these compounds have been linked with adverse health effects. In this work, an extensive literature review was conducted to determine the presence of fluorinated materials in state-of-the-art LIBs and the recycling conditions which could lead to the release of problematic PFAS. This information was used to develop a new analytical approach to capture the broadest range of organic and inorganic fluorine species in samples taken in different stages of the recycling process. This new method is based on a sequential extraction procedure using different solvents, followed by combustion ion chromatography (CIC) to quantify the potential emission of fluorine-containing chemicals of different polarities. The results show that organofluorine compounds are formed during recycling, particularly for the cathodes, indicating that PFAS might be present. For other samples, such as the NiMnCo salt product of recycling, only low fluorine levels were detected which implies almost complete removal. Future work should further outline the emission paths of these processes. This study highlights the necessity to further investigate the emissions related to fluorinated materials during LIB recycling and indicates that post-treatments or changes in conditions might be necessary to avoid the formation and emission of PFAS.

Strukturella batterier är multifunktionella; de tillhandahåller lagring av elektrokemisk energi samtidigt som de bidrar med en lastbärande funktion. Tillsammans möjliggör detta att batteriet kan integreras i karossen hos ett elektriskt fordon eller apparat. Denna multifunktionalitet möjliggör således en avsevärd reducering i fordonets vikt. Kompositmaterialet är förstärkt av kolfiberelektroder, innesluten i en elektrolytstruktur. För att förverkliga detta koncept måste batteriets elektrolyt kunna motstå mekanisk belastning, samtidigt som den transporterar joner mellan batteriets elektroder. Denna studie syftar till att bygga vidare på konceptet av fas-separerade polymerelektrolyter, skapade från polymerisationsinducerad fasseparation via termisk härdning, vilket är en teknik utvecklad av Schneider et al. och Ihrner et al. Vidare undersöks effekten av att dels använda en elektrolytlösning baserad på EC:PC, men även att inkorporera tioler till polymernätverket. Tvärbindningsmolekylerna som användes i denna studie inkluderade trimetylolpropan tris(3-merkaptopropionat) (3TMP), pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-merkaptopropionat) (4PER), och dipentaerythritol hexakis-(3-merkaptopropionat) (6DPER). Dessa skiljer sig i antal funktionella tiolgrupper. Konduktivitet, termo-mekanisk prestanda och strukturberoende egenskaper undersöktes genom tre laborativa faser. Den första fasen behandlade inverkan på elektrolytsystemet av ändrat lösningsmedel, tiol-funktionalitet samt tiolgruppförhållandet gentemot allyl gruppen på den primära monomeren. Sampolymeren innehållandes 6DPER uppvisade bäst multifunktionalitet, varpå denna utvecklades vidare i fas två där en optimal sammansättning fastställdes som bestod utav 45 viktprocent jonlösning. I den slutliga fasen konstruerades en halv-cell baserat på den tidigare optimerade elektrolytkompositionen; den uppmätta kapaciteten visar tydlig förbättring jämfört med tidigare forskning. Resultatet som erhölls i denna studie bidrar till förståendet av strukturella batteri-elektrolyter samt den forskning som en dag kan komma att förverkliga strukturella batterier och dess tillämpningskrav. / Structural batteries are multifunctional; providing electrochemical energy storage synergistically with a load-bearing function that enables their integration into the body panels of electric devices and vehicles. Thus, massless energy can be achieved. As a composite material, it is composed of reinforcing carbon fibre electrodes embedded in an electrolyte matrix. To realize this concept, the electrolyte must simultaneously transfer mechanical load and transport ions between electrodes. The following study builds on a phase-separated polymer electrolyte, created using polymerization-induced phase separation via thermal curing, formulated by Schneider et al. and Ihrner et al.. The impact of the incorporation of thiols for copolymerization and as cross-linking agents for the polymer network was researched along with use of an EC:PC-based solvent. The three thiols studied were: trimethylolpropane tris(3-mercaptopropionate) (3TMP), pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate) (4PER), and dipentaerythritol hexakis-(3-mercaptopropionate) (6DPER). These differed in regard to the amount of thiol functional groups present. Ionic conductivity, thermo-mechanical performance and structure-property relationships were studied across 3 laboratory phases. The first phase concerned the effect of thiol-functionality, the thiol functional group ratio relative to the allyl group present in the primary monomer, and the solvent interaction. 6DPER was concluded to be the most promising cross-linking agent. During the second phase, the effect of electrolyte content was evaluated with an optimum of 45 weight% determined. The third phase concluded the study, wherein a half-cell was assembled with the optimized electrolyte formulation showing improved capacity relative to previous studies. The results developed here contribute to the understanding of structural battery electrolyte systems and their continued research to meet application demands.

Corrosion can cause devastating damage to materials, and to protect materials from corrosion is crucial, especially in the aeronautical industry. An electroplated Zinc-Nickel coating provides excellent corrosion protection of steel. Electroplating of ZnNi is a sensitive process which needs frequent and fast feedback controls and adjustments of the process electrolyte. A common process control for electroplating processes is the Hull cell test, which is investigated in this study. The Hull cell test is a lab scaled electroplating unit, which spans a wide range of current densities. It is crucial to establish the relation between process parameters in the Hull cell and the resulting coating characteristics in order to implement it as a process control. The purpose of this study is to establish these relations for the ZnNi electroplating process, and evaluate if the Hull cell test is a suitable process control for this process. How the process parameters; current density, temperature, metal ion concentration, and carbonate contaminations affect the coating characteristics; visual appearance, thickness, composition, surface structure, and phase content has been established. Influence on the coatings were mainly seen at current densities higher and lower than the ones used in production. This demonstrates the strength of the Hull cell test for early detection of process deviations. Coating thickness and composition was measured with X-ray fluorescence. However, the composition values for thin coatings were discovered to be inaccurate, which was avoided by increasing the plating time. Once addressed, the Hull cell test is suitable as a process control for the electroplating process of ZnNi.

The demand for today's material resources for energy storage is rapidly increasing and can result in both environmental and political conflicts that can affect the development of electronic devices due to high prices and limitations of raw materials for batteries. In this study, potential future composite electrodes were synthesised with an ex-situ approach by compositing redox-active 2,6-Diaminoanthraquinone and 1,3,5-Triformylphloroglucinol covalent organic framework (DAAQ-TFP COF) with conductive delaminated Ti3C2Tx MXene to maximise the number of redox-active moieties during cycling. In addition, solvothermal synthesis with the implementation of mechanical grinding as an exfoliation method was used to try to obtain DAAQ-TFP nanosheets to increase both the contact area between the two materials and the number of charge carriers. The sample was analysed with PXRD and BET surface analysis to characterise the crystallinity meanwhile SEM was utilised to study the morphology of the COF and the composite material. The specific capacitance of each electrode was estimated by cyclic voltammetry. The study showed a decrease in reduced specific capacitance with lower MXene content. Hence, this concludes pure Ti3C2Tx sheets have the highest capacitance contribution with a value of 48.79 Fg-1 meanwhile the composite electrode with a ratio of 1:1 was estimated to 32.26 Fg-1 with 0.0928 % of its moieties undergoing a redox reaction. A reduced capacitance with an increased COF-MXene ratio indicates that MXene contributes with more capacity relative to the COF, in combination with a non-successful exfoliation of DAAQ-TFP to single-layered nanosheets, reducing the interactions between the two materials.