Increasing energy demands world-wide must be met with more effective systems to produce, store, and distribute energy. Ideally, these systems should avoid fossil fuels and incorporate renewable technologies. To accommodate for the intermittent nature of renewable energies, a rechargeable gallium-air flow battery system for electrical grid applications is suggested. Using liquid gallium-air flow batteries could meet the rigorous world-wide demands for storage capacity, discharge duration, and durability necessary for the electrical grid. Toward this goal, a batch gallium-air battery was build and investigated. The performance of the system has been incrementally improved to a 30 hour discharge duration. Some insights into the mechanism of the gallium-air reaction was also obtained. However, recharging experiments were mostly unsuccessful. Despite the failures caused by carbonation and the separator drying, the Ga-Air system remains promising.

Increasing energy demands world-wide must be met with more effective systems to produce, store, and distribute energy. Ideally, these systems should avoid fossil fuels and incorporate renewable technologies. To accommodate for the intermittent nature of renewable energies, a rechargeable gallium-air flow battery system for electrical grid applications is suggested. Using liquid gallium-air flow batteries could meet the rigorous world-wide demands for storage capacity, discharge duration, and durability necessary for the electrical grid. Toward this goal, a batch gallium-air battery was build and investigated. The performance of the system has been incrementally improved to a 30 hour discharge duration. Some insights into the mechanism of the gallium-air reaction was also obtained. However, recharging experiments were mostly unsuccessful. Despite the failures caused by carbonation and the separator drying, the Ga-Air system remains promising.

Increasing energy demands world-wide must be met with more effective systems to produce, store, and distribute energy. Ideally, these systems should avoid fossil fuels and incorporate renewable technologies. To accommodate for the intermittent nature of renewable energies, a rechargeable gallium-air flow battery system for electrical grid applications is suggested. Using liquid gallium-air flow batteries could meet the rigorous world-wide demands for storage capacity, discharge duration, and durability necessary for the electrical grid. Toward this goal, a batch gallium-air battery was build and investigated. The performance of the system has been incrementally improved to a 30 hour discharge duration. Some insights into the mechanism of the gallium-air reaction was also obtained. However, recharging experiments were mostly unsuccessful. Despite the failures caused by carbonation and the separator drying, the Ga-Air system remains promising.

abstract: Mechanisms for oxygen reduction are proposed for three distinct cases covering two ionic liquids of fundamentally different archetypes and almost thirty orders of magnitude of proton activity. Proton activity is treated both extrinsically by varying the concentration and intrinsically by selecting proton donors with a wide range of aqueous pKa values. The mechanism of oxygen reduction in ionic liquids is introduced by way of the protic ionic liquid (pIL) triethylammonium triflate (TEATf) which shares some similarities with aqueous acid solutions. Oxygen reduction in TEATf begins as the one electron rate limited step to form superoxide, O2*-, which is then rapidly protonated by the pIL cation forming the perhydroxyl radical, HO2*. The perhydroxyl radical is further reduced to peroxidate (HO2-) and hydrogen peroxide in proportions in accordance with their pKa. The reaction does not proceed beyond this point due to the adsorption of the conjugate base triethylammine interfering with the disproportionation of hydrogen peroxide. This work demonstrates that this mechanism is consistent across Pt, Au, Pd, and Ag electrodes. Two related sets of experiments were performed in the inherently aprotic ionic liquid 1-butyl-2,3-dimethylimidazolium triflate (C4dMImTf). The first involved the titration of acidic species of varying aqueous pKa into the IL while monitoring the extent of oxygen reduction as a function of pKa and potential on Pt and glassy carbon (GC) electrodes. These experiments confirmed the greater propensity of Pt to reduce oxygen by its immediate and abrupt transition from one electron reduction to four electron reduction, while oxygen reduction on GC gradually approaches four electron reduction as the potentials were driven more cathodic. The potential at which oxygen reduction initiates shows general agreement with the Nernst equation and the acid's tabulated aqueous pKa value, however at the extremely acidic end, a small deviation is observed. The second set of experiments in C4dMImTf solicited water as the proton donor for oxygen reduction in an approximation of the aqueous alkaline case. The water content was varied between extremely dry (<0.1 mol% H2O) and saturated (approximately 15.8 mol% H2O}). As the water content increased so too did the extent of oxygen reduction eventually approach two electrons on both Pt and GC. However, additional water led to a linear increase in the Tafel slope under enhanced mass transport conditions up to the point of 10 mol% water. This inhibition of oxygen adsorption is the result of the interaction between superoxide and water and more specifically is proposed to be associated with decomposition of theC4dMIm+ cation by hydroxide at the elevated temperatures required for the experiment. Oxygen reduction on both Pt and GC follows Nernstian behavior as the water content is increased. Separate mechanisms for oxygen reduction on Pt and GC are proposed based on the nature of the Nernstian response in these systems. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Materials Science and Engineering 2011

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第19703号 / 工博第4158号 / 新制||工||1641(附属図書館) / 32739 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科航空宇宙工学専攻 / (主査)教授 吉田 英生, 准教授 岩井 裕, 教授 鈴木 基史, 教授 江口 浩一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第20397号 / 工博第4334号 / 新制||工||1672(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科物質エネルギー化学専攻 / (主査)教授 安部 武志, 教授 作花 哲夫, 教授 陰山 洋 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第21121号 / 工博第4485号 / 新制||工||1697(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院工学研究科物質エネルギー化学専攻 / (主査)教授 安部 武志, 教授 阿部 竜, 教授 作花 哲夫 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM

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Non-aqueous metal-air (Li-O2 and Na-O2) batteries have been emerging as one of the most promising high-energy storage systems to meet the requirements for demanding applications due to their high theoretical specific energy. In the present thesis work, advanced characterization techniques are demonstrated for the exploration of metal-O2 batteries. Prominently, the electrochemical reactions occurring within the Li-O2 and Na-O2 batteries upon cycling are studied by in operando powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). In the first part, a new in operando cell with a combined form of coin cell and pouch cell is designed. In operando synchrotron radiation powder X-ray diffraction (SR-PXD) is applied to investigate the evolution of Li2O2 inside the Li-O2 cells with carbon and Ru-TiC cathodes. By quantitatively tracking the Li2O2 evolution, a two-step process during growth and oxidation is observed. This newly developed analysis technique is further applied to the Na-O2 battery system. The formation of NaO2 and the influence of the electrolyte salt are followed quantitatively by in operando SR-PXD. The results indicate that the discharge capacity of Na-O2 cells containing a weak solvating ether solvent depends heavily on the choice of the conducting salt anion, which also has impact on the growth of NaO2 particles. In addition, the stability of the discharge product in Na-O2 cells is studied. Using both ex situ and in operando XRD, the influence of sodium anode, solvent, salt and oxygen on the stability of NaO2 are quantitatively identified. These findings bring new insights into the understanding of conflicting observations of different discharge products in previous studies. In the last part, a binder-free graphene based cathode concept is developed for Li-O2 cells. The formation of discharge products and their decomposition upon charge, as well as different morphologies of the discharge products on the electrode, are demonstrated. Moreover, considering the instability of carbon based cathode materials, a new type of titanium carbide on carbon cloth cathode is designed and fabricated. With a surface modification by loading Ru nanoparticles, the titanium carbide shows enhanced oxygen reduction/evolution activity and stability. Compared with the carbon based cathode materials, titanium carbide demonstrated a higher discharge and charge efficiency.

A reação de redução de oxigênio (RRO) foi estudada em eletrocatalisadores formados por nanopartículas de óxidos puros e mistos de metais de transição de Mn, Co e Ni, além de estrutura tipo espinel, e por nanopartículas de Ag, Au e Ag3M (M= Au, Pt, Pd e Cu) suportadas em carbono Vulcan, em eletrólito alcalino. Os óxidos de metais de transição foram sintetizados por decomposição térmica de seus respectivos nitratos e as nanopartículas a base de prata e ouro foram sintetizadas por redução química com borohidreto. Os eletrocatalisadores foram caracterizados por Difratometria e Espectroscopia de Absorção de Raios X (somente para os óxidos de transição). Os materiais a base de óxidos de manganês, mostraram-se com alta atividade para a RRO, para os quais os resultados espectroscópicos in situ evidenciaram a ocorrência da redução do Mn(IV) para Mn(III), na região de início da RRO. Assim, as atividades eletrocatalíticas foram associadas à ocorrência da transferência de elétrons do Mn(III) para o O2. Entretanto, apresentaram forte desativação após ciclagem potenciodinâmica, o que foi associado à formação da fase Mn3O4, conforme indicado por difratometria de Raios X, após os experimentos eletroquímicos, que é eletroquimicamente inativa. Já o material formado pela estrutura do tipo espinel de MnCo2O4 apresentou alta atividade e estabilidade frente à ciclagem e à RRO. A alta atividade eletrocatalítica foi relacionada a ocorrência do par redox CoII/CoIII em maiores valores de potencial em relação ao CoOx e MnOx, devido a interações entre os átomos de Co e Mn no reticulo espinélico. Contrariamente ao observado nos óxidos com maior quantidade de manganês, o espinel mostrou-se altamente estável, o que foi associada à não alteração de sua estrutura no intervalo de potenciais que a RRO ocorre. Para os materiais bimetálicos a base de prata e ouro, os experimentos eletroquímicos indicaram maior atividade eletrocatalítica para o material de Ag3Au/C. Neste caso, a alta atividade foi associada a dois efeitos principais: (i) a um efeito sinergético, no qual os átomos de ouro atuam na região de ativação, favorecendo a adição de hidrogênio e os átomos vizinhos de prata proporcionam a quebra da ligação O-O, conduzindo a RRO pelo caminho de quatro elétrons por molécula de O2; (ii) ao aumento força da ligação Ag-O, devido à interação da Ag com o Au, resultando em maior atividade para a quebra da ligação O-O, aumentando a atividade da Ag para a RRO, em relação à atividade da Ag pura. Assim, a RRO apresentou menor sobrepotencial e maior número de elétrons em Ag3Au/C, quando comparado com as demais nanopartículas bimetálicas. / The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied on electrocatalysts composed by pure and mixed transition metal oxides of Mn, Co, and Ni, including spinel-like structures, and by Ag, Au, and Ag3M/C (M= Au, Pt, Pd e Cu) bimetallic nanoparticles, in alkaline electrolyte. The transition metal oxides were synthesized by thermal decomposition of their nitrates, and the silver and gold-based nanoparticles by chemical reduction using borohydride. The electrocatalysts were characterized by X-Ray Diffraction and X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy (in the case of the metal oxides). The manganese-based oxide materials showed high activity for the ORR, in which the in situ spectroscopic results evidenced the Mn(IV) to Mn(III) reduction, in the range of the ORR onset. In this case, the electrocatalytic activities were correlated to the transfer of electron from Mn(III) to O2. However, they presented strong deactivation after several potentiodynamic cycles, which was ascribed to the formation of the electrochemically inactive phase of Mn3O4, as indicated by the XRD results, after the electrochemical experiments. On the other hand, the MnCo2O4 spinel-like material showed high activity and stability for the ORR. Its high electocatalytic activity was attributed to the CoII/CoIII redox pair, taking place at higher potentials, in relation to that of the CoOx e MnOx pure phases, due to the Co and Mn interactions in the spinel lattice. Contrarily to the behavior observed for the manganese-based materials, the spinel oxide presented high stability, which was ascribed to the non alteration of its crystallographic structure in the range of potentials tha the ORR takes place. For the Au and Ag-based materials, the electrochemical experiments indicated higher electrocatalytic activities for Ag3Au/C. In this case, its higher activity as associated to two main aspects: (i) to a synergetic effect, in which the gold atoms act in the activation region, facilitating the hydrogen addition, and the neighboring Ag atoms promoting the O-O bond breaking, leading the ORR to the 4-electrons pathway; (ii) to the increased Ag-O bond strength, due to the electronic interaction between Ag and the Au atoms, resulting in a faster O-O bond breaking, enhancing the electrocatalytic activity of the Ag atoms in the Ag3Au/C nanoparticle, in relation to that on the pure Ag. Therefore, the ORR presented lower overpotential and higher number of electrons in the Ag3Au/C electrocatalyst, when compared to the other investigated bimetallic nanoparticles.