<p>A thermodynamically consistent coarsed-grained phase field model was developed to find the conditions under which a heterogeneous porous electrode can be treated as homogeneous in the description of Lithium-ions in rechargeable batteries. Four regimes of behavior under which the transport phenomena can be homogenized to describe porous LIBs were identied: regime (a), where the model is inaccurate, for physically accessible particle packings of aspect ratios smaller than c/a = 0.5 and electrode porosities between 0.34 to 0.45; regime (b), where the model is valid, for particles of aspect ratios greater than c/a = 0.7 and electrode porosities greater than 0.35; regime (c), where the model is valid, but the microstructures are physically inaccessible, and correspond to particles with aspect ratios greater than c/a = 0.7 and electrode porosities smaller than 0.34; and regime (d), where the model is invalid and the porous microstructures are physically inaccessible, and correspond to particles with aspect ratios smaller than c/a = 1 and electrode porosities smaller than 0.34.</p> <p>The developed formulation was applied to the graphite | LixNi1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 system to analyze the effect of microstructure and coarsed-grained long-range chemomechanical effects on the electrochemical behavior. Specically, quantiable lithium distribution populations in the cathode, as a result of long range interactions of the diffuse interface, charge effects and mechanical stresses were identified: i) diffusion limited population due to negligible composition gradients, ii) stress-induced population as a result of chemically induced stresses, and iii) lithiation-induced population, as a consequence of the electrochemical potential gradients.</p>

A goal of the Swedish government is to increase the usage of renewable fuels and biomass-based fuels. Fuel cells, and especially the MCFC, are useful for these types of fuels. The Swedish market may benefit from the MCFC in two ways: increased efficiency of the biofuels and also utilisation of produced heat in district heating. Most of the commercial MCFC systems today are optimised for use with methane. The possibility to utilise biomass in Sweden makes it important to study how the MCFC may be adapted or optimised for good performance and low degradation with gas produced from biomass or other renewable fuels. This thesis is focused on methods that may be used to investigate and evaluate MCFC electrodes and electrolytes with renewable fuels i.e. CO2-containing gases. The methods and results are both experimental and mathematically modelled. The objectives of this thesis are to better understand how the performance of the anode is dependent on different fuels. Anode kinetics and the water-gas shift reaction have been investigated as well as the possibility to increase cell lifetime by increasing the initial electrolyte amount by having the anode as a reservoir. The effect of segregation of cations in the electrolyte during operation has also been studied. It was found that if the gas composition at the current collector inlet is in equilibrium according to the water gas-shift reaction the gas composition inside the electrode is almost uniform. However, if the gas is not in equilibrium then the concentration gradients inside the current collector have a large effect on the gas composition inside the electrode. The conversion of the gas in the gas flow channels according to the water-gas shift reaction depends on the gas flow rate. For an anode used in a gas mixture of humidified hydrogen and carbon dioxide that are not in equilibrium some solubility of Ni in a (Li/Na)2CO3 mixture was found. To have the anode act as an electrolyte reservoir to prolong cell lifetime the anode pore size should be carefully matched with that of the cathode and a bimodal pore-size distribution for the anode is preferable to have as good performance as possible for as large electrolyte filling degree interval as possible. Modelling results of segregation of cations in the electrolyte during operation indicate that the electrolyte composition changes during operation and that the lithium ions are enriched at the anode for both types of electrolyte used for the MCFC. The electrolyte composition changes are small but might have to be considered in long-time operation. The results from this thesis may be used to better understand how the MCFC may be used for operation with renewable fuels and how electrodes may be designed to prolong cell lifetime. / Ett av den svenska regeringens mål är att öka användandet av förnyelsebara bränslen och bränslen från biomassa. Bränsleceller och framförallt MCFC är användbara för dessa typer av bränslen. Den svenska marknaden kan dra fördelar av MCFC på två sätt; ökad bränsleutnyttjandegrad och utnyttjande av producerad värme för fjärrvärme. De flesta kommersiella MCFC-systemen idag är optimerade för användning av metan. Möjligheten att använda biomassa på den svenska marknaden gör det viktigt att studera hur MCFC kan anpassas eller optimeras för bra prestanda och låg degradering för användning med gas från biomassa eller andra förnyelsebara bränslen. Fokus i denna avhandling är på metoder som kan användas för att undersöka och utvärdera MCFC-elektroder och -elektrolyter med förnyelsebara bränslen, dvs. gaser innehållande CO2. Metoderna och resultaten är både experimentella och matematiskt modellerade. Målet med denna avhandling är att bättre förstå hur anodens prestanda beror på användningen av olika bränslen. Anodens kinetik och vattengasskiftreaktionen har studerats liksom möjligheten att förlänga cellens livstid genom att öka den initiala mängden elektrolyt medelst användning av anoden som reservoar. Effekten av segregation av katjoner i elektrolyten under last har också undersökts. Om gassammansättningen är i jämvikt enligt vattengasskiftreaktionen vid inloppet till strömtilledaren kommer gassammansättningen att vara nära uniform inuti elektroden. Om ingående gas inte är i jämvikt kommer stora koncentrationsgradienter uppkomma i strömtilledaren och påverka gassammansättningen i elektroden. Omsättningen med avseende på vattenskiftreaktionen av gasen i flödeskanalen verkar vara beroende av gasens flödeshastighet. För en anod som används i en uppfuktad blandning av vätgas och koldioxid som inte är i jämvikt befanns det att Ni har en viss löslighet i (Li/Na)2CO3. För att kunna använda anoden som reservoar för elektrolyt för att förlänga livstiden för MCFC skall anodens porstorleksfördelning överensstämma med katodens och ha en bimodal porstorleksfördelning för att ge en tillräckligt god prestanda i ett så stort elektrolytfyllnadsgradsintervall som möjligt. Modelleringsresultat för segregering av katjoner i elektrolyten under drift visar att litiumjoner anrikas i anoden för båda typerna av elektrolyt som används i MCFC. Elektrolytkoncentrationsförändringarna är små men kan behövas tas i beaktande vid långa driftstider. Denna avhandlings resultat kan användas för att bättre förstå hur MCFC skall anpassas för drift med förnyelsebara bränslen och hur elektroder kan utformas för att förlänga livstiden. / QC 20100630

The demands for advanced power sources with high energy efficiency, minimum environmental impact, and low cost have been the impetus for the development of a new generation of batteries and fuel cells. One of the key challenges in this effort is to develop and fabricate effective electrodes with desirable composition, microstructure and performance. This work focused on the design, fabrication, and characterization of nanostructured electrodes in an effort to minimize electrode polarization losses. Solid-state diffusion often limits the utilization and rate capability of electrode materials in a lithium-ion battery, especially at high charge/discharge rates. When the fluxes of Li+ insertion or extraction exceed the diffusion-limited rate of Li+ transport within the bulk phase of an electrode, concentration polarization occurs. Further, large volume changes associated with Li+ insertion or extraction could induce stresses in bulk electrodes, potentially leading to mechanical failure. Interconnected porous materials with high surface-to-volume ratio were designed to suppress the stress and promote mass transport. In this work, electrodes with these unique architectures for lithium ion batteries have been fabricated to improve the cycleability, rate capability and capacity retention. Cathodic interfacial polarization represents the predominant voltage loss in a low-temperature SOFC. For the first time, regular, homogeneous and bimodal porous MIEC electrodes were successfully fabricated using breath figure templating, which is self-assembly of the water droplets in polymer solution. The homogeneous macropores promoted rapid mass transport by decreasing the tortuosity. And mesoporous microstructure provided more surface areas for gas adsorption and more TPBs for the electrochemical reactions. Moreover, composite electrodes were developed with a modified sol-gel process for honeycomb SOFCs. The sol gel derived cathodes with fine grain size and large specific surface area, showed much lower interfacial polarization resistances than those prepared by other existing processing methods. Nanopetals of cerium hydroxycarbonate have been synthesized via a controlled hydrothermal process in a mixed water-ethanol medium. The formation of the cerium compound depends strongly on the composition of the precursors, and is attributed to the favored ethanol oxidation by Ce(IV) ions over Ce(IV) hydrolysis process. Raman studies showed that microflower CeO2 preferentially stabilizes O2 as a peroxide species on its surface for CO oxidation.

No description available.

People suffering from certain types of arrhythmia may benefit from the implantation of a cardiac pacemaker. Pacemakers artificially stimulate the heart by applying short electrical pulses to the cardiac tissue to restore and maintain a steady heart rhythm. By adjusting the pulse delivery rate the heart is stimulated to beat at desired pace. The stimulation pulses are transferred from the pacemaker to the heart via an electrode, which is implanted into the cardiac tissue. Additionally, the electrode must also sense the cardiac response and transfer those signals back to the electronics in the pacemaker for processing. The communication between the electrode and the tissue takes place on the electrode/electrolyte (tissue) interface. This interface serves as the contact point where the electronic current in the electrode is converted to ionic currents capable to operate in the body. The stimulation/sensing signals are transferred across the interface via three electrochemical mechanisms: i) non-faradaic charging/discharging of the electrochemical double layer, ii) reversible and iii) irreversible faradaic reactions. It is necessary to study the contribution of each mechanism to the total charge transferred to evaluate the pacing/sensing performance of the pacemaker electrode. In this thesis, the electrochemical properties and performance of stimulation/sensing electrodes for pacemaker applications have been investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry and transient electrochemical techniques. All measurements were performed in synthetic body fluid with buffer capacity. Complementary surface analysis was performed with scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results reveal different interfacial behaviour and stability for electrode materials such as Pt, TiN, porous carbon, conducting oxides (RuO2 and IrO2 and mixed oxides) and porous Nb2O5 oxide. The influence of the charge/discharge rate on the electrode characteristics also has been evaluated. Although the rough and porous electrodes provide a high interfacial capacitance, the maximum capacitance cannot be fully employed at high charge/discharge rates because only a small part of the effective surface area is accessible. The benefit of pseudo-capacitive material properties on charge delivery was observed. However, these materials suffer similar limitations at high charge/discharge rate and, hence, are only utilising the surface bound pseudo-capacitive sites. Porous Nb2O5 electrodes were investigated to study the performance of capacitor electrodes. These electrodes predominantly deliver the charge via reversible non-faradaic mechanisms and hence do not produce irreversible by-products. They can deliver very high potential pulses while maintaining high impedance and, thus, charge lost by faradaic currents are kept low. By producing Nb oxide by plasma electrolysis oxidation a porous surface structure is obtained which has the potential to provide a biocompatible interface for cell adherence and growth. This thesis covers a multidisciplinary area. In an attempt to connect diverse fields, such as electrophysiology, materials science and electrochemistry, the first chapters have been attributed to explaining fundamental aspects of the respective fields. This thesis also reviews the current opinion of pacing and sensing theory, with special focus on some areas where detailed explanation is needed for the fundamental nature of electrostimulation/sensing. / QC 20101014

Lithium-ion battery is attractive for various applications because of its high energy density. The performance of Li-ion battery is influenced by several properties of the electrode materials such as particle size, surface area, ionic and electronic conductivity, etc. Porosity is another important property of the electrode material, which influences the performance. Pores can allow the electrolyte to creep inside the particles and also facilitate volume expansion/contraction arising from intercalation/deintercalation of Li+ ions. Additionally, the rate capability and cycle-life can be enhanced. The following porous electrode materials are investigated. Poorly crystalline porous -MnO2 is synthesized by hydrothermal route from a neutral aqueous solution of KMnO4 at 180 oC and the reaction time of 24 h. On heating, there is a decrease in BET surface area and also a change in morphology from nanopetals to clusters of nanorods. As prepared MnO2 delivers a high discharge specific capacity of 275 mAh g-1 at a specific current of 40 mA g-1 (C/5 rate). Lithium rich manganese oxide (Li2MnO3) is prepared by reverse microemulsion method employing Pluronic acid (P123) as a soft template. It has a well crystalline structure with a broadly distributed mesoporosity but low surface area. However, the sample gains surface area with narrowly distributed mesoporosity and also electrochemical activity after treating in 4 M H2SO4. A discharge capacity of about 160 mAh g-1 is obtained at a discharge current of 30 mA g-1. When the acid-treated sample is heated at 300 °C, the resulting porous sample with a large surface area and dual porosity provides a discharge capacity of 240 mAh g-1 at a discharge current density of 30 mA g-1. Solid solutions of Li2MnO3 and LiMO2 (M=Mn, Ni, Co, Fe and their composites) are more attractive positive electrode materials because of its high capacity >200 mAh g-1.The solid solutions are prepared by microemulsion and polymer template route, which results in porous products. All the solid solution samples exhibit high discharge capacities with high rate capability. Porous flower-like α-Fe2O3 nanostructures is synthesized by ethylene glycol mediated iron alkoxide as an intermediate and heated at different temperatures from 300 to 700 oC. The α-Fe2O3 samples possess porosity with high surface area and deliver discharge capacity values of 1063, 1168, 1183, 1152 and 968 mAh g-1 at a specific current of 50 mA g-1 when prepared at 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700 oC, respectively. Partially exfoliated and reduced graphene oxide (PE-RGO) is prepared by thermal exfoliation of graphite oxide (GO) under normal air atmosphere at 200-500 oC. Discharge capacity values of 771, 832, 1074 and 823 mAh g -1 are obtained with current density of 30 mA g-1 at 1st cycle for PE-RGO samples prepared at 200, 300, 400 and 500 oC, respectively. The electrochemical performance improves on increasing of exfoliation temperature, which is attributed to an increase in surface area. The high rate capability is attributed to porous nature of the material. Results of these studies are presented and discussed in the thesis.

Les procédés électrochimiques présentent beaucoup d’avantages dans le domaine du traitement et de la récupération de matière d’effluents industriels. Cependant, dans le cas de solutions diluées en ions métalliques, les électrodes classiques sont fortement limitées par leur efficacité ainsi que par leur taille. Dès lors, les électrodes poreuses, de par leur surface spécifique importante et de par leur structure particulière qui améliore le transport de matière et donc l’efficacité de l’électrode, représentent une alternative très intéressante aux électrodes classiques.<p><p>Parmi les électrodes poreuses, celles constituées de fibres métalliques semblent les plus prometteuses. L’objectif de ce travail est de donner les relations utiles pour dimensionner une cellule contenant ce type d’électrodes en vue du traitement d’effluents industriels contenant des ions métalliques. <p>Les électrodes étudiées ont été caractérisées par différentes techniques :microscopie électronique, méthode électrochimique, mesure de la perte de charge, conductimétrie, porosimétrie,… Cette caractérisation a permis de connaître la porosité, les surfaces spécifiques (géométrique, dynamique et électrochimique) et la tortuosité des électrodes. <p>Ensuite, le coefficient de transport de matière moyen a été étudié par une nouvelle méthode basée sur la mesure d’un rendement électrochimique. Cette méthode présente l’avantage de pouvoir travailler avec des vitesses de circulation de l’électrolyte compatibles avec celles utilisées industriellement. Pour cela, une cellule d’électrolyse à circulation forcée a été mise au point. <p><p>Afin de comprendre comment la géométrie d’une électrode poreuse de ce type influence le transport de matière local et la densité de courant et donc l’efficacité de l’électrode, le transport de matière et la densité de courant locale ont été modélisés autour d’un cylindre (représentatif d’une fibre) et validés par des mesures expérimentales. La modélisation s’est ensuite étendue à un réseau de fibres cylindriques représentatif des électrodes poreuses étudiées. Cette modélisation a permis d’obtenir une relation générale liant les nombres de Sherwood, de Reynolds et de Schmidt à des nombres sans dimension caractérisant la géométrie du réseau de fibres. Cette relation donne des résultats concordants avec ceux obtenus expérimentalement pour les électrodes poreuses étudiées.<p><p>Le volume utile d’une électrode poreuse dépend fortement des conditions expérimentales (concentration de l’électrolyte, vitesse de circulation, intensité du courant appliquée,…) et de la structure de l’électrode (porosité, surface spécifique,…). Ces paramètres influencent la distribution du potentiel et de la densité de courant dans l’électrode. Différents modèles de distribution sont comparés et appliqués aux électrodes poreuses étudiées. Cette distribution de courant influence le colmatage progressif de l’électrode poreuse en cours d’électrolyse. Il s’avère que l’électrode en contrôle diffusionnel (avec un rendement électrochimique faible) optimise la distribution du courant dans l’électrode et, de ce fait, ralenti son colmatage. De plus, travailler avec une solution diluée et une vitesse de circulation de l’électrolyte importante améliore la distribution du courant. Il en est de même si l’électrode poreuse présente une grande porosité et une faible surface spécifique.<p><p>Ce travail aura donc permis de proposer des relations indispensables pour le dimensionnement d’une cellule à électrodes poreuses (constituées de fibres métalliques) ainsi que les conditions opératoires idéales dans le cas du traitement d’effluents industriels contenant des ions métalliques./<p>Electrochemical techniques offer many advantages for the prevention of pollution problems in the industrial processes. However, flat electrodes are not ideal to treat dilute solutions containing metallic ions. With their high specific surface and open structure, which enhance mass transfer, porous electrodes are a good alternative for the treatment this kind of effluent. Fibre materials are particularly well suited as material for the production of porous electrodes. <p><p>The aim of this thesis is to study an electrochemical cell with a porous electrode in order to treat dilute metallic ions solutions and to provide dimensionless equations suited to scale-up the electrode for industrial application. <p><p>The porous electrodes, used in this thesis, are made of a stainless steel fibre network. The main properties and characteristics of these electrodes are studied by means of several techniques :electron microscopy, electrochemical methods (voltammetry, limiting current density measurerment), conductivity measurement, porosimetry, pressure drop measurement,… The obtained parameters are :porosity, specific surfaces (geometric, dynamic and electrochemical), fibres' diameter, tortuosity and the geometric disposition of the fibres in the electrodes. Mass transfer inside the porous electrodes is studied experimentally by a new developed method, linked to the measurement of the faradic yield as a function of different electrolysis parameters. For these measurements, an experimental electrolysis cell with high electrolyte flow rate has been designed and builds.<p><p>To understand how the geometry of the porous electrode influences the local and mean mass transfer coefficients and current densities, numerical studies and simulations have been performed. <p>The first type of simulation deals with a single wire (representative of a fibre from the porous electrode). <p>The second type of simulation deals with the integration of individual fibres in a fibre network. A correlation between dimensionless numbers such as Sherwood's, Reynolds' and Schmidt's numbers together with numbers characteristic of the electrode’s geometry has been established for Reynolds’s numbers ranging from 0,02 to 1,4. A good agreement between simulation and experimental measurements of mass transfer is observed.<p><p>The real effective electrochemical volume of the porous electrode depends on experimental conditions (current, concentration, flow velocity…) and electrode’s geometry (porosity, specific surface,…). These parameters influence the potential and current distribution inside the porous electrode. Several models of current distribution are applied to these electrodes and the theoretical simulations are compared with experimental measures. <p>As a result of these simulations, an electrode under diffusion control with a small faradic yield appears to be the best choice in order to homogenise the current density inside the porous electrodes. Dilute solutions, high flow velocity and electrodes with high porosity improve also the current density penetration inside the electrode. These observations are confirmed by an electrode’s plugging study.<p><p>In conclusion, this thesis provides mathematical relationships to scale-up a cell with porous electrodes of metallic fibre, and provides guidelines to treat, in an efficient manner industrial effluents containing metallic ions.<p><p> / Doctorat en Sciences de l'ingénieur / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

<h4>A generalized physics-based modeling framework is presented to analyze: (a) the effects of temperature on identified degradation mechanisms, (b) interfacial debonding processes, including deterministic and stochastic mechanisms, and (c) establishing model performance benchmarks of electrochemical porous electrode theory models, as a necessary stepping stone to perform valid battery degradation analyses and designs. Specifically, the effects of temperature were incorporated into a physics-based, reduced-order model and extended for a LiCoO₂ -graphite 18650 cell. Three dimensionless driving forces were identified, controlling the temperature-dependent reversible charge capacity. The identified temperature-dependent irreversible mechanisms include homogeneous SEI, at moderate to high temperatures, and the chemomechanical degradation of the cathode at low temperatures. Also, debonding of a statistically representative electrochemically active particle from the surrounding binder-electrolyte matrix in a porous electrode was modeled analytically, for the first time. The proposed framework enables to determine the space of C-Rates and electrode particle radii that suppresses or enhances debonding and is graphically summarized into performance–microstructure maps where four debonding mechanisms were identified, and condensed into power-law relations with respect to the particle radius. Finally, in order to incorporate existing or emerging degradation models into porous electrode theory (PET) implementations, a set of benchmarks were proposed to establish a common basis to assess their physical reaches, limitations, and accuracy. Three open source models: dualfoil, MPET, and LIONSIMBA were compared, exhibiting significant qualitative differences, despite showing the same macroscopic voltage response, leading the user to different conclusions regarding the battery performance and possible degradation mechanisms of the analyzed system.</h4>

Three mathematical models, two of primary alkaline battery cathode discharge, and one of primary alkaline battery discharge, are developed, presented, solved and investigated in this thesis. The primary aim of this work is to improve our understanding of the complex, interrelated and nonlinear processes that occur within primary alkaline batteries during discharge. We use perturbation techniques and Laplace transforms to analyse and simplify an existing model of primary alkaline battery cathode under galvanostatic discharge. The process highlights key phenomena, and removes those phenomena that have very little effect on discharge from the model. We find that electrolyte variation within Electrolytic Manganese Dioxide (EMD) particles is negligible, but proton diffusion within EMD crystals is important. The simplification process results in a significant reduction in the number of model equations, and greatly decreases the computational overhead of the numerical simulation software. In addition, the model results based on this simplified framework compare well with available experimental data. The second model of the primary alkaline battery cathode discharge simulates step potential electrochemical spectroscopy discharges, and is used to improve our understanding of the multi-reaction nature of the reduction of EMD. We find that a single-reaction framework is able to simulate multi-reaction behaviour through the use of a nonlinear ion-ion interaction term. The third model simulates the full primary alkaline battery system, and accounts for the precipitation of zinc oxide within the separator (and other regions), and subsequent internal short circuit through this phase. It was found that an internal short circuit is created at the beginning of discharge, and this self-discharge may be exacerbated by discharging the cell intermittently. We find that using a thicker separator paper is a very effective way of minimising self-discharge behaviour. The equations describing the three models are solved numerically in MATLABR, using three pieces of numerical simulation software. They provide a flexible and powerful set of primary alkaline battery discharge prediction tools, that leverage the simplified model framework, allowing them to be easily run on a desktop PC.