Transbattery, a Novel Class of Device to Study Electronic Properties of Nanostructured Materials for Energetics.

Abstract

International energy policies aim to promote the efficient use of renewable energy sources and sustainable electric transport. Furthermore, the growing demand for energy autonomy is pushing research towards the development of low consumption/ self-powered electronic devices. This requires high-efficiency energy storage/conversion systems.In this context, the research is strongly committed to the development of new nanostructured electrode materials, especially for lithium batteries. Nowadays, attention is also paid to the miniaturization of electrochemical energy storage systems and their on-a-chip integration.Therefore, here we report a systematic study on the electronic conductivity of thin films of nanostructured electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In particular, attention has been devoted to high voltage cathodic and stable anodic active materials.This has been addressed, for the first time, using an "Electrolyte gated transistor" as cell configuration. Indeed, with this cell configuration, it has been possible to evaluate the electronic characteristics of the materials in situ, i.e. during the redox processes that are at the basis of battery operation.In this study correlation between morphological and electronic properties of the material under charge/discharge cycling has been studied in order to monitor their evolution. The effect of different electrolytes such as commercial ones and, super-concentrated has been studied as well as the cycling performance. Finally, it has been possible to determine the most appropriate strategy to prepare the electrodes and select the right electrolyte in order to guarantee high current output and stability.AcknowledgmentsThe research has been carried out under the Executive Bilateral Program Italy-Quebec 2017-2019 “Electronic properties of nanostructured materials for energetics” (M02241, QU17MO01 ).