Advanced Electrical Energy Research Articles

Enhanced energy storage performance in Na(Nb,Ta)O3-doped Ba(Ti,Ca)O3-based ceramics through bidirectional optimization strategy

(1-x)(0.9Ba1.003Ti0.97Ca0.03O3–0.1(Bi0.51Na0.47)0.94Ba0.06TiO3)-xNa(Nb0.85Ta0.15)O3 (x = 0.03–0.15) ceramics were designed and fabricated through a bidirectional optimization strategy using traditional solid reaction method. The results revealed that the introduction of Na(Nb0.85Ta0.15)O3 increased the vacancy concentration at the A site, conducing to improved polarization and reduced grain size. The substitution at the B site disrupted the long-range ordered ferroelectric domains and generated polar nanodomains, leading to enhanced relaxation behavior. The optimum energy storage density of 3.57 J/cm3 and efficiency of 87.5% were simultaneously achieved under the electric field of 220 kV/cm in the sample with x = 0.09. Moreover, it also exhibits extremely high-power density (∼57 MW/cm3), ultrafast discharge time (∼103 ns), high discharge density (1.35 J/cm3), along with excellent temperature (30‒120 °C) and frequency stability (1‒100 Hz) under the equivalent electric field of 120 kV/cm. This novel design strategy provides theoretical guidance for the development of advanced electrical energy storage devices.

Advanced electrical energy storage technologies and their applications on customer side

Advanced electrical energy storage technologies and their applications on customer side

Will reshoring manufacturing of advanced electric vehicle battery support renewable energy transition and climate targets?

Recent global logistics and geopolitical challenges draw attention to the potential raw material shortages for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Here, we analyze the long-term energy and sustainability prospects to ensure a secure and resilient midstream and downstream value chain for the U.S. EV battery market amid uncertain market expansion and evolving battery technologies. With current battery technologies, reshoring and ally-shoring the midstream and downstream EV battery manufacturing will reduce the carbon footprint by 15% and energy use by 5 to 7%. While next-generation cobalt-free battery technologies will achieve up to 27% carbon emission reduction, transitioning to 54% less carbon-intensive blade lithium iron phosphate may diminish the mitigation benefits of supply chain restructuring. Our findings underscore the importance of adopting nickel from secondary sources and nickel-rich ores. However, the advantages of restructuring the U.S. EV battery supply chain depend on projected battery technology advancements.

A review of flexible high-performance supercapacitors for the internet of things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (ai) applications

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a new area of modern technology today. Transportation, agriculture, healthcare, manufacturing, wearables, smart grid, energy-saving technologies, smart homes, smart management systems, and other fields of engineering, technology, and real-time management all have IoT applications. Moreover, artificial intelligence (AI) has broad applications in the car industry, surveillance, security, education, entertainment, gaming, e-commerce, portable gadgets, robotics, medicinal devices, etc. They require efficient energy to operate for an extended period. These devices necessitate offline and online energy storage devices that discharge for an extended period of time or require less time to charge advanced electrical energy storage devices such as supercapacitors. This review article reveals advanced energy storage devices such as supercapacitors and their applications in IoT and AI-based devices. A supercapacitor is an electrochemical capacitor that has high energy density and better performance efficiency.

Inducing a Conductive Surface Layer on Nb2O5 via Argon-Ion Bombardment: Enhanced Electrochemical Performance for Li-Ion Batteries

Niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) is in the limelight as a negative electrode material for advanced electrical energy storage devices owing to its unique pseudocapacitive behavior. However, its intrinsic poor electronic conductivity restricts its electrochemical performance. In this study, argon-ion bombardment is employed to enhance the interfacial properties of the Nb2O5 negative electrode by introducing highly conductive NbOx (1 ≤ x ≤ 2) species on the electrode surface. Detailed analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transition electron microscopy (TEM) reveals that introducing the NbOx layer on the surface of Nb2O5 particles. The NbOx surface architecture fosters improvements in the electrochemical performance of the argon-ion bombarded electrode, exhibiting a higher reversible capacity of 211 mAh g–1 than that of pristine electrodes (138 mAh g–1). Electrochemical impedance spectroscopic analysis reveals that introducing the surface NbOx layer promotes charge transfer at the electrode surface and breaks the limitations of charge transfer resistance. The result provides a pathway to enhance the intrinsic shortness of conductivity and to establish surface modification simultaneously via a simple argon-ion bombardment method, thus achieving the improved electrochemical performance of Nb2O5.

Inhibition conduction loss for distinct improvement of energy storage density over a broad temperature range in polyetherimide-based composite films

The exploration of high-energy-density polymer dielectrics that can operate stably under high temperatures is of great significance in order to meet the growing needs for modern high-power electronics. However, the drastically deteriorated capacitive performances brought by the inevitable conduction loss at elevated temperature grievously hinder their application in extreme circumstances. Herein, a class of sandwich-structured dielectric nanocomposites capitalizing on binary wide-bandgap nanofillers is reported. The synergy of wide bandgap Al2O3 nanoparticles and hydroxyl-modified BNNSs can build higher interfacial barrier to efficiently depress the thermionic charge injection and carrier transport in dielectrics, yielding a substantially inhibited electrical conduction of the composites under elevated temperature. Indeed, the resulting sandwich-structured polymer composites deliver first-class-level discharged energy density (Ud) of ∼2.23 J/cm3 with efficiency (η) > 90% even under the ultra-high temperature of 200 °C, which is by far the current free-standing high-temperature dielectric polymer and polymer-based composites reported to date. Together with remarkable dielectric stability over a wide temperature and frequency range and outstanding cyclability, this contribution puts forward an efficient approach to groping for scalable high-temperature dielectric polymer nanocomposites for advanced electrical energy storage.

In Situ Orthorhombic to Amorphous Phase Transition of Nb2O5 and Its Temperature Effect on Pseudocapacitive Behavior.

Niobium pentoxide (Nb2O5) represents an exquisite class of negative electrode materials with unique pseudocapacitive kinetics that engender superior power and energy densities for advanced electrical energy storage devices. Practical energy devices are expected to maintain stable performance under real-world conditions such as temperature fluctuations. However, the intercalation pseudocapacitive behavior of Nb2O5 at elevated temperatures remains unexplored because of the scarcity of suitable electrolytes. Thus, in this study, we investigate the effect of temperature on the pseudocapacitive behavior of submicron-sized Nb2O5 in a wide potential window of 0.01-2.3 V. Furthermore, ex situ X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveal the amorphization of Nb2O5 accompanied by the formation of NbO via a conversion reaction during the initial cycle. Subsequent cycles yield enhanced performance attributed to a series of reversible NbV,IV/NbIII redox reactions in the amorphous LixNb2O5 phase. Through cyclic voltammetry and symmetric cell electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, temperature elevation is noted to increase the pseudocapacitive contribution of the Nb2O5 electrode, resulting in a high rate capability of 131 mAh g-1 at 20,000 mA g-1 at 90 °C. The electrode further exhibits long-term cycling over 2000 cycles and high Coulombic efficiency ascribed to the formation of a robust, [FSA]--originated solid-electrolyte interphase during cycling.

Crosslinked polyetherimide nanocomposites with superior energy storage achieved via trace Al2O3 nanoparticles

Polymer dielectrics which operate under elevated temperatures are widely desirable for advanced electric energy storage systems. However, the currently available polymer dielectrics are limited to relatively low working temperatures. Herein, crosslinked nanocomposites with trace wide-bandgap nanofillers alumina (Al2O3) and heat-resistant polyetherimide (PEI) were prepared by in-situ polymerization and solution casting method. Crosslinked networks in the nanocomposites improve the breakdown strength and suppress dielectric loss. Furthermore, we demonstrate trace Al2O3 nanofillers change the microstructure of polymer matrix and facilitate the dipole rotations in the chain segments by atomic force microscopy-infrared spectroscopy (AFM-IR). The dielectric constant of the nanocomposites is enhanced without sacrificing the breakdown and mechanical properties, which compensates for the dielectric constant reduced by crosslinking. All the composite films maintain excellent dielectric stability over a wide range of frequencies and temperatures. Besides, giant discharged energy density and ultrahigh charge-discharge efficiency are simultaneously achieved at high temperatures. Astoundingly, energy storage performance at high temperatures is superior to most of the reported work. This work demonstrates a viable strategy to prepare high-temperature polymer dielectric films for energy storage applications.

Manganese‐based materials as cathode for rechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries

AbstractRechargeable aqueous zinc‐ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising candidates for advanced electrical energy storage systems owing to low cost, intrinsic safety, environmental benignity, and decent energy densities. Currently, significant research efforts are being made to develop high‐performance positive electrodes for ZIBs. Nevertheless, there are still many obstacles to be overcome in pursuit of the comprehensive performance of cathode materials, including specific capacity, structural stability, rate performance, and so forth. Many manganese‐based compounds have become the hotspots in the study of ZIB cathodes due to their advantages of natural abundance, less toxicity, and high operating voltage. Here, different energy storage mechanisms of various kinds of manganese‐based compounds are summarized. Electrochemical results of manganese‐based cathodes are compared and analyzed. Moreover, optimization strategies for addressing existing issues of these materials and improving ZIBs are discussed in detail.

A shape-stable phase change composite prepared from cellulose nanofiber/polypyrrole/polyethylene glycol for electric-thermal energy conversion and storage

The design of shape-stable phase change composites (PCCs) with electrothermal conversion/storage performance provides a new direction for their potential applications in advanced electric energy storage. Herein, a cellulose nanofiber sponge coated with polypyrrole (PPy@CNF) was constructed and used to incorporate polyethylene glycol (PEG) to afford the PPy@CNF-PEG composite. The resulting PPy@CNF-PEG composite exhibited good shape-stable property and high melting enthalpy (169.7 J/g). Even when compressed at 440 times its own weight, the composite still maintained its original shape and gave off no molten PEG. By applying small voltages (1.75–1.9 V), it was also shown that the composite converted electricity to heat with efficiencies (up to 85.1%). This work demonstrates a simple, effective and general strategy to prepare biomass-derived composites with high electrothermal conversion efficiency for smart electric devices devoting to energy conversion and storage.

Bioinspired Polymer Nanocomposites Exhibit Giant Energy Density and High Efficiency at High Temperature

Polymer dielectrics are ubiquitous in advanced electric energy storage systems. However, the relatively low operating temperature significantly menaces their widespread application at high temperatures, such as for hybrid vehicles and aerospace power electronics. Spider silk, a natural nanocomposite comprised of biopolymer chains and crystal protein nanosheets combined by multiple interfacial interactions, exhibits excellent mechanical properties even at elevated temperatures. Inspired by the hierarchical nanostructure of spider silk, poly(aryl ether sulfone) is anchored to the surface of wide bandgap artificial nanosheets to prepare the nanocomposites with nanoconfinement effect. The bioinspired strategy successfully improves the mechanical and electrical performances of the nanocomposite. Owing to the structural-enabled enhancements, the nanocomposites exhibit excellent breakdown strength and electrical energy storage performance at high temperatures. In detail, giant discharged energy density (2.7 J cm-3 ) and high charge-discharge efficiency (>90%) are simultaneously achieved at 150 °C and 400 MV m-1 . Notably, under 500 MV m-1 , the discharged energy density reaches 4.2 J cm-3 , which is the record high discharged energy density among polymer-based dielectrics at 150 °C. This work demonstrates a viable strategy to design high-temperature polymer dielectrics by constructing nanoconfinement in the nanocomposites.

Graphene quantum dots encapsulated tremella-like NiCo2O4 for advanced asymmetric supercapacitors

A tremella-like NiCo2O4@graphene quantum dots (GQDs) composite is prepared where the tremella-like NiCo2O4 is homogeneously encapsulated by GQDs. Herein, the GQDs based on π-conjugated core with abundant edge sites, make NiCo2O4 favorable for advanced electric energy storage (EES). In terms of the synergistic effect between the conductive GQDs and tremella-like NiCo2O4, the as prepared NiCo2O4@GQDs composite exhibits an excellent specific capacitance of 1242 F g−1 at 30 A g−1 in 2.0 M KOH electrolytes, much higher than that of pristine NiCo2O4 (790 F g−1 at 30 A g−1). Also, it manifests outstanding cycle stability (99% capacitance retention after 4000 cycles). Furthermore, an asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) is assembled by pairing NiCo2O4@GQDs composite as positive electrode and activated carbon (AC) as negative electrode (NiCo2O4@GQDs//AC), and its specific energy density is as high as 38 W h kg−1 at a power density of 800 W kg−1.

Metal-oxide polymer nanocomposite films from disposable scrap tire powder/poly-ε-caprolactone for advanced electrical energy (capacitor) applications

Here, energy harvesting nanocomposite films (MOPCFs) were developed from disposable scrap tire rubber (STR) and poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) via simple solvent evaporation and hot compression molding methods. The metal-oxide impregnated polymeric nanocomposite films (MOPCFs) were derived by the inclusion of ZnO, CuO, CuO0.5-ZnO nanoparticles. The properties of the MOPCFs obtained were studied by FTIR, XRD, TGA/DSC and SEM techniques. The dielectric properties of the MOPCF were tested by using impedance analyzer. The dielectric properties suggested that the STR/PCL/ZnO film has significant dielectric constant (ɛ′, energy storage) and dielectric loss (ɛ″, energy loss) capacities when compared to other films. Ferroelectric/memory storage capacity of the nanocomposites were measured by polarization as a function of electric field, which explained the fact STR/PCL/ZnO has 88.710 V coercive field and a 0.1664 μC/cm2 remanence polarization, indicates efficient ferroelectric capacity at room temperature. These results suggest that STR/PCL/ZnO nanocomposite will be useful for electric energy applications as capacitors and advanced energy harvesters.

A review of atomic layer deposition providing high performance lithium sulfur batteries

Abstract With the significant obstacles that have been conquered in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, it is urgent to impel accelerating development of room-temperature Li-S batteries with high energy density and long-term stability. In view of the unique solid-liquid-solid conversion processes of Li-S batteries, however, designing effective strategies to address the insulativity and volume effect of cathode, shuttle of soluble polysulfides, and/or safety hazard of Li metal anode has been challenging. An atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a representative thin film technology with exceptional capabilities in developing atomic-precisely conformal films. It has been demonstrated to be a promise strategy of solving emerging issues in advanced electrical energy storage (EES) devices via the surface modification and/or the fabrication of complex nanostructured materials. In this review, the recent developments and significances on how ALD improves the performance of Li-S batteries were discussed in detail. Significant attention mainly focused on the various strategies with the use of ALD to refine the electrochemical interfaces and cell configurations. Furthermore, the novel opportunities and perspective associated with ALD for future research directions were summarized. This review may boost the development and application of advanced Li-S batteries using ALD.

Accelerating Electrolyte Discovery for Energy Storage with High-Throughput Screening.

Computational screening techniques have been found to be an effective alternative to the trial and error of experimentation for discovery of new materials. With increased interest in development of advanced electrical energy storage systems, it is essential to find new electrolytes that function effectively. This Perspective reviews various methods for screening electrolytes and then describes a hierarchical computational scheme to screen multiple properties of advanced electrical energy storage electrolytes using high-throughput quantum chemical calculations. The approach effectively down-selects a large pool of candidates based on successive property evaluation. As an example, results of screening are presented for redox potentials, solvation energies, and structural changes of ∼1400 organic molecules for nonaqueous redox flow batteries. Importantly, on the basis of high-throughput screening, in silico design of suitable candidate molecules for synthesis and electrochemical testing can be achieved. We anticipate that the computational approach described in this Perspective coupled with experimentation will have a significant role to play in the discovery of materials for future energy needs.

“Give Energy to Your Study”: Students Worldwide Gather in Europe To Design Future Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion

Global warming, finite fossil-fuel supplies, and urban pollution rapidly change the landscape of energy research worldwide and our training and education programs must change accordingly. Because of the natural intermittency of many renewable energy sources, there will be a far greater need for advanced electrical energy storage technology. Establishing highly diversified education programs that embrace worldwide scientists in this strategic area of science is of primary importance for bringing newly emerging concepts to fruition and securing our future. Five European universities pooled their efforts to create a specific, integrated, European Master’s-level degree program, Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion, which offers high-level education while providing high mobility to students, as well as beneficial knowledge and exposure to relevant industrial settings.

Characterization of Irradiation Damage of Ferritic ODS Alloys with Advanced Micro-Sample Methods

Oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) steels are candidate materials for advanced electric energy and heat generation plants (nuclear, fossil). Understanding the degradation of mechanical properties of these alloys as a result of service exposure is necessary for safe design. For advanced nuclear applications combinations of temperature, irradiation and stress are important damage conditions. They are studied either with neutron irradiated samples (often highly active) or with ion-irradiated samples (irradiation damage often limited to only a few micrometer deep areas). High activity of samples and limited sample volume claim to subsized samples like nano-indentation, micro-pillar compression or thin strip creep testing. Irradiation hardening and irradiation creep were studied with these methods. Ferritic ODS steels with 19% chromium were investigated. The materials were studied in qualities differing in grain sizes and in sizes of the dispersoids. Irradiation was performed in an accelerator using He-ions. Irradiation damage profiles could be well analyzed with indentation. Yield stress determined with compression tests of single-crystal micropillars was well comparable with tension tests performed along the same crystallographic orientation. Irradiation creep of samples with different sizes of dispersoids revealed only a small influence of particle size being is in contrast with thermal creep but consistent with expectations from other investigations.

The D2 hypervelocity projectile program

The D2 program is developing a guided interceptor for theater and forward area air defense to be lethal against targets ranging from ballistic missile reentry vehicles to cruise missiles to aircraft. D2 is being specifically designed to be launched from advanced electric energy guns/launchers. Interface requirements for electromagnetic and electrothermal-chemical launchers have been designed. The D2 has been fully integrated and fired from an ETC launcher 21 times to date. Progress in the field testing of D2 has laid the ground work for extensive guided experiments and near term target engagements. The work accomplished on D2 over the last several years has validated the usefulness and applicability of electric armaments in a smart battlefield and provides a mechanism for near term integration of electric launchers in operational scenarios, both for air defense as well as utilizing the D2 technology in antitank and anti-armor roles. >

Amortizing fund financing for applied research, development, and demonstration of advanced electric energy production and distribution systems

Advanced electric energy production and distribution technologies are needed to replace conventional systems that have adverse environmental, safety, and economic features. This need is global and is recognized by the energy community. In most cases, the major barrier to these technologies is sufficient development to demonstrate their costs. Any new technology must be economically competitive with existing systems, with all external costs being internalized. These technologies include advanced power production such as solar electric, passively safe nuclear fission, coal-fired MHD, and nuclear fusion. Other examples are superconducting energy storage, transmission systems and generators. Ultimate fission waste disposal (e.g., nuclear incineration) is also included as an advanced electric energy technology. The demonstration of these technologies requires long-term applied R D programs with a stable funding environment. For many years, the public sector has emphasized basic science and technology while the private sector has focused on the production of marketable goods. This has resulted in a funding gap for the demonstration of major electric production and distribution technologies, thus blocking their introduction into electric utility systems and the export market. An amortizing fund approach is proposed to bridge this gap. This approach is based on historically conservative economic principles, and has significantmore » precedence in the electric utility industry. It also closely connects the revenue source with the objectives of the disbursement of the funds. An amortizing fund, established from a very small investment fee such as one mill per kilowatt-hour on the purchase of electricity, would be paid by consumers. A Federally Chartered organization, staffed by professionals recruited principally from the electric utility and related industries, would manage the fund.« less

An Advanced Integrated System for Electric Energy Supply Planning

Tohoku Electric Power Company has embarked on a company-wide long-range program for the introduction of a totally integrated computerized system for planning, operations and management with the objective of further sophisticated and enhanced business operations in the 21st Century. Research and development of the "Energy Supply Planning and Offical Intelligent Report System (ESPOIR)," which is the key to the realization of this broad vision, was started in 1983. The components of ESPOIR have been applied to the company's daily routine work as they were developed. As the result of this evolutionary development process, all fundamental subsystems were completed by 1988, and these subsystems have been integrated to realize a comprehensive electric energy supply planning system, namely, ESPOIR. The system has been successfully applied to power system planning and operations studies at the company. This paper describes the most advanced electric energy supply planning system of Tohoku Electric Power Company.