Primary Lithium Ion Batteries Research Articles

Fabrication of Self-Rolled Fluorinated Graphene Nanosheets and Cathode Application

A simple approach of self-rolled fluorinated graphene nanosheets (srFGN) was reported in this work. Notably, the preparation of the specific srFGN showed interesting solvent-sensitive characteristics. The research findings revealed that when an aprotic solvent was used, e.g., dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), the interesting srFGN was obtained readily, which was characterized by different technologies. Cathode application for primary lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) of the prepared srFGN nanoscrolls was also studied in this work, which exhibited elevated energy density (e.g., 2287.9 Wh·kg−1), excellent discharge specific capacity and reliable discharge platform, indicating it a cheap and hyperdensity cathode material for primary LIBs.

Fluorinated carbonaceous nanoparticles as active material in primary lithium battery

In this work, we address the properties of fluorinated carbonaceous nanoparticles (F-CNPs) prepared using a low-temperature process in molten Li-Na-K carbonates at the eutectic composition. The electrochemical performance of these materials is evaluated as the positive electrode of primary lithium ion batteries. Structural analyses show that CNPs are composed of both amorphous and graphitized domains with low crystallinity that induces presence of different types of CO bonds. In contrast with commercial CFx materials, F-CNPs do not give rise to a flat potential plateau but exhibit a continuous decrease of the potential. The difference in the electrochemical performance observed for F-CNPs (CF∼0.43) can be significantly noted for high discharge at 1C rate, for which the discharge potential is about 0.7–0.9 V higher than that obtained with commercial CFx with an increase of the specific capacity to ca. 450 mA h g−1.

Energy consumption and modelling of the climate control system in the electric vehicle

With the introduction of electric vehicles in the automobile market, limited information is available on how the battery’s energy consumption is distributed. This paper focuses on the energy consumption of the vehicle when the heating and cooling system is in operation. On average, 18 and 14% for the battery’s energy capacity is allocated to heating and cooling requirements, respectively. The conventional internal combustion engine vehicle uses waste heat from its engine to provide for passenger thermal requirements at no cost to the vehicle’s propulsion energy demands. However, the electric vehicle cannot avail of this luxury to recycle waste heat. In order to reduce the energy consumed by the climate control system, an analysis of the temperature profile of a vehicle’s cabin space under various weather conditions is required. The present study presents a temperature predicting algorithm to predict temperature under various weather conditions. Previous studies have limited consideration to the fluctuation of solar radiation space heating to a vehicle’s cabin space. This model predicts solar space heating with a mean bias error and root mean square error of 0.26 and 0.57°C, respectively. This temperature predicting model can potentially be developed with further research to predict the energy required by the vehicle’s primary lithium-ion battery to heat and cool the vehicle’s cabin space. Thus, this model may be used in a route planning application to reduce range anxiety when drivers undertake a journey under various ambient weather conditions while optimising the energy consumption of the electric vehicle.

Characterization of biopolymer pectin with lithium chloride and its applications to electrochemical devices

Natural anionic polysaccharide pectin-based flexible electrolyte with different compositions of LiCl has been prepared by solution casting technique. The prepared membranes have been characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and AC complex impedance analysis. The pectin/LiCl (50:50 M.wt%) complex exhibits high ionic conductivity in the order of 2.08 × 10−3 S cm−1. The temperature-dependent ionic conductivity obeys the Arrhenius behavior. The best performing membrane has been used to construct the primary lithium ion battery. The open-circuit voltage of the constructed primary lithium ion battery is found to be 1.93 V.

Intrinsic Challenges in Creating a Reversible Copper(II) Fluoride Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Copper(II) fluoride (CuF2) is a promising cathode material for the next generation of lithium-ion batteries due to its high theoretical gravimetric (1645 Wh·kg-1) and volumetric (3797 Wh·L-1) energy density. In theory, it can reversibly store two incoming lithium ions in what is referred to a conversion reaction (2 Li+ + CuF2 + 2 e- → 2 LiF + Cu0). Although near-theoretical capacity (~515 mAh·g-1) has been achieved for the first discharge, capacity greatly decreases with every cycle thereafter. This is surprising as materials such as iron(II) fluoride, which undergo a similar reaction (2 Li+ + FeF2 + 2 e- → 2 LiF + Fe0) can easily achieve 10 cycles without any major capacity degradation. The lack of reversible capacity in CuF2 may be due to irreversible crystal structure changes inside of cathode which inhibit delithiation upon charging or due to the loss of copper through the electrolyte. Evidence for the latter for this can be seen through the copper plating of the lithium metal anode after cycling, detected by energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, or through the decrease in copper peak intensity in X-ray diffraction (XRD) and EDS spectra of the cathodes upon recharging. Correlation of copper content to capacity suggests that copper loss from the cathode is not the only factor in capacity loss and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging shows large morphological differences between a pristine and charged sample. Decoupling these two intrinsic challenges for CuF2 batteries will enable the design of more reversible conversion reaction cathode materials in the future. For now, application of CuF2 in primary lithium-ion batteries remains promising, and continues to be expanded upon today. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) program under Award No. DE-EE0006852.

Lithium ion-conducting polymer electrolytes based on PVA–PAN doped with lithium triflate

Blend polymer electrolytes with optimized composition (92.5 PVA:7.5 PAN) doped with lithium triflate (LiCF3SO3) have been prepared in different concentrations by solution casting technique, using DMF as solvent. The prepared electrolytes have been characterized by XRD, FTIR, DSC, AC impedance, and SEM techniques. The complex formation between the blend polymer and the salt has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction and FTIR analyses. Differential scanning calorimetry thermogram has shown a decrease in glass transition temperature with the addition of salt. It has been observed that the ionic conductivity of the doped blend polymer electrolyte increases as the salt concentration increases. The ionic conductivity has been found to be 4.0 × 10−5 S cm−1 for 92.5 PVA:7.5 PAN:50 M wt% LiCF3SO3 sample at room temperature. The temperature dependence of ionic conductivity has been studied with Arrhenius plot and the activation energies have been calculated. Primary lithium ion battery has been constructed with the configuration Zn + ZnSO4 7H2O/ 92.5 PVA:7.5 PAN:50 M wt% LiCF3SO3/ PbO2 + V2O5 using the maximum conducting blend polymer, and its discharge characteristics have been studied.

Tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP)-based Li-ion conducting membranes

Polysaccharide-based biopolymers have gained much attention in electrochemical devices recently. Tamarind seed polysaccharide (TSP) is a biopolymer obtained from the extract of tamarind seed. It is used as thickening and gelling agent in food and textile industries. There are no works in polymer electrolytes based on TSP in lithium-ion conducting membranes. A pure TSP membrane has been prepared by dissolving 1 g of TSP in distilled water by using solution-casting technique. The prepared biopolymer membranes are subjected to Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and AC-impedance techniques. FTIR analysis has been conducted to observe the possible interaction between the polymer and lithium salt based upon the changes in wave numbers of the peaks. The nature of the membrane (crystalline or amorphous) has been revealed by XRD. The electrical properties of the membranes have been analyzed by AC-impedance spectroscopy. The maximum ionic conductivity for the salt-doped membrane 1 g TSP:0.4 g lithium bromide (LiBr) has been found to be 4.83 × 10−4 S cm−1. The primary lithium-ion battery has been constructed using the best conductivity membrane, and the open circuit voltage (OCV) has been observed as 1.63 V.

Fluorinated grapheneas a cathode material for high performance primary lithium ion batteries

A free-standing fluorinated graphene (F-graphene) was fabricated by the simple liquid exfoliation of a fluorinated graphite (F-graphite) in a 2-propanol/water mixture, and was used as the cathode material of primary lithium ion batteries. As-prepared F-graphene as a very high fluorine content (49.7 at%), and an amorphous-like two-dimensional nanostructure. These features facilitate the rapid diffusion of lithium ions during discharging. The F-graphene exhibits better electrochemical performance, especially, a higher specific power density than the F-graphite. [New Carbon Materials 2015, 30(1): 79–85]

Fluorinated grapheneasa cathode material for high performance primary lithium ion batteries

A free-standing fluorinated graphene (F-graphene) was fabricated bythesimple liquid exfoliation of a fluorinated graphite (F-graphite) in a 2-propanol/water mixture, and was used as the cathode material of primary lithium ion batteries. As-prepared F-graphenehas a very high fluorine content (49.7 at%), and an amorphous-like two-dimensional nanostructure. These features facilitate the rapid diffusion of lithium ions during discharging. The F-grapheneexhibits better electrochemical performance, especially, a higher specific power density than the F-graphite.

Hierarchical Cu4V2.15O9.38 superstructures assembled by single-crystalline rods: its synthesis, characteristics and electrochemical properties

Copper vanadate oxides (CVOs) have a wide variety of crystalline phases such as CuV2O6, Cu3V2O8, Cu0.95V2O5, Cu0.4V2O5, Cu2V2O7 and so on, and CVOs have been used as catalysts and battery materials. Here, for the first time, we present a new hexylamine-assisted method to prepare hierarchical Cu4V2.15O9.38 superstructures assembled by single-crystalline rods. The results show that hexylamine was responsible for the generation of Cu4V2.15O9.38, and that the Cu4V2.15O9.38 superstructures were transformed from the intermediate Cu3(OH)2V2O7·2H2O. Then, we studied the electrochemical properties of Cu4V2.15O9.38 superstructures in electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose and a primary lithium-ion battery. The sensitivity of the modified electrode for detecting glucose was estimated to be 175.8 μA mM−1 cm−2, and the detection range was from 0 to 3 mM, and the detection limit was less than 0.1 mM. The superstructures showed a large discharge capacity of 301 mA h g−1 at 5 mA g−1, thus making it an interesting candidate for primary lithium-ion batteries.

Towards the selective modification of soft-templated mesoporous carbon materials by elemental fluorine for energy storage devices

Graphite fluoride is classified into (CF)n and (C2F)n types based on its structure and composition. The former (CF)n has been widely prepared and commercially utilized as electrodes in primary lithium ion batteries (LIBs). Porous electrodes, i.e. templated mesoporous carbons, can greatly improve first Coulombic efficiencies. For achieving the highest discharge potentials and rate capabilities, the extent of fluorination reactions and the retention of a conductive carbon backbone are required. Hence, the choice of the starting carbon nanomaterial and of the fluorination conditions is detrimental to the design of future energy storage and conversion devices, namely LIBs and pseudosupercapacitors.

Hierarchical Cu4V2.15O9.38micro-/nanostructures: a lithium intercalating electrode material

Hierarchical Cu4V2.15O9.38 micro-/nanostructures have been prepared by a facile "forced hydrolysis" method, from an aqueous peroxovanadate and cupric nitrate solution in the presence of urea. The hierarchical architectures with diameters of 10-20 µm are assembled from flexible nanosheets and rigid nanoplates with widths of 2-4 µm and lengths of 5-10 µm in a radiative way. The preliminary electrochemical properties of Cu4V2.15O9.38 have been investigated for the first time and correlated with its structure. This material delivers a large discharge capacity of 471 mA h g(-1) above 1.5 V, thus making it an interesting electrode material for primary lithium ion batteries used in implantable cardioverter defibrillators.

Development of an autonomous sea ice tethered buoy for the study of ocean-atmosphere-sea ice-snow pack interactions: the O-buoy

Abstract. A buoy based instrument platform (the "O-buoy") was designed, constructed, and field tested for year-round measurement of ozone, bromine monoxide, carbon dioxide, and meteorological variables over Arctic sea ice. The O-buoy operated in an autonomous manner with daily, bi-directional data transmissions using Iridium satellite communication. The O-buoy was equipped with three power sources: primary lithium-ion battery packs, rechargeable lead acid packs, and solar panels that recharge the lead acid packs, and can fully power the O-buoy during summer operation. This system was designed to operate under the harsh conditions present in the Arctic, with minimal direct human interaction, to aid in our understanding of the atmospheric chemistry that occurs in this remote region of the world. The current design requires approximately yearly maintenance limited by the lifetime of the primary power supply. The O-buoy system was field tested in Elson Lagoon, Barrow, Alaska from February to May 2009, and deployed in the Beaufort Sea in October 2009. Here, we describe the design and present preliminary data.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrochemical Properties of Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O Nanostructures

We report on the shape-controlled synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical properties of Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O nanomaterials that were synthesized through a simple and facile solution route without any surfactants or template. It was found that by simply controlling the reaction conditions, Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O nanowires, nanoflakes, and nanoparticles can be selectively prepared. Electrochemical measurements revealed that the as-prepared Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O nanowires, nanoflakes, and nanoparticles exhibited high discharge capacities and ideal shaped discharge curves. In particular, the Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O nanowires showed capacities much higher than those of Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O nanoflakes, nanoparticles, and commercial Ag2V4O11 bulk. The correlation between the specific structural features of the nanowires and their superior electrode performance were also discussed. It is anticipated that the novel Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O nanowires are promising cathode candidates in the application of primary lithium ion batteries for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

Large Scale Preparation of β-AgVO3 Nanowires Using a Novel Sonochemical Route

A large number of beta-AgVO3 nanowires with diameter of 30-60 nm, and length of 1.5-3 microm have been successfully synthesized by a simple and facile low-temperature sonochemical route. The morphologies and structures of the nanowires were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning transmission electron microscopy (SEM), and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Cyclic voltammetry and charge-discharge experiments were applied to characterize the electrochemical properties of the nanowires as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries. In the initial discharge and charge process, the as-prepared beta-AgVO3 nanowires showed the initial charge and discharge capacities of 69 and 102 (mAh)/g, respectively. It is anticipated that the beta-AgVO3 nanostructures are promising cathode candidates in the application of primary lithium-ion batteries.

Synthesis, Characterization, and Electrochemical Properties of Ag2V4O11 and AgVO3 1-D Nano/Microstructures

We report on the synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical properties of Ag(2)V(4)O(11) nanowires, alpha-AgVO(3) microrods, and beta-AgVO(3) nanowires that were synthesized through a simple and facile low-temperature hydrothermal approach without any template or catalyst. It was found that by simply controlling the hydrothermal reaction parameters such as pH and dwell time, the transformation of alpha-AgVO(3) microrods to beta-AgVO(3) nanowires were readily achieved through a "ripening-splitting model" mechanism. Electrochemical measurements revealed that the as-prepared Ag(2)V(4)O(11) nanowires, alpha-AgVO(3) microrods, and beta-AgVO(3) nanowires exhibited high discharge capacities and excellent high-rate dischargeability. In particular, the beta-AgVO(3) nanowires have much higher capacity above 3 V than that of alpha-AgVO(3) microrods, Ag(2)V(4)O(11) nanowires, and commercial Ag(2)V(4)O(11) bulk. The mechanisms for electrochemical lithium intercalation of the AgVO(3) nanostructures were also discussed. It is anticipated that the novel Ag(2)V(4)O(11) and AgVO(3) one-dimensional nano/microstructures are promising cathode candidates in the application of primary lithium ion batteries for implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).