Materials Science and Engineering Commons^™

Electrochemiluminescence Imaging Hydrogen Evolution Reaction On Single Platinum Nanoparticles Using A Bipolar Nanoelectrode Array, Xiang Qin, Zhong-Qiu Li, Jian-Bin Pan, Jian Li, Kang Wang, Xing-Hua Xia

Journal of Electrochemistry

A high-density (5.7 × 10⁸ cm^-2) nanoelectrode array with the electrode diameter of 200 nm and the interelectrode distance of 450 nm were fabricated. The nanoelectrode array consisted of gold nanowires embedded in a porous anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) matrix, having regular nanoelectrode distribution and highly uniform nanoelectrode size. The gold nanoelectrode array was used as a closed bipolar nanoelectrode array combined with electrochemiluminescence (ECL) method to map the electrocatalytic activity of platinum nanoparticles toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by modifying the catalysts on single nanoelectrodes. Results show that HER on single bipolar nanoelectrodes could be imaged …

Preparation And Characterization Of "Water-In-Salt" Polymer Electrolyte For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Xu Hou, Xin He, Jie Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Since the development of wearable and flexible electronic products, the demand of flexible energy storage devices such as batteries and super capacitors is in urgent. To enhance the safety and cycling stability for flexible lithium-ion batteries, “water-in-salt” polymer electrolyte was prepared by introducing 21 mol·kg^-1 LiTFSI electrolyte into cross-linked polyacrylamide (PAM) after freeze-drying. A great amount of holes with the size range of 10 ~ 20 μm can be found on the surface and in the bulk of polyacrylamide, which is benefited from the freeze-drying process and acts as a great support for the electrolyte uptake. The “water-in-salt” polymer …

Oxygen-Exposure Induced Rapid Oxidation Of Spiro-Ometad In Cspbibr2 Perovskite Solar Cells, Wei-Guo Wang, Tian Bai, Gao-Fei Xue, Mei-Dan Ye

Journal of Electrochemistry

2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)-9,9′-spirobifluorene (Spiro-OMeTAD) is the most widely used hole transport material in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, its oxidation in the air takes a long time and results in the attack of perovskite by water. In this regard, we performed the oxidation process of Spiro-OMeTAD in oxygen, where perovskite can be protected from water, guaranteeing the integrity of perovskite. It was demonstrated that the champion Spiro-OMeTAD based CsPbIBr₂ PSCs after oxygen oxidation achieved a 7.19% power conversion efficiency (PCE), showing a higher PCE than 6.29% of the champion device oxidized in air. A series of electrochemical characterization methods were applied …

Application Of Atomically Precise Metal Nanoclusters In Electrocatalysis, Zhi-Hua Zhuang, Wei Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Metal nanoclusters (M NCs) consist of only several to a few hundred of metal atoms and possess core sizes less than 2 nm. Owing to the quantum size effect, the electronic states of M NCs evolve to discrete levels similar to the molecule energy gaps, other than a continuous density of states to produce plasmon characteristic of bulk metal nanoparticles (M NPs). In comparison with the conventional M NPs, M NCs exhibit dramatically unique electronic and optical properties, such as molecule-like energy gaps, strong photoluminescence and high catalytic properties, which make them promising for potential application in numerous fields, such …

Electrochemical Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopic Studies On Nickel Ultramicroelectrode, Li-Wen Wu, Wei Wang, Yi-Fan Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Nickel (Ni) electrodes are widely used in electrochemical researches. Understanding electrochemical processes on Ni electrodes through in-situ characterization of adsorbed species on their surfaces is helpful for rational optimization and application of Ni electrochemistry. Microelectrochemical surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (μEC-SERS) combines the mass transfer feature of ultramicroelectrode with high-sensitivity characterizations of molecular structures, which is a powerful method for studying Ni electrochemistry on polarization and non-equilibrium conditions. The key point of performing μEC-SERS is to make a SERS-active Ni ultramicroelectrode.
Here, we demonstrate a method of preparing a SERS-active Ni ultramicroelectrode through electrochemical deposition of several atomic layers of …

Lithium Storage Performance Of Hard Carbons Anode Materials Prepared By Different Precursors, Zhen-Lang Liang, Yao Yang, Hao Li, Li-Ying Liu, Zhi-Cong Shi

Journal of Electrochemistry

Hard carbon is one of the most promising anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) owing to its high stability, widespread availability, low-cost, and excellent performance. The electrochemical properties of hard carbon materials depend strongly on the type of precursors. It is, therefore, very important to choose an excellent hard carbon precursor. Polyacrylonitrile, petroleum pitch and peanut shells were used as raw materials to prepare different hard carbon anode materials for LIBs. These hard carbon anode materials were successfully synthesized in two steps. The selected precursor was firstly carbonized at 600℃ for 1 h in argon atmosphere using heating rate …

Pd-Based Electrocatalysts For Oxygen Reduction And Ethanol Oxidation Reactions: Some Recent Insights Into Structures And Mechanisms, Zhi-Peng Wu, Chuan-Jian Zhong

Journal of Electrochemistry

The development of efficient electrocatalysts for applications in fuel cells, including proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC), has attracted extensive research attention in recent years. Oxygen reduction reaction and ethanol oxidation reaction are two of the key reactions where the design of active, stable and low-cost electrocatalysts is critical for the mass commercializations of PEMFCs and DEFCs. This challenge stems largely from the limited understanding of the catalyst structures and reaction mechanisms. Progress has been made in investigations of electrocatalysts derived from Pd-based alloy nanomaterials both experimentally and computationally. We highlight herein some of the …

Theoretical Studies Of Metal-N-C For Oxygen Reduction And Hydrogen Evolution Reactions In Acid And Alkaline Solutions, Xue-Ping Qin, Shang-Qian Zhu, Lu-Lu Zhang, Shu-Hui Sun, Min-Hua Shao

Journal of Electrochemistry

Single atom catalysts (SAC) have been regarded as the promising alternatives to platinum group metals due to their low costs and potentially high catalytic activities in various electrocatalytic reactions. The atomic mechanism understanding of activity discrepancy among different metal and nitrogen co-doped carbon-based catalysts is still lacking. Here, non-precious metal and nitrogen co-doped carbons (Me-N-C, Me = Fe and Co) as the model catalysts are investigated by combining experimental and theoretical studies to explore the catalytic activities and corresponding reaction mechanisms toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) at universal pHs. Atomic theoretical simulations suggest that Fe-N-C …

Research Progress On Transition State Of Organic Electrode Materials, Xue-Qian Zhang, Zhou-Guang Lu, Wei-Wei Huang

Journal of Electrochemistry

With the increasing requirements for high energy density, long lifetime, high safety, environmentally friendly fabrication, and sustainable development of large energy storage devices, the society calls for new electrode materials in rechargeable batteries beyond traditional inorganic materials which are limited by specific capacity. Organic electrode materials have been widely used in rechargeable batteries due to their advantages of large theoretical capacity, designable structures and environmentally friendly fabrications. In this review, the radical intermediates of organic electrode materials produced in the charging-discharging process (redox reaction) and their types are systematically reviewed. The stability of radical intermediates controlled by changing the structure …

Research Progress In Electrodeposition Technology Of Titanium-Based Iridium Oxide Electrode, Dan-Dan Wu, Xu Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Titanium-based iridium oxide electrode has been widely used in various fields, such as electrocatalytic oxidation, biomedical applications, hydrometallurgical metal recovery, electro-osmotic dewatering, etc. At present, it is mainly prepared by traditional thermal decomposition method, however, which has high cost, cumbersome process, mainly relying on manual labor and cannot be mass-produced yet. It is, therefore, urgently necessary to explore new preparation technologies by focusing on electrodeposition technology, with technological characteristics such as eco-friendly and sustainable development. This article systematically discusses the research progress in iridium oxide electrodeposition preparation technology from the aspects of deposition solution formulation, base material selection and treatment, …

Preparations And Electrocatalytic Ethanol Properties Of Palladium Intercalated Hydrotalcite, Shou-Xun Hu, Liang Li, Jun-Hao Yang, Liu-Qiang Li, Zhi-Hao Jin

Journal of Electrochemistry

High-performance electrocatalysts play a vital role in the commercial application of direct fuel cells. Current anode materials still have such problems as low activity, easy poisoning and high cost. In this study, a new type of nano- palladium (Pd) catalyst was prepared by dipping method using layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as the carrier. X-ray diffractometer, scanning electron microscope (SEM), inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS), energy spectrometer, transmission electron microscope (TEM), cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry and electrochemical impedance spectroscope were used to analyze the structure and electrocatalytic performance of the catalyst. The results showed that the newly prepared Pd/Mg-Al-LDHs still maintained …

Preparations And Electrochemical Properties Of Bc/Coni2S4@Ppy Flexible Composites For Supercapacitors, Si-Yuan Peng, Shi-Run Yang, Jing-Hong Zhou, Zhi-Jun Sui, Tao Zhang, Yi Shi, Xing-Gui Zhou

Journal of Electrochemistry

Flexible supercapacitor is one of the most promising energy storage devices for portable and wearable electronic products due to its advantages of high power density, fast charging and long cycle life. Therefore, self-supporting flexible electrode materials with high performance have attained more and more attention both in academia and in industry recently. In this work, using bacterial cellulose (BC) as a flexible substrate, the bacterial cellulose/nickel-cobalt sulfide@polypyrrole (BC/CoNi₂S₄@PPy) flexible composites with three-dimensional porous network and good conductivity were prepared by a combined solvothermal-in-situ polymerization-vacuum filtration method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, …

Research Progress Of Sio2 Regrowth During Selective Etching Process In 3d Nand Manufacture Procedure, Zi-Han Zhou, Yun-Wen Wu, Ming Li, Su Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

As one of the most significant memory chips in semiconductor market, NAND has been developed from two-dimension (2D) to three-dimension (3D). Due to the three-dimensional memory structure of 3D NAND, the capacity density, read-write speed and reliability of memory chips have been greatly improved, as well as the reduction of power dissipation. It is by nitride-oxide selective etching process in the alternate stacked structure of 3D NAND that the inter-dielectric layers can be obtained. The more stack layers, the better performance of chips will be. Meanwhile, however, silicon dioxide (SiO₂) would regrow on the corner of oxide layers, …

Influence Of Resveratrol On Performance Of Long-Term Storage’S Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolyte, Lei Zhang, Xu-Ping Zhang, Si-Wei Zhang, Quan-Chao Zhuang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrolyte of lithium-ion battery usually goes through processes of filling, transportation and storage from the completion of manufacture to the use. Understanding the influence of long-term storage process on performance of lithium-ion battery electrolyte is of theoretical significance for production of lithium-ion battery. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images showed that the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) film formed on the surface of the graphite electrode was thicker in the base electrolyte after 6 months of storage. The charge/discharge test results showed that the reversible cycle capacity and cycle stability (capacity retention rate) of graphite electrode decreased significantly after 6 months of …

Preparation Of Pdcoir Tetrahedron Nanocatalysts And Its Performance Toward Ethanol Oxidation Reaction, Zhi-Yuan Yu, Rui Huang, Jie Liu, Guang Li, Qian-Tong Song, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

As a new energy conversion device, direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) are widely concerned because of their remarkable advantages such as high theoretical energy density and wide fuel sources. However, the rapid development of DEFCs has been severely impeded due to the sluggish kinetic process and toxic intermediates especially in their anodic reactions. Palladium (Pd)-based materials are considered to be excellent anode catalysts for DEFCs, especially under alkaline conditions. And further improving their performance is an important direction to promote the development of DEFCs. Surface structure and composition are the key factors affecting the performance of catalysts which can be …

Preparation And Performance Investigation Of Li-Sgo Doped Semi-Ipns Porous Single Ion Conducting Polymer Electrolyte, Yun-Feng Zhang, Jia-Ming Dong, Chang Tan, Shi-Kang Huo, Jia-Ying Wang, Yang He, Ya-Ying Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Herein, the lithiated sulfonated graphene oxide (Li-SGO) was successfully prepared via three steps by sulfonation of graphene oxide with 3-merraptnpropylt rimethnxysilane, oxidation of thiol into sulfonate with hydrogen peroxide and lithiation of sulfonate with aqueous lithium hydroxide. The as-prepared Li-SGO was then introduced into the semi-interpenetrating networks of single ion conducting polymer electrolyte (Li-SGO-FPAS) and poly vinylidenefluoride-hexafluoro propylene (PVDF-HFP) binder by in-situ polymerization to fabricate the porous single ion conducting polymer electrolyte membrane (Li-SGO-po-FPAS) generated from the poor compatibility between aromatic Li-SGO-FPAS and aliphatic PVDF-HFP binder. The key properties such as morphology, porosity, solvent uptake, mechanical …

Syntheses Of Na3V2(Po4)2O2F As A Cathode For Sodium Ion Battery Application, Kai Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

High-temperature solid-state method, hydro-thermal method and solvo-thermal method have been mainly employed to synthesize Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂O₂F (NVPF) cathode materials. However, these methods are energy consuming and complicated, which is not applicable for a large scale industrial production. In this study, a rather low-temperature (70℃) co-precipitation strategy was proposed to synthesize NVPF cathode materials. The as-prepared NVPF cathode materials showed a spherical shape with a diameter of 400 ~ 500 nm, and exhibited a sodium storage of 105.6 mAh·g^-1 and an efficiency of 90.06%. After a simple thermal process, the specific …

Nanoengineered Materials For Energy Conversion & Storage Applications: A Density Functional Theory Study, Ahmed Biby

Theses and Dissertations

The conventional approach for the development of novel materials has become long relative to the desired product development cycle. Thus, the sluggish pace of the development of materials within the conventional approach hinders the rapid transformation of the scientific outcomes into useful technological products. To this end, the field of hierarchical materials informatics evolved to bridge this gap. In this field, the multiscale material internal structure is considered the starting point and the core of this approach. This being said, the density functional theory (DFT) was used to generate useful materials data for the advancement of the hierarchical materials data-bases …

Multi-Level Analysis Of Atomic Layer Deposition Barrier Coatings On Additively Manufactured Plastics For High Vacuum Applications, Nupur Bihari

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

While hardware innovations in micro/nano electronics and photonics are heavily patented, the rise of the open-source movement has significantly shifted focus to the importance of obtaining low-cost, functional and easily modifiable research equipment. This thesis provides a foundation of open source development of equipment to aid in the micro/nano electronics and photonics fields.

First, the massive acceptance of the open source Arduino microcontroller has aided in the development of control systems with a wide variety of uses. Here it is used for the development of an open-source dual axis gimbal system. This system is used to characterize optoelectronic properties of …

Development Of Synthetic Coal Char Simulant For Microwave Conversion Studies: A Computationally-Driven Approach, Kevin A. Hager

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent experimental demonstration of new reaction windows for coal char/methane reactions that are less energy-intensive, provides innovation for modular reactors. However, the correlation of the exact mechanism for the enhancement of these reaction windows is not certain. This study investigates the simplification of these experimental studies by developing a well-characterized coal char simulant. The approach involves using a computational approach to screen macroscopic composition to replicate the dielectric and compositional response of actual char. This study is focused on PRB coal char. A discrete element method (DEM) technique was used to simulate the packing of coal chars to give the …

In Depth Characterisation Of The Biomolecular Coronas Of Polymer Coated Inorganic Nanoparticles With Differential Centrifugal Sedimentation, André Perez-Potti, Hender Lopez, Beatriz Pelaz, Abuelmagd Abdelmonem, Mahmoud G. Soliman, Ingmar Schoen, Philip M. Kelly, Kenneth A. Dawson, Wolfgang J. Parak, Zeljka Krpetic, Marco P. Monopoli

Articles

Advances in nanofabrication methods have enabled the tailoring of new strategies towards the controlled production of nanoparticles with attractive applications in healthcare. In many cases, their characterisation remains a big challenge, particularly for small-sized functional nanoparticles of 5 nm diameter or smaller, where current particle sizing techniques struggle to provide the required sensitivity and accuracy. There is a clear need for the development of new reliable characterisation approaches for the physico-chemical characterisation of nanoparticles with significant accuracy, particularly for the analysis of the particles in the presence of complex biological fluids. Herein, we show that the Differential Centrifugal Sedimentation can …

Valorization Of Xylan In Agroforestry Waste Streams, Harrison Appiah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Valorization of Xylan in Agroforestry Waste Streams.

Harrison Appiah

Microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent and gamma-valerolactone metallic chloride catalyzed conversion of xylan to furfural were investigated using a 2x3 factorial experimental design at two levels of percent microwave power, reaction time, and catalyst concentration. The levels of each factor studied were (20%, 60% microwave power, 2, 4 minutes, and 10, 20mg) respectively. The effect of three metallic chloride catalysts (LiCl, FeCl3.6H20, CuCl2) on the conversion of xylan to furfural was also investigated. The gamma-valerolactone-ferric chloride sent system exhibited the highest mean yield of furfural (56.50%). The next highest furfural yield of …

Treated Hfo2 Based Rram Devices With Ru, Tan, Tin As Top Electrode For In-Memory Computing Hardware, Yuvraj Dineshkumar Patel

Theses

The scalability and power efficiency of the conventional CMOS technology is steadily coming to a halt due to increasing problems and challenges in fabrication technology. Many non-volatile memory devices have emerged recently to meet the scaling challenges. Memory devices such as RRAMs or ReRAM (Resistive Random-Access Memory) have proved to be a promising candidate for analog in memory computing applications related to inference and learning in artificial intelligence. A RRAM cell has a MIM (Metal insulator metal) structure that exhibits reversible resistive switching on application of positive or negative voltage. But detailed studies on the power consumption, repeatability and retention …

Core-Shell Structured Ru@Ptru Nanoflower Electrocatalysts Toward Alkaline Hydrogen Evolution Reaction, Xue-Liang Wang, Yuan-Yuan Cong, Chen-Xi Qiu, Sheng-Jie Wang, Jia-Qi Qin, Yu-Jiang Song

Journal of Electrochemistry

Water electrolysis for hydrogen production is beneficial for solving the problem of energy crisis and environmental issues. It is necessary to study highly active and cost-effective catalysts toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) to reduce the consumption of noble metals. Herein, we report the synthesis of core-shell structured Ru@Pt_0.24Ru nanoflowers electrocatalyst by stepwise reduction of Ru and Pt precursors in the mixture of oleylamine and benzyl alcohol at 160 ^oC. The average diameter of the resultant Ru@Pt_0.24Ru was 16.5±4.0 nm with a bulk atomic ratio between Pt and Ru of 0.24:1 and a surface ratio of …

Preparations And Photoelectrochemical Performances Of Rgo-Tio2 Nanotubes Arrays, Ze-Yang Zhang, Lan Sun, Chang-Jian Lin

Journal of Electrochemistry

Decorating TiO₂ nanotube arrays with RGO to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂ nanotube arrays has been reported. For the reported RGO-TiO₂ nanotube arrays, TiO₂ nanotube arrays were prepared by anodizing the high-purity Ti foil in an organic electrolyte for multiple-step treatments, while RGO were deposited on TiO₂ nanotube arrays by using cyclic voltammetry or other electrical reduction methods. To enhance the reduction degree and the coverage of RGO on the resultant RGO-TiO₂ nanotube arrays, in this work, the one-step electrochemical anodization in hydrofluoric acid was used to fabricate TiO₂ nanotube arrays with …

Effect Of Reaction Conditions On Cu⁃Catalyzed Co2 Electroreduction, Chang Zhu, Wei Chen, Yan-Fang Song, Xiao Dong, Gui-Hua Li, Wei Wei, Yu-Han Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) driven by renewable electricity that can meet both carbon emission reduction and renewable energy utilization has been rapidly developed in recent years. Copper (Cu) catalyst has long been a promising candidate for CO₂ electroreduction applications because of its natural abundance and specific capability of producing a substantial amount of C2 products. However, various metallic Cu electrodes reported have been significantly influenced by the adsorption of certain cation/anion ions, resulting in wide-span catalytic activities and selectivity for various products. In addition, a recent report demonstrated that by virtue of gas-diffusion flow cell …

Preparation And Process Optimization Of Cathode Materials For Lithium-Sulfur Batteries, Kai Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries represent promising candidates for next-generation energy storage system due to their high energy density and low material cost. However, the industrial application of Li-S batteries remains challenges because of the shuttle effect from lithium polysulfides and the lack of facial routes for Li-S battery preparation. To solve these problems, a cathode consisting of different commercial carbon materials, namely, acetylene black (SP), Ketjen Black (KB) and carbon nanotube (CNT), with sulfur (S) is prepared separately for Li-S battery. After the process of 8-h ball milling for KB/S composite, together with the polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) binder, the cathode could …

Numerical Simulations Of Current And Temperature Distribution Of Symmetrical Double-Cathode Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Stacks Based On The Theory Of Electric-Chemical-Thermal Coupling, Cheng-Rong Yu, Jian-Guo Zhu, Cong-Ying Jiang, Yu-Chen Gu, Ye-Xin Zhou, Zhuo-Bin Li, Rong-Min Wu, Zheng Zhong, Wan-Bing Guan

Journal of Electrochemistry

Solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is a high-efficient clean conversion device for future energy management. Because of the low antioxidant reduction ability and complex thermal stress, the structure of traditional asymmetrical thin anode-supported planar SOFC is easily to be broken under stack operating conditions. To overcome these defects, a new complete symmetrical SOFC based on double-sided cathodes was developed. To study the influences of gas flow direction and current collection mode on the cell performance inside stack, a numerical model was established by finite element method based on the theory of electro-thermo-chemo multiphysical coupling. By applying this model, the molar …

Effect Of 18-Crown-6 Additive On Chromium Electrodeposition In Ionic Liquid, Yi-Jie Wang, Dong-Fang Niu, Xin-Sheng Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Trivalent chromium ion (Cr³⁺) is used for electrodeposition due to its low toxicity. Electrodeposition in ionic liquids can greatly solve for hydrogen evolution problem. However,as a widely used Cr(III) precursor, chromium chloride hydrate (CrCl₃·6H₂O), still contains water. In the presence of water, Cr³⁺ will form a complex coordination structure with water molecules ([Cr(H₂O)₆]³⁺), which is a stable octahedral structure and is difficult to be directly reduced to chromium metal. Therefore, coordination agents should be added into the bath. In this work, the effect of 18-Crown-6 additive on …

Synergistic Effect Of Dissolving O2 And Wavelength On The Photo-Assisted Anodic Deposition Of Ceo2 Thin Films, Tong-Zheng Jin, Yu-Meng Yang, Sheng-Hui Fan, Guo-Ying Wei, Zhao Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Cerium dioxide (CeO₂) thin films have been applied as new material in many technical fields such as solid oxide fuel cells, catalysts, UV absorbents, pharmacology, and coatings for corrosion protection of many metals and alloys. Electrodeposition is widely considered to be one of the best preparation methods for CeO₂ film. In this work, the CeO₂ films were prepared by photo-assisted anodic deposition in the bath solutions containing 0.05 mol·L^-1 cerium (III) nitrate, 0.1 mol·L^-1 ammonia acetate and 70% (V/V) ethanol onto 316L stainless steel (SS) surface. The synergistic effects of …