The principal inhibitor of fast charging lithium ion cells is the graphite negative electrode, where favorable conditions for lithium plating occur at high charge rates, causing accelerated degradation and safety...
Organic
semiconductors are of interest for (opto)electronic applications
due to their low cost, solution processability, and tunable properties.
Recently, natural product-derived organic pigments attracted attention
due to their extraordinary environmental stability and unexpectedly
good optoelectronic performance, in spite of only partially conjugated
molecular structure. Fungi-derived pigments are a naturally sourced,
sustainable class of materials that are largely unexplored as organic
semiconductor materials. We present a study of the optical and electronic
properties of a fungi-derived pigment xylindein, which is secreted
by the wood-staining fungi
Chlorociboria aeruginosa
, and its blends with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and crystalline
nanocellulose (CNC). Optical absorption spectra of xylindein revealed
the presence of two tautomers whose structures and properties were
established using density functional theory. Pronounced pigment aggregation
in polar solvents and in films, driven by intermolecular hydrogen
bonding, was also observed. The pigment exhibited high photostability,
electron mobility up to 0.4 cm
2
/(V s) in amorphous films,
and thermally activated charge transport and photoresponse with activation
energies of ∼0.3 and 0.2 eV, respectively. The dark and photocurrents
in xylindein:PMMA blends were comparable to those in pristine xylindein
film, whereas blends with CNC exhibited lower currents due to inhomogeneous
distribution of xylindein in the CNC.
As the battery industry shifts toward high Ni content cathodes, such as LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 [NMC811], a complete understanding of the degradation mechanisms of NMC811 under extreme fast charging (XFC) (XFC, ≤10–15 min charging) conditions is needed. Such comprehensive understanding would identify the most critical materials gaps that need to be addressed for enabling XFC long‐life cells for electric vehicles. This study maps out the key aging mechanisms for NMC811 cycled at different XFC conditions (between 1C and 9C) for up to 1000 cycles. To acquire a fundamental understanding of utilization and degradation, cells are evaluated using a range of electrochemical techniques, and multimodal and multiscale microscopy techniques to quantify chemical, structural, and crystallographic degradation as a function of cycling conditions for the NMC cathode. When comparing NMC811 to NMC532, it is observed that NMC811 has a greater subsurface crystallographic degradation and displays a similar magnitude of subparticle cracking. However, the NMC811 maintains superior performance despite those advanced degradations. The superior cycle life performance is attributed to the NMC811 particles having radially oriented grains and improved transport properties. NMC811 shows between 4.6× and 3.15× reduction in capacity fade than NMC532 for charging rates between 4C (e.g., 15‐min charging) and 6C (10‐min charging).
Strong electrodes with good energy storage capabilities are necessary to accommodate the current needs for structural and flexible electronics. To this end, conjugated polymers such as polyaniline (PANI) have attracted...
Conceptual and commercial examples of implantable sensors have been limited to a relatively small number of target analytes, with a strong focus on glucose monitoring. Recently, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) pH sensors were demonstrated to track acid-producing enzymatic reactions targeting specific analytes. We show here that SERS pH tracking in the basic regime is also possible, and can be used to monitor urea concentration. To accomplish this, we developed a hydrogel consisting of polyelectrolyte multilayer microcapsules containing a SERS-sensitive pH reporter (4-mercapopyridine capped silver nanoparticles modified with bovine serum albumin). This pH sensing material exhibited a sensitive Raman scattering response to a wide range of pH from 6.5–9.7. By incorporating urease into the hydrogel matrix, the new sensor was capable of distinguishing urea concentrations of 0, 0.1, 1, and 10 mM. We also found that bovine serum albumin (BSA) prevented severe aggregation of the nanoparticle-based pH sensor, which improved sensing range and sensitivity. Furthermore, BSA safeguarded the pH sensor during the encapsulation procedure. Together, the combination of materials represents a novel approach to enabling optical sensing of reactions that generate pH changes in the basic range.
Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are a promising electrochemical technology for the efficient and reliable delivery of electricity, providing opportunities to integrate intermittent renewable resources and to support unreliable and/or aging grid infrastructure. Within the RFB, porous carbonaceous electrodes facilitate the electrochemical reactions, distribute the flowing electrolyte, and conduct electrons. Understanding electrode reaction kinetics is crucial for improving RFB performance and lowering costs. However, assessing reaction kinetics on porous electrodes is challenging as their complex structure frustrates canonical electroanalytical techniques used to quantify performance descriptors. Here, we outline a strategy to estimate electron transfer kinetics on planar electrode materials of similar surface chemistry to those used in RFBs. First, we describe a bottom-up synthetic process to produce flat, dense carbon films to enable the evaluation of electron transfer kinetics using traditional electrochemical approaches. Next, we characterize the physicochemical properties of the films using a suite of spectroscopic methods, confirming that their surface characteristics align with those of widely used porous electrodes. Last, we study the electrochemical performance of the films in a custom-designed cell architecture, extracting intrinsic heterogeneous kinetic rate constants for two iron-based redox couples in aqueous electrolytes using standard electrochemical methods (i.e., cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance, and spectroscopy). We anticipate that the synthetic methods and experimental protocols described here are applicable to a range of electrocatalysts and redox couples.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.