No abstract

Green hydrogen production using renewables-powered, low-temperature water electrolysers is crucial for rapidly decarbonising the industrial sector and with it many chemical transformation processes. However, despite decades of research, advances at laboratory-scale in terms of catalyst design and insights into underlying processes have not significantly resulted in urgently needed improvements in water electrolyser performance or higher deployment rates. In light of recent developments in water electrolyser devices

The microstructure of lithium-ion battery separators plays an important role in separator performance; however, here we show that a geometrical analysis falls short in predicting the lithium-ion transport in the electrolyte-filled pore space. By systematically modifying the surface chemistry of a commercial polyethylene separator while keeping its microstructure unchanged, we demonstrate that surface chemistry, which alters separator-electrolyte interactions, influences ionic conductivity and lithium-ion transference number. Changes in separator surface chemistry, particularly those that increase lithium-ion transference numbers can reduce voltage drops across the separator and improve C-rate capability.

Pore space connectivity is a useful metric for describing microstructure of lithium ion battery components.