Prussian Blue Analogue (PBA)-Zn aqueous batteries are attractive because of the high potential of PBA against Zn (~1.7 V), relative safety of the system, and high rate capability. But, despite the long cycle life of PBA half-cells, full PBA-Zn battery systems studied thus far have typically reported only up to 100 cycles and suffer significant capacity fade beyond that. In this work we demonstrate that the loss in capacity retention and cycle life is a combined effect of Zn 2+ ion poisoning at the PBA cathode, as well as dendrite formation in the zinc anode. We address both these issues via the use of a dual ion (Na + as the primary charge carrier) electrolyte and hyper-dendritic Zinc (HD Zn) as the anode. The copper hexacyanoferrate (CuHcf) vs. HD Zn system with Na + ion electrolyte demonstrated herein exhibits 90% (83%) capacity retention after 300 (500) cycles at a 5C rate and a 3% reduction in usable capacity from 1C to 5C. Detailed characterization is done using in situ synchrotron energy-dispersive XRD (EDXRD), conventional XRD, XPS, SEM, TEM, and electrochemical techniques.

This study investigates the evolution of material and electrochemical properties in commercial lithium-ion batteries during cycling. Results indicate that as-received batteries undergo a post-formation break-in period, which is signified by an initial, rapid evolution of the battery's properties before stabilizing. Break-in corresponds to non-chemical crosstalk, whereby physical changes in the negative electrode affect the electrochemical performance of the positive electrode. These findings demonstrate how interplay between components during early cycles can affect the future battery performance.

In this work we build upon acoustic-electrochemical correlations to investigate the relationships between sound wave structure and chemo-mechanical properties of a pouch cell battery. Cell thickness imaging and wave detection...

Safety of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) has been a primary concern since their first appearance in commercialized products [1]. Abusive conditions such as over-charging/discharging, overheating, and internal short circuit lead to gas evolution and mechanical expansion in LIBs, and result in transformations to electrode morphology [2]. These changes potentially negatively impact electrochemical performance and even the safety characteristics of LIBs [3]. Here, we studied the use of an in-house transmission X-ray microscope (TXM) to visualize mechanical expansion and degradation of electrode stacks during the abusive cycling of LIBs [3, 4]. We also characterized the capacity fade of LIBs with Electrochemical-Acoustic Time-of-Flight (EAToF) [5] and electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) measurements.

Integrating energy storage into clothing would enable wearable electronics of a more comfortable form factor and weight distribution compared to traditional rigid cells. Work on LTO vs LCO systems by previous groups have demonstrated the material system’s ability to be flexed or produced with scalable methods. In this work we report a low-cost automated fabrication setup to produce flexible LTO/LCO batteries on carbon fiber substrates. The modular thread-coating system reported here takes advantage of cheap Arduino microcontrollers and 3D printed structures for a highly customizable design allowing for rapid prototyping of different material systems. In this particular setup, a stepper motor pulls a fiber through a series of 3D-printed stages where the fiber substrate is subjected to slurry deposition, washing, heating or packaging to produce a functional LTO/LCO battery. The modular system serves as a useful intermediary between initial lab scale research— in which artisanal manual skills are often required from the researcher— and the industrial production process— in which automation and high throughput are paramount. The modular intermediary allows one to mimic mass production at a lab scale to identify challenges and solutions to scaling up a battery architecture for wide use.