We report on the rheological and electrical properties of non-aqueous carbon black (CB) suspensions at equilibrium and under steady shear flow. The smaller the primary particle size of carbon black is, the higher the magnitude of rheological parameters and the conductivity are. The electrical percolation threshold ranges seem to coincide with the strong gel rather than the weak gel rheological threshold ones. The simultaneous measurements of electrical properties under shear flow reveal the well-known breaking-and-reforming mechanism that characterises such complex fluids. The small shear rate breaks up the network into smaller agglomerates, which in turn transform into anisometric eroded ones at very high shear rates, recovering the network conductivity. The type of carbon black, its concentration range and the flow rate range are now precisely identified for optimizing the performance of a redox flow battery. A preliminary electrochemical study for a composite anolyte (CB/Li4Ti5O12) at different charge-discharge rates and thicknesses is shown.

The role of two homologous cyclic sulfate electrolyte additives, trimethylene sulfate (or 1,3,2-dioxathiane-2,2-dioxide, TMS) and ethylene sulfate (or 1,3,2-dioxathiolane-2,2-dioxide, DTD), used either alone or in combination with vinylene carbonate (VC) on the lifetime of LiNi 1/3 Mn 1/3 Co 1/3 O 2 (NMC)/graphite pouch cells was studied by correlating data from gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC−MS), dQ/dV analysis, ultrahigh precision coulometry, storage experiments, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. For VC alone, more stable and protective SEI films were observed at the surface of both electrodes due to the formation of a polymer of VC, which results in higher capacity retention. For TMS, similar chemical SEI compositions were found compared to the TMS-free electrolytes. When VC was added to TMS, longer cell lifetime is attributed to VC. For DTD, a cell lifetime that competes with VC was explained by a preferential reduction potential and a much higher fraction of organic compounds in the SEI films. When VC was added to DTD, the contribution of both additives to the SEI films is consistent with the initial reactivity observed from dQ/dV and GC−MS analysis.