Analysis of test beam data taken with a prototype of TPC with resistive Micromegas for the T2K Near Detector upgrade

In this paper we describe the performance of a prototype of the High Angle Time Projection Chambers (HA-TPCs) that are being produced for the Near Detector (ND280) upgrade of the T2K experiment. The two HA-TPCs of ND280 will be instrumented with eight Encapsulated Resistive Anode Micromegas (ERAM) on each endplate, thus constituting in total 32 ERAMs. This innovative technique allows the detection of the charge emitted by ionization electrons over several pads, improving the determination of the track position. The TPC prototype has been equipped with the first ERAM module produced for T2K and with the HA-TPC readout electronics chain and it has been exposed to the DESY Test Beam in order to measure spatial and dE/dx resolution. In this paper we characterize the performances of the ERAM and, for the first time, we compare them with a newly developed simulation of the detector response. Spatial resolution better than 800 ${\mu \rm m}$ and dE/dx resolution better than 10% are observed for all the incident angles and for all the drift distances of interest. All the main features of the data are correctly reproduced by the simulation and these performances fully fulfill the requirements for the HA-TPCs of T2K

Characterization of Charge Spreading and Gain of Encapsulated Resistive Micromegas Detectors for the Upgrade of the T2K Near Detector Time Projection Chambers

An upgrade of the near detector of the T2K long baseline neutrino oscillation experiment is currently being conducted. This upgrade will include two new Time Projection Chambers, each equipped with 16 charge readout resistive Micromegas modules. A procedure to validate the performance of the detectors at different stages of production has been developed and implemented to ensure a proper and reliable operation of the detectors once installed. A dedicated X-ray test bench is used to characterize the detectors by scanning each pad individually and to precisely measure the uniformity of the gain and the deposited energy resolution over the pad plane. An energy resolution of about 10% is obtained. A detailed physical model has been developed to describe the charge dispersion phenomena in the resistive Micromegas anode. The detailed physical description includes initial ionization, electron drift, diffusion effects and the readout electronics effects. The model provides an excellent characterization of the charge spreading of the experimental measurements and allowed the simultaneous extraction of gain and RC information of the modules

Development of a thin flexible Li battery design with a new gel polymer electrolyte operating at room temperature

In this study, we develop a new Li-metal battery design merging with IoT requirements, mainly the low thickness, the thermal stability and the flexibility. To reach these specifications, we firstly prepared an efficient gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) composed of a PVDF-HFP polymer network, a LiFSI: Pyr13FSI liquid binary solution and a lithium montmorillonite Li-MMT clay. The as-synthesized material exhibits a high ionic conductivity (0.48 mS cm-1 at 25 ◦C) and a good thermal stability, up to 140 ◦C. In parallel, a new battery design with an optimized ratio of packaging to active material thickness is developed. In this design, copper foils act both as current collector and as battery casing, decreasing the overall cell thickness. Li metal batteries are realized using the developed GPE material and this new battery design. The cell thickness is 360 and 760 μm for single side and double-sided architectures respectively. These batteries show well functioning under high bending and exhibit a good cycling ability with a remaining capacity higher than 85% after more than 200 cycles at 25 ◦C. Thanks to the combination of the original Cu packaging and the flexible GPE membrane, developed Li-metal batteries exhibit promising properties to merge with the new IoT requirements.EnSO projec

Rechargeable Thin‐Film Lithium Microbattery Using a Quasi‐Solid‐State Polymer Electrolyte

International audienceAbstract A thin‐film microbattery was designed after synthesizing a unique gel polymer electrolyte (GPE), using polyvinylidene fluoride‐co‐hexafluoropropylene (PVdF‐HFP) and cross‐linked poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO), with an ionic liquid and salt (LiTFSI) mixture. The polymers resulted in a semi‐interpenetrated polymer network (semi‐IPN), hosting an ionic liquid (IL)/salt mixture, and thus exhibited high ionic conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) diffusion measurements and relaxation rates analysis highlighted the existence of interactions between Li + ions and oxygen within the polymers, preventing electrolyte leakage and ensuring excellent mechanical strength which enabled a unique quasi‐solid electrolyte. Such mechanical strength and chemical stability made this electrolyte to be first ever reported GPE to withstand thermal evaporation deposition and hence direct deposition of lithium metal. The electrolyte could be shaped as self‐standing thin films, and thus worked as both separator and electrolyte in a thin‐film lithium microbattery. The thin‐film microbattery exhibited excellent performances showing no short‐circuit current, an open circuit voltage of ∼3.0 V, higher nominal voltage plateau, lower equivalent series resistance by comparison to a thin‐film microbattery designed in conventional way with a popular ceramic electrolyte LiPON