LiFePO₄/Mesoporous Carbon Hybrid Supercapacitor Based on LiTFSI/Imidazolium Ionic Liquid Electrolyte

A hybrid SC prepared with mesoporous carbon as the negative electrode, LiFePO₄ as the positive electrode, and a LiTFSI/imidazolium ionic liquid solution as electrolyte is presented. The cell was conceived on the basis that it offers all of the safety features of ionic liquids (IL) and LiFePO₄, in addition to the advantages of a high energy density device. Most of the high performance hybrids so far reported in the literature employ aqueous or organic electrolytes, whereas studies of hybrid cells based on IL are still rare. Here, a fundamental study was conducted to understand how the different interfaces and mechanisms operate in a hybrid system based on IL electrolyte and how this affects cell performance. This device was mainly characterized using cyclic chronopotentiometry that allows cell voltage and electrode potentials to be simultaneously recorded. By means of this technique, it was possible to evaluate the overall behavior of the hybrid cell and the faradaic and capacitive electrodes simultaneously and to compare it with the performance of selected standard cells. The results show that the cell is able to attain an energy density of 43.3 W h kg^–1 at 0.010 A g^–1 (C/5 in relation to LiFePO₄), while maintaining a good cycling performance

Thermodynamic Study of Methylene Blue Adsorption on Carbon Nanotubes Using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry: A Simple and Rigorous Approach

In this article, a thermodynamic study of the methylene blue (MB) adsorption on carbon nanotubes (CNT), a known model system, was carried out by using a simple and rigorous experimental approach based on adsorption and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) experiments. Considering the thermodynamics of the process, the classical approach using the van’t Hoff approximation provided endothermic values for Δ_ads<i>H</i>⁰ while the ITC measurements revealed that the adsorption of MB on both unmodified and acid-modified CNTs is an exothermic process. The thermodynamic parameters for the systems were obtained using the infinite dilution regime and ITC data: Δ_ads<i>H</i>⁰ = −9.13 ± 0.02 kJ mol^–1, Δ_ads<i>G</i>⁰ = −21.18 ± 0.61 kJ mol^–1, and Δ_ads<i>S</i>⁰ = 40.42 ± 0.61 J K^–1 mol^–1 for u-CNT and Δ_ads<i>H</i>⁰ = −11.49 ± 0.34 kJ mol^–1, Δ_ads<i>G</i>⁰ = −27.88 ± 0.18 kJ mol^–1, and Δ_ads<i>S</i>⁰ = 54.97 ± 0.38 J K^–1 mol^–1 for f-CNT. The process is both enthalpically and entropically driven, having a more negative Δ_ads<i>G</i>⁰ for the system based on a modified nanotube. With this work, we expect to increase the interest of researchers in the study of other solid–liquid adsorption systems using calorimetric techniques and also contribute to a more accurate characterization of the thermodynamic properties without the use of an excessive number of approximations

Hybrid MoS₂/h-BN Nanofillers As Synergic Heat Dissipation and Reinforcement Additives in Epoxy Nanocomposites

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials as molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), and their hybrid (MoS₂/h-BN) were employed as fillers to improve the physical properties of epoxy composites. Nanocomposites were produced in different concentrations and studied in their microstructure, mechanical and thermal properties. The hybrid 2D mixture imparted efficient reinforcement to the epoxy leading to increases of up to 95% in tensile strength, 60% in ultimate strain, and 58% in Young’s modulus. Moreover, an enhancement of 203% in thermal conductivity was achieved for the hybrid composite as compared to the pure polymer. The incorporation of MoS₂/h-BN mixture nanofillers in epoxy resulted in nanocomposites with multifunctional characteristics for applications that require high mechanical and thermal performance