Toward Reversible and Moisture-Tolerant Aprotic Lithium-Air Batteries

The development of moisture-tolerant, LiOH-based non-aqueous Li-O2 batteries is a promising route to bypass the inherent limitations caused by the instability of their typical discharge products, LiO2 and Li2O2. The use of the I−/I3− redox couple to mediate the LiOH-based oxygen reduction and oxidation reactions has proven challenging due to the multiple reaction paths induced by the oxidation of I− on cell charging. In this work, we introduce an ionic liquid to a glyme-based electrolyte containing LiI and water and demonstrate a reversible LiOH-based Li-O2 battery cycling that operates via a 4 e−/O2 process with a low charging overpotential (below 3.5 V versus Li/Li+). The addition of the ionic liquid increases the oxidizing power of I3−, shifting the charging mechanism from IO−/IO3− formation to O2 evolution

In situ XAFS of acid-resilient iridate pyrochlore oxygen evolution electrocatalysts under operating conditions

Pyrochlore iridates (Na,Ca)2-xIr2O6?H2O are acid-stable electrocatalysts that are candidates for use in electrolysers and fuel cells. Ir LIII-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy in 1 M H2SO4 at oxygen evolution conditions suggests the involvement of the electrons from the conduction band of the metallic particles, rather than just surface iridium reacting

Epileptiform activity in the mouse visual cortex interferes with cortical processing in connected areas

Epileptiform activity is associated with impairment of brain function even in absence of seizures, as demonstrated by failures in various testing paradigm in presence of hypersynchronous interictal spikes (ISs). Clinical evidence suggests that cognitive deficits might be directly caused by the anomalous activity rather than by its underlying etiology. Indeed, we seek to understand whether ISs interfere with neuronal processing in connected areas not directly participating in the hypersynchronous activity in an acute model of epilepsy. Here we cause focal ISs in the visual cortex of anesthetized mice and we determine that, even if ISs do not invade the opposite hemisphere, the local field potential is subtly disrupted with a modulation of firing probability imposed by the contralateral IS activity. Finally, we find that visual processing is altered depending on the temporal relationship between ISs and stimulus presentation. We conclude that focal ISs interact with normal cortical dynamics far from the epileptic focus, disrupting endogenous oscillatory rhythms and affecting information processing

Exploiting the flexibility of the pyrochlore composition for acid-resilient Iridium oxide electrocatalysts in proton exchange membranes

Iridate pyrochlore oxides (Na,Ca)2-x(Ir2-yMy)O6·nH2O (M = Sb, Zr, Ru, Rh) are studied as resilient electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction under acid conditions. The materials crystallise from aqueous solution under alkali hydrothermal conditions with 10-40 nm crystallite size. Refinement of their crystal structures using both powder neutron and X-ray diffraction determined the composition of the materials, and Ir LIII-edge XANES spectroscopy shows the average Ir oxidation state to be close to 4.5 in all materials, consistent with bond valence sums. All materials show high electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction and the electrocatalyst which best maintains activity on cycling is the sodium-free Ca2-xIr2O6·nH2O, while the (Na,Ca)2-xIr2O6·nH2O material shows highest activity when normalised for surface area. In membrane electrode assemblies, carbon corrosion is minimised, making the materials suitable for use in catalyst layers in proton exchange membrane devices, such as electrolysers and fuel cells. Under strongly acidic conditions it is proved that while A-site Ca and Na are readily leached, the average pyrochlore structure is maintained, as is electrocatalytic activity, with charge balance achieved by inclusion of protons in the pyrochlore structure in the form of bridging hydroxyls, as seen using inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy

(M,Ru)O2 (M = Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co) rutiles and their use as oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in membrane electrode assemblies under acidic conditions

The rutiles (M,Ru)O2 (M = Mg, Zn, Co, Ni, Cu) are formed directly under hydrothermal conditions at 240 °C from potassium perruthenate and either peroxides of zinc or magnesium, or poorly crystalline oxides of cobalt, nickel or copper. The polycrystalline powders consist of lath-shaped crystallites, tens of nanometres in maximum dimension. Powder neutron diffraction shows that the materials have expanded a axis and contracted c axis compared to the parent RuO2, but there is no evidence of lowering of symmetry to other AO2-type structures, supported by Raman spectroscopy. Rietveld refinement shows no evidence for oxide non-stoichiometry and provides a formula (MxRu1-x)O2 with 0.14 < x < 0.2, depending on the substituent metal. This is supported by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis on the transmission electron microscope, while Ru K-edge XANES spectroscopy shows that upon inclusion of the substituent the average Ru oxidation state is increased to balance charge. Variable temperature magnetic measurements provide evidence for atomic homogeneity of the mixed metal materials, with suppression of the high temperature antiferromagnetism of RuO2 and increased magnetic moment. The new rutiles all show enhanced electrocatalysis compared to reference RuO2 materials for oxygen evolution in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte at 60 °C, with higher specific and mass activity (per Ru) than a low surface area crystalline RuO2, and with less Ru dissolution over 1000 cycles compared to an RuO2 with a similar surface area. Magnesium substitution provides the optimum balance between stability and activity, despite leaching of the Mg2+ into solution, and this was proved in membrane electrode assemblies

Towards Reversible and Moisture Tolerant Aprotic Lithium-Air Batteries

The development of moisture-tolerant, LiOH-based non-aqueous Li-O2 batteries is a promising route to bypass the inherent limitations caused by the instability of their typical discharge products, LiO2 and Li2O2. The use of the I−/I3− redox couple to mediate the LiOH-based oxygen reduction and oxidation reactions has proven challenging due to the multiple reaction paths induced by the oxidation of I− on cell charging. In this work, we introduce an ionic liquid to a glyme-based electrolyte containing LiI and water and demonstrate a reversible LiOH-based Li-O2 battery cycling that operates via a 4 e−/O2 process with a low charging overpotential (below 3.5 V versus Li/Li+). The addition of the ionic liquid increases the oxidizing power of I3−, shifting the charging mechanism from IO−/IO3− formation to O2 evolution

Towards Reversible and Moisture Tolerant Aprotic Lithium-Air Batteries

The development of moisture-tolerant, LiOH-based non-aqueous Li-O2 batteries is a promising route to bypassing the inherent limitations caused by the instability of their typical discharge products, LiO2 and Li2O2. The use of the I-/I3- redox couple to mediate the LiOH-based oxygen reduction and oxidation reactions has proven challenging to develop due to the multiple reaction paths induced by the oxidation of I- on cell charging. In this work we demonstrate a reversible LiOH-based Li-O2 battery cycling through a 4 e-/O2 process with low charging overpotential (below 3.5 V vs Li/Li+) by introducing an ionic liquid to a glyme-based electrolyte containing LiI and water. The addition to the ionic liquid increases the oxidizing power of I3-, shifting the charging mechanism from IO-/IO3- formation to O2 evolution</b

In situ XAFS of acid-resilient iridate pyrochlore oxygen evolution electrocatalysts under operating conditions

Pyrochlore iridates (Na,Ca)2-xIr2O6·H2O are acid-stable electrocatalysts that are candidates for use in electrolysers and fuel cells. Ir LIII-edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy in 1 M H2SO4 at oxygen evolution conditions suggests the involvement of the electrons from the conduction band of the metallic particles, rather than just surface iridium reacting

Data for (M,Ru)O2 (M = Mg, Zn, Cu, Ni, Co) Rutiles and their use as Oxygen evolution electrocatalysts in membrane electrode assemblies under acidic conditions

The rutiles (M,Ru)O2 (M = Mg, Zn, Co, Ni, Cu) are formed directly under hydrothermal conditions at 240 °C from potassium perruthenate and either peroxides of zinc or magnesium, or poorly crystalline oxides of cobalt, nickel or copper. The polycrystalline powders consist of lath-shaped crystallites, tens of nanometres in maximum dimension. Powder neutron diffraction shows that the materials have expanded a axis and contracted c axis compared to the parent RuO2, but there is no evidence of lowering of symmetry to other AO2-type structures, supported by Raman spectroscopy. Rietveld refinement shows no evidence for oxide non-stoichiometry and provides a formula (MxRu1-x)O2 with 0.14 < x < 0.2, depending on the substituent metal. This is supported by energy-dispersive X-ray analysis on the transmission electron microscope, while Ru K-edge XANES spectroscopy shows that upon inclusion of the substituent the average Ru oxidation state is increased to balance charge. Variable temperature magnetic measurements provide evidence for atomic homogeneity of the mixed metal materials, with suppression of the high temperature antiferromagnetism of RuO2 and increased magnetic moment. The new rutiles all show enhanced electrocatalysis compared to reference RuO2 materials for oxygen evolution in 1 M H2SO4 electrolyte at 60 °C, with higher specific and mass activity (per Ru) than a low surface area crystalline RuO2, and with less Ru dissolution over 1000 cycles compared to an RuO2 with a similar surface area. Magnesium substitution provides the optimum balance between stability and activity, despite leaching of the Mg2+ into solution, and this was proved in membrane electrode assemblies

Temperature-Driven Dissolution of Nanoalloyed Catalyst During Ink Preparation and Membrane Electrode Assembly Fabrication

Platinum (Pt) alloys are excellent oxygen-reduction catalysts used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, yet their effective integration poses challenges. Through in-situ X-ray diffraction, we investigate the compositional changes during the ink preparation of PtCo and PtNi catalysts and reveal that dissolution is primarily driven by temperature. Comparisons with conventional catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) fabrication methods highlight structural transformations during hot-pressing. Paving the way for advancements in sustainable energy technologies, our findings emphasize the essential need for fundamental knowledge of ink-making and CCM fabrication to unlock Pt-alloy catalyst potential for hydrogen fuel cells. In addition to the academic community, the industry shall benefit from this precise and easy-to-employ methodology