The fabrication of a bifunctional oxygen GDE without carbon components for alkaline secondary batteries

The fabrication of a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) without carbon components is described. It is therefore suitable for use as a bifunctional oxygen electrode in alkaline secondary batteries. The electrode is fabricated in two stages (a) the formation of a PTFE-bonded nickel powder layer on a nickel foam substrate and (b) the deposition of a NiCo2O4 spinel electrocatalyst layer by dip coating in a nitrate solution and thermal decomposition. The influence of modifications to the procedure on the performance of the GDEs in 8 M NaOH at 333 K is described. The GDEs can support current densities up to 100 mA cm−2 with state-of-the-art overpotentials for both oxygen evolution and oxygen reduction. Stable performance during >50 successive, 1 h oxygen reduction/evolution cycles at a current density of 50 mA cm−2 has been achieved.European CommissionEnergy Storage Systems for Power Distribution Network

The 3D Printing of a Polymeric Electrochemical Cell Body and its Characterisation

An undivided flow cell was designed and constructed using additive manufacturing technology and its mass transport characteristics were evaluated using the reduction of ferricyanide, hexacyanoferrate (III) ions at a nickel surface. The dimensionless mass transfer correlation Sh = aRebScdLee was obtained using the convective-diffusion limiting current observed in linear sweep voltammetry; this correlation compared closely with that reported in the literature from traditionally machined plane parallel rectangular flow channel reactors. The ability of 3D printer technology, aided by computational graphics, to rapidly and conveniently design, manufacture and re-design the geometrical characteristics of the flow cell is highlighted.status: publishe