3 research outputs found
Toward New Solvents for EDLCs: From Computational Screening to Electrochemical Validation
The development of innovative electrolytes
is a key aspect of improving
electrochemical double layer capacitors (EDLCs). New solvents, new
conducting salts as well as new ionic liquids need to be considered.
To avoid time-consuming âtrial and errorâ experiments,
it is desirable to ârationalizeâ this search for new
materials. An important step in this direction is the systematic application
of computational screening approaches. Via the fast prediction of
the properties of a large number of compounds, for instance all reasonable
candidates within a given compound class, such approaches should allow
to identify of the most promising candidates for subsequent experiments.
In this work we consider the toy system of all reasonable nitrile
solvents up to 12 heavy atoms. To investigate if our recently proposed
computational screening strategy is a feasible tool for the purpose
of rationalizing the search for new EDLC electrolyte materials, we
correlateî¸in the case of EDLCs for the first timeî¸computational
screening results with experimental findings. For this, experiments
are performed on those compounds for which experimental data is not
available from the literature. We find that our screening approach
is well suited to pick good candidates out of the set of all reasonable
nitriles, comprising almost 5000 compounds
Insights into Bulk Electrolyte Effects on the Operative Voltage of Electrochemical Double-Layer Capacitors
Electrochemical
double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are robust, high-power,
and fast-charging energy storage devices. Rational design of novel
electrolyte materials could further improve the performance of EDLCs.
Computational methods offer immense scope in aiding the development
of such materials. Trends in experimentally observed operative voltages
nevertheless remain difficult to predict and understand. We discuss
here the intriguing case of adiponitrile (ADN) versus 2-methyl-glutaronitrile
(2MGN) based electrolytes, which result in very different operative
voltages in EDLCs despite structural similarity. As a preliminary
step, bulk electrolyte effects on electrochemical stability are investigated
by <i>ab initio</i> molecular dynamics (AIMD) and static,
cluster-based quantum chemistry calculations
Impact of Selected LiPF<sub>6</sub> Hydrolysis Products on the High Voltage Stability of Lithium-Ion Battery Cells
Diverse
LiPF<sub>6</sub> hydrolysis products evolve during lithium-ion battery
cell operation at elevated operation temperatures and high operation
voltages. However, their impact on the formation and stability of
the electrode/electrolyte interfaces is not yet investigated and understood.
In this work, literature-known hydrolysis products of LiPF<sub>6</sub> dimethyl fluorophosphate (DMFP) and diethyl fluorophosphate (DEFP)
were synthesized and characterized. The use of DMFP and DEFP as electrolyte
additive in 1 M LiPF<sub>6</sub> in EC:EMC (1:1, by wt) was investigated
in LiNi<sub>1/3</sub>Mn<sub>1/3</sub>Co<sub>1/3</sub>O<sub>2</sub>/Li half cells. When charged to a cutoff potential of 4.6 V vs Li/Li<sup>+</sup>, the additive containing cells showed improved cycling stability,
increased Coulombic efficiencies, and prolonged shelf life. Furthermore,
low amounts (1 wt % in this study) of the aforementioned additives
did not show any negative effect on the cycling stability of graphite/Li
half cells. DMFP and DEFP are susceptible to oxidation and contribute
to the formation of an effective cathode/electrolyte interphase as
confirmed by means of electrochemical stability window determination,
and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterization of pristine
and cycled electrodes, and they are supported by computational calculations