Electrodeposited Ionomer Protection Layer for Negative Electrodes in Zinc-Air Batteries.

The protection of zinc anodes in zinc-air batteries (ZABs) is an efficient way to reduce corrosion and Zn dendrite formation and improve cyclability and battery efficiency. Anion-conducting poly(N-vinylbenzyl N,N,N-trimethylammonium)chloride (PVBTMA) thin films were electrodeposited directly on zinc metal using cyclic voltammetry. This deposition process presents a combination of advantages, including selective anion transport in PVBTMA reducing zinc crossover, high interface quality by electrodeposition improving the corrosion protection of zinc and high ionomer stiffness opposing zinc dendrite perforation.

Nanostructured, Metal-Free Electrodes for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction Containing Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Quantum Dots and a Hydroxide Ion-Conducting Ionomer.

In this work, we studied the combination of nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CQD), a hydroxide-ion conducting ionomer based on polysulfone (PSU) and polyaniline (PANI), to explore the complementary properties of these materials in high-performance nanostructured electrodes for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution. N-CQD were made by hydrothermal synthesis from glucosamine hydrochloride (GAH) or glucosamine hydrochloride and N-Octylamine (GAH-Oct), and PSU were quaternized with trimethylamine (PSU-TMA). The nanocomposite electrodes were prepared on carbon paper by drop-casting.

Synthesis and evaluation of corrosion inhibitory and adsorptive properties of N-(β-ethoxypropionitrile-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethylethoxy) fatty amide.

The present study reports a synthetic condensation process of a vegetable oil (waste) reacted with triethanolamine, maleic anhydride and acrylonitrile in (1 : 1.2 : 2 : 1) mole ratios to obtain N-(β-ethoxypropionitrile)-N,N-bis(2-hydroxyethylethoxy) fatty amide as a major inhibitory product. Corrosion property of steel in a 3% NaCl solution in the presence of a potential inhibitor was investigated using weight loss, potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods.

All-Solid-State Lithium Ion Batteries Using Self-Organized TiO Nanotubes Grown from Ti-6Al-4V Alloy.

All-solid-state batteries were fabricated by assembling a layer of self-organized TiO nanotubes grown on as anode, a thin-film of polymer as an electrolyte and separator, and a layer of composite LiFePO as a cathode. The synthesis of self-organized TiO NTs from Ti-6Al-4V alloy was carried out via one-step electrochemical anodization in a fluoride ethylene glycol containing electrolytes. The electrodeposition of the polymer electrolyte onto anatase TiO NTs was performed by cyclic voltammetry.

Direct Pre-lithiation of Electropolymerized Carbon Nanotubes for Enhanced Cycling Performance of Flexible Li-Ion Micro-Batteries.

Carbon nanotubes (CNT) are used as anodes for flexible Li-ion micro-batteries. However, one of the major challenges in the growth of flexible micro-batteries with CNT as the anode is their immense capacity loss and a very low initial coulombic efficiency. In this study, we report the use of a facile direct pre-lithiation to suppress high irreversible capacity of the CNT electrodes in the first cycles.

Sputtered Porous Li-Fe-P-O Film Cathodes Prepared by Radio Frequency Sputtering for Li-ion Microbatteries.

The increasing demands from micro-power applications call for the development of the electrode materials for Li-ion microbatteries using thin-film technology. Porous Olivine-type LiFePO (LFP) and NASICON-type LiFe(PO) have been successfully fabricated by radio frequency (RF) sputtering and post-annealing treatments of LFP thin films. The microstructures of the LFP films were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.

Optical and Electrochemical Properties of Self-Organized TiO Nanotube Arrays From Anodized Ti-6Al-4V Alloy.

Due to their high specific surface area and advanced properties, TiO nanotubes (TiO NTs) have a great significance for production and storage of energy. In this paper, TiO NTs were synthesized from anodization of Ti-6Al-4V alloy at 60 V for 3 h in fluoride ethylene glycol electrolyte by varying the water content and further annealing treatment. The morphological, structural, optical and electrochemical performances of TiO NTs were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Visible spectroscopy and electrochemical characterization techniques.

Porous NASICON-Type Li3Fe2(PO4)3 Thin Film Deposited by RF Sputtering as Cathode Material for Li-Ion Microbatteries.

We report the electrochemical performance of porous NASICON-type Li3Fe2(PO4)3 thin films to be used as a cathode for Li-ion microbatteries. Crystalline porous NASICON-type Li3Fe2(PO4)3 layers were obtained by radio frequency sputtering with an annealing treatment. The thin films were characterized by XRD, SEM, and electrochemical techniques.

Stability of SG1 nitroxide towards unprotected sugar and lithium salts: a preamble to cellulose modification by nitroxide-mediated graft polymerization.

The range of applications of cellulose, a glucose-based polysaccharide, is limited by its inherently poor mechanical properties. The grafting of synthetic polymer chains by, for example, a "grafting from" process may provide the means to broaden the range of applications. The nitroxide-mediated polymerization (NMP) method is a technique of choice to control the length, the composition and the architecture of the grafted copolymers.

Electrochemical fabrication of Sn nanowires on titania nanotube guide layers.

We describe a novel approach for the fabrication of tailored nanowires using a two-step electrochemical process. It is demonstrated that self-organized TiO(2) nanotubes can be used to activate and guide the electrochemical growth of Sn crystallites, leading to the formation of vertical features with a high aspect ratio. We show that the dimensions and the density of Sn crystallites depend on the electrodeposition parameters.