Search results for "Chemical energy"
showing 10 items of 23 documents
Atomic Layer Deposition of Spinel Lithium Manganese Oxide by Film-Body-Controlled Lithium Incorporation for Thin-Film Lithium-Ion Batteries
2013
Lithium manganese oxide spinels are promising candidate materials for thin-film lithium-ion batteries owing to their high voltage, high specific capacity for storage of electrochemical energy, and minimal structural changes during battery operation. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) offers many benefits for preparing all-solid-state thin-film batteries, including excellent conformity and thickness control of the films. Yet, the number of available lithium-containing electrode materials obtained by ALD is limited. In this article, we demonstrate the ALD of lithium manganese oxide, LixMn2O4, from Mn(thd)3, Li(thd), and ozone. Films were polycrystalline in their as-deposited state and contained le…
On the modelling of an Acid/Base Flow Battery: An innovative electrical energy storage device based on pH and salinity gradients
2020
Abstract Electrical energy storage can enhance the efficiency in the use of fluctuating renewable sources, e.g. solar and wind energy. The Acid/Base Flow Battery is an innovative and sustainable process to store electrical energy in the form of pH and salinity gradients via electrodialytic reversible techniques. Two electromembrane processes are involved: Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis during the charge phase and its opposite, Bipolar Membrane Reverse Electrodialysis, during the discharge phase. For the first time, the present work aims at predicting the performance of this energy storage device via the development of a dynamic mathematical model based on a multi-scale approach with distr…
Battery technologies for electric vehicles
2017
This chapter gives a brief overview of the following types of vehicles: battery electric vehicle (BEV), plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), and hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). It then provides a comprehensive summary of the electrochemical energy storage including Ni-MH battery, Li-ion battery, and advanced rechargeable battery. Battery chemistry is explained in a detailed manner including an abbreviated modelling approach. Also, the issues of battery-charging method, management, and monitoring are addressed. The chapter concludes with a discussion on battery cell voltage balancing and temperature monitoring in addition to the battery state-of-charge (SOC) estimation.
Silver Nanoparticles in Heterogeneous Plasmon Mediated Catalysis
2015
Metallic nanoparticles are considered a new class of heterogeneous photocatalysts due to their ability to absorb solar light and convert it into chemical energy. Here, we focus on the use of silver nanoparticles in light driven catalytic processes. This chapter will start with a brief introduction to the currently available nanocomposites that contain silver nanoparticles. Then, the mechanisms behind the photocatalytic activity of those nanocomposites will be discussed.
Combined theoretical and experimental analysis of processes determining cathode performance in solid oxide fuel cells
2013
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) are under intensive investigation since the 1980's as these devices open the way for ecologically clean direct conversion of the chemical energy into electricity, avoiding the efficiency limitation by Carnot's cycle for thermochemical conversion. However, the practical development of SOFC faces a number of unresolved fundamental problems, in particular concerning the kinetics of the electrode reactions, especially oxygen reduction reaction. We review recent experimental and theoretical achievements in the current understanding of the cathode performance by exploring and comparing mostly three materials: (La,Sr)MnO3 (LSM), (La,Sr)(Co,Fe)O3 (LSCF) and (Ba,Sr)(Co,…
Electrochemical energy storage mitigating impact of electric vehicle on the electric grid: Two Italian case studies
2017
In the framework of the Italian R&D project i-Next two pilots plants were realized aiming at demonstrate benefits coming from the adoption of electrochemical energy storages (Lithium ion batteries and hydrogen) integrated with renewable energy sources. In the present study the preliminary results coming from the demo sites operations are reported paying attention to the impacts to the grid.
Life cycle energy and environmental impacts of a solid oxide fuel cell micro-CHP system for residential application
2019
Abstract Fuel cells are considered one of the key technologies to reach the ambitious European goal of a low carbon economy, by reducing CO2 emissions and limiting the production of other pollutants. The manuscript presents an assessment of the life cycle energy and environmental performances of a solid oxide fuel cell system for household applications using primary data from the manufacturing phase and experimental data for the start-up and operation phases. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology is applied, based on a functional unit of 1 MJ of exergy and includes the life cycle steps from the raw materials extraction to the maintenance. The results show a particular relevance of the opera…
Strain Release Chemistry of Photogenerated Small‐Ring Intermediates
2021
Abstract Photochemical processes, such as isomerizations and cycloadditions, have proven to be very useful in the construction of highly strained molecular frameworks. Photoinduced ring strain enables subsequent exergonic reactions which do not require the input of additional chemical energy and provides a variety of attractive synthetic options leading to complex structures. This review covers the progress achieved in the application of sequences combining excitation by ultraviolet light to form strained intermediates, which are further transformed to lower energy products in strain‐release reactions. As ring strain is considerable in small ring systems, photogenerated three‐ and four‐memb…
Impact of Surface Charge Directionality on Membrane Potential in Multi-ionic Systems
2020
The membrane potential (Vmem), defined as the electric potential difference across a membrane flanked by two different salt solutions, is central to electrochemical energy harvesting and conversion. Also, Vmem and the ionic concentrations that establish it are important to biophysical chemistry because they regulate crucial cell processes. We study experimentally and theoretically the salt dependence of Vmem in single conical nanopores for the case of multi-ionic systems of different ionic charge numbers. The major advances of this work are (i) to measure Vmem using a series of ions (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Cl-, and SO42-) that are of interest to both energy conversion and cell biochemistry, (ii) to…
Nanostructured electrodes for hydrogen production in alkaline electrolyzer
2018
Abstract Ever-widespread employment of renewable energy sources, such as wind and sun, request the simultaneous use of effective energy storage systems owing to the intermittent and unpredictable energy generation by these sources. The most reliable storage systems currently under investigation are batteries and electrochemical cells for hydrogen production from water splitting. Both systems store chemical energy which can be converted on demand. The low power density is the weakness of the batteries while the high production cost limits currently the wide use of hydrogen from electrochemical water splitting. In this work, attention was focused on the use of nanostructured Ni as a cathode f…