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Now showing 1 - 10 of 18
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    A continuum model for yttria-stabilized zirconia incorporating triple phase boundary, lattice structure and immobile oxide ions
    (Berlin ; Heidelberg ; New York : Springer, 2019) Vágner, Petr; Guhlke, Clemens; Miloš, Vojtěch; Müller, Rüdiger; Fuhrmann, Jürgen
    A continuum model for yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) in the framework of non-equilibrium thermodynamics is developed. Particular attention is given to (i) modeling of the YSZ-metal-gas triple phase boundary, (ii) incorporation of the lattice structure and immobile oxide ions within the free energy model and (iii) surface reactions. A finite volume discretization method based on modified Scharfetter-Gummel fluxes is derived in order to perform numerical simulations. The model is used to study the impact of yttria and immobile oxide ions on the structure of the charged boundary layer and the double layer capacitance. Cyclic voltammograms of an air-half cell are simulated to study the effect of parameter variations on surface reactions, adsorption and anion diffusion. © 2019, The Author(s).
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    Modeling Polycrystalline Electrode-electrolyte Interfaces: The Differential Capacitance
    (Bristol : IOP Publishing, 2020) Müller, Rüdiger; Fuhrmann, Jürgen; Landstorfer, Manuel
    We present and analyze a model for polycrystalline electrode surfaces based on an improved continuum model that takes finite ion size and solvation into account. The numerical simulation of finite size facet patterns allows to study two limiting cases: While for facet size diameter dfacet →0 we get the typical capacitance of a spatially homogeneous but possible amorphous or liquid surface, in the limit 1[nm] < dfacet, an ensemble of non-interacting single crystal surfaces is approached. Already for moderate size of the facet diameters, the capacitance is remarkably well approximated by the classical approach of adding the single crystal capacities of the contributing facets weighted by their respective surface fraction. As a consequence, the potential of zero charge is not necessarily attained at a local minimum of capacitance, but might be located at a local capacitance maximum instead. Moreover, the results show that surface roughness can be accurately taken into account by multiplication of the ideally flat polycrystalline surface capacitance with a single factor. In particular, we find that the influence of the actual geometry of the facet pattern in negligible and our theory opens the way to a stochastic description of complex real polycrystal surfaces. © 2020 The Author(s). Published on behalf of The Electrochemical Society by IOP Publishing Limited.
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    Galilean Bulk-Surface Electrothermodynamics and Applications to Electrochemistry
    (Basel : MDPI, 2023) Müller, Rüdiger; Landstorfer, Manuel
    In this work, the balance equations of non-equilibrium thermodynamics are coupled to Galilean limit systems of the Maxwell equations, i.e., either to (i) the quasi-electrostatic limit or (ii) the quasi-magnetostatic limit. We explicitly consider a volume (Formula presented.), which is divided into (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) by a possibly moving singular surface S, where a charged reacting mixture of a viscous medium can be present on each geometrical entity (Formula presented.). By the restriction to the Galilean limits of the Maxwell equations, we achieve that only subsystems of equations for matter and electromagnetic fields are coupled that share identical transformation properties with respect to observer transformations. Moreover, the application of an entropy principle becomes more straightforward and finally helps estimate the limitations of the more general approach based the full set of Maxwell equations. Constitutive relations are provided based on an entropy principle, and particular care is taken in the analysis of the stress tensor and the momentum balance in the general case of non-constant scalar susceptibility. Finally, we summarise the application of the derived model framework to an electrochemical system with surface reactions.
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    Bulk-Surface Electrothermodynamics and Applications to Electrochemistry
    (Basel : MDPI, 2018) Dreyer, Wolfgang; Guhlke, Clemens; Müller, Rüdiger
    We propose a modeling framework for magnetizable, polarizable, elastic, viscous, heat conducting, reactive mixtures in contact with interfaces. To this end, we first introduce bulk and surface balance equations that contain several constitutive quantities. For further modeling of the constitutive quantities, we formulate constitutive principles. They are based on an axiomatic introduction of the entropy principle and the postulation of Galilean symmetry. We apply the proposed formalism to derive constitutive relations in a rather abstract setting. For illustration of the developed procedure, we state an explicit isothermal material model for liquid electrolyte|metal electrode interfaces in terms of free energy densities in the bulk and on the surface. Finally, we give a survey of recent advancements in the understanding of electrochemical interfaces that were based on this model.
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    Optimal and robust a posteriori error estimates in L∞(L2) for the approximation of Allen-Cahn equations past singularities
    (Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2009) Bartels, Sören; Müller, Rüdiger
    Optimal a posteriori error estimates in L∞(L2) are derived for the finite element approximation of Allen-Cahn equations. The estimates depend on the inverse of a small parameter only in a low order polynomial and are valid past topological changes of the evolving interface. The error analysis employs an elliptic reconstruction of the approximate solution and applies to a large class of conforming, nonconforming, mixed, and discontinuous Galerkin methods. Numerical experiments illustrate the theoretical results.
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    Error control for the approximation of Allen-Cahn and Cahn-Hilliard equations with a logarithmic potential
    (Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2010) Bartels, Sören; Müller, Rüdiger
    A fully computable upper bound for the finite element approximation error of Allen-Cahn and Cahn-Hilliard equations with logarithmic potentials is derived. Numerical experiments show that for the sharp interface limit this bound is robust past topological changes. Modifications of the abstract results to derive quasi-optimal error estimates in different norms for lowest order finite element methods are discussed and lead to weaker conditions on the residuals under which the conditional error estimates hold.
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    Overcoming the shortcomings of the Nernst-Planck model
    (Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2012) Dreyer, Wolfgang; Guhlke, Clemens; Müller, Rüdiger
    This is a study on electrolytes that takes a thermodynamically consistent coupling between mechanics and diffusion into account. It removes some inherent deficiencies of the popular Nernst-Planck model. A boundary problem for equilibrium processes is used to illustrate the new features of our model.
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    Stable Crank-Nicolson discretisation for incompressible miscible displacement problems of low regularity
    (Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2009) Jensen, Max; Müller, Rüdiger
    In this article we study the numerical approximation of incompressible miscible displacement problems with a linearised Crank-Nicolson time discretisation, combined with a mixed finite element and discontinuous Galerkin method. At the heart of the analysis is the proof of convergence under low regularity requirements. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed method exhibits second-order convergence for smooth and robustness for rough problems.
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    A new perspective on the electron transfer: Recovering the Butler-Volmer equation in non-equilibrium thermodynamics
    (Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2015) Dreyer, Wolfgang; Guhlke, Clemens; Müller, Rüdiger
    Understanding and correct mathematical description of electron transfer reaction is a central question in electrochemistry. Typically the electron transfer reactions are described by the Butler-Volmer equation which has its origin in kinetic theories. The Butler-Volmer equation relates interfacial reaction rates to bulk quantities like the electrostatic potential and electrolyte concentrations. Since in the classical form, the validity of the Butler-Volmer equation is limited to some simple electrochemical systems, many attempts have been made to generalize the Butler-Volmer equation. Based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics we have recently derived a reduced model for the electrode-electrolyte interface. This reduced model includes surface reactions and adsorption but does not resolve the charge layer at the interface. Instead it is locally electroneutral and consistently incorporates all features of the double layer into a set of interface conditions. In the context of this reduced model we are able to derive a general Butler-Volmer equation. We discuss the application of the new Butler-Volmer equations to different scenarios like electron transfer reactions at metal electrodes, the intercalation process in lithium-iron-phosphate electrodes and adsorption processes. We illustrate the theory by an example of electroplating.
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    Thermodynamic models for a concentration and electric field dependent susceptibility in liquid electrolytes
    (Berlin : Weierstraß-Institut für Angewandte Analysis und Stochastik, 2021) Landstorfer, Manuel; Müller, Rüdiger
    The dielectric susceptibility $chi$ is an elementary quantity of the electrochemical double layer and the associated Poisson equation. While most often $chi$ is treated as a material constant, its dependency on the salt concentration in liquid electrolytes is demonstrated by various bulk electrolyte experiments. This is usually referred to as dielectric decrement. Further, it is theoretically well accepted that the susceptibility declines for large electric fields. This effect is frequently termed dielectric saturation. We analyze the impact of a variable susceptibility in terms of species concentrations and electric fields based on non-equilibrium thermodynamics. This reveals some non-obvious generalizations compared to the case of a constant susceptibility. In particular the consistent coupling of the Poisson equation, the momentum balance and the chemical potentials functions are of ultimate importance. In a numerical study, we systematically analyze the effects of a concentration and field dependent susceptibility on the double layer of a planar electrode electrolyte interface. We compute the differential capacitance and the spatial structure of the electric potential, solvent concentration and ionic distribution for various non-constant models of $chi$.