Search Results

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
  • Item
    Bio-inspired deposition of electrochemically exfoliated graphene layers for electrical resistance heating applications
    (Bristol : IOP Publishing, 2020-12-4) Utech, Toni; Pötschke, Petra; Simon, Frank; Janke, Andreas; Kettner, Hannes; Paiva, Maria; Zimmerer, Cordelia
    Electrochemically exfoliated graphene (eeG) layers possess a variety of potential applications, e.g. as susceptor material for contactless induction heating in dynamic electro-magnetic fields, and as flexible and transparent electrode or resistivity heating elements. Spray coating of eeG dispersions was investigated in detail as a simple and fast method to deposit both, thin conducting layers and ring structures on polycarbonate substrates. The spray coating process was examined by systematic variation of dispersion concentration and volume applied to heated substrates. Properties of the obtained layers were characterized by UV-VIS spectroscopy, SEM and Confocal Scanning Microscopy. Electrical conductivity of eeG ring structures was measured using micro-four-point measurements. Modification of eeG with poly(dopamine) and post-thermal treatment yields in the reduction of the oxidized graphene proportion, an increase in electrical conductivity, and mechanical stabilization of the deposited thin layers. The chemical composition of modified eeG layer was analyzed via x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy pointing to the reductive behavior of poly(dopamine). Application oriented experiments demonstrate the direct electric current heating (Joule-Heating) effect of spray-coated eeG layers.
  • Item
    Effects of PNDIT2 end groups on aggregation, thin film structure, alignment and electron transport in field-effect transistors
    (London [u.a.] : RSC, 2016) Matsidik, Rukiya; Luzio, Alessandro; Hameury, Sophie; Komber, Hartmut; McNeill, Christopher R.; Caironi, Mario; Sommer, Michael
    To develop greener protocols toward the sustainable production of conjugated polymers, we combine the advantages of atom-economic direct arylation polycondensation (DAP) with those of the green solvent 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (MeTHF). The n-type copolymer PNDIT2 is synthesized from unsubstituted bithiophene (T2) and 2,6-dibromonapthalene diimide (NDIBr2) under simple DAP conditions in MeTHF. Extensive optimization is required to suppress nucleophilic substitution of NDIBr end groups, which severely limits molar mass. Different carboxylic acids, bases, palladium precursors and ligands are successfully screened to enable quantitative yield and satisfyingly high molar masses up to Mn,SEC ∼ 20 kDa. In contrast to PNDIT2 made via DAP in toluene with tolyl-chain termini, nucleophilic substitution of NDIBr chain ends in MeTHF finally leads to NDI-OH termination. The influence of different chain termini on the optical, thermal, structural and electronic properties of PNDIT2 is investigated. For samples with identical molecular weight, OH-termination leads to slightly reduced aggregation in solution and bulk crystallinity, a decreased degree of alignment in directionally deposited films, and a consequently reduced, but not compromised, electron mobility with promising values still close to 0.9 cm2 V−1 s−1.
  • Item
    Polysulfide driven degradation in lithium–sulfur batteries during cycling – quantitative and high time-resolution operando X-ray absorption study for dissolved polysulfides probed at both electrode sides
    (London [u.a.] : RSC, 2021) Zech, Claudia; Hönicke, Philipp; Kayser, Yves; Risse, Sebastian; Grätz, Olga; Stamm, Manfred; Beckhoff, Burkhard
    The development of operando characterization techniques on realistic batteries is essential for an advanced mechanistic understanding in battery chemistry and, therefore, contributes to their further performance improvement. This manuscript presents operando Near-Edge X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (NEXAFS) traceable to the SI units (SI is the abbreviation for the International System of Units) during multiple charge–discharge cycles on both electrodes of lithium–sulfur (Li/S) coin cells which enables an absolute quantification of dissolved polysulfides with no need for calibration samples or reference material. We could reveal that during the charging process, polysulfide (PS) movement from the negative to the positive electrode is inhibited. This leads to a steady increase of dissolved polysulfides at the anode side and, therefore, is one of the key points for capacity fading. We quantitatively track the polysulfides dissolved in the electrolyte and correlate for the first time their evolution with the capacity fading of the cell. We analyze the appearance of PS during cell operation at the cathode and anode side to characterize the transport mechanisms of the polysulfide shuttle phenomena and to reveal quantitative information about their evolution at different states of charge and states of health. Our cell design suppresses the contribution of cathodic sulfur, which is mandatory for reference-sample-free quantification in X-ray spectrometry and allows us to use only slightly modified standard coin cell batteries.
  • Item
    Heterogeneous freezing on pyroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) thin films
    (Chichester [u.a.] : Wiley, 2020) Apelt, Sabine; Höhne, Susanne; Uhlmann, Petra; Bergmann, Ute
    Active deicing of technical surfaces, such as for wind turbines and heat exchangers, currently requires the usage of heat or chemicals. Passive coating strategies that postpone the freezing of covering water would be beneficial in order to save costs and energy. One hypothesis is that pyroelectric active materials can achieve this because of the surface charges generated on these materials when they are subject to a temperature change. High-quality poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE)) thin films with a high crystallinity, prefererd edge-on orientation, low surface roughness, and comprised of the β-analogous ferroelectric phase were deposited by spin-coating. Freezing experiments with a cooling rate of 1 K min−1 were made on P(VDF-TrFE) coatings in order to separate the effect of different parameters such as the poling direction, film thickness, used solvent, deposition process, underlying substrate, and annealing temperature on the achievable supercooling. The topography and the underlying substrate significantly changed the distribution of freezing temperatures of water droplets in contact with these thin films. In contrast, no significant effect of the thickness, morphology, or pyroelectric effect of the as-prepared domain-state on the freezing temperatures was found.