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    Lightweight polymer-carbon composite current collector for lithium-ion batteries
    (Basel : MDPI, 2020) Fritsch, Marco; Coeler, Matthias; Kunz, Karina; Krause, Beate; Marcinkowski, Peter; Pötschke, Petra; Wolter, Mareike; Michaelis, Alexander
    A hermetic dense polymer-carbon composite-based current collector foil (PCCF) for lithium-ion battery applications was developed and evaluated in comparison to state-of-the-art aluminum (Al) foil collector. Water-processed LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LMNO) cathode and Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) anode coatings with the integration of a thin carbon primer at the interface to the collector were prepared. Despite the fact that the laboratory manufactured PCCF shows a much higher film thickness of 55 µm compared to Al foil of 19 µm, the electrode resistance was measured to be by a factor of 5 lower compared to the Al collector, which was attributed to the low contact resistance between PCCF, carbon primer and electrode microstructure. The PCCF-C-primer collector shows a sufficient voltage stability up to 5 V vs. Li/Li+ and a negligible Li-intercalation loss into the carbon primer. Electrochemical cell tests demonstrate the applicability of the developed PCCF for LMNO and LTO electrodes, with no disadvantage compared to state-of-the-art Al collector. Due to a 50% lower material density, the lightweight and hermetic dense PCCF polymer collector offers the possibility to significantly decrease the mass loading of the collector in battery cells, which can be of special interest for bipolar battery architectures. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
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    Auger- and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy at Metallic Li Material: Chemical Shifts Related to Sample Preparation, Gas Atmosphere, and Ion and Electron Beam Effects
    (Basel : MDPI, 2022) Oswald, Steffen
    Li-based batteries are a key element in reaching a sustainable energy economy in the near future. The understanding of the very complex electrochemical processes is necessary for the optimization of their performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) is an accepted method used to improve understanding around the chemical processes at the electrode surfaces. Nevertheless, its application is limited because the surfaces under investigation are mostly rough and inhomogeneous. Local elemental analysis, such as Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), could assist XPS to gain more insight into the chemical processes at the surfaces. In this paper, some challenges in using electron spectroscopy are discussed, such as binding energy (BE) referencing for the quantitative study of chemical shifts, gas atmospheric influences, or beam damage (including both AE and XP spectroscopy). Carefully prepared and surface-modified metallic lithium material is used as model surface, considering that Li is the key element for most battery applications.
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    Comparative Study of Onion-like Carbons Prepared from Different Synthesis Routes towards Li-Ion Capacitor Application
    (Basel : MDPI, 2022) Permana, Antonius Dimas Chandra; Ding, Ling; Gonzalez-Martinez, Ignacio Guillermo; Hantusch, Martin; Nielsch, Kornelius; Mikhailova, Daria; Omar, Ahmad
    Li-ion capacitors (LIC) have emerged as a promising hybrid energy storage system in response to increasing energy demands. However, to achieve excellent LIC performance at high rates, along with cycling stability, an alternative anode to graphite is needed. Porous high-surface-area carbons, such as onion-like carbons (OLCs), have been recently found to hold high potential as high-rate-capable LIC anodes. However, a systematic understanding of their synthesis route and morphology is lacking. In this study, OLCs prepared from self-made metal organic frameworks (MOFs) Fe-BTC and Fe-MIL100 by a simple pyrolysis method were compared to OLCs obtained via high-temperature annealing of nanodiamonds. The LICs with OLCs produced from Fe-BTC achieved a maximum energy density of 243 Wh kg−1 and a power density of 20,149 W kg−1. Furthermore, excellent capacitance retention of 78% after 10,000 cycles was demonstrated. LICs with MOF-derived OLCs surpassed the energy and power density of LICs with nanodiamond-derived OLCs. We determined the impact of the MOF precursor structure and morphology on the resulting OLC properties, as well as on the electrochemical performance. Thus, MOF-derived OLCs offer significant potential toward high-performance anode material for LICs, enabling control over structure and morphology, as well as easy scalability for industrial implementation.