There is an ever-growing demand for rechargeable batteries with reversible and efficient electrochemical energy storage and conversion. Rechargeable batteries cover applications in many fields, which include portable electronic consumer devices, electric vehicles, and large-scale electricity storage in smart or intelligent grids. The performance of rechargeable batteries depends essentially on the thermodynamics and kinetics of the electrochemical reactions involved in the components (i.e., the anode, cathode, electrolyte, and separator) of the cells. During the past decade, extensive efforts have been dedicated to developing advanced batteries with large capacity, high energy and power density, high safety, long cycle life, fast response, and low cost. Here, recent progress in functional materials applied in the currently prevailing rechargeable lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride, lead acid, vanadium redox flow, and sodium-sulfur batteries is reviewed. The focus is on research activities toward the ionic, atomic, or molecular diffusion and transport; electron transfer; surface/interface structure optimization; the regulation of the electrochemical reactions; and the key materials and devices for rechargeable batteries.

Functional Materials for Rechargeable Batteries

Solution combustion is an exciting phenomenon, which involves propagation of self-sustained exothermic reactions along an aqueous or sol–gel media. This process allows for the synthesis of a variety of nanoscale materials, including oxides, metals, alloys, and sulfides. This Review focuses on the analysis of new approaches and results in the field of solution combustion synthesis (SCS) obtained during recent years. Thermodynamics and kinetics of reactive solutions used in different chemical routes are considered, and the role of process parameters is discussed, emphasizing the chemical mechanisms that are responsible for rapid self-sustained combustion reactions. The basic principles for controlling the composition, structure, and nanostructure of SCS products, and routes to regulate the size and morphology of the nanoscale materials are also reviewed. Recently developed systems that lead to the formation of novel materials and unique structures (e.g., thin films and two-dimensional crystals) with unusual...

Solution Combustion Synthesis of Nanoscale Materials

http://chglib.icp.ac.ru/subjex/2014/pdf03/JPowerSources-2014-254()168.pdf

A review of lithium deposition in lithium-ion and lithium metal secondary batteries

A review of processes and technologies for the recycling of lithium-ion secondary batteries

Li-ion batteries have been employed successfully in various small electronic devices for the last two decades, and the types of applications are currently expanding to include electric vehicles (EVs), power tools, and large electric power storage units. In order to be implemented in these emerging markets, novel materials for negative and positive electrodes as well as electrolytes need to be developed to achieve high energy density, high power, and safe lithium rechargeable batteries. Here, the trends of the market and development of materials for each application are introduced, and some of next generation Li-ion batteries are discussed.

Prospective materials and applications for Li secondary batteries

Submicron size Co, Ni and Co-Ni alloy powders have been synthesized by the polyol method using the corresponding metal malonates and Pd powder by reduction of PdOx in methanol. The kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction ( HER) in 6 M KOH electrolyte have been studied on electrodes made from the pressed powders. The d.c. polarization measurements have resulted in a value close to 120 mV decade(-1) for the Tafel slope, suggesting that the HER follows the Volmer-Heyrovsky mechanism. The values of exchange current density (i(o)) are in the range 1-10 mA cm(-2) for electrodes fabricated in the study. The a.c. impedance spectra measured at several potentials in the HER region showed a single semicircle in the Nyquist plots. Exchange current density (i(o)) and energy transfer coefficient (alpha) have been calculated by employing a nonlinear least square-fitting program.

Kinetics of hydrogen evolution on submicron size Co, Ni, Pd and Co–Ni alloy powder electrodes by d.c. polarization and a.c. impedance studies

A method based on the Langmuir equation for the estimation of vapour pressure and enthalpy of sublimation of subliming compounds is described. The variable temperature thermogravimetric/differential thermogravimetric (TG/DTG) curve of benzoic acid is used to arrive at the instrument parameters. Employing these parameters, the vapour pressure–temperature curves are derived for salicylic acid and camphor from their TG/DTG curves. The values match well with vapour pressure data in the literature, obtained by effusion methods. By employing the Clausius–Clapeyron equation, the enthalpy of sublimation could be calculated. Extending the method further, two precursors for metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD) of titanium oxide bis-isopropyl bis tert-butyl 2-oxobutanoato titanium, Ti(OiPr)2(tbob)2, and bis-oxo-bis-tertbutyl 2-oxobutanoato titanium, [TiO(tbob)2]2, have been evaluated. The complex Ti(OiPr)2(tbob)2 is found to be a more suitable precursor. This approach can be helpful in quickly screening for the suitability of a compound as a CVD precursor.

http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0957-0233/19/2/025704/pdf

Thermogravimetric evaluation of the suitability of precursors for MOCVD

Large quantities of single-crystalline ZnO nanorods and nanotubes have been prepared by the microwave, irradiation of a metalorganic complex of zinc, in the presence of a surfactant. The method is simple, fast, and inexpensive (as it uses a domestic microwave oven), and yields pure nanostructures of the hexagonal wurtzite phase of ZnO in min, and requires no conventional templating. The ZnO nanotubes formed have a hollow core with inner diameter varying from 140-160 nm and a wall of thickness, 40-50 nm. The length of nanorods and nanotubes varies in the narrow range of 500-600 nm. These nanostructures have been characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The ZnO nanorods and nanotubes are found by SAED to be single-crystalline. The growth process of ZnO nanorods and nanotubes has been investigated by varying the surfactant concentration and microwave irradiation time. Based on the various results obtained, a tentative and plausible mechanism for the formation of ZnO nanostructures is proposed.

http://repository.ias.ac.in/43746/1/1_PUB.pdf

Rapid growth of nanotubes and nanorods of würtzite ZnO through microwave-irradiation of a metalorganic complex of zinc and a surfactant in solution

We report on the deposition of Ga2O3 on III-nitride epi-layers using the microwave irradiation technique. We also report on the demonstration of a Ga2O3 device: a visible-blind, deep-UV detector, with a GaN-based heterostructure as the substrate. The film deposited in the solution medium, at <200 °C, using a metalorganic precursor, was nanocrystalline. XRD confirms that the as-deposited film, when annealed at high temperature, turns to polycrystalline β−Ga2O3. SEM shows the as-deposited film to be uniform, with a surface roughness of 4–5 nm, as revealed by AFM. Interdigitated metal-semiconductor-metal devices with Ni/Au contact exhibited a peak spectral response at 230 nm and a good visible rejection ratio. This demonstration of a deep-UV detector on the β−Ga2O3/III-nitride stack is expected to open up possibilities of functional and physical integration of β−Ga2O3 and GaN material families towards enabling next-generation high-performance devices by exciting band and heterostructure engineering.

Microwave irradiation-assisted deposition of Ga2O3 on III-nitrides for deep-UV opto-electronics

A study of the deposition of aluminium oxide films by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapour deposition from the complex aluminium acetylacetonate, in the absence of an oxidant gas, has been carried out. Depositions on to Si(100), stainless steel, and TiN-coated cemented carbide are found to be smooth, shiny, and blackish. SIMS, XPS and TEM analyses reveal that films deposited at temperatures as low as 600 degreesC contain small crystallites Of kappa-Al2O3, embedded in an amorphous matrix rich in graphitic carbon. Optical and scanning electron microscopy reveal a surface morphology made up of spherulites that suggests that film growth might involve a melting process. A nucleation and growth mechanism, involving the congruent melting clusters of precursor molecules on the hot substrate surface, is therefore invoked to explain these observations. An effort has been made experimentally to verify this proposed mechanism. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

S. A. Shivashankar

Papers

Kinetics of hydrogen evolution on submicron size Co, Ni, Pd and Co–Ni alloy powder electrodes by d.c. polarization and a.c. impedance studies

Thermogravimetric evaluation of the suitability of precursors for MOCVD

Rapid growth of nanotubes and nanorods of würtzite ZnO through microwave-irradiation of a metalorganic complex of zinc and a surfactant in solution

Microwave irradiation-assisted deposition of Ga2O3 on III-nitrides for deep-UV opto-electronics

Low-pressure MOCVD of Al2O3 films using aluminium acetylacetonate as precursor: nucleation and growth