Latest Updates
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The Structure of Interfacial Water on Gold Electrodes Studied by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy
First X-ray absorption measurement of electrolyte structure in vicinity of biased electrode Read More
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Future of Clean Energy in the Midwest
David Danielson, Assistant Secretary for the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy for the Department of Energy; Amy Francetic, CEO of the Clean Energy Trust; and Mark Peters, the Associate Laboratory Director for the Energy and Global Security Directorate at Argonne National Laboratory discuss the future of Clean Energy in the Midwest. Read More
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Predicting Electrochemical Windows of Nitrogen Containing Aromatic Molecules
A descriptive relationship is derived for computing reduction potentials of quinoxaline derivatives from the orbital energies of the neutral molecules without time-consuming free energy calculations Read More
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New concepts in Redox Flow: “Impact of Redox-Active Polymer Molecular Weight on the Electrochemical Properties and Transport Across Porous Separators in Nonaqueous Solvents”
Sized-based selective transport of supporting electrolyte across commercial Celgard porous separators is attainable by controlling the size of highly soluble (>2M) redox active polymers (RAPs) as storage material Read More
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JCESR: Moving Beyond Lithium-Ion
This video entitled, “JCESR: Moving Beyond Lithium-Ion,” gives an overview of JCESR’s goals and its vision to transform transportation and the electricity grid with high-performance, low cost energy storage Read More
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Electroactive-Zone Extension in Flow-Battery Stacks
Flowable suspensions that conduct both electrons and ions can enable the use of energy-dense electroactive species in flow batteries Read More
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Electrochemistry of Magnesium Electrolytes in Ionic Liquids for Secondary Batteries
Ionic liquids (ILs) have wide electrochemical stability windows, low vapor pressures, and low flammabilities, making them attractive as replacements for conventional organic solvents like THF and DME Read More
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The Solvation Structure of Mg Ions in Dichloro Complex Solutions from First-Principles Molecular Dynamics and Simulated X‑ray Absorption Spectra
Molecular details of Mg ion solvation in a proven electrolyte explored with ab initio molecular dynamics Read More
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Pathways to Low-Cost Electrochemical Energy Storage: A Comparison of Aqueous and Nonaqueous Flow Batteries
First comprehensive determination of materials to system level performance and cost for nonaqueous and aqueous flow batteries for future and existing chemistries Read More
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Solubility and Mobility of Ionic Liquid-Derived Ferrocene in Carbonate Electrolytes for Non-Aqueous Redox Flow Batteries
A coupled experimental and computational study of the structure and mobility of ferrocene (Fc) and a derivitized Fc-based ionic compound (Fc1N112-TFSI, see figure for structure) reveals the differences at the molecular level that explain improved electrochemical behavior. Read More
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The Battery Storage Hub is Making the Battery of the Future
Deputy Director Jeff Chamberlain (JCESR) details how JCESR research is aimed at developing batteries that will make electric vehicles cost competitive with the internal combustion engine. Read More
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Redox Chemistry of Anthraquinone Derivatives Via Simulations
Simulations provided the contribution of functional groups toward better electrochemical properties and solubility of Anthraquinone (AQ) derivatives, a promising class of compounds for aqueous and non-aqueous redox flow applications. Read More
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Towards a Stable Organic Electrolyte for Li-O2 Batteries
The precise decomposition pathways of glyme solvents were identified. Read More
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Towards High-Performance Nonaqueous Redox Flow Electrolyte via Ionic Modification of Active Species
Material tailoring led to a significant increase in the solubility of the ferrocene redox material. NMR measurement was able to decode the solvation mechanism and explain the solubility increase of the tailored compound. A Li-graphite hybrid anode enabled the nonaqueous Li/organic cell design to produce decent cyclability at high redox material concentrations and deliver energy density of ~45 Wh/L. Read More
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Formation of Interfacial Layer and Long-Term Cyclability of Li-O2 Batteries
Identified key factors that affect the long term cycle life of Li-O2 batteries under full discharge/charge conditions. Read More
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A Look Inside SLAC's Battery Lab
Stanford materials science and engineering graduate student Zhi Wei Seh shows how he prepares battery materials in SLAC’s energy storage laboratory. Read More
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The mechanisms of oxygen reduction and evolution reactions in nonaqueous lithium-oxygen batteries
Superoxide radical anions (O2•−) are intermediates formed in non-aqueous lithium-oxygen batteries, which are very reactive but have a very short lifetime. Using 5,5-dimethyl-pyrroline N-oxide as a spin trap, we stabilized these radicals and enabled direct verification of superoxide radicals by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). Read More
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Trace Water Catalyzes Lithium Peroxide Electrochemistry
Water at ppm levels catalyzes the conversion of lithium superoxide (LiO2) to lithium peroxide (Li2O2) by the reaction cycle shown. Because water is not consumed in the cycle, trace amounts leverage large effects. Read More
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Realizing the Electrolyte Genome
JCESR is building a highly sophisticated infrastructure for high-throughput evaluation of molecular properties. This involves coupling ab initio DFT methods with rapid classic molecular dynamics, calculations of redox potentials, and solvation structure while more detailed reactivity studies are carried out. Candidates that meet performance metrics for different types of battery applications (redox-flow, Li-air, Li-sulfur and multivalent) are prioritized for synthesis and testing. Read More
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Designing Solvation in Magnesium Electrolytes
Multivalent salts are prone to ion-pair formation in many solvents, particularly the glymes that provide stability at metal anode Read More