Challenge-Driven Printing Strategies Toward High-Performance Solid-State Lithium Batteries

Solid-state lithium batteries (SSLBs) are promising candidates for replacing traditional liquid-based Li-ion batteries and revolutionizing battery systems for electric vehicles and portable devices. However, longstanding issues such as form factors,...

Toward an e-chemistree: Materials for electrification of the chemical industry

Due to our increasing awareness of the impact of climate change on our society, unit operations in our manufacturing processes, including those in chemical industry, have to be greenified and made less dependent of fossil resources. This so-called electrification of the chemical industry is still yet in its infancy but there are many scientific and technological challenges to be solved. This article provides some directions for further research for scientists in both academia and industry to move step by step to an e-chemistree. These important but far from trivial energy and materials transitions require not only the introduction of new ways of heat management and other, often not yet fully explored, chemical conversion processes in which green electrons are used, but also the development of new materials including large-scale heating coils, easily chargeable battery systems as well as catalyst materials. For each of these developments, there is the issue of materials scarcity as well as durability as the introduction of these production processes should also be cost effective and overall more sustainable than the existing ones. Graphical abstract

Optimized operation of large scale battery systems

In the decentralized renewable driven electric energy system, economically viable battery systems become increasingly important for providing grid-related services. End of 2016, STEAG has successfully started the commercial operation of six 15 MW large scale battery systems which have been incorporated in STEAG’s primary control pool. During the commissioning phase, extensive effort has been spent in optimizing the operational efficiency of these systems with promising results. However, the operation experience has shown that there is still significant potential for improving the system behavior as well as reducing the aging of the battery cells. By analyzing historical data of the charging power associated with the state of charge management, opportunities for significantly reducing the operational costs have been identified. By means of more involved model-based control strategies, which adequately consider the specific characteristics of the battery system, and by using mathematical optimization and artificial intelligence, adapting the state of charge management strategy to new applications, these additional cost savings can be obtained. Apart from giving insights into the operational experience with large scale battery systems, the contribution of this paper lies in proposing strategies for reducing the operational costs of the battery system using classical approaches as well as mathematical optimization and neural networks. These approaches will be illustrated by simulation results.

Perspectives of Electricity Storage in Polymer Capacitors

The price and environmental aspects of electricity storage significantly affect the application of green technologies. The electrochemical batteries are currently the best choice for storing electricity for most industrial needs and products. Polymer capacitors show very low energy density compared to conventional batteries and therefore cannot be widely used for electricity disposal. At the same time, all other features of polymer capacitors that characterize battery systems are ideal. After a brief comparison of the basic properties of electrochemical and physical batteries, this paper presents the influence of electron trapping on the energy density of a polyethylene capacitor. The presented results indicate that the phenomenon of electron trapping in polymers can increase the energy deposit of polymer capacitors.

Review—Reference Electrodes in Li-Ion and Next Generation Batteries: Correct Potential Assessment, Applications and Practices

This review provides an accessible analysis of the processes on reference electrodes and their applications in Li-ion and next generation batteries research. It covers fundamentals and definitions as well as specific practical applications and is intended to be comprehensible for researchers in the battery field with diverse backgrounds. It covers fundamental concepts, such as two- and three-electrodes configurations, as well as more complex quasi- or pseudo- reference electrodes. The electrode potential and its dependance on the concentration of species and nature of solvents are explained in detail and supported by relevant examples. The solvent, in particular the cation solvation energy, contribution to the electrode potential is important and a largely unknown issue in most the battery research. This effect can be as high as half a volt for the Li/Li+ couple and we provide concrete examples of the battery systems where this effect must be taken into account. With this review, we aim to provide guidelines for the use and assessment of reference electrodes in the Li-ion and next generation batteries research that are comprehensive and accessible to an audience with a diverse scientific background.