Academic literature on the topic 'Nickel-Zinc battery'

This paper analyzes the development prospects of zinc-nickel battery industry, further investigates the industry competition in existing markets by mathematical modeling, calculates the equilibrium price and profit of the oligarch competition by using the method of Stackelberg equilibrium and Nash equilibrium, and makes a comparison between them. Then, we study and model the case of renting and selling simultaneously. In addition, we also study the impact of futures prices on the zinc-nickel battery companies and carry out numerical simulation. At the end of this paper, we analyze the location of zinc-nickel battery enterprises and the industry development under the COVID-19 pandemic. The finding show that the reduction of raw material cost is of great help to the development of the zinc-nickel battery industry.

Metallic zinc (Zn) presents a compelling alternative to conventional electrochemical energy storage systems due to its environmentally friendly nature, abundant availability, high water compatibility, low toxicity, low electrochemical potential (−0.762 V vs. SHE), and cost-effectiveness. While considerable efforts have been devoted to enhancing the physical and chemical properties of zinc-ion battery materials to improve battery efficiency and longevity, research on multi-physics coupled modeling for a deeper understanding of battery performance remains relatively scarce. In this study, we established a comprehensive two-dimensional model for single-flow zinc–nickel redox batteries to investigate electrode reactions, current-potential behaviors, and concentration distributions, leveraging theories such as Nernst–Planck and Butler–Volmer. Additionally, we explored the distribution of the velocity field using the Brinkman theory in porous media and the Navier–Stokes equations in free-flow channels. The validated model, informed by experimental data, not only provides insights into the performance of the battery, but also offers valuable recommendations for advancing single-flow zinc–nickel battery technology. Our findings offer promising avenues for enhancing the design and performance of not only zinc–nickel flow batteries, but also applicable for other flow battery designs.

Prismatic Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) batteries with energy densities higher than 100 Wh kg−1were prepared using Zn electrodes with different initial morphologies. The effect of initial morphology of zinc electrode on battery capacity was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) reveal that initial morphology of zinc electrode changes drastically after a few charge/discharge cycles regardless of initial ZnO powder used. ZnO electrodes prepared using ZnO powders synthesized from ZnCl2and Zn(NO3)2lead to average battery energy densities ranging between 92 Wh kg−1and 109 Wh kg−1while using conventional ZnO powder leads to a higher energy density, 118 Wh kg−1. Average discharge capacities of zinc electrodes vary between 270 and 345 mA g−1, much lower than reported values for nano ZnO powders in literature. Higher electrode surface area or higher electrode discharge capacity does not necessarily translate to higher battery energy density.

A novel method was showed to the preparation of zinc electrodes with step heat. The process is not only simple for the preparation of electrodes, but also better for the performance. Zinc nitrate and calcium nitrate were selected as raw materials for preparing calcium zincate electrodes. Preparation of zinc electrodes under different conditions were studied and compared. The results shows that the performance of a battery which is composed of electrodes with step heat can meet the requirements for high power zinc-nickel batteries.

An aqueous rechargeable battery (ARB) shows a high safety and a potential of high cycleability, which have been demonstrated with nickel-hydrogen batteries (NHB) used in electrified vehicles such as HEV and PHEV and electronic devices. A zinc-nickel secondary battery (ZNB) is one of the promising candidates of next-generation ARB which could have higher energy density and power density than NHB, although the zinc anode for secondary uses is still suffering from the issues on dendrite growth and non-uniform redistribution of zinc and zinc oxide, because they result in an internal short circuit and a poor capacity retention. In this paper, we introduce a novel zinc anode with segmentation of electrolyte (SoE) developed in our recent works. The concept of SoE is to segment the space of the electrolyte between the anode and the cathode. The electrolyte is KOH solutions containing zincate ions that are the intermediate of redox reaction between zinc and zinc oxide, and SoE gives the limited space for zincate ions, within which they can move free but the concentration change is suppressed in the limited space so that the non-uniform reaction distribution during charge and discharge is also inhibited. Our ZNB using SoE technology presented the excellent cycling performance at 1 C of charge-discharge rate for 5,500 cycles, in which the charge and discharge voltages hardly changed and the discharge capacity was 90% or more of the initial one during the cycles [1]. Comparison to ZNB using non-woven separator further indicated that SoE technology is beneficial to improve the cycling performance on cell voltage and capacity retention and ZNB with SoE is unnecessary to use non-woven separator. SoE is expected to solve the zinc anode problems of ZNB, i.e., both zinc dendrite and non-uniform distribution of zinc/zinc oxide, and may be applied to other zinc rechargeable battery such as zinc-air battery. This work was financially supported by DOWA Holdings, Co. Ltd. Ref. [1] M. Morimitsu, Patent No. WO-A1-2021/049609. Figure 1

In operating of a flow battery, a certain flow rate should be maintained in order to guarantee its performance. But the pump consumed power may cause significant losses for the overall battery system. In this paper, a fresh electrical model is proposed for the novel single flow zinc-nickel battery. The model consists of both battery stack part and pump power part, which consequently not only predicts accurately the battery electrical output, but also estimates the pump consumed power at different electrolyte flow rate. Based on the validated model, the influence of pump power on flow battery’s system efficiency can be evaluated at different operating modes. At last, possible means to further improve the system efficiency of battery is discussed.

Zinc batteries are a more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries due to its components being highly recyclable. With the improvements in the screen printing technology, high quality devices can be printed with at high throughput and precision at a lower cost compared to those manufactured using lithographic techniques. In this paper we describe the fabrication and characterization of printed zinc batteries. Different binder materials such as polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyvinyl butyral (PVB), were used to fabricate the electrodes. The electrodes were first evaluated using three-electrode cyclic voltammetry, x-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy before being fully assembled and tested using charge-discharge test and two-electrode cyclic voltammetry. The results show that the printed ZnO electrode with PVB as binder performed better than PVP-based ZnO. The XRD data prove that the electro-active materials were successfully transferred to the sample. However, based on the evaluation, the results show that the cathode electrode was dominated by the silver instead of Ni(OH)2, which leads the sample to behave like a silver-zinc battery instead of a nickel-zinc battery. Nevertheless, the printed zinc battery electrodes were successfully evaluated, and more current collector materials for cathode should be explored for printed nickel-zinc batteries.

Zinc-based batteries offer the compelling benefits of a high-capacity, abundant anode material and the use of aqueous electrolytes for ease of assembly and safe operation. To solve the standing roadblock to rechargeable zinc-based batteries—shape change and dendrite formation under demanding cycling conditions—we adapt lessons of 3D electrode design from our prior breakthroughs with energy-storing nanoarchitectures. Zinc “sponge” form factors are fabricated by fusing 50–100 mm zinc particles into a porous, monolithic structure. Electrochemical reaction fronts are distributed throughout these 3D-wired zinc architectures, effectively thwarting dendrite formation and homogeneously distributing reaction products, even at high current density [1,2]. Over the development course of the NRL Zn sponge anode, each successive generation has been further optimized with manufacturability as a foremost consideration, such that the current sponge formulation is readily and simply processed at increasing scale to sizes necessary for relevant energy-storage applications. Zinc sponges are evaluated in multiple battery configurations including zinc–air, nickel–zinc, and silver–zinc to validate such performance characteristics as cycle life and specific power. We are also expanding 3D architecture concepts to other metals of relevance for battery applications. [1] J.F. Parker, C.N. Chervin, E.S. Nelson, D.R. Rolison, J.W. Long, “Wiring zinc in three dimensions re-writes battery performance―Dendrite-free cycling.” Energy Environ. Sci., 7, 1117–1124 (2014). [2] J.F. Parker, C.N. Chervin, I.R. Pala, M. Machler, M.F. Burz, J.W. Long, and D.R. Rolison, “Rechargeable nickel–3D zinc batteries: An energy-dense, safer alternative to lithium-ion.” Science, 356, 415–418 (2017).

Les batteries nickel-zinc offrent des performances qui répondent aux exigences du stockage d'énergies renouvelables intermittentes. De plus, par rapport aux batteries lithium-ion, cette technologie est sûre, hautement recyclable et le zinc est un métal abondant. Dans ces batteries, les électrodes sont séparées par un séparateur polymère qui limite la diffusion des zincates de l'électrode de zinc vers celle de nickel tout en favorisant le transfert des ions hydroxyde. Cependant, la durée de vie de ces séparateurs limite actuellement les performances de la batterie. Il existe donc un besoin critique d'en développer des plus durables fonctionnant avec un électrolyte alcalin.Ce travail de thèse s'est d'abord axé sur l'étude des principales caractéristiques (diffusion aux ions hydroxyde, mouillabilité…) des séparateurs commerciaux Celgard traités par un revêtement hydrophile ou non, et sur leur évolution lors d'un vieillissement chimique. Cette étude a permis de corréler la désorption du revêtement hydrophile et la perte des performances observées en batterie.Afin d'améliorer leur stabilité dans le temps, un polymère hydrophile réticulé, l'alcool polyvinylique (PVA), a été introduit dans le volume poreux de plusieurs séparateurs, se différenciant par la présence ou non d'un revêtement hydrophile. La présence de ce polymère réticulé s'est avéré améliorer la mouillabilité du séparateur mais aussi la diffusion des ions hydroxyde. Ces propriétés sont conservées à la suite d'un vieillissement chimique accéléré dans l'eau ou l'électrolyte alcalin.L'introduction de surfactants en combinaison avec le PVA permet d'améliorer encore ces propriétés tandis que le PVA augmente la stabilité du séparateur au cours du vieillissement. Enfin, des tests en batterie Ni-Zn utilisant les séparateurs développés au cours de cette thèse ont confirmé ces résultats prometteurs
Nickel-Zinc based batteries offer performances that match the requirements of the storage of the intermittency of renewable energies. Moreover, compared to Lithium-ion batteries, this technology happens to be safe, highly recyclable and zinc is an abundant metal. In these batteries, electrodes are separated by a polymer separator restricting the diffusion of zincate ions from zinc electrode towards the nickel while promoting the transfer of hydroxide ions. However, the lifetime of these separators currently limits the battery's performance. Thus, there is a critical need to develop more durable separators for batteries operating in alkaline electrolyte.This PhD work first focused on the study of the main characteristics of commercially (hydroxide diffusion, wettability, etc.) of commercial Celgard® separators, treated with a hydrophilic coating or not, and on their evolution under a chemical ageing. This study allowed correlate the desorption of hydrophilic coating with the decay in battery performances.To improve the performance stability over time, a cross-linked hydrophilic polymer, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), was introduced into the porous volume of several separators, differentiated by the presence or absence of a hydrophilic coating. The presence of this crosslinked polymer was found to improve the separator wettability and the hydroxide ion diffusion. These properties are preserved after an accelerated chemical ageing in water or alkaline electrolyte.The introduction of surfactants in combination with PVA further improves these properties, while PVA enhances the separator's stability during aging. Finally, Ni-Zn battery tests using the separators developed during this thesis have confirmed these promising results

Ce travail est peut être séparé en deux parties. Dans la première, nous rapportons l'étude menée sur un composé modèle d'hydroxyde de Nickel. La caractérisation de ce composé par diffraction X montre qu'il possède une cristallinité supérieure aux hydroxydes de nickel habituellement utilisés. L'observation au microscope électronique à balayage révèle que la poudre est constituée de grains hexagonaux, de dimension supérieure au micromètre, formés de monocristaux, eux aussi hexagonaux, empilés de façon très ordonnée. Les mesures électrochimiques montrent quant à elles que les composés modèles présentent des propriétés redox intéressantes. La morphologie très particulière de ce composé confère à cet hydroxyde de nickel un comportement de type monocristal en spectroscopie Raman. Des mesures in-situ, couplant voltamétrie cyclique et spectroscopie Raman, réalisées sur ce composé modèle, ont donc été mises en place. Les premiers résultats montrent que ces expériences pourraient nous aider à améliorer notre compréhension des mécanismes redox fondamentaux mis en jeu.Dans la deuxième partie, nous étudions le comportement électrochimique d'une électrode de nickel lorsque l'électrolyte (i.e. KOH 7N) est saturé en zinc. Des électrodes de type industriel ont été préparées à partir d'un hydroxyde de Nickel standard et non dopé, puis cyclées en condition galvanostatique. Les échantillons ainsi obtenus ont ensuite été caractérisés par MEB, DRX, IR et EXAFS. Cette dernière technique qui s'est avérée être la plus appropriée pour l'analyse de ces matériaux d'électrodes très hétérogènes nous a ainsi permis d'apporter des réponses pertinentes sur l'insertion du zinc dans la structure cristalline de Ni(OH)2
This work may be separated in two parts. First, we report the study of a model compound of nickel hydroxide. X-ray diffraction shows that this compound has a better crystallinity than the standard nickel hydroxides used in commercial battery. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed that the powder of this model hydroxide is composed of hexagonal grains whose dimension is larger than micrometer and who are formed of single-crystals, also hexagonal, stacked in a well ordered way. The electrochemical measurements show that this nickel hydroxide exhibit interesting redox properties. The particular morphology of the compound gives single-crystal type behavior in Raman spectroscopy. Therefore, in-situ measurements combining electrochemical measurements and Raman spectroscopy, performed on a single microscopic hexagonal plate, are proposed. Preliminary results emphasize that this experiment may help us to improve our understanding of the fundamental redox mechanism taking place in nickel hydroxide.Secondly, we study the electrochemical behavior of a nickel electrode in the presence of Zinc in the electrolyte. Industrial-type electrodes were prepared from a standard undoped nickel hydroxide. Then, samples obtained after electrochemical test were characterized by SEM, XRD, IR and EXAFS. The later which turned out to be the most appropriate for the analysis of our electrode materials, allowed us to get deeper insights in the insertion of zinc in the structure of Ni(OH)2

Global warming and depletion in fossil fuels have forced the society to search for alternate, clean sustainable energy sources. An obvious solution to the aforesaid problem lies in electrochemical energy storage systems like fuel cells and batteries. The desirable properties attributed to these devices like quick response, long life cycle, high round trip efficiency, clean source, low maintenance etc. have made them very attractive as energy storage devices. Compared to many advanced battery chemistries like nickel-metal hydride and lithium - ion batteries, metal-air batteries show several advantages like high energy density, ease of operation etc. The notable characteristics of metal - air batteries are the open structure with oxygen gas accessed from ambient air in the cathode compartment. These batteries rely on oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions during discharging and charging processes. The efficiency of these systems is determined by the kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction. Platinum is the most preferred catalyst for many electrochemical reactions. However, high cost and stability issues restrict the use of Pt and hence there is quest for the development of stable, durable and active electrocatalysts for various redox reactions. The present thesis is directed towards exploring the electrocatalytic aspects of titanium carbonitride. TiCN, a fascinating material, possesses many favorable properties such as extreme hardness, high melting point, good thermal and electrical conductivity. Its metal-like conductivity and extreme corrosion resistance prompted us to use this material for various electrochemical studies. The work function as well as the bonding in the material can be tuned by varying the composition of carbon and nitrogen in the crystal lattice. The current study explores the versatility of TiCN as electrocatalyst in aqueous and non-aqueous media. One dimensional TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires are prepared by simple one step solvothermal method without use of any template and are characterized using various physicochemical techniques. The 1D nanostructures are of several µm size length and 40 ± 15 nm diameter (figure 1). Orientation followed by attachment of the primary particles results in the growth along a particular plane (figure 2). (a) (b) (c) Figure 1. (a) SEM images of TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires (b) TEM image and (c) High resolution TEM image showing the lattice fringes. (a) (b) (d) Figure 2. Bright field TEM images obtained at different time scales of reaction. (a) 0 h; (b) 12 h; (c) 72 h and (d) 144 h. The next aspect of the thesis discusses the electrochemical performance of TiC0.7N0.3 especially for oxygen reduction. Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) reveals that the nanowires possess high activity for ORR and involves four electron process leading to water as the product. The catalyst effectively converts oxygen to water with an efficiency of 85%. A comparison of the activity of different (C/N) compositions of TiCN is shown in figure 3. The composition TiC0.7N0.3 shows the maximum activity for the reaction. The catalyst is also very selective for ORR in presence of methanol and thus cross-over issue in fuel cells can be effectively addressed. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations also lead to the same composition as the best for electrocatalysis, supporting the experimental observations. Figure 3. Linear sweep voltammetric curves observed for different compositions of titanium carbonitride towards ORR. The next chapter deals with the use of TiC0.7N0.3 as air cathode for aqueous metal - air batteries. The batteries show remarkable performance in the gel- and in liquid- based electrolytes for zinc - air and magnesium - air batteries. A partial potassium salt of polyacrylic acid (PAAK) is used as the polymer to form a gel electrolyte. The cell is found to perform very well even at very high current densities in the gel electrolyte (figures 4 and 5). Figure 4 Photographs of different components of the gel - based zinc - air battery. (a) (b) Figure 5. a) Discharge curves at different current densities of 5, 20, 50 and 100 mA/cm2 for zinc-air system with TiC0.7N0.3 cathode b) Charge – discharge cycles at 50 mA/cm2 for the three electrode configuration with TiC0.7N0.3 nanowire for ORR and IrO2 for OER and Zn electrode (2h. cycle period). Similarly, the catalytic activity of TiC0.7N0.3 has also been explored in non-aqueous electrolyte. The material acts as a bifunctional catalyst for oxygen in non- aqueous medium as well. It shows a stable performance for more than 100 cycles with high reversibility for ORR and OER (figure 6). Li-O2 battery fabricated with a non-aqueous gel- based electrolyte yields very good output. (a) (b) (c) Figure 6. Galvanostatic charge –discharge cycles. (a) at 1 mA/cm2 (b) specific capacity as a function of no. of cycles (c) photographs of PAN-based gel polymer electrolyte. Another reaction of interest in non –aqueous medium is I-/I3-. redox couple. TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires show small peak to peak separation, low charge transfer resistance and hence high activity. The catalyst is used as a counter electrode in dye sensitized a solar cell that shows efficiencies similar to that of Pt, state of the art catalyst (figure 7). (a) (b) (c) Figure 7 (a) Cyclic voltammograms for I-/I3 - redox species on TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires (red), TiC0.7N0.3 particle (black) and Pt (blue). (b) Photocurrent density - voltage characteristics for DSSCs with different counter electrodes. TiC0.7N0.3 nanowire (black), TiC0.7N0.3 particle (blue), Pt (red). (c) Photograph of a sample cell. (a) (b) (c) (d) Figure 8 a) Comparison ORR activity for (i) NiTiO3(black), (ii) N-rGO (red), (iii) NiTiO3 – N-rGO (green) and (iv) Pt/C (blue) (b) Linear sweep voltammograms for OER observed on NiTiO3 – N-rGO composite (black), NiTiO3 (brown), N-rGO (blue), glassy carbon (red) in 0.5 M KOH. (c) Galvanostatic discharge curves of NiTiO3 – N-rGO as air electrode (d) Charge – discharge cycle at 5 mA/cm2 for the rechargeable battery with 10 min. cycle period. The last part of the thesis discusses about a ceramic oxide, nickel titanate. The electrocatalytic studies of the material towards ORR and OER reveal that the catalyst shows remarkable performance as a bifunctional electrode. A gel - based zinc - air battery fabricated with nickel titanate – reduced graphene oxide composite shows exceptional performance of 1000 charge-discharge cycles in the rechargeable mode (figure 8). Of course, the primary battery configuration works very well too The thesis contains seven chapters on the aspects mentioned above with summary and future perspectives given as the last chapter. An appendix based on TiN nanotubes and supercapacitor studies is given at the end.

Global warming and depletion in fossil fuels have forced the society to search for alternate, clean sustainable energy sources. An obvious solution to the aforesaid problem lies in electrochemical energy storage systems like fuel cells and batteries. The desirable properties attributed to these devices like quick response, long life cycle, high round trip efficiency, clean source, low maintenance etc. have made them very attractive as energy storage devices. Compared to many advanced battery chemistries like nickel-metal hydride and lithium - ion batteries, metal-air batteries show several advantages like high energy density, ease of operation etc. The notable characteristics of metal - air batteries are the open structure with oxygen gas accessed from ambient air in the cathode compartment. These batteries rely on oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions during discharging and charging processes. The efficiency of these systems is determined by the kinetics of oxygen reduction reaction. Platinum is the most preferred catalyst for many electrochemical reactions. However, high cost and stability issues restrict the use of Pt and hence there is quest for the development of stable, durable and active electrocatalysts for various redox reactions. The present thesis is directed towards exploring the electrocatalytic aspects of titanium carbonitride. TiCN, a fascinating material, possesses many favorable properties such as extreme hardness, high melting point, good thermal and electrical conductivity. Its metal-like conductivity and extreme corrosion resistance prompted us to use this material for various electrochemical studies. The work function as well as the bonding in the material can be tuned by varying the composition of carbon and nitrogen in the crystal lattice. The current study explores the versatility of TiCN as electrocatalyst in aqueous and non-aqueous media. One dimensional TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires are prepared by simple one step solvothermal method without use of any template and are characterized using various physicochemical techniques. The 1D nanostructures are of several µm size length and 40 ± 15 nm diameter (figure 1). Orientation followed by attachment of the primary particles results in the growth along a particular plane (figure 2). (a) (b) (c) Figure 1. (a) SEM images of TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires (b) TEM image and (c) High resolution TEM image showing the lattice fringes. (a) (b) (d) Figure 2. Bright field TEM images obtained at different time scales of reaction. (a) 0 h; (b) 12 h; (c) 72 h and (d) 144 h. The next aspect of the thesis discusses the electrochemical performance of TiC0.7N0.3 especially for oxygen reduction. Electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) reveals that the nanowires possess high activity for ORR and involves four electron process leading to water as the product. The catalyst effectively converts oxygen to water with an efficiency of 85%. A comparison of the activity of different (C/N) compositions of TiCN is shown in figure 3. The composition TiC0.7N0.3 shows the maximum activity for the reaction. The catalyst is also very selective for ORR in presence of methanol and thus cross-over issue in fuel cells can be effectively addressed. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations also lead to the same composition as the best for electrocatalysis, supporting the experimental observations. Figure 3. Linear sweep voltammetric curves observed for different compositions of titanium carbonitride towards ORR. The next chapter deals with the use of TiC0.7N0.3 as air cathode for aqueous metal - air batteries. The batteries show remarkable performance in the gel- and in liquid- based electrolytes for zinc - air and magnesium - air batteries. A partial potassium salt of polyacrylic acid (PAAK) is used as the polymer to form a gel electrolyte. The cell is found to perform very well even at very high current densities in the gel electrolyte (figures 4 and 5). Figure 4 Photographs of different components of the gel - based zinc - air battery. (a) (b) Figure 5. a) Discharge curves at different current densities of 5, 20, 50 and 100 mA/cm2 for zinc-air system with TiC0.7N0.3 cathode b) Charge – discharge cycles at 50 mA/cm2 for the three electrode configuration with TiC0.7N0.3 nanowire for ORR and IrO2 for OER and Zn electrode (2h. cycle period). Similarly, the catalytic activity of TiC0.7N0.3 has also been explored in non-aqueous electrolyte. The material acts as a bifunctional catalyst for oxygen in non- aqueous medium as well. It shows a stable performance for more than 100 cycles with high reversibility for ORR and OER (figure 6). Li-O2 battery fabricated with a non-aqueous gel- based electrolyte yields very good output. (a) (b) (c) Figure 6. Galvanostatic charge –discharge cycles. (a) at 1 mA/cm2 (b) specific capacity as a function of no. of cycles (c) photographs of PAN-based gel polymer electrolyte. Another reaction of interest in non –aqueous medium is I-/I3-. redox couple. TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires show small peak to peak separation, low charge transfer resistance and hence high activity. The catalyst is used as a counter electrode in dye sensitized a solar cell that shows efficiencies similar to that of Pt, state of the art catalyst (figure 7). (a) (b) (c) Figure 7 (a) Cyclic voltammograms for I-/I3 - redox species on TiC0.7N0.3 nanowires (red), TiC0.7N0.3 particle (black) and Pt (blue). (b) Photocurrent density - voltage characteristics for DSSCs with different counter electrodes. TiC0.7N0.3 nanowire (black), TiC0.7N0.3 particle (blue), Pt (red). (c) Photograph of a sample cell. (a) (b) (c) (d) Figure 8 a) Comparison ORR activity for (i) NiTiO3(black), (ii) N-rGO (red), (iii) NiTiO3 – N-rGO (green) and (iv) Pt/C (blue) (b) Linear sweep voltammograms for OER observed on NiTiO3 – N-rGO composite (black), NiTiO3 (brown), N-rGO (blue), glassy carbon (red) in 0.5 M KOH. (c) Galvanostatic discharge curves of NiTiO3 – N-rGO as air electrode (d) Charge – discharge cycle at 5 mA/cm2 for the rechargeable battery with 10 min. cycle period. The last part of the thesis discusses about a ceramic oxide, nickel titanate. The electrocatalytic studies of the material towards ORR and OER reveal that the catalyst shows remarkable performance as a bifunctional electrode. A gel - based zinc - air battery fabricated with nickel titanate – reduced graphene oxide composite shows exceptional performance of 1000 charge-discharge cycles in the rechargeable mode (figure 8). Of course, the primary battery configuration works very well too The thesis contains seven chapters on the aspects mentioned above with summary and future perspectives given as the last chapter. An appendix based on TiN nanotubes and supercapacitor studies is given at the end.

A new challenge is obtaining and researching ceramic multifunctional materials containing phases with various properties, as well as Aurivillius phases, which determine their application. They show potential for use in electrochemical applications and ferroelectric and piezoelectric devices, sensors, and non-volatile memories. Presented are our studies of volumetric nonmonophasic ceramics from the RE-Ba-Cu-O (ReBCO, RE = rare-earth; Y, Dy) and Bi-Pb-Sr-Ca-Cu-O (B(Pb) SCCO) systems that are superconductors, obtained via solid phase synthesis. A bulk ceramic composite Y123/BaCuO2 was synthesized with starting stoichiometry of 1:3:4(Y:Ba:Cu) via a one-step procedure. It has superconducting and magnetic properties at low temperatures. DyBCO bulk ceramic with a nano-Fe3O4 additive was synthesized and characterized to identify the phase and elemental composition, the microstructure, and the superconducting transition temperature. The Aurivillius phases were synthesized via solid-phase synthesis and a melt-quench method. B(Pb)SCCO ceramics (2223, 2212, and 2201), with conductive properties, have been used as an addition to the active mass of a Zn electrode. The method of mixing the materials was also investigated. Their behavior in an alkaline environment and positive influence on the properties and longevity of the nickel-zinc battery has been studied. Part of the obtained ceramic systems was patented.

Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) have the potential to reduce green house gases emissions and provide a promising alternative to conventional internal combustion engine vehicles. However, PHEVs have not been widely adopted in comparison to the conventional vehicles due to their high costs and short charging intervals. Since PHEVs rely on large storage batteries relative to the conventional vehicles, the characteristics and design issues associated with PHEV batteries play an important role in the potential adoption of PHEVs. Consumer acceptance and adoption of PHEVs mainly depends on fuel economy, operating cost, operation green house gas (GHG) emissions, power and performance, and safety among other characteristics. We compare the operational performance of PHEV20 (PHEV version sized for 20 miles of all electric range) based on fuel economy, operating cost, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through Pareto set point identification approach for 15 different types of batteries, including lithium-ion, nickel metal hydride (NiMH), nickel zinc (NiZn), and lead acid batteries. It is found that two from 15 batteries dominate the rest. Among the two, a NiMH (type ess_nimh_90_72_ovonic) gives the highest fuel economy, and a lithium-ion (type ess_li_7_303) yields the lowest operating cost and GHG emissions. From comparing nine batteries that are either on or close to the Pareto frontier, one can see that lithium-ion and NiMH batteries offer better fuel economy than lead-acid batteries. Though lithium-ion batteries bear clear advantage on operating costs and GHG emissions, NiMH and lead-acid batteries show similar performances from these two aspects.