Elucidating the structure-activity relationship in electrocatalysis is of fundamental interest for electrochemical energy conversion and storage.However,the heterogeneity in the surface structure of electrocatalysts,i...Elucidating the structure-activity relationship in electrocatalysis is of fundamental interest for electrochemical energy conversion and storage.However,the heterogeneity in the surface structure of electrocatalysts,including the presence of various facets,poses an analytical challenge in revealing the true structure-activity relationship because the activity is conventionally measured on ensemble,resulting in an averaged activity that cannot be unequivocally associated with a single structural motif.Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy(SECCM)[1]combined with colocalized electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)offers a direct way to reveal the correlative local electrochemical and structural information.Herein,we measured the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)activity on Ag and its dependence on the crystal orientation.From the combined EBSD and SECCM mapping,it is found that Ag grains closer to{111}show a higher exchange current density,while those closer to{110}show a lower Tafel slope.The Tafel slope is also found to decrease with the step density increase.The ability to measure the electrocatalytic activity under a high mass-transfer rate allows us to reveal the activity difference at a high current density(up to 200 mA/cm^(2)).The approach reported here can be expanded to other systems to reveal the nature of active sites of electrocatalysis.展开更多
Atomic force microscope (AFM) is able to produce three-dimensional digital data in both force-mode and height-mode and its applications are not limited to map the surfaces of conducting materials. It can use the force...Atomic force microscope (AFM) is able to produce three-dimensional digital data in both force-mode and height-mode and its applications are not limited to map the surfaces of conducting materials. It can use the force-mode to image the repulsive and attractive force patterns. The cross sections of polycrystalline CdS/CdTe and amorphous silicon heterojunction solar cells are observed with AFM. In case of short circuit, the microstructures of different layers in the samples are clearly displayed. When the cells are open circuit, the topographical images are altered, the potential outline due to the space charge in junction region is observed. Obviously, AFM can be employed to investigate experimentally built-in potential in junction of semiconductor devices, such as solar cells.展开更多
The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate and investigate the concepts of new deployable boom systems, which consist of the BCON （braid coated bi-convex tape） boom and the SMA-BCON （braid coated bi-shape memory a...The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate and investigate the concepts of new deployable boom systems, which consist of the BCON （braid coated bi-convex tape） boom and the SMA-BCON （braid coated bi-shape memory alloy convex tape） boom. Both booms are developed for the deployable membrane structures such as solar sails, thin membrane solar array panels, deorbit mechanisms for small satellites and reflectors of space solar power satellite, etc. BCON booms can store around polygonal or cylindrical center hub, and the booms can deploy by the stepwise manner by releasing a constraint mechanism which pins the boons into two or three points for the total length. SMA-BCON booms are mainly developed for a square center body systems, and SMA is adapted on the bent po^nts of the booms where stored around each edge of the center hub. Through the deployment experiments of both booms, the stepwise deployment behavior and its tendency are obtained. The design concept of BCON boom and SMA-BCON hnnm i~ demonstrated through this study.展开更多
Li3V2（PO4）3 samples were synthesized by sol-gel route and high temperature solid-state reaction. The influence of Li3V2（PO4）3 as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries on electrochemical performances was inve...Li3V2（PO4）3 samples were synthesized by sol-gel route and high temperature solid-state reaction. The influence of Li3V2（PO4）3 as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries on electrochemical performances was investigated. The structure of Li3Va（PO4）3 as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries and morphology of Li3V2（PO4）3 were characterized by X-ray diffractometry （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Electrochemical performances were characterized by charge/discharge and AC impedance measurements. Li3V2（PO4）3 with smaller grain size shows better performances in terms of the discharge capacity and cycle stability. The improved electrochemical properties of Li3V2（PO4）3 are attributed to the refined grains and enhanced electrical conductivity. AC impedance measurements also show that the Li3V2（PO4）3 synthesized by sol-gel route exhibits significantly decreased charge-transfer resistance and shortened migration distance of lithium ions.展开更多
The present study reports a simple,effective and energy-efficient method to prepare γ-LiAlO2 powder as a matrix in a molten carbonate fuel cell(MCFC).In our experiments,aqueous solution based sol-gel technique was us...The present study reports a simple,effective and energy-efficient method to prepare γ-LiAlO2 powder as a matrix in a molten carbonate fuel cell(MCFC).In our experiments,aqueous solution based sol-gel technique was used to synthesize γ-LiAlO2.Highly dispersed AlOOH·nH2O and LiOH·H2O aqueous solutions were mixed to form a colloid mixture,which was calcined to synthesize γ-LiAlO2.Thermogravimetric analysis(TGA),X-ray dif-fraction(XRD),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) were used to study the composition and morphology of the intermediate and final products.The analysis results showed that an intermediate product Li2Al4CO3(OH)12 was produced after the colloid mixture was dried at 80 ℃,and highly purified γ-LiAlO2 powder with fine particle size was resulted from the subsequent calcinations.A single MCFC was assembled with a matrix of the γ-LiAlO2 pow-der.The testing results showed that the matrix performed well in preventing gas leakage.展开更多
Kelvin probe force microscopy(KPFM) could identify the local work function of surface at nanoscale with high-resolution on the basis of simultaneous visualization of surface topography, which provides a unique route t...Kelvin probe force microscopy(KPFM) could identify the local work function of surface at nanoscale with high-resolution on the basis of simultaneous visualization of surface topography, which provides a unique route to in-situ study of the surface information like the composition and electronic states. Currently, as a non-destructive detection protocol, KPFM demonstrates the unique potential to probe the basic nature of perovskite materials that is extremely sensitive to water, oxygen and electron beam irradiation. This paper systematically introduces the fundamentals and working mode of KPFM, and elaborates the promising applications in perovskite solar cells for energy band structures and carrier transport dynamics, trap states, crystal phases, as well as ion migration explorations. The comprehensive understanding of such potential detection engineering may provide novel and effective approaches for unraveling the unique properties of perovskite solar cells.展开更多
The investigation of multi-crystalline silicon （mc-Si） surface etching technology is a key point in solar cell research. In this paper, mc-Si surface was etched in the common alkaline solution modified by an additiv...The investigation of multi-crystalline silicon （mc-Si） surface etching technology is a key point in solar cell research. In this paper, mc-Si surface was etched in the common alkaline solution modified by an additive for 20 minutes at 78-80~C. Samples＇ surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope （SEM）. It is firstly found that the etched mc-Si surface has the uniform distribution of trap pits although the morphologies of trap pits are slightly different on different crystallographic planes. Si （100） plane was covered with many small Si-mountaln ranges or long V-shape channels arranged in a crisscross pat- tern. For （110） plane and （111） plane, they were full of a lot of triangle pit-traps （or quadrilateral holes） and twisted earthworm trap pits, respectively. The measured reflectance of the sample was 20.5% at wavelength range of 400--900 nm. These results illustrate that alkaline solution modified by an additive can effectively etch out trap pits with a good trapping light effect on mc-Si surfaces. This method should be very valuable for mc-Si solar cells.展开更多
The electrode/electrolyte interface plays a cri- tical role in the performance of a Li-ion battery. In view of the dynamic and complex nature of the interface, in situ research approaches can provide valuable informat...The electrode/electrolyte interface plays a cri- tical role in the performance of a Li-ion battery. In view of the dynamic and complex nature of the interface, in situ research approaches can provide valuable information of interfacial phenomena during battery operation. In situ scanning probe microscopy （SPM） is a powerful technique used for the interfacial investigation of the Li-ion batteries. The versatile SPM techniques and their various operation modes have been utilized to measure the morphology and other properties of the electrode interface at high resolu- tion. Herein, we discuss the related SPM techniques to study the topography, mechanics and electrochemistry re- search of electrodes. Recent progresses of in situ SPM research on the electrode/electrolyte interface are summa- rized. Finally, the outlook of the technique is discussed.展开更多
Fading mechanism of tin dioxide （SnO2） electrodes in lithium ion batteries has attracted much attentions, which is of great importance for the battery applications. In this paper, electrochemical lithiation-delithia...Fading mechanism of tin dioxide （SnO2） electrodes in lithium ion batteries has attracted much attentions, which is of great importance for the battery applications. In this paper, electrochemical lithiation-delithiation cycles of individual SnO2 nanowires were conducted in situ in a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. Major changes in volume with expan- sions of 170%~300% on SnO2 nanowire electrodes were observed during the first lithiation process in electrochemical cycling, including conversion reaction of SnO2 precursor to Li20 matrix and active lithium host Sn, and alloying of Sn with Li to form brittle Li-Sn alloy. SnO2 nanowire electrodes were inclined to suffer from thermal runaway condition in the first two cycles. During cycling, morphology and composition evolution of SnO2 nanowire electrodes were recorded. Cyclic lithiation and del- ithiation of the electrode demonstrated the phase transition between Lii3Sn5 and Sn. Metallic Sn clusters were formed and their sizes enlarged with increasing cycle times. Detrimental aggregation of Sn clusters caused pulverization in SnO2 nanowire elec- trodes, which broke the conduction and transport path for electrons and lithium ions. The real-time in situ TEM revealed fading mechanism provides important guidelines for the viable design of the SnO2 nanowire electrodes in lithium ion batteries.展开更多
基金sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) and the Army Research Office and was accomplished under Grant Number W911NF-20-1-0304
文摘Elucidating the structure-activity relationship in electrocatalysis is of fundamental interest for electrochemical energy conversion and storage.However,the heterogeneity in the surface structure of electrocatalysts,including the presence of various facets,poses an analytical challenge in revealing the true structure-activity relationship because the activity is conventionally measured on ensemble,resulting in an averaged activity that cannot be unequivocally associated with a single structural motif.Scanning electrochemical cell microscopy(SECCM)[1]combined with colocalized electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)offers a direct way to reveal the correlative local electrochemical and structural information.Herein,we measured the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)activity on Ag and its dependence on the crystal orientation.From the combined EBSD and SECCM mapping,it is found that Ag grains closer to{111}show a higher exchange current density,while those closer to{110}show a lower Tafel slope.The Tafel slope is also found to decrease with the step density increase.The ability to measure the electrocatalytic activity under a high mass-transfer rate allows us to reveal the activity difference at a high current density(up to 200 mA/cm^(2)).The approach reported here can be expanded to other systems to reveal the nature of active sites of electrocatalysis.
文摘Atomic force microscope (AFM) is able to produce three-dimensional digital data in both force-mode and height-mode and its applications are not limited to map the surfaces of conducting materials. It can use the force-mode to image the repulsive and attractive force patterns. The cross sections of polycrystalline CdS/CdTe and amorphous silicon heterojunction solar cells are observed with AFM. In case of short circuit, the microstructures of different layers in the samples are clearly displayed. When the cells are open circuit, the topographical images are altered, the potential outline due to the space charge in junction region is observed. Obviously, AFM can be employed to investigate experimentally built-in potential in junction of semiconductor devices, such as solar cells.
文摘The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate and investigate the concepts of new deployable boom systems, which consist of the BCON （braid coated bi-convex tape） boom and the SMA-BCON （braid coated bi-shape memory alloy convex tape） boom. Both booms are developed for the deployable membrane structures such as solar sails, thin membrane solar array panels, deorbit mechanisms for small satellites and reflectors of space solar power satellite, etc. BCON booms can store around polygonal or cylindrical center hub, and the booms can deploy by the stepwise manner by releasing a constraint mechanism which pins the boons into two or three points for the total length. SMA-BCON booms are mainly developed for a square center body systems, and SMA is adapted on the bent po^nts of the booms where stored around each edge of the center hub. Through the deployment experiments of both booms, the stepwise deployment behavior and its tendency are obtained. The design concept of BCON boom and SMA-BCON hnnm i~ demonstrated through this study.
基金Projects(0991025,0842003-5 and 0832259) supported by Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi Province,ChinaProject supported by the Joint Graduate Innovation Talent Cultivation Base of Guangxi Province,ChinaProject(GuiJiaoRen[2007]71) supported by the Research Funds of the Guangxi Key Laboratory of Environmental Engineering,Protection and Assessment Program to Sponsor Teams for Innovation in the Construction of Talent Highlands in Guangxi Institutions of Higher Learning,China
文摘Li3V2（PO4）3 samples were synthesized by sol-gel route and high temperature solid-state reaction. The influence of Li3V2（PO4）3 as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries on electrochemical performances was investigated. The structure of Li3Va（PO4）3 as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries and morphology of Li3V2（PO4）3 were characterized by X-ray diffractometry （XRD） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. Electrochemical performances were characterized by charge/discharge and AC impedance measurements. Li3V2（PO4）3 with smaller grain size shows better performances in terms of the discharge capacity and cycle stability. The improved electrochemical properties of Li3V2（PO4）3 are attributed to the refined grains and enhanced electrical conductivity. AC impedance measurements also show that the Li3V2（PO4）3 synthesized by sol-gel route exhibits significantly decreased charge-transfer resistance and shortened migration distance of lithium ions.
基金Supported by the Green Gen plan Program of China Huaneng Group (HNKJ06-H01)
文摘The present study reports a simple,effective and energy-efficient method to prepare γ-LiAlO2 powder as a matrix in a molten carbonate fuel cell(MCFC).In our experiments,aqueous solution based sol-gel technique was used to synthesize γ-LiAlO2.Highly dispersed AlOOH·nH2O and LiOH·H2O aqueous solutions were mixed to form a colloid mixture,which was calcined to synthesize γ-LiAlO2.Thermogravimetric analysis(TGA),X-ray dif-fraction(XRD),and scanning electron microscopy(SEM) were used to study the composition and morphology of the intermediate and final products.The analysis results showed that an intermediate product Li2Al4CO3(OH)12 was produced after the colloid mixture was dried at 80 ℃,and highly purified γ-LiAlO2 powder with fine particle size was resulted from the subsequent calcinations.A single MCFC was assembled with a matrix of the γ-LiAlO2 pow-der.The testing results showed that the matrix performed well in preventing gas leakage.
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFA0202701)the Overseas Expertise Introduction Projects for Discipline Innovation (111 project, B14003)+4 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51527802, 51232001, 51702014 and 51372020)the National Major Research Program of China (2013CB932602)Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (Z161100002116027)the State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materialsthe Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (FRF-TP-18-042A1)
文摘Kelvin probe force microscopy(KPFM) could identify the local work function of surface at nanoscale with high-resolution on the basis of simultaneous visualization of surface topography, which provides a unique route to in-situ study of the surface information like the composition and electronic states. Currently, as a non-destructive detection protocol, KPFM demonstrates the unique potential to probe the basic nature of perovskite materials that is extremely sensitive to water, oxygen and electron beam irradiation. This paper systematically introduces the fundamentals and working mode of KPFM, and elaborates the promising applications in perovskite solar cells for energy band structures and carrier transport dynamics, trap states, crystal phases, as well as ion migration explorations. The comprehensive understanding of such potential detection engineering may provide novel and effective approaches for unraveling the unique properties of perovskite solar cells.
基金supported by the Shanghai Aerospace Foundation (Grant No. GC072003)
文摘The investigation of multi-crystalline silicon （mc-Si） surface etching technology is a key point in solar cell research. In this paper, mc-Si surface was etched in the common alkaline solution modified by an additive for 20 minutes at 78-80~C. Samples＇ surface morphology was observed by scanning electron microscope （SEM）. It is firstly found that the etched mc-Si surface has the uniform distribution of trap pits although the morphologies of trap pits are slightly different on different crystallographic planes. Si （100） plane was covered with many small Si-mountaln ranges or long V-shape channels arranged in a crisscross pat- tern. For （110） plane and （111） plane, they were full of a lot of triangle pit-traps （or quadrilateral holes） and twisted earthworm trap pits, respectively. The measured reflectance of the sample was 20.5% at wavelength range of 400--900 nm. These results illustrate that alkaline solution modified by an additive can effectively etch out trap pits with a good trapping light effect on mc-Si surfaces. This method should be very valuable for mc-Si solar cells.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2011YQ03012415,2011CB932304 and2011CB808701)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21127901,21373237,21433011)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(XDB12020100)
文摘The electrode/electrolyte interface plays a cri- tical role in the performance of a Li-ion battery. In view of the dynamic and complex nature of the interface, in situ research approaches can provide valuable information of interfacial phenomena during battery operation. In situ scanning probe microscopy （SPM） is a powerful technique used for the interfacial investigation of the Li-ion batteries. The versatile SPM techniques and their various operation modes have been utilized to measure the morphology and other properties of the electrode interface at high resolu- tion. Herein, we discuss the related SPM techniques to study the topography, mechanics and electrochemistry re- search of electrodes. Recent progresses of in situ SPM research on the electrode/electrolyte interface are summa- rized. Finally, the outlook of the technique is discussed.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China("973" project)(Grant Nos.2012CB933003,2013CB932601)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.11027402)
文摘Fading mechanism of tin dioxide （SnO2） electrodes in lithium ion batteries has attracted much attentions, which is of great importance for the battery applications. In this paper, electrochemical lithiation-delithiation cycles of individual SnO2 nanowires were conducted in situ in a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. Major changes in volume with expan- sions of 170%~300% on SnO2 nanowire electrodes were observed during the first lithiation process in electrochemical cycling, including conversion reaction of SnO2 precursor to Li20 matrix and active lithium host Sn, and alloying of Sn with Li to form brittle Li-Sn alloy. SnO2 nanowire electrodes were inclined to suffer from thermal runaway condition in the first two cycles. During cycling, morphology and composition evolution of SnO2 nanowire electrodes were recorded. Cyclic lithiation and del- ithiation of the electrode demonstrated the phase transition between Lii3Sn5 and Sn. Metallic Sn clusters were formed and their sizes enlarged with increasing cycle times. Detrimental aggregation of Sn clusters caused pulverization in SnO2 nanowire elec- trodes, which broke the conduction and transport path for electrons and lithium ions. The real-time in situ TEM revealed fading mechanism provides important guidelines for the viable design of the SnO2 nanowire electrodes in lithium ion batteries.
