Neural Network Approach to Modelling the Behaviour of Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites in Dry Environments

Ionic polymer-metal composites (IPMCs) are especially interesting electroactive polymers because they show large a deformation in the presence of a very low driving voltage (around 1 - 2 V) and several applications have recently been proposed. Normally a humid environment is required for the best operation, although some IPMCs can operate in a dry environment, after proper encapsulation or if a solid electrolyte is used in the manufacturing process. However, such solutions usually lead to increasing mechanical stiffness and to a reduction of actuation capabilities. In this study we focus on the behaviour of non-encapsulated IPMCs as actuators in dry environments, in order to obtain relevant information for design tasks linked to the development of active devices based on this kind of smart material. The non-linear response obtained in the characterisation tests is especially well-suited to modelling these actuators with the help of artificial neural networks (ANNs). Once trained with the help of characterisation data, such neural networks prove to be a precise simulation tool for describing IPMC response in dry environments.

Modeling Ionic Polymer-Metal Composites with Space-Time Adaptive Multimesh hp-FEM

We are concerned with a model of ionic polymer-metal composite(IPMC)materials that consists of a coupled system of the Poisson and Nernst-Planck equations,discretized by means of the finite element method(FEM).We show that due to the transient character of the problem it is efficient to use adaptive algorithms that are capable of changing the mesh dynamically in time.We also show that due to large qualitative and quantitative differences between the two solution components,it is efficient to approximate them on different meshes using a novel adaptive multimesh hp-FEM.The study is accompanied with numerous computations and comparisons of the adaptive multimesh hp-FEMwith several other adaptive FEM algorithms.

Constitutive relationship of ionic polymer-metal composite and static response character of its cantilever setup to voltage

As a new ionic polymer-metal composite(IPMC) for artificial muscle,the mechanical performance parameters and the relationship between the deformation and the electrical parameters of the IPMC were studied. With the digital speckle correlation method,the constitutive relationship of the IPMC was confirmed. With non-contact photography measurement,a cantilever setup was designed to confirm the relationship between the deformation of the IPMC film and the applied voltage. The relationship curve of tip displacement of the IPMC cantilever setup vs the voltage was achieved. The results indicate that the IPMC is isotropic,its elastic modulus is 232 MPa and Poisson ratio is 0.163. The curve achieved from the test of the tip displacement of the IPMC cantilever setup shows that the tip displacement reaches the maximum when the stimulated voltage is 5 V. And the tip displacement descends largely when the frequency of the applied voltage is between 30 mHz and 100 mHz.

Verification of Beam Models for Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite Actuator

Ionic Polymer-Metal Composite (IPMC) can work as an actuator by applying a few voltages.A thick IPMC actuator,where Nafion-117 membrane was synthesized with polypyrrole/alumina composite filler,was analyzed to verify the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models.The blocking force and tip displacement of the IPMC actuator were measured with a DC power supply and Young's modulus of the IPMC strip was measured by bending and tensile tests respectively.The calculated maximum tip displacement and the Young's modulus by the equivalent beam model were almost identical to the corresponding measured data.Finite element analysis with thermal analogy technique was utilized in the equivalent bimorph beam model to numerically reproduce the force-displacement relationship of the IPMC actuator.The results by the equivalent bimorph beam model agreed well with the force-displacement relationship acquired by the measured data.It is confirmed that the equivalent beam and equivalent bimorph beam models are practically and effectively suitable for predicting the tip displacement,blocking force and Young's modulus of IPMC actuators with different thickness and different composite of ionic polymer membrane.

Ionic polymer metal composites actuators with enhanced driving performance by incorporating graphene quantum dots

In order to further improve the driving performance of ionic polymer metal composites(IPMCs),Nafion/graphene quantum dots(GQDs)hybrid membranes incorporating GQDs with various contents of 0,0.1 wt.%,0.5 wt.%,1.0 wt.%,2.0 wt.%and 4.0 wt.%were fabricated by solution casting,and then IPMCs were manufactured by electroless plating.The water contents and elastic moduli of the hybrid membranes were tested.The morphology characteristics of the hybrid membranes and the IPMCs were observed,and the current,AC impedance,blocking force and displacement of the IPMCs were measured.The results show that the elastic modulus of the hybrid membranes decreases,the water content increases,and the actuation performance of the IPMCs improves significantly after the addition of GQDs.IPMC with 1.0 wt.%GQDs exhibits the best driving property.Compared with the IPMC without GQDs,the working current,ion conductivity,blocking force,and tip displacement increase by 94.67%,311.11%,53.66%,and 66.07%,respectively.These results lay a solid foundation for the preparation of IPMCs with high performance,and further broaden their applications in biomedical devices and bionic robots.

Revealing the specific role of sulfide and nano-alumina in composite solid-state electrolytes for performance-reinforced ether-nitrile copolymers

Composite solid-state electrolytes represent a critical pathway that balances the interface compatibility and lithium-ion conductivity in all-solid-state batteries.The quest for stable and highly ion-conductive combinations between polymers and fillers is vital,but blind attempts are often made due to a lack of understanding of the mechanisms involved in the interaction between polymers and fillers.Herein,we employ in-situ polymerization to prepare a polymer based on an ether-nitrile copolymer with high cathode stability as the foundation and discuss the performance enhancement mechanisms of argyrodite and nano-alumina.With 1%content of sulfide interacting with the polymer at the two-phase interface,the local enhancement of lithium-ion migration capability can be achieved,avoiding the reduction in capacity due to the low ion conductivity of the passivation layer during cycling.The capacity retention after 50cycles at 0.5 C increases from 83.5%to 94.4%.Nano-alumina,through anchoring the anions and interface inhibition functions,eventually poses an initial discharge capacity of 136.8 m A h g^(-1)at 0.5 C and extends the cycling time to 1000 h without short-circuiting in lithium metal batteries.Through the combined action of dual fillers on the composite solid-state electrolyte,promising insights are provided for future material design.

Incorporation of Ionic Conductive Polymers into Sulfide Electrolyte-Based Solid-State Batteries to Enhance Electrochemical Stability and Cycle Life

Sulfide-based inorganic solid electrolytes are promising materials for high-performance safe solid-state batteries.The high ion conductivity,mechanical characteristics,and good processability of sulfide-based inorganic solid electrolytes are desirable properties for realizing high-performance safe solid-state batteries by replacing conventional liquid electrolytes.However,the low chemical and electrochemical stability of sulfide-based inorganic solid electrolytes hinder the commercialization of sulfide-based safe solid-state batteries.Particularly,the instability of sulfide-based inorganic solid electrolytes is intensified in the cathode,comprising various materials.In this study,carbonate-based ionic conductive polymers are introduced to the cathode to protect cathode materials and suppress the reactivity of sulfide electrolytes.Several instruments,including electrochemical spectroscopy,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,and scanning electron microscopy,confirm the chemical and electrochemical stability of the polymer electrolytes in contact with sulfide-based inorganic solid electrolytes.Sulfide-based solid-state cells show stable electrochemical performance over 100 cycles when the ionic conductive polymers were applied to the cathode.

Properties and Structure of Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes/Cellulose Composites Fibers Using Ionic Liquid as Solvent

To take advantage of cellulose material and prepare a kind of high performance fiber,multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWNTs) were used as fillers to produce MWNTs/cellulose composite fibers using ionic liquid as solvent.The thermal properties,mechanical properties,and structure of the composite fibers were investigated.The wide angle X-ray diffraction(WAXD) measurements show that MWNTs/cellulose composite fibers have cellulose Ⅱ crystal structure.The results obtained from thermal gravimetric analysis(TGA) indicate that the addition of low nanotubes amounts leads to an increase in the degrade temperature.The tensile mechanical properties show that initial modulus and tensile strength considerably increase in the presence of nanotubes with a maximum for 66.7% and 22.7%.

Soft actuator based on ion-exchange polymer-metal composite

Ion-exchange polymer-metal composite （IPMC） is a new electroactive material. It has large deformation and high force weight ratio in the presence of low voltage （〈1.5 V）. In this study a soft actuator known as artificial muscle based on IPMC was prepared. The IPMC actuator is composed of a perfluorinated ion-exchange membrane and platinum plated on both sides of the membrane by chemical means. Experiences and some key points are introduced in preparation of the IPMC. Electromechanical behaviors of the actuator are investigated, Factors related to the actuator performance are discussed.

Electrodeposition of iridium from composite ionic liquid

In order to study the electrodeposition process of iridium in composite ionic liquid, the effects of N, N-dimethylacetamide（DMAC） on the viscosity, conductivity and electrochemical stability of composite ionic liquid BMIC-BMIBF4, as well as the electrochemical behavior of Ir Cl3 in this system were studied. Iridium（Ir） coatings were deposited at different constant potentials and characterized by SEM and XRD. The results show that the addition of DMAC can evidently decrease the viscosity of the composite system, increase conductivity and improve electrochemical stability of the composite system. Cyclic voltammograms of a Au electrode illustrate that the process controlled by diffusion rate is irreversible with the average charge transfer coefficient of 0.170 and average diffusion coefficient of 1.096×10-6 cm^2/s. In addition, SEM image shows that Ir film deposited at the reduction peak potential is dense and even, while XRD pattern shows that Ir deposit is polycrystalline structure.

Oxygen ionic conductivity of a composite electrolyte SDC-LSGM prepared via glycine-nitrate process

Ce0.8Sm0.2O1.9-δ-La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3-δ（SDC-LSGM）is prepared by the glycine-nitrate process（GNP）.SDC-LSGM composite electrolyte samples with different weight ratios are prepared by the co-combustion method so as to obtain homogeneous nano-sized precursor powders. The X-ray diffraction （XRD） and the scan electron microscope （SEM） are used to investigate the phases and microstructures. The measurements and analyses of oxygen ionic conductivity of SDC-LSGM are carried out through the four-terminal direct current （DC） method and the electrochemical impendence spectroscopy, respectively. The optimum weight ratio of SDC-LSGM is 8∶2, of which the ionic conductivity is 0.113 S/cm at 800℃ and the conductivity activation energy is 0.620 eV. The impendence spectra shows that the grain boundary resistance becomes the main barrier for the ionic conductivity of electrolyte at lower temperatures. The appropriate introduction of LSGM to the electrolyte SDC can not only decrease the electronic conductivity but also improve the conditions of the grain and grain boundary, which is advantageous to cause an increase in oxygen ionic conductivity.

Enabling high-performance all-solid-state lithium batteries with high ionic conductive sulfide-based composite solid electrolyte and ex-situ artificial SEI film

All-solid-state lithium batteries(ASSLBs) employing sulfide electrolyte and lithium(Li) anode have received increasing attention due to the intrinsic safety and high energy density.However,the thick electrolyte layer and lithium dendrites formed at the electrolyte/Li anode interface hinder the realization of high-performance ASSLBs.Herein,a novel membrane consisting of Li_(6)PS_(5) Cl(LPSCl),poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO) and Li-salt(LiTFSI) was prepared as sulfide-based composite solid electrolyte(LPSCl-PEO3-LiTFSI)(LPSCl:PEO=97:3 wt/wt;EO:Li=8:1 mol/mol),which delivers high ionic conductivity(1.1 × 10^(-3) S cm^(-1)) and wide electrochemical window(4.9 V vs.Li^(+)/Li) at 25 ℃.In addition,an ex-situ artificial solid electrolyte interphase(SEI) film enriched with LiF and Li3 N was designed as a protective layer on Li anode(Li(SEI)) to suppress the growth of lithium dendrites.Benefiting from the synergy of sulfide-based composite solid electrolyte and ex-situ artificial SEI,cells of S-CNTs/LPSCI-PEO3-LiTFSI/Li(SEI) and Al_(2)O_(3)@LiNi_(0.5)Co_(0.3)Mn_(0.2)O_(2)/LPSCl-PEO3-LiTFSI/Li(SEI) are assembled and both exhibit high initial discharge capacity of 1221.1 mAh g^(-1)(135.8 mAh g^(-1)) and enhanced cycling stability with 81.6% capacity retention over 200 cycles at 0.05 C(89.2% over 100 cycles at 0.1 C).This work provides a new insight into the synergy of composite solid electrolyte and artificial SEI for achieving high-performance ASSLBs.

Properties of Zn-Bi composite coatings prepared by ionic co-discharge deposition

Zn-Bi composite was synthesized by ionic co-discharge deposition and its properties were investigated. The results show that the Zn-Bi composite with the incorporation of Bi has a finer grain size than the pure Zn coating and improves the mechanical properties. The microhardness is increased by approximately two times simply by adding a small amount of Bi electrolyte into a Zn bath solution. A lower volume loss of the Zn-Bi composite coating compared with the pure Zn coating also indicates that the Zn-Bi coating has a better wear resistance.

Tailoring Practically Accessible Polymer/Inorganic Composite Electrolytes for All-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries:A Review

Solid-state electrolytes(SSEs)are widely considered the essential components for upcoming rechargeable lithium-ion batteries owing to the potential for great safety and energy density.Among them,polymer solid-state electrolytes(PSEs)are competitive candidates for replacing commercial liquid electrolytes due to their flexibility,shape versatility and easy machinability.Despite the rapid development of PSEs,their practical application still faces obstacles including poor ionic conductivity,narrow electrochemical stable window and inferior mechanical strength.Polymer/inorganic composite electrolytes(PIEs)formed by adding ceramic fillers in PSEs merge the benefits of PSEs and inorganic solid-state electrolytes(ISEs),exhibiting appreciable comprehensive properties due to the abundant interfaces with unique characteristics.Some PIEs are highly compatible with high-voltage cathode and lithium metal anode,which offer desirable access to obtaining lithium metal batteries with high energy density.This review elucidates the current issues and recent advances in PIEs.The performance of PIEs was remarkably influenced by the characteristics of the fillers including type,content,morphology,arrangement and surface groups.We focus on the molecular interaction between different components in the composite environment for designing high-performance PIEs.Finally,the obstacles and opportunities for creating high-performance PIEs are outlined.This review aims to provide some theoretical guidance and direction for the development of PIEs.

The Critical Role of Fillers in Composite Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium Battery

With excellent energy densities and highly safe performance,solidstate lithium batteries(SSLBs)have been hailed as promising energy storage devices.Solid-state electrolyte is the core component of SSLBs and plays an essential role in the safety and electrochemical performance of the cells.Composite polymer electrolytes(CPEs)are considered as one of the most promising candidates among all solid-state electrolytes due to their excellent comprehensive performance.In this review,we briefly introduce the components of CPEs,such as the polymer matrix and the species of fillers,as well as the integration of fillers in the polymers.In particular,we focus on the two major obstacles that affect the development of CPEs:the low ionic conductivity of the electrolyte and high interfacial impedance.We provide insight into the factors influencing ionic conductivity,in terms of macroscopic and microscopic aspects,including the aggregated structure of the polymer,ion migration rate and carrier concentration.In addition,we also discuss the electrode-electrolyte interface and summarize methods for improving this interface.It is expected that this review will provide feasible solutions for modifying CPEs through further understanding of the ion conduction mechanism in CPEs and for improving the compatibility of the electrode-electrolyte interface.

Rational Design of High-Performance PEO/Ceramic Composite Solid Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries

Composite solid electrolytes(CSEs)with poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)have become fairly prevalent for fabricating high-performance solid-state lithium metal batteries due to their high Li~+solvating capability,flexible processability and low cost.However,unsatisfactory room-temperature ionic conductivity,weak interfacial compatibility and uncontrollable Li dendrite growth seriously hinder their progress.Enormous efforts have been devoted to combining PEO with ceramics either as fillers or major matrix with the rational design of two-phase architecture,spatial distribution and content,which is anticipated to hold the key to increasing ionic conductivity and resolving interfacial compatibility within CSEs and between CSEs/electrodes.Unfortunately,a comprehensive review exclusively discussing the design,preparation and application of PEO/ceramic-based CSEs is largely lacking,in spite of tremendous reviews dealing with a broad spectrum of polymers and ceramics.Consequently,this review targets recent advances in PEO/ceramicbased CSEs,starting with a brief introduction,followed by their ionic conduction mechanism,preparation methods,and then an emphasis on resolving ionic conductivity and interfacial compatibility.Afterward,their applications in solid-state lithium metal batteries with transition metal oxides and sulfur cathodes are summarized.Finally,a summary and outlook on existing challenges and future research directions are proposed.

Novel Nano-composites SDC–LiNaSO_4 as Functional Layer for ITSOFC

As an ionic conductive functional layer of intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells(ITSOFC), samarium-doped ceria(SDC)–Li Na SO4nano-composites were synthesized by a sol–gel method and their properties were investigated. It was found that the content of Li Na SO4 strongly affected the crystal phase, defect concentration, and conductivity of the composites. When the content of Li Na SO4 was 20 wt%, the highest conductivity of the composite was found to be, respectively, 0.22, 0.26, and 0.35 S cm-1at temperatures of 550, 600, and 700 °C, which are much higher than those of SDC. The peak power density of the single cell using this composite as an interlayer was improved to, respectively, 0.23, 0.39, and 0.88 W cm-2at 500, 600, and 700 °C comparing with that of the SDC-based cell. Further, the SDC–Li Na SO4(20 wt%)-based cell also displayed better thermal stability according to the performance measurements at 560 °C for 50 h. These results reveal that SDC–Li Na SO4 composite may be a potential good candidate as interlayer for ITSOFC due to its high ionic conductivity and thermal stability.

3D spiny AlF_(3)/Mullite heterostructure nanofiber as solid-state polymer electrolyte fillers with enhanced ionic conductivity and improved interfacial compatibility

Lithium metal batteries assembled with solid-state electrolyte can offer high safety and volumetric energy density compared to liquid electrolyte.The polymer solid-state electrolytes of poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)are widely used in lithium metal solid-state batteries due to their unique properties.However,there are still some defects such as low ionic conductivity at room temperature and weak inhibition of lithium dendrite growth.Herein,the spiny inorganic nanofibers heterostructure with mullite whiskers grown on the surface of aluminum fluoride(AlF_(3))nanofibers are introduced into the PEOLi TFSI electrolytes for the first time to prepare composite solid-state electrolytes.The AlF_(3)as a strong Lewis acid can adsorb anions and promote the dissociation of Li salts.Besides,the specially threedimensional(3D)structure enlarges the effective contacting interface with the PEO polymer,which allows the lithium ions to be transported not only along the large aspect ratio of AlF3nanofibers,but also along the mullite phase in the transmembrane direction rapidly.Thereby,the transport channel of lithium ions at the spiny inorganic nanofibers-polymer interface is further improved.Benefiting from these advantages,the obtained composite solid-state electrolyte has a high ionic conductivity of 1.58×10^(-4)S cm^(-1)at 30℃and the lithium ions transfer number of 0.53.In addition,the AlF3has strong binding energy with anions,low electronic conductivity and wide electrochemical stability window,and reduced nucleation overpotential of lithium during cycling,which is positive for lithium dendrite suppression in solid-state electrolytes.Thus,the assembled symmetric Li/Li symmetric batteries exhibit stable cycling performance at different area capacities of 0.15,0.2,0.3 and 0.4 m A h cm^(-2).More importantly,the LiFePO_(4)(LFP)/Li battery still has 113.5 m A h g-1remaining after 400 cycles at 50℃and the Coulomb efficiency is nearly 100%during the long cycle.Overall,the interconnected structure of 3D spiny inorganic heterostructure nanofiber constitutes fast and uninterrupted lithium ions transport channels,maximizing the synergistic effect of interfacial transport of inorganic fillers and reducing PEO crystallinity,thus providing a novel approach to high performance solid-state electrolytes.

京郊设施土壤盐分累积及组成变化特征

针对北京市郊区设施土壤存在次生盐渍化的问题,以房山、延庆、密云、大兴、昌平地区规模化设施园区为研究对象,采用田间随机取样的方法,对5个地区主要栽培类型的设施园区土壤盐分累积和组成变化进行研究,以期为设施栽培的科学管理和高效施肥提供参考。结果表明,79%的点位土壤全盐量≥2.0 g/kg,69.3%的点位电导率≥50 mS/m,次生盐渍化趋势明显;监测园区的盐分离子均有一定程度的富集,不同地区盐分离子累积存在一定差异;除HCO_(3)^(-)外,K^(+)、Na^(+)、Ca^(2+)、Mg^(2+)、Cl^(-)、SO_(4)^(2-)、NO_(3)^(-)的累积在一定程度上均造成了土壤的次生盐渍化,其中阳离子以Ca^(2+)、Mg^(2+)为主,阴离子以SO_(4)^(2-)、NO_(3)^(-)为主;京郊设施土壤盐分组成主要以硝酸盐和硫酸盐的形式存在。针对北京郊区存在盐分累积现象,建议开展有机肥料的筛选和品质质量检测,同时加强水肥管理,避免加重土壤次生盐渍化程度。设施生产中不仅要注重经济效益,更应该关注土壤的健康状况,以实现设施生产可持续的发展目标。

On the thrust performance of an ionic polymer-metal composite actuated robotic fish: Modeling and experimental investigation

In this paper, we theoretically predict and experimentally measure the thrust efficiency of a biomimetic robotic fish, which is propelled by an ionic polymer-metal composite （IPMC） actuator. A physics-based model that consists of IPMC dynamics and hydrodynamics was proposed, and simulation was conducted. In order to test the thrust performance of the robotic fish, a novel experimental apparatus was developed for hydrodynamic experiments. Under a servo towing system, the IPMC fish swam at a self-propelled speed where external force is averagely zero. Experimental results demonstrated that the theoretical model can well predict the thrust efficiency of the robotic fish. A maximum thrust efficiency of 2.3x10-3 at 1 Hz was recorded experi- mentally, the maximum thrust force was 0.0253 N, recorded at 1.2 Hz, while the maximum speed was 0.021 m/s, recorded at 1.5 Hz, and a peak power of 0.36 W was recorded at 2.6 Hz. Additionally, the optimal actuation frequency for the thrust efficiency was also recorded at the maximum self-propelled speed. The present method of examining the thrust efficiency may also be applied to the studies of other types of smart material actuated underwater robots.