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Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Optics and Lasers".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2019) | Viewed by 61696

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Dr. Anming Hu

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Department of Mechanical Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA
Interests: nanomaterials; metals; smart materials; materials for environment and energy; light sensitive materials; biomass materials; materials for welding and joinning
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Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Pfleging

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Institute for Applied Materials-Applied Materials Physics (IAM-AWP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstraße 12, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
Interests: lithium-ion batteries; 3D Batteries; electrochemical analyses; coating and drying of electrodes; electrode architecture; electrode development; cell assembly; high energy and high power cells; laser processing of battery materials; material science; plasma spectroscopy; battery degradation and safety
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Prof. Dr. Yuefei Zhang

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Institute of Microstructure and Property of Advanced Materials, Beijing University of Technology, 100 Pingleyuan, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Interests: in situ electron microscopy; data-driven discovery with artificial intelligence; microstructure; mechanical properties
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Ruzhi Wang

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College of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Technology, 100 Pingleyuan, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
Interests: surfaces/interfaces of functional materials; design of energy storage and conversion materials; nano-semiconductors; nano-sensor; first principles and method of electron transport; field emission; 1D/2D materials for opotelectronic and vacuum nanoelectronic applications

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With portable and miniaturized electronic devices becoming increasingly pervasive in our daily live, there is a growing demand for lightweight, flexible, and highly-efficient microscale energy storage devices. Among the various energy storage devices, Lithium-ion batteries, Na-ion batteries, supercapacititors and metal-air batteries are promising, owing to the merits of high energy density, long cycle lifetime, and no memory effect in charge–discharge cycling. Nowadays, in-plane ultrathin microscale devices usually demonstrate a higher power density, but sacrifices energy density, owing to the fast 2D ion diffusion but a low mass utilization; additionally, the thicker pattern inversely improves energy density but limits power density. In a recent concept, 3D micro-battery designs based on micro- and nanostructured architectures could potentially double energy density by fully utilizing the limited available space.

This special issue of Applied Sciences on “Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices” is dedicated, but not limited to, the following aspects of electrode materials:

laser processing including laser nanostructuring, laser cutting and laser 3D printing
microstructure, spectroscopic, 3D and in-situ characterization
electrochemical characterization
modeling
flexible Li-ion batteries, Na-ion batteries and metal-air batteries
supercapacitors
2D materials

Dr. Anming Hu
Dr. Wilhelm Pfleging
Dr. Yuefei Zhang
Dr. Ruzhi Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Laser processing
Microbattery
Supercapacitor
Metal-air batteries
Additive manufacturing
Printed batteries
In-situ characterization
E-spinning
ALD
Laser spectroscopy

Published Papers (11 papers)

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Research

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9 pages, 2968 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Lithium Distribution in Structured Graphite Anodes Investigated by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy

by Yijing Zheng, Lisa Pfäffl, Hans Jürgen Seifert and Wilhelm Pfleging

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(20), 4218; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9204218 - 10 Oct 2019

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3362

Abstract

For the development of thick film graphite electrodes, a 3D battery concept is applied, which significantly improves lithium-ion diffusion kinetics, high-rate capability, and cell lifetime and reduces mechanical tensions. Our current research indicates that 3D architectures of anode materials can prevent cells from capacity fading at high C-rates and improve cell lifespan. For the further research and development of 3D battery concepts, it is important to scientifically understand the influence of laser-generated 3D anode architectures on lithium distribution during charging and discharging at elevated C-rates. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is applied post-mortem for quantitatively studying the lithium concentration profiles within the entire structured and unstructured graphite electrodes. Space-resolved LIBS measurements revealed that less lithium-ion content could be detected in structured electrodes at delithiated state in comparison to unstructured electrodes. This result indicates that 3D architectures established on anode electrodes can accelerate the lithium-ion extraction process and reduce the formation of inactive materials during electrochemical cycling. Furthermore, LIBS measurements showed that at high C-rates, lithium-ion concentration is increased along the contour of laser-generated structures indicating enhanced lithium-ion diffusion kinetics for 3D anode materials. This result is correlated with significantly increased capacity retention. Moreover, the lithium-ion distribution profiles provide meaningful information about optimizing the electrode architecture with respect to film thickness, pitch distance, and battery usage scenario. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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15 pages, 5452 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Ultrafast Laser Ablation of Li(Ni_0.6Mn_0.2Co_0.2)O₂ Electrodes with High Mass Loading

by Penghui Zhu, Hans Jürgen Seifert and Wilhelm Pfleging

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(19), 4067; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9194067 - 29 Sep 2019

Cited by 52 | Viewed by 4519

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries have become the most promising energy storage devices in recent years. However, the simultaneous increase of energy density and power density is still a huge challenge. Ultrafast laser structuring of electrodes is feasible to increase power density of lithium-ion batteries by improving the lithium-ion diffusion kinetics. The influences of laser processing pattern and film thickness on the rate capability and energy density were investigated using Li(Ni_0.6Mn_0.2Co_0.2)O₂ (NMC 622) as cathode material. NMC 622 electrodes with thicknesses from 91 µm to 250 µm were prepared, while line patterns with pitch distances varying from 200 µm to 600 µm were applied. The NMC 622 cathodes were assembled opposing lithium using coin cell design. Cells with structured, 91 µm thick film cathodes showed lesser capacity losses with C-rates 3C compared to cells with unstructured cathode. Cells with 250 µm thick film cathode showed higher discharge capacity with low C-rates of up to C/5, and the structured cathodes showed higher discharge capacity, with C-rates of up to 1C. However, the discharge capacity deteriorated with higher C-rate. An appropriate choice of laser generated patterns and electrode thickness depends on the requested battery application scenario; i.e., charge/discharge rate and specific/volumetric energy density. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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11 pages, 7947 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Improved Capacity Retention of SiO₂-Coated LiNi_0.6Mn_0.2Co_0.2O₂ Cathode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

by Xiaoxue Lu, Ningxin Zhang, Marcus Jahn, Wilhelm Pfleging and Hans J. Seifert

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(18), 3671; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9183671 - 5 Sep 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5189

Abstract

Surface degradation of Ni-enriched layered cathode material Li[Ni_0.6Mn_0.2Co_0.2]O₂ (NMC622) is the main reason that leads to large capacity decay during long-term cycling. In the frame of this research, an amorphous SiO₂ coating was applied onto the surface of the commercially available NMC622 powder by a wet coating process, through the condensation reaction of tetraethyl orthosilicate. The chemical composition of the coating layer was analyzed by inductively-coupled plasma. The morphology was studied by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Electrochemical properties, including cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic cycling, and rate capability measurements in a half-cell configuration, were tested to compare the electrochemical behavior of the non-coated and coated NMC622 materials. It is shown that the rate performance of the NMC622 materials is not affected by the coating layer. After 700 cycles in the range of 3.0–4.3 V at 2 C discharge, the cells with SiO₂-coated NMC622 materials retained 80% of their initial capacity, which is higher than the uncoated ones (74%). Physicochemical characterizations, e.g., XRD and SEM, were performed post-mortem to reveal the stabilizing mechanism of the SiO₂-coated NMC622 electrodes after long-term cycling. Based on these results, this is due to the shielding effect of the coating between the NMC622 particle surface and the liquid electrolyte, along with its scavenging effect on HF. SiO₂ coating is therefore a facile surface modification method that results in potentially significant enhancement of the cyclic stability of Ni-rich NMC materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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10 pages, 2801 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Femtosecond Laser Processing of Thick Film Cathodes and Its Impact on Lithium-Ion Diffusion Kinetics

by Wilhelm Pfleging and Petronela Gotcu

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(17), 3588; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9173588 - 2 Sep 2019

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 4038

Abstract

Quantitative experiments of lithiation/delithiation rates were considered for a better understanding of electrochemical intercalation/deintercalation processes in laser structured thick film cathodes. Besides galvanostatic cycling for evaluation of specific discharge capacities, a suitable quantitative approach for determining the rate of Li-ion insertion in the active material and the rate of Li-ion transport in the electrolyte is expressed by chemical diffusion coefficient values. For this purpose, the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique has been involved. It could be shown that laser structured electrodes provide an enhanced chemical diffusion coefficient and an improved capacity retention at high charging and discharging rates. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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17 pages, 3739 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In-Situ Approaches for the Preparation of Polythiophene-Derivative Cellulose Composites with High Flexibility and Conductivity

by Francisco González, Pilar Tiemblo and Mario Hoyos

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(16), 3371; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9163371 - 15 Aug 2019

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3025

Abstract

Composite materials of conjugated polymers/cellulose were fabricated by incorporating different polythiophene-derivative polymers: Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) and an alkylated derivative of poly(3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT). These conjugated polythiophenes were deposited by casting or spray coating methodologies onto three different cellulose substrates: Conventional filters papers as cellulose acetate, cellulose grade 40 Whatman^® and cellulose membranes prepared from cellulose microfibers. The preparation of composite materials was carried out by two methodologies: (i) by employing in-situ polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxithiophene (EDOT) or (ii) by depositing solutions of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) or lab-synthetized PProDOT. Composite materials were studied in terms of electrical conductivity and surface morphology assessed by impedance spectroscopy, surface conductivity, SEM, and 3D optical profilometry. In-situ composite materials prepared by spray coating using iron trifluoromethane sulfonate as oxidizing agent can be handled and folded as the original cellulose membranes displaying a surface conductivity around 1 S∙cm⁻¹. This versatile procedure to prepare conductive composite materials has the potential to be implemented in flexible electrodes for energy storage applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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10 pages, 2234 KiB

Open AccessArticle

High-Performance Ni-Co Sulfide Nanosheet-Nanotubes Grown on Ni Foam as a Binder Free Electrode for Supercapacitors

by Jaffer Saddique, Xiaopeng Cheng, Huifeng Shi, Rui Wu and Yuefei Zhang

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(15), 3082; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9153082 - 31 Jul 2019

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3196

Abstract

The novel hierarchical Ni-Co sulfide nanosheet-nanotubes arrays were directly grown on Ni foam, as binder-free electrodes, have been successfully synthesized following a one-step facile hydrothermal method combined with a sulfide treatment. The initial value of the area capacitance achieved 2.28 F cm⁻² at a current density of 1 mA cm⁻². A high areal capacitance retention of 95.2% compared to activation-induced peak value is achieved after 3000 charge-discharge cycles, which is much better than counter Ni-Co oxide electrode (1.75 F cm⁻² at 1 mA cm⁻², 93.2% retention compared to activation induced peak value). The outstanding and excellent super capacitive performance is ascribed to ion-exchange reaction, which induces a flexible hollow nanotube feature and show higher conductivity, compared with Ni-Co oxide NWs. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and Electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) results confirmed that the synthesized electrode contains the lowest resistance at high, and at lower frequency, leading to easy penetration of electrolytes and fast transportation of electrons inside the electrode. In this proposed work, a one-step hydrothermal method has been followed, and provided for the sulfide-induced, with a noticeable electrochemical performance of nickel cobaltite compounds and supplying a promising route for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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14 pages, 11578 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ablation and Patterning of Carbon Nanotube Film by Femtosecond Laser Irradiation

by Xuefeng Wu, Hailiang Yin and Qiang Li

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(15), 3045; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9153045 - 28 Jul 2019

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 4266

Abstract

Carbon nanotube (CNT) film can be used as thin film electrodes and wearable electronic devices due to their excellent mechanical and electrical properties. The femtosecond laser has the characteristics of an ultra-short pulse duration and an ultra-high peak power, and it is one of the most suitable methods for film material processing. The ablation and patterning of CNT film are performed by a femtosecond laser with different parameters. An ablation threshold of 25 mJ/cm² was obtained by investigating the effects of laser pulse energy and pulse number on ablation holes. Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to characterize the performance of the pattern groove. The results show that the oligomer in the CNT film was removed by the laser ablation, resulting in an increase in Raman G band intensity. As the laser increased, the ablation of the CNTs was caused by the energy of photons interacting with laser-induced thermal elasticity when the pulse energy was increased enough to destroy the carbon–carbon bonds between different carbon atoms. Impurities and amorphous carbon were found at and near the cut edge while laser cutting at high energy, and considerable distortion and tensile was produced on the edge of the CNTs’ groove. Furthermore, appropriate cutting parameters were obtained without introducing defects and damage to the substrate, which provides a practical method applied to large-area patterning machining of CNT film. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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9 pages, 2127 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Na₂Ti₇O₁₅ Nanowires with an Oriented Tunnel Structure and High Mechanical Stability: A Potential Anode of Sodium-Ion Batteries and Gas Sensing Materials

by Li-Ying Liu, Yang Ding, Bo Zhou, Ning-Ning Jia, Kuan Wang, Zhen-Hua Zhang and Man-Ling Sui

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(8), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9081673 - 23 Apr 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2650

Abstract

Na₂Ti₇O₁₅ (NTO) can be selected as candidate anode for high-performance sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, there are few reports of research on the mechanical properties of low-dimensional NTO, which is important for the stability of SIBs. In this work, by using the one-step hydrothermal method, NTO nanowires (NWs) with good orientation were prepared successfully. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED)showed that the NTO NWs had a good aspect ratio and dispersion, with lengths over 20 μm. Further microstructure analysis showed that the nanowires grew along the (020) direction, and there were some "stripe" structures along the growing direction, which provides a good tunnel structure for Na ion channels. Further, the in situ mechanical analysis showed that the NTO NWs had excellent elastic deformation characteristics and mechanical structural stability. In addition, the NTO NWs also showed a good gas sensitivity to NO and NH₃. Our results showed that the prepared NTO nanowires with a stripe tunnel oriented-structure and excellent mechanical properties may have a potential application in SIBs or other wearable sensor devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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9 pages, 4428 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

In Situ SEM Observation of Structured Si/C Anodes Reactions in an Ionic-Liquid-Based Lithium-Ion Battery

by Huifeng Shi, Xianqiang Liu, Rui Wu, Yijing Zheng, Yonghe Li, Xiaopeng Cheng, Wilhelm Pfleging and Yuefei Zhang

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(5), 956; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9050956 - 6 Mar 2019

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 6145

Abstract

In situ scanning electron microscopy (SEM) offers a good way to investigate the structural evolution during lithiation and delithiation processes. In this paper, the dynamical morphological evolution of 3D-line-structured/unstructured Si/C composite electrodes was observed by in situ SEM. The investigation revealed the microstructural origin of large charge capacity for 3D-line-structured anodes. Based on this proposed mechanism, a coarse optimization of 3D-line-structured anodes was proposed. These results shed light on the unique advantages of using an in situ SEM technique when studying realistic bulk batteries and designing 3D electrode structures. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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53 pages, 26099 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Recent Progress on Irradiation-Induced Defect Engineering of Two-Dimensional 2H-MoS₂ Few Layers

by Guang-Yi Zhao, Hua Deng, Nathaniel Tyree, Michael Guy, Abdellah Lisfi, Qing Peng, Jia-An Yan, Chundong Wang and Yucheng Lan

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(4), 678; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9040678 - 16 Feb 2019

Cited by 51 | Viewed by 9444

Abstract

Atom-thick two-dimensional materials usually possess unique properties compared to their bulk counterparts. Their properties are significantly affected by defects, which could be uncontrollably introduced by irradiation. The effects of electromagnetic irradiation and particle irradiation on 2H MoS

_{2}

two-dimensional nanolayers are reviewed in [...] Read more.

_{2}

two-dimensional nanolayers are reviewed in this paper, covering heavy ions, protons, electrons, gamma rays, X-rays, ultraviolet light, terahertz, and infrared irradiation. Various defects in MoS

_{2}

layers were created by the defect engineering. Here we focus on their influence on the structural, electronic, catalytic, and magnetic performance of the 2D materials. Additionally, irradiation-induced doping is discussed and involved. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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Review

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22 pages, 8027 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Recent Progress of Metal–Air Batteries—A Mini Review

by Chunlian Wang, Yongchao Yu, Jiajia Niu, Yaxuan Liu, Denzel Bridges, Xianqiang Liu, Joshi Pooran, Yuefei Zhang and Anming Hu

Appl. Sci. 2019, 9(14), 2787; https://doi.org/10.3390/app9142787 - 11 Jul 2019

Cited by 131 | Viewed by 14959

Abstract

With the ever-increasing demand for power sources of high energy density and stability for emergent electrical vehicles and portable electronic devices, rechargeable batteries (such as lithium-ion batteries, fuel batteries, and metal–air batteries) have attracted extensive interests. Among the emerging battery technologies, metal–air batteries (MABs) are under intense research and development focus due to their high theoretical energy density and high level of safety. Although significant progress has been achieved in improving battery performance in the past decade, there are still numerous technical challenges to overcome for commercialization. Herein, this mini-review summarizes major issues vital to MABs, including progress on packaging and crucial manufacturing technologies for cathode, anode, and electrolyte. Future trends and prospects of advanced MABs by additive manufacturing and nanoengineering are also discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Laser Processing and Advanced Manufacturing of Microscale Energy Storage Devices)

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