Leon D. Brown

Comparison of three‐dimensional analysis and stereological techniques for quantifying lithium‐ion battery electrode microstructures

Lithium‐ion battery performance is intrinsically linked to electrode microstructure. Quantitative measurement of key structural parameters of lithium‐ion battery electrode microstructures will enable optimization as well as motivate systematic numerical studies for the improvement of battery performance. With the rapid development of 3‐D imaging techniques, quantitative assessment of 3‐D microstructures from 2‐D image sections by stereological methods appears outmoded; however, in spite of the proliferation of tomographic imaging techniques, it remains significantly easier to obtain two‐dimensional (2‐D) data sets. In this study, stereological prediction and three‐dimensional (3‐D) analysis techniques for quantitative assessment of key geometric parameters for characterizing battery electrode microstructures are examined and compared. Lithium‐ion battery electrodes were imaged using synchrotron‐based X‐ray tomographic microscopy. For each electrode sample investigated, stereological analysis was performed on reconstructed 2‐D image sections generated from tomographic imaging, whereas direct 3‐D analysis was performed on reconstructed image volumes. The analysis showed that geometric parameter estimation using 2‐D image sections is bound to be associated with ambiguity and that volume‐based 3‐D characterization of nonconvex, irregular and interconnected particles can be used to more accurately quantify spatially‐dependent parameters, such as tortuosity and pore‐phase connectivity.

Design of a miniature flow cell for in situ x-ray imaging of redox flow batteries

Flow batteries represent a possible grid-scale energy storage solution, having many advantages such as scalability, separation of power and energy capabilities, and simple operation. However, they can suffer from degradation during operation and the characteristics of the felt electrodes are little understood in terms of wetting, compression and pressure drops. Presented here is the design of a miniature flow cell that allows the use of x-ray computed tomography (CT) to study carbon felt materials in situ and operando, in both lab-based and synchrotron CT. Through application of the bespoke cell it is possible to observe felt fibres, electrolyte and pore phases and therefore enables non-destructive characterisation of an array of microstructural parameters during the operation of flow batteries. Furthermore, we expect this design can be readily adapted to the study of other electrochemical systems.

A novel high-temperature furnace for combined in situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction and infrared thermal imaging to investigate the effects of thermal gradients upon the structure of ceramic materials

A combined X-ray diffraction and thermal imaging technique is described to investigate the effect of thermal gradients on high-temperature composite materials.