R. D. McKerracher

The 3D Printing of a Polymeric Electrochemical Cell Body and its Characterisation

An undivided flow cell was designed and constructed using additive manufacturing technology and its mass transport characteristics were evaluated using the reduction of ferricyanide, hexacyanoferrate (III) ions at a nickel surface. The dimensionless mass transfer correlation Sh = aRebScdLee was obtained using the convective-diffusion limiting current observed in linear sweep voltammetry; this correlation compared closely with that reported in the literature from traditionally machined plane parallel rectangular flow channel reactors. The ability of 3D printer technology, aided by computational graphics, to rapidly and conveniently design, manufacture and re-design the geometrical characteristics of the flow cell is highlighted.

Electrochemically Treated TiO2 for Enhanced Performance in Aqueous Al-Ion Batteries

The potential for low cost, environmentally friendly and high rate energy storage has led to the study of anatase-TiO2 as an electrode material in aqueous Al3+ electrolytes. This paper describes the improved performance from an electrochemically treated composite TiO2 electrode for use in aqueous Al-ion batteries. After application of the cathodic electrochemical treatment in 1 mol/dm3 KOH, Mott–Schottky analysis showed the treated electrode as having an increased electron density and an altered open circuit potential, which remained stable throughout cycling. The cathodic treatment also resulted in a change in colour of TiO2. Treated-TiO2 demonstrated improved capacity, coulombic efficiency and stability when galvanostatically cycled in 1 mol·dm−3AlCl3/1 mol·dm−3 KCl. A treated-TiO2 electrode produced a capacity of 15.3 mA·h·g−1 with 99.95% coulombic efficiency at the high specific current of 10 A/g. Additionally, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to elucidate the origin of this improved performance.

Dataset for Current distribution in a rectangular flow channel manufactured by 3D-printing

The characterization and improvement of a rectangular channel electrolyte flow compartment used in an iron-air flow battery was carried out by using an arrangement of copper electrodes to measure the current density distribution employing the limiting current technique. The present work addresses the hydrodynamics and mass transport distribution in the compartment and their improvement by an improved electrolyte compartment that results in a more uniform current distribution. The current distribution was evaluated as the ratio between the local and the averaged limiting current densities during the reduction of copper ions over a range of mean linear flow velocity across the electrode surface (2-30 cm s-1). The initial compartment, showed larger differences between the minimum and maximum currents than the electrolyte compartment that resulted as part of the design process and showed a higher pressure drop at a given mean linear flow velocity.This data supports the publication: Figueredo Rodriguez, Horacio, Mckerracher, Rachel, Ponce De Leon Albarran, Carlos and Walsh, Frank (2016) Current distribution in a rectangular flow channel manufactured by 3D-printing. AIChE Journal , 1-35. (doi:10.1002/aic.15454).