ELECTROCHEMISTRY APPLICATIONS Electrochemistry Applications

Electrochemistry Applications Electrochemistry is concerned with the range of oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions that cause electrons to transfer between the molecules of reactants. It is the study of the relationship between electricity and an identifiable chemical change, which was first observed in 1780. The chemical aspect of this relationship was largely ignored until Michael Faraday established the fundamental laws of electrolysis, laying the groundwork for modern voltaic technology. Yet the chemical aspect of many redox reactions remains ambiguous, particularly with respect to the specific...

Electrocatalyst Studies Lithium Ion Battery Development Fuel Cell Studies Cathode Studies RESEARCH TOPICS:  Fuel Cells  Electrolysis, Water Splitting, Hydrogen Storage  Electrochemical Reactions  Water Treatment  Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction  Oxygen Reduction Reaction  CO2 Reduction  Methanol/Formic Acid Oxidation  Ethanol Oxidation  Ammonia/Hydrazine Oxidation  Cathode Effects  Battery Cycling  Electrolyte Reactions in Batteries  Other Fuel Cells (Borohydride, DMFC)  Mechanistic Investigations on Methanol Oxidation  Electrochemical Oxidation of Organics in (Waste-) Water Treatment...

The technique of carbon dioxide, CO2, reduction is for producing fuels from CO2. This is carbon capture of CO2 that might otherwise go into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. This technique of investigation derives from Redox reaction typical of an electrochemical half-cell. DEMS, Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry, is an ideal technique for quantitative gas measurement due to the fast response, low detection limits and linearity, all in real time. Hiden instruments are noted for their stability and sensitivity. Scientists are looking to new materials such as graphene...

The technique of electrolysis uses electric current to drive a chemical reaction. A common method uses water electrolysis to produce hydrogen and oxygen. This is being investigated as a way of delivering smaller amounts of hydrogen for Fuel cells, either static or vehicular. Cost to transport hydrogen is high. Hydrogen is typically generated by atmospheric condensation which is carried out at a large plant for better efficiency. However, this transfers the production cost on distribution. Transporting by road vehicle is inefficient and costly as the containers need to be highly pressurised and...

Electrocatalyst Studies Catalysts allow a less energetic pathway for chemical reactions. Those used in Fuel Cells are vitally important, by lowering temperature of use and improved practical efficiency, However, these catalyst materials, while not consumed during the reaction, can have their efficiency reduced by impurities in feedstock. DEMS, Differential Electrochemical Mass Spectrometry can be used to determine the kinetics of various oxidation and reduction reactions. Understanding these factors and reaction is of great importance to design and improve electrocatalysts. Also, to measure their...

Lithium Ion Battery Development Lithium ion batteries are being widely used due to their lightweight, rechargeable and power density. These technological advantages were recognised when three researchers shared a Nobel Prize for Chemistry, for key developments in Lithium Ion Battery Technology. Active research and development continue to further improve power density, reduce recharge degradation and control temperature (which can degrade performance). https://news.uic.edu/researchers-prove-surprising-chemistryinside-a-potential-breakthrough-battery A significant proportional of the lithium ion...

Fuel Cell Studies Solid Oxide Fuel Cells operate at high temperature. To improve efficiency, catalytic compounds can be used to reduce operating temperature and improve safety aspects. The Hiden mass spectrometer can be used to follow gas compositions for reaction dynamics, and also can read in thermocouple temperatures to incorporate into the data display. This research was carried out by Georgia Tech, using the HPR-20. The performance of iso-octane as a fuel source, as there is already an infrastructure for distribution. HIDEN MASS SPECTROMETER Typical performance of the fuel cell measured...

Cathode Studies The materials used for electrodes have a key effect on the performance of a battery. During battery usage, electrons should flow from the negative electrode (the anode) to the positive one (cathode) during discharge. For a rechargeable battery, they also need to flow in the reverse direction. Therefore both the anode and cathode material properties influence the battery. The anode needs to readily lose electrons and cathode readily accept electrons. It was realised that Lithium being an element which readily loses electrons could be used for both electrodes to make a rechargeable...

The Hiden DEMS instrument is easy to setup and the electrodes and electrolytes can be easily changed, either for the supplied DEMS cells, or the researchers own DEMS cells. Hiden supply EGAsoft, an application specific software which can measure the gas products and allows plotting the mass spectrometer response against electrical factors, for example the hysteresis of the current potential vs SHE (standard hydrogen electrode). This is extremely useful when surveying various combinations of electrode and electrolyte as the data is gained in real time. Furthermore Hiden SIMS instrumentation can...

CONTRIBUTORS  NobelPrize.org. Nobel Media AB, Sweden  Chemistry Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY  Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of  Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Lawrence Berkeley National  Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at Microscale, Department of Chemical Physics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China.  Department of Materials Science and Engineering Research Institute of Advanced Materials (RIAM) Seoul National University, South Korea.  World Class University (WCU) Program,...