Materials used in energy storage and conversion (e.g. fuel cells, batteries, solar cells, electrolyzers, gas separation membranes) all consist of heterogeneous functional materials (HeteroFoaMs) that exhibit functional behavior in a manner that controls their collective performance as an energy system. There is a critical need to understand the role of a HeteroFoaM's structure, morphology, and composition on system performance. This talk will present a non-destructive approach to image and characterize HeteroFoaMs using a synchrotron-based transmission x-ray microscope at the nanoscale. Three-dimensional structures within the sample volume are imaged and tomographically reconstructed at 20 nm spatial resolution. Several theoretical approaches including numerical methods (lattice Boltzmann, finite element) and analytical methods (electrochemical fin theory) are used to analyze mass transfer, heat transfer, ionic/electronic charge transfer, and chemical / electrochemical reaction rates in HeteroFoaMs. To demonstrate this approach, solid oxide fuel cell, Li-ion battery, and dye-sensitized solar cell electrodes are examined to provide fundamental insight into the origins of microstructured-induced transport losses during operation. This work is supported by an Energy Frontier Research Center on Science Based Nano-Structure Design and Synthesis of Heterogeneous Functional Materials for Energy Systems (HeteroFoaM Center) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences (Award DE-SC000106).

Microstructure-induced transport in energy materials

245th National Meeting (2013)

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