Corrosion of aluminum electrodes in aqueous slurries for lithium-ion batteries

Current manufacturing methods for lithium ion batteries use a non-aqueous solvent for producing slurries of cathode active materials and applying them to the aluminum current collectors. Transition to a water-based process may be desirable to reduce volatile organic compound emissions and costs, and increase processing efficiency. This transition may lead to additional complexities such as corrosion that could impact the performance of cells in service. The current work shows that the use of aqueous-based slurries for manufacturing lithium ion batteries can lead to general and pitting corrosion of the aluminum alloy foils used as current collectors with contact times as short as 100 s. Pitting corrosion initiates due to localized galvanic cells between cathodic intermetallic particles present in the aluminum alloy and the locally anodic aluminum matrix. The extent of pitting and amount of general corrosion product formed differs when using slurries of different active material compositions and increases with slurries of higher inherent pH. The presence of the intermetallic particles in the aluminum alloy is expected based on the chemical composition of the material. While elimination of the intermetallics from the aluminum is possible by increasing the purity of the material, it is unlikely that this mitigation strategy would be implemented due to economic considerations.     

Influence of the Al(Co,Ni) layer on the corrosion resistance of a cobalt based alloy (Mar‐M‐509®)

In the present work, the results of studies on the structure and corrosion resistance of Al(Co, Ni) layer are shown. The diffusion Al(Co, Ni) layer was created on the cobalt alloy Mar‐M‐509 substrate by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method with aluminum trichloride (AlCl₃) under the hydrogen atmosphere. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations and microtomography measurements of layers were performed. Also an analysis of the chemical (energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS)) and phase (X‐ray diffraction (XRD)) composition was carried out. By the X‐ray diffraction method (sin² φ) also the residual stresses were calculated in the matrix of the material. The corrosion resistance was tested with impedance and potentiodynamic methods in 0.1 M Na₂SO₄, 0.1 M H₂SO₄ solutions and acidulous 0.1 M NaCl solution (pH = 4.2) at room temperature. The results indicate that the analyzed layer with a thickness of about 14 μm have a similar corrosion resistance compared to the base material – Mar‐M‐509^® cobalt alloy. Only in the strongly acidic environments, the corrosion resistance of the layer is remarkably decreased.     

Imaging internal features of whole, unfixed bacteria

Wet scanning-transmission electron microscopy (STEM) is a technique that allows high-resolution transmission imaging of biological samples in a hydrated state, with minimal sample preparation. However, it has barely been used for the study of bacterial cells. In this study, we present an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of wet STEM compared with standard transmission electron microscopy (TEM). To investigate the potential applications of wet STEM, we studied the growth of polyhydroxyalkanoate and triacylglycerol carbon storage inclusions. These were easily visible inside cells, even in the early stages of accumulation. Although TEM produces higher resolution images, wet STEM is useful when preservation of the sample is important or when studying the relative sizes of different features, since samples do not need to be sectioned. Furthermore, under carefully selected conditions, it may be possible to maintain cell viability, enabling new types of experiments to be carried out. To our knowledge, internal features of bacterial cells have not been imaged previously by this technique.     

Impact of Information Seeking and Warning Frames on Online Deception:A Quasi-Experiment

As the World Wide Web grows, the number and variety of online deceptive attacks likewise increases. Extant research examines online deception from an information processing perspective. However, users’ ability to process information is partly based on their information seeking modes. Information seeking has not been well studied in the security domain. Accordingly, this study explores the effect of users’ information seeking modes on their deception detection behavior. Specifically, we propose that human information needs and the framing of important information such as warnings significantly impact users’ vulnerability to online deception. Results suggest that users are more vulnerable to deception when they are actively seeking information compared with when seeking information passively and that warning frames have a positive effect on users’ attitude toward dealing with online deception. The findings also suggest that users’ attitudes and behaviors are not aligned.     

Effect of grit shape and crystal structure on damage in diamond wire scribing of silicon

Fundamental understanding of the fixed abrasive slicing of photovoltaic silicon wafers is crucial for producing low‐cost wafers with superior surface quality and mechanical strength. With the goal of understanding the diamond wire sawing process, this paper investigates the scribing of mono‐ and multi‐crystalline silicon by the abrasive grits on an actual diamond wire. Specifically, the effects of grit shape and silicon crystal structure on the resulting surface morphology, subsurface damage, and the critical depth of cut at which ductile‐to‐brittle transition occurs are investigated. Results show that surface cracking depends on the grit shape. Scribing across the grain and twin boundaries in multi‐crystalline silicon impacts the resulting surface morphology, with grit shape producing a greater effect than crystallographic orientation in the grain interior relative to the grain boundary. Subsurface damage depends on the grit shape and crystal structure. Differences in the critical depth of cut for ductile‐to‐brittle transition in scribing of mono‐crystalline silicon are explained via analysis of the stress state produced by idealized grit shapes.     

Simple method of selecting totalistic rules for pseudorandom number generator based on nonuniform cellular automaton

The Journal of Supercomputing - This paper is devoted to selecting rules for one-dimensional (1D) totalistic cellular automaton (TCA). These rules are used for the generation of pseudorandom...     

Whey Drying on Porous Carriers

ABSTRACT

Whey is an undurable product. treated very often as a waste which pollutes the natural environment. Whey which is a valuable source of protein, lactose, vitamins and mineral salts should be utilized completely. The present paper is a proposal of whey drying on porous carriers. It is proved experimentally that the proposed drying method guarantees good product quality.     

Dustiness and Deagglomeration Testing: Interlaboratory Comparison of Systems for Nanoparticle Powders

Different types of aerosolization and deagglomeration testing systems exist for studying the properties of nanomaterial powders and their aerosols. However, results are dependent on the specific methods used. In order to have well-characterized aerosols, we require a better understanding of how system parameters and testing conditions influence the properties of the aerosols generated. In the present study, four experimental setups delivering different aerosolization energies were used to test the resultant aerosols of two distinct nanomaterials (hydrophobic and hydrophilic TiO₂). The reproducibility of results within each system was good. However, the number concentrations and size distributions of the aerosols created varied across the four systems; for number concentrations, e.g., from 10³ to 10⁶ #/cm³. Moreover, distinct differences were also observed between the two materials with different surface coatings. The article discusses how system characteristics and other pertinent conditions modify the test results. We propose using air velocity as a suitable proxy for estimating energy input levels in aerosolization systems. The information derived from this work will be especially useful for establishing standard operating procedures for testing nanopowders, as well as for estimating their release rates under different energy input conditions, which is relevant for occupational exposure.

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