Session: 16-01-01: Poster Session: NSF-Funded Research (Grad & Undergrad)

Paper Number: 99770

99770 - Differentiating Physical, Electrical, and Electrochemical Characteristics of 2d Materials (Graphite, Gnp, and Go) 

Since the early 1990s, lithium-ion batteries have been adopted for powering portable electronic devices and comprehensive energy storage systems (ESSs) with prototypical applications in electric vehicles (EVs) and smart grids due to their high energy density and reliable performance. However, the upsurge in demand of EVs and energy grids has rendered the scientific community's attention towards the availability and cost of LIBs and lithium resources. Furthermore, with the global consumption of lithium getting close to 0.15 million tons reported by US Geological Survey (USGS) and the worldwide reserve estimated to be 16 million tons in 2018, the concern regarding future demand and limited availability was not left unnoticed. Although there exists ample choice of cathode materials, the anode material choice for SIBs is relatively low. With the exploitation of pure graphitic materials coming to a halt, more carbonaceous materials like expanded graphite, carbon nanomaterials, doped carbon species, and hard carbon materials are extensively studied. The characterization of such a variety of materials, specifically carbonaceous materials, requires combinations of different microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Among the various Spectroscopic techniques widely used for the characterization of 2D materials, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is a robust, simple, non-destructive, and powerful electroanalytical technique that provides a considerable amount of information about kinetics happening inside a battery in a comparatively short period. The spectrum produced due to the EIS measurement gives a couple of important information to the user, such as the reactions occurring in the cathode and anode in separated features. Furthermore, if the time constants are resolvable, EIS provides ample information about the resistance arising from each kinetic step during the electrochemical reaction in the electrodes. For instance, the Nyquist plot obtained makes an intercept in the x-axis in the high-frequency region, which indicates the ions migrating in the electrolyte, which soaks the separator. Keeping this in mind, this study concerns the characterization of three different carbon allotropes (Graphite, GNP and GO) via different spectroscopic techniques such as Raman Spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron Spectroscopy. These materials were then used in a sodium-ion half-cell setup as cathode material. Afterward, three different carbon allotropes were examined and differentiated using EIS due to the discrepancy in impedance of electrodes with varying depths of charge/discharge cycles. Furthermore, the study involved the investigation of reaction mechanisms and kinetics during sodiation/disodiation. Therefore, it was found that electrochemical performance tests and EIS data can embellish the previously obtained results from the spectroscopic techniques and enhance the understanding of fabricating better anodes for sodium-ion batteries.

Presenting Author: Sonjoy Dey Kansas State University

Presenting Author Biography: Passionate Mechanical Engineer skilled in analytical techniques concentrated on studying two-dimensional materials and polymer-derived ceramics by establishing a bridge between engineering and electrochemical analysis techniques. Research assistant at Kansas State University working towards fabricating better anode materials for Alkali-metal ion batteries for Electrochemical Energy Storage applications.

Authors:

Sonjoy Dey Kansas State University
Gurpreet Singh Kansas State University