bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Hydrogen Contaminant Detectors for Ensuring Hydrogen Fuel Quality
Authors: Mukundan Rangachary , Romero Christopher J , Rockward Tommy , Brosha Eric L. 
Published: August 2024

The California Energy Commission tracks Hydrogen Refueling Station (HRSs) installations within California and states that there are 66 light duty retail stations open within the State with another 34 in the planning stages.1 The hydrogen dispensed in these stations is expected to meet SAE J2719 standards for the maximum allowable concentration of various impurities.2 Currently HRSs have their fuel analyzed periodically to verify that they meet fuel specifications. However, this implies that any anomaly in the purification system resulting in contaminated hydrogen can result in significant damage to fuel cell vehicles before being detected. Therefore, the development of hydrogen contaminant detectors that can continuously monitor the hydrogen for impurities like Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrogen Sulfide (H2S) is of great interest. LANL has developed a hydrogen contaminant detector based on a hydrogen pumping cell that is sensitive to < 200 ppb CO and < 4 ppb H2S.3,4 In this talk we will present details of the working mechanism of this hydrogen contaminant detector and present results from the field testing of the detector at a HRS.

Acknowledgements

This research is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Fuel Cell Technologies Office, through the Safety, Codes & Standards (SCS) sub-program (Project Manager: Laura Hill).
REFERENCES:

https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/energy-almanac/zero-emission-vehicle-and-infrastructure-statistics/hydrogen-refueling.

San Marchi, E. S. Hecht, I. W. Ekoto, K. M. Groth, C. LaFleur, B. P. Somerday, R. Mukundan, T. Rockward, T; J. Keller, C. W. James, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy, 42(11), 7263-7274 (2017)

Brosha, T. Rockward, C. J. Romero, M. S. Wilson, C. Kreller and R. Mukundan, U.S Patent # 10,490,833 (2019).

R. Mukundan, E. L. Brosha, C. J. Romero, D. Poppe, T. Rockward, “Development of an electrochemical hydrogen contaminant detector”, Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 167(14), 147507 (2020)
Development and Field Testing of Multi-Electrode Mixed Potential Electrochemical Sensors for Natural Gas-Hydrogen Mixture Emissions Monitoring
Authors: Halley Sleight , Ramaiyan Kannan , Smith James , Ian Robert , Agi Kamil , Garzon Fernando H. , Tsui Lok-kun 
Published: August 2024

Transportation of hydrogen is one of the greatest hurdles to overcome in the development of a clean hydrogen economy [1]. A cost-effective solution to transportation of hydrogen is to mix it with natural gas (NG) and utilize current pipeline infrastructure for transportation [2]. However, hydrogen embrittlement, the higher diffusivity of H2, and the uncertain state of much of existing infrastructure makes leaks of H2 an environmental and safety concern. Current NG leak detection technologies largely use optical sensors such as IR spectrometers that are incapable of detecting H2 gas [3]. Mixed potential electrochemical sensors (MPES) are low-cost, robust devices capable of detecting a wide variety of gases [4], with the sensitivity and selectivity necessary for point source monitoring of natural gas leaks [5].
Multi-electrode MPES devices using Indium Tin Oxide, Au, and La0.87Sr0.13CrO3 and Pt electrodes have previously successfully quantified CH4 in natural gas at the 10-40 ppm level [5]. In this work, we demonstrated that the Au vs. Pt electrode has a low limit of detection of < 3 ppm for H2 in an air atmosphere. We also performed field testing of H2 emissions at CSU’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center (METEC) in both underground and above-ground emissions of H2 and H2 + natural gas mixes (Figure 1) with successful detection of H2 at the ppm level. Finally, we evaluate the stability of the selectivity and sensitivity during prolonged exposure to H2 and CH4.
This work was supported by US Department of Energy Award DE-FE0031864.
References:
[1] R. Scita, P. P. Raimondi, and M. Noussan, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), 2020. Accessed: Dec. 01, 2023. Available: https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep26335.5
[2] F. Öney, T. N. Veziro, and Z. Dülger, Int. J. Hydrog. Energy, vol. 19, no. 10, pp. 813–822, Oct. 1994, doi: 10.1016/0360-3199(94)90198-8.
[3] T. Aldhafeeri, M.-K. Tran, R. Vrolyk, M. Pope, and M. Fowler, Inventions, vol. 5, no. 3, Art. no. 3, Sep. 2020, doi: 10.3390/inventions5030028.
[4] F. H. Garzon, R. Mukundan, and E. L. Brosha, Solid State Ion., vol. 136–137, pp. 633–638, Nov. 2000, doi: 10.1016/S0167-2738(00)00348-9.
[5] S. Halley, K. Ramaiyan, F. Garzon, and L. Tsui. Sens. Actuators B Chem., vol. 392, p. 134031, Oct. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.snb.2023.134031.
Figure 1. (a) Field test configuration of an above-ground emission with sampling lines drawing gas to IoT powered sensors. (b) Concentration measurements for H2 and CH4 captured on a Mixed Potential Sensor and an Aeris Mid-IR analyzer.

Figure 1
Double Perovskites: Promising Positive Electrode Materials for Potassium Ion Batteries
Authors: Chen Xin , Payne Julia Louise 
Published: August 2024

The popularity of electric vehicles over the last decade has led to a boom in lithium-ion battery production. Large amounts of lithium resources have been consumed resulting in a lithium shortage.[1] To overcome the challenge of excessive consumption of lithium resources, alternative battery technologies to Li-ion batteries must be considered. Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) have been proposed as an alternative battery technology to Li-ion batteries and are at the early stage of development.
This study focuses on investigating the viability of employing the novel double-perovskites as positive electrodes for KIBs. Double perovskites have some structural similarities to the well-developed KIB positive electrode materials, Prussian White or Prussian Blue Analogues. The 3D open framework is favorable for supporting the insertion/deinsertion of K-ions and K-ion diffusion. In this research, new double-perovskites have been successfully synthesized using the solid-state methods, under both inert and reducing atmospheres. The utilization of choice of transition elements on the B-site in the perovskite structure is beneficial for increasing energy density, enhancing electronic conductivity, and improving the structure stability of the material. Preliminary characterization, including powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), were conducted to verify the phase purity, crystal structure, and atomic ratio of different elements in the synthesized material.
At the same time, electrochemistry tests were conducted by cycling the perovskite in half-cells, revealing an irreversible capacity decay in the first cycle. To further investigate structural changes of the perovskite during cycling, operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was employed. This method enabled the study of the oxidation states of the transition metals in the perovskites, providing advanced insights into the redox reactions occurring within cells with positive electrodes.
Obtaining a detailed understanding of the structure of these perovskites is crucial. Thus, powder neutron diffraction (PND) and variable temperature neutron diffraction (VT-PND) have been gathered to study the structural evolution, site occupancy and octahedral tilting with upon heating in both inert and reducing atmospheres.
Reference:
[1] AP News, https://apnews.com/article/china-ev-lithium-united-states-battery-87eb9382a0181bb7ee64e835efe7b170, (accessed December 2023).
Shedding Light on Lithium-Sulfur Battery Dynamics: Real-Time Insights through in-Situ UV-Vis Spectroscopy on Modified Lab Equipment
Authors: Gomes Luisa Larissa Arnaldo , Sanctis Victor , Dai Huidong , Mukerjee Sanjeev 
Published: August 2024

In current post-lithium-ion research, the focus is directed toward Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries, motivated by their outstandingly high energy density (2640 Wh/kg) and the widespread availability of sulfur in the Earth's crust. Moreover, in-situ UV-Vis spectroscopy has proven to be instrumental, allowing for the real-time observation of alterations in the chemical composition of various battery components during operational cycles [1,2].
Our current study delves into the influence of solvent selection, particularly donor and acceptor numbers, in formulating gel polymer electrolytes for Lithium-Sulfur batteries. Leveraging in-situ UV-Vis spectroscopy, our research provides real-time insights into dynamic interactions within the gel during battery operation, shedding light on evolving electrochemical processes. Systematically analyzing the impact of solvent properties on gel characteristics reveals a meaningful relationship, underscoring the importance of tailored solvent selection for optimizing gel performance. Moreover, this technique tracks polysulfide behavior, offering a comprehensive understanding of the gel's role in mitigating polysulfide shuttling. Notably, our study introduces a novel dimension by employing a custom-built in-situ UV-Vis cell featuring 3D-printed components, enhancing the versatility and applicability of these spectroscopic techniques in probing intricate interactions within gel polymer electrolytes. Moreover, by combining the UV-Vis results with Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and FTIR, we aim to advance fundamental knowledge and provide a pathway for optimizing battery performance and mitigating degradation mechanisms.
References
1- Patel, Manu UM, Rezan Demir‐Cakan, Mathieu Morcrette, Jean‐Marie Tarascon, Miran Gaberscek, and Robert Dominko. "Li‐S Battery Analyzed by UV/Vis in Operando Mode." ChemSusChem 6, no. 7 (2013): 1177-1181.
2- He, Qi, Anna TS Freiberg, Manu UM Patel, Simon Qian, and Hubert A. Gasteiger. "Operando identification of liquid intermediates in lithium–sulfur batteries via transmission UV–vis spectroscopy." Journal of The Electrochemical Society 167, no. 8 (2020): 080508.
Quantifying Mixed Redox and Parasitic Processes in Li-Rich Disordered Rocksalt Li-Ion Battery Cathodes
Authors: Rastinejad Justin , Rinkel Bernardine Lucia Deborah , McCloskey Bryan D. 
Published: August 2024

Li-ion battery demand is expected to increase dramatically as the transportation and power generation sectors become electrified. To address the expense and scarcity of cobalt and nickel used in current layered cathodes, alternative transition metals must be explored. Disordered rocksalt (DRX) cathodes can be fully comprised of affordable, earth-abundant metals such as manganese and titanium and have shown high practical capacity but currently suffer from poor capacity retention and voltage fade [1]. Many researchers have attributed this to O redox, and the subsequent formation of deleterious reactive oxygen species, which can occur in DRX cathodes at states-of-charge as low as 40% [2,3]. Recently, researchers have increased the Mn content in DRX cathodes, with the intent of increasing Mn redox and suppressing O redox [4]. Furthermore, these Mn-rich DRX cathodes undergo a beneficial phase transformation upon electrochemical cycling, increasing capacity and almost eliminating voltage fade [4]. Yet, the redox contributions of Mn and O in these Mn-rich cathodes, especially after this phase transformation, are not understood.
Here we decouple capacity contributions from Mn-redox, O-redox, and parasitic processes (e.g. electrolyte decomposition) for Mn-rich DRX using a combination of operando gas measurements and inductively coupled plasma – optimal emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Mn-rich DRX cathodes were cycled to various states of charge in coin cells and the resulting Mn and O oxidation state were determined via titration mass spectrometry (TiMS) using oxalic acid and triflic acid, respectively. To account for lattice O2 loss, differential electrochemical mass spectrometry (DEMS) was used on select cells. To account for Mn dissolution during cycling, ICP-OES was used to quantify the amount of Mn remaining in the cathode as a function of cycle number. The results of this study provide insight into the various redox processes and interfacial degradation that occurs in DRX cathodes, thereby informing future design to improve high-voltage stability of these promising materials.
[1]: Raphaële J. Clément et al 2020 Energy Environ. Sci. 2 345
[2]: Tzu-Yang Huang et al 2023 Adv. Energy Mater. 13 2300241
[3]: Roland Jung et al 2017 J. Electrochem. Soc. 164 A1361
[4]: Zijian Cai et al 2023 Nat. Energy 1
Efficient Zn-Ion Pouch Cell Assembling Based on Aramid Nanofiber Hydrogel
Authors: Wang Peng , Andrei Petru 
Published: August 2024

With the fast advancement of portable and wearable electronics, it is urgent to develop safe, stable and flexible power supply devices. Safe and environmentally friendly aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have a low-cost and are perfect candidates for energy storage device in such applications [1-4]. Giving the general challenges, such as the formation of the dendrites on the Zn anodes and hydrogen evolution and side reactions, extensive and wide research has focused on building stable AZIBs with high performance, but less attention was paid to making Zn ion pouch cells which are flexible and with high capacity In this presentation, we developed an efficient method to assemble Zn-ion pouch cells based on the process of formation of the aramid nanofiber hydrogel. The method involves the dipping precursor solution, solvent exchanging, and in-situ electrodeposition of MnO2. The assembled Zn-ion pouch cells exhibit excellent mechanical performance, flexibility and electrochemical performance, which are ideal for portable and wearable electronics. Based on this method, we successfully assembled 3-layer (cathode/anode/cathode, A/C/A) and 5 layer (A/C/A/C/A) pouch cells with over 100 times higher capacity compared with coin cell. In addition, the pouch cell with aramid nanofiber hydrogel and in-situ electrodeposited MnO2 cathode on carbon nanotube mat demonstrates superior cycling stability [5,6]. More details about our assembling method for flexible and stable pouch cells for AZIBs and experimental measurements related to the cycling and stability characteristics, will be presented at the meeting.
[1] Yu, Peng, et al. "Flexible Zn‐ion batteries: recent progresses and challenges." Small 15.7 (2019): 1804760.
[2] Li, Yingbo, et al. "Recent advances in flexible zinc‐based rechargeable batteries." Advanced Energy Materials 9.1 (2019): 1802605.
[3] Li, Chunyang, et al. "High-rate and high-voltage aqueous rechargeable zinc ammonium hybrid battery from selective cation intercalation cathode." ACS Applied Energy Materials 2.10 (2019): 6984-6989.
[4] Yu, Feng, et al. "Aqueous alkaline–acid hybrid electrolyte for zinc-bromine battery with 3V voltage window." Energy Storage Materials 19 (2019): 56-61.
[5] Wang, Peng, and Petru Andrei. "High Performance Separator and Hydrogel Based on Aramid Fibers for Zn Ion Batteries." Electrochemical Society Meeting Abstracts 242. No. 4. The Electrochemical Society, Inc., 2022.
[6] Xu, Lizhi, et al. "Water‐rich biomimetic composites with abiotic self‐organizing nanofiber network." Advanced Materials 30.1 (2018): 1703343.
Combatting Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens: Disrupting Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Biofilm Viscoelasticity Using Carbon Dot Nanoparticles
Authors: Faleke Hammed , Sawant Vikram , Christopher Gordon , Pappas Dimitri 
Published: August 2024

Bacterial infection is a global burden, killing one in every eight people worldwide, primarily due to antibiotic resistance. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the top five bacteria responsible for around 7.7 million fatalities caused by bacterial infections. P. aeruginosa secretes biofilm, a biological substance with viscoelastic characteristics to avoid antimicrobial treatments particularly, in chronic and serious wound infections. In the bid to create topical treatments, we investigated the mechano-active potentials of cellulase-based carbon dots as a therapeutic agent against P. aeruginosa biofilm where we envisage the retaining of the cellulase hydrolytic activity in the cellulase-based carbon dots. Cellulase is a glycoside hydrolase that has already been shown to be effective in causing biofilm dispersal as well as reduction in biofilm stiffness and elasticity.
The cellulase carbon dots were synthesized using the microwave while citric acid carbon dots (CA-CDs) were hydrothermally synthesized to serve as non-protein-based carbon dots and then characterized for surface properties, size, elemental compositions, and fluorescence profile. P. aeruginosa biofilms were grown in a microfluidic environment for 24 hours and then treated with these carbon dots at a range of concentrations. Using microrheology, it was seen that biofilms treated with cellulase-based carbon dots were more viscous and less stiff compared to those treated with citric acid-based carbon dots. This appears to be because the cellulase carbon dots impact PSL within the biofilm based on microrheology studies examining bacteria strains with specific EPS components removed. This is consistent with the impact of molecular cellulase on biofilms. In general, initial studies suggest that the cellulase-based carbon dots have the potential to act as an excellent multi-antibiofilm therapeutic in the future.
(
General Student Poster Award Winner, 2nd Place)
Template-Assisted Fabrication of Transparent SERS Sensor with Uniform Au-Ag Nanoparticle Electrodeposition
Authors: Tu Zhengke , Saito Mikiko , Kunimoto Masahiro , Yanagisawa Masahiro , Homma Takayuki 
Published: August 2024

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is a very powerful tool for analyzing molecular interactions and provides unique spectral fingerprint information about chemical bondings.[1] SERS enhances weak Raman scattering signals through surface-localized plasmon resonance (LSPR) of the plasmonic metal nanoparticles. Arbitrarily distribution of plasmonic metal nanoparticles can result in a non-uniform SERS enhancement effect (EF) and low reproducibility, which hinders the practical application of this ultra-sensitive analysis technology.[2] The development of a cost-effective, highly reliable, and highly reproducible SERS sensor with precisely controlled nanoparticle size and distribution is still a challenge.[3] Electron beam lithography (EBL) is commonly used to achieve well-controlled nanoscale patterns, which can be used as a top-down SERS sensor fabrication technique.[2] However, the time-consuming and extremely costly method makes the SERS sensor not easily accessible.
In this research, we propose a template-assisted fabrication process by electrodepositing nanoparticles into nanoarrays on a transparent ITO surface. This method precisely controls the surface morphology and provides high reproducibility without relying on EBL techniques. For the fabrication process, first, a layer of sol-gel SiO2 solution was spin-coated onto the ITO surface, and an array of nano-pillars was used to imprint the nanopattern to the sol-gel solution layer, to realize the nano-ordered uniformly distributed nanoarrays. (Fig.1) For the plasmonic material, Au-Ag alloy was deposited into the nanoarray due to its high durability and high SERS EF.[4] The use of a pulse current deposition, additives, and self-assembled monolayer (SAM) was also discussed from the perspective of altering the surface property of the ITO surface, to achieve dense and smooth filling of deposits in the nanoarray. The SERS sensor fabricated was tested with Janus Green B (JGB) and demonstrated a good SERS EF and good signal uniformity. We believe this sensor is widely applicable for different systems, further optimization and application of this sensor can bring us one step closer to the quantitative analysis by SERS. The fabricated sensor should be especially useful in electrochemical reaction analysis and biomolecular sensing.
[1] Fleishmann et al., Phys. Lett., 26, 163(1974)
[2] Lee et al., Chemical Society reviews., 48, 731(2019)
[3] Shi et al., 66, 6525(2018)
[4] B. Liu et al., 55
, 117104(2016)

Figure 1
Effects of Fuel Cell Operating Conditions on Electrochemical Pressure Impedance Spectroscopy (EPIS) Diagnostics
Authors: Schneider-Coppolino Merissa , Zhang Qingxin , Niroumand Amir , Homayouni Hooman , Gates Byron D. 
Published: August 2024

Fuel cells are versatile, low-emission alternative energy sources, but their optimization and failure analyses are complex due to their black-box nature. Conventional in-situ diagnostic techniques such as electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), are widely used to deconvolute transient processes within operating fuel cells. EIS is invaluable to understanding some of these processes, but other processes within the cell, such as mass transport and individual water fluxes, get overshadowed and are hard to detect.
In an effort to provide information that is currently unattainable with conventional fuel cell diagnostic techniques, this project focuses on the further development of electrochemical pressure impedance spectroscopy (EPIS). EPIS is based on a pressure alternating frequency response analysis (pFRA). This diagnostic method is similar to EIS, except that it implements mechanical perturbations in the form of gas pressure oscillations, rather than voltage or current oscillations, to achieve an electrochemical response. Since EIS is based on electrical perturbations, the results are primarily based on the transport of electrons and provides electron-based performance metrics, including charge transfer, adsorption, diffusion, and double-layer behaviors. Conversely, the mechanical perturbations in EPIS enable the investigation of non-electron-based mechanisms, such as flow and gas transport resistances.
This project builds from the work of Zang et al., who developed an experimental setup for EPIS and showed that pressure perturbations affect local reaction rates and transport phenomena within the cell, providing a sinusoidal voltage response.1 This study focused on systematically analyzing the effects of varying fuel cell operating conditions to better understand the benefits and limitations of EPIS as a diagnostic technique. The EPIS response and subsequent flow resistances and gas transport resistances were monitored to understand the effects of variations in the cathode inlet relative humidity, the cell inlet temperatures, and the oxygen stoichiometry (stoic). The goal is to improve the metrics by which fuel cells are measured by providing new methods to assist in the real-time probing of processes and failure mechanisms within operating cells.

1 Zhang, Q., Homayouni, H., Gates, B. D., Eikerling, M. H., & Niroumand, A. M. (2022). Electrochemical Pressure Impedance Spectroscopy for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells via Back-Pressure Control. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 169(4), 044510.