Hybrid Carbon-Bismuth Nanoparticle Electrodes for Energy Storage Applications

1. Hybrid Carbon-Bismuth Nanoparticle Electrodes for Energy Storage Applications Trevor Yates, Adam McNeeley, William Barrett | GRA: Abhinandh Sankar, AC: Dr. Anastasios Angelopoulos | University of Cincinnati Introduction Renewable energy must eventually replace fossil fuels in the power grid Renewable energy must be stored efficiently for economic viability Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries (VRFBs) are attractive for this application due to their high stability VRFBs lack sufficient power density, energy conversion efficiency, and rate capability Recent study improved energy conversion efficiency of VRFBs 11% by using Bismuth nanoparticles [1] Investigate Bismuth and Carbon nanoparticles in order to further improve VRFB performance Procedure Results Conclusions A trend is observed that Carbon stabilizes the Bismuth on the electrode Peak current increases as more layers are applied Standard Layer-by-Layer Assembly is a better technique than directed Layer-by-Layer Assembly for this application Cationic polymer is best used to separate Carbon from Bismuth nanoparticles Acknowledgments Future Research Verify that Carbon stabilizes Bismuth Investigate why Carbon stabilizes Bismuth peaks Perform microscopic characterization of Carbon and Bismuth nanoparticles Scale up the production of Bismuth nanoparticles and electrode assembly Quantify the improvement on Vanadium Redox Flow Battery performance Thank you NSF for funding this project: Grant Nos. DUE 0756921 and EEC 1004623. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Nos. DUE 0756921 and EEC 1004623. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Special thanks to AbhinandhSankar and Dr. Anastasios Angelopoulos [1] Suarez, David J.; Gonzalez, Zoraida; et al. (2014). “Graphite Felt Modified with Bismuth Nanoparticles as Negative Electrode in a Vanadium Redox Flow Battery,” ChemSusChem, Vol.7, No. 3, pp. 914-918. Objectives • Construct electrocatalysts with Layer-by-Layer Assembly • Use cyclic voltammetry in order to electrochemically characterize the electocatalysts • Find whether Carbon adds stability to the peaks • Determine if an increase in layers leads to an increase in current density peaks • Compare the performance of standard Layer-by-Layer Assembly(sLbL) and directedLayer-by-Layer Assembly (dLbL)in order to gain a better understanding of how Carbon and Bismuth nanoparticles interact http://reneweconomy.com.au/2012/smooth-sailing-for-wind-power-with-new-flow-battery-or-not-34476 • Each component dries two minutes and then washes in deionized water for one minute • NaOH washes away the Tin particles after all layers are applied • sLbL is stacked with Polymer, Carbon, Polymer, Bismuth-Tin complex for each layer • dLbL is stacked with Polymer, Carbon, Bismuth-Tin complex for each layer