Knowing the phase evolution behavior of battery materials is important for optimizing the operating conditions and understanding the aging behavior of the material. Phase changes of state‐of‐the‐art battery materials at room temperature are well understood, but the influence of temperature on the phase evolution is barely investigated. In this study, operando X‐ray diffraction (XRD) is applied for the observation of phase changes of graphite during cycling at different temperatures. The phase evolution is altered at lower temperatures (0 °C) compared to room temperature due to slower kinetics and diffusion rates even at low current rates of C/20. Differences in phase evolution between charge and discharge are more pronounced at 0 °C compared to higher temperatures. During delithiation at 43 °C, the formation of stage 2L is more distinct than at 25 °C whereas at 0 °C, no stage 2L formation is observed. However, at 0 °C, several phases co‐exist, supporting the theory of the shrinking annuli mechanism for phase evolution during (de‐)lithiation of graphite.
The open architecture of cathodes in Li–air batteries implies the need for open porosity with adequate pore size distribution and surface energy optimization with regard to the electrolyte. The interaction of liquid and cathode material, especially the wetting properties, which depend on cathode material, roughness and porosity, and electrolyte properties, needs to be understood properly to avoid flooding and assure high active areas. In this work, contact angle goniometry, capillary rise method, and pressure saturation curves are used to investigate the wetting properties of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), tetraethylene glycol dimethyl ether (Tetraglyme), a 1:1 mixture of ethylene carbonate and dimethyl carbonate (EC:DMC) and water on a gas diffusion layer (GDL) Sigracet 39BC, and a pure flat polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) foil. Contact angle measurement shows that all three organic solvents wet the GDL hydrophobic agent PTFE. Capillary rise measurements show that all sample liquids slowly imbibe into the porous network. While for Tetraglyme an efficient penetration is limited by the high viscosity, water flow rate is slowed down by the hydrophobic pore network of the GDL. Pressure saturation curves for DMSO, Tetraglyme, and EC:DMC can be obtained for the first time and are compared with the water pressure saturation curve.
Today, aircraft composite structures are generally over-dimensioned to avoid catastrophic failure by unseen damages. This leads to a higher system weight and therefore an unwanted increase in greenhouse gas emissions. To reduce this parasitic mass, load monitoring can play an important role in damage detection. Additionally, the weight and volume of future aircraft structures can also be reduced by energy storing and load carrying structures: so-called power composites. In this study a novel method of combining both approaches for maximum weight reduction is shown. This is achieved by using power composites as load monitoring sensors and energy suppliers. Therefore, supercapacitors are integrated into fiber reinforced polymers and are then used to investigate the mechanical load influence. By using four-point bending experiments and in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, a strong relation between the mechanical load and the electrochemical system is found and analyzed using a model. For the first time, it is possible to detect small strain values down to 0.2% with a power composite. This strain is considerably lower than the conventional system load. The developed model and the impedance data indicate the possibility of using the composite as an energy storage as well as a strain sensor.