Experiments with Liquid Metal Battery Cells
Our battery lab enables the electrochemical investigation of liquid metal electrodes and molten salt electrolytes.
For experiments, small cells are build and tested under argon atmosphere in the glove box.
Our lab devices include:
- Double preparation- and testing box (glovebox with controlled temperature and regeneration system: O2/H2O<0,1ppm)
- Mass spectrometer with capillary inlet in the glovebox
- High-temperature/ultra-high-vacuum recipient for preparation and experiments
- Laser-induced breakdown spectrometer (Aryell200 optics)
- Laboratory furnaces
- Potentiostates
- Keithley Sourcemeter
The electrochemical experiments and the development of liquid metal batteries include:
- Optimization of electrode pairing
- Testing of low melting salt mixtures
- Testing of material combinations of electrodes/electrolytes/collectors/isolators
- In-situ measurement of gas evolution (during cell cycling or melting salt mixtures)
- Long term cycling of cells
Publications
- Sarma, M.; Lee, J.; Nash, W.; Lappan, T.; Shevchenko, N.; Landgraf, S.; Monrrabal, G.; Trtik, P.; Weber, N.; Weier, T.
Reusable cell design for high-temperature (600°C) liquid metal battery cycling
Journal of the Electrochemical Society 171(2024) 040531 - Godinez-Brizuela, O. E.; Duczek, C., Weber, N.; Nash, W.; Sarma, M.; Einarsrud, K. E.
A continuous multiphase model for liquid metal batteries
Journal of Energy Storage 73(2023) 109147 - Kumar, S.; Ding, W.; Hoffmann, R.; Sieuw, L.; Heinz, M. V. F.; Weber, N.; Bonk, A.
AlCl3-NaCl-ZnCl2 secondary electrolyte in next-generation ZEBRA (Na-ZnCl2) battery
Batteries 9(2023) 401 - Lee, J.; Monrrabal, G.; Sarma, M.; Lappan, T.; Hofstetter, Y. J.; Trtik, P.; Landgraf, S.; Ding, W.; Kumar, S.; Vaynzof, Y.; Weber, N.; Weier, T.
Membrane-Free Alkali Metal-Iodide Battery with a Molten Salt
Energy Technology 11(2023) 2300051 - Mushtaq, K.; Zhao, J.; Weber, N.; Mendes, A.; Sadoway, D.R.
Self-discharge mitigation in a liquid metal displacement battery
Journal of Energy Chemistry 66(2022) 390-396 - Bénard, S.; Weber, N.; Horstmann, G.M.; Landgraf, S.; Weier, T.
Anode-metal drop formation and detachment mechanisms in liquid metal batteries
Journal of Power Sources 510(2021) 230339 - Personnettaz, P.; Landgraf, S.; Nimtz, M.; Weber, N.; Weier, T.
Mass transport induced asymmetry in charge/discharge behavior of liquid metal batteries
Electrochemistry Communications 105(2019) 106496 - Weber, N.; Landgraf, S.; Mushtaq, K.; Nimtz, M.; Personnettaz, P.; Weier, T.; Zhao, J.; Sadoway, D.
Modeling discontinuous potential distributions using the finite volume method, and application to liquid metal batteries
Electrochimica Acta 318(2019) 857-864 - Weier, T.; Bund, A.; El-Mofid, W.; Horstmann, G.M.; Lalau, C.-C.; Landgraf, S.; Nimtz, M.; Starace, M.; Stefani, F.; Weber, N.
Liquid metal batteries - materials selection and fluid dynamics
IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 228(2017), 012013 - Stefani, F.; Galindo, V.; Kasprzyk, C.; Landgraf, S.; Seilmayer, M.; Starace, M.; Weber, N.; Weier, T.
Magnetohydrodynamic effects in liquid metal batteries
IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering 143(2016), 012024 - Lalau, C.-C.; Bund, A.; Ispas, A.; Weier, T.
Sodium-bismuth-lead low temperature liquid metal battery
Journal of Electrochemistry and Plating Technology JEPT-4808 (2015)