Nanocomposite protective coatings for battery anodes
Modified surfaces on metal anodes for batteries can help resist formation of malfunction-inducing surface defects. The modification can include application of a protective nanocomposite coating that can inhibit formation of surface defects. such as dendrites, on the anode during charge/discharge cycles. For example, for anodes having a metal (M′), the protective coating can be characterized by products of chemical or electrochemical dissociation of a nanocomposite containing a polymer and an exfoliated compound (Ma′Mb″Xc). The metal, M′, comprises Li, Na, or Zn. The exfoliated compound comprises M′ among lamella of Mb″Xc, wherein M″ is Fe, Mo, Ta, W, or V, and X is S, O, or Se.
METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR INTEGRATING ION MANIPULATION DEVICES
Different ion mobility (IM) separation techniques offer capabilities that are unique in one aspect. For example, collision cross sections (CCS) can be directly calculated from drift time measurements in a constant field IM platforms. Oscillatory field IM (such as traveling wave IM) has low voltage requirements but calculating CCS cannot directly obtained from drift time measurements and require calibration against compounds of known CCS measured in another constant field IM device. Traveling wave-based IM instruments can achieve extremely high resolution but accurate CCS require measurements in a different device. Therefore, it is beneficial to have one instrument that combine constant and oscillatory field IM. We disclose an array of embodiments for a device that seamlessly and efficiently perform constant field IM and oscillatory field IM.
Intelligent Sensor and Controller Framework for the Power Grid
The number of sensors connected to the electric power sys- tem is expected to grow by several orders of magnitude by 2020. However, the information networks which will transmit and an- alyze the resulting data are ill-equipped to handle the resulting volume with reliable real-time delivery. Without the ability to manage and use this data, deploying sensors such as phasor measurement units in the transmission system and smart meters in the distribution system will not result in the desired improve- ments in the power grid. The ability to exploit the massive data being generated by new sensors would allow for more efficient flow of power and increased survivability of the grid. Addition- ally, the power systems of today are not capable of managing two-way power flow to accommodate distributed generation ca- pabilities due to concerns about system stability and lack of sys- tem flexibility. The research that we are performing creates a framework to add ”intelligence” to the sensors and actuators being used today in the electric power system. Sensors that use our frame- work will be capable of sharing information through the various layers of the electric power system to enable two-way informa- tion flow to help facilitate integration of distributed resources. Several techniques are considered including use of peer-to-peer communication as well as distributed agents. Specifically, we will have software agents operating on sys- tems with differing levels of computing power The agents will cooperate to bring computation closer to the data. The types of computation considered are control decisions, data analysis, and demand/response. When paired with distributed autonomous controllers, the sensors form the basis of an information system that supports deployment of both micro-grids and islanding. Our efforts in the area of developing the next generation information infrastructure for sensors in the power grid form the basis of a broader strat- egy that enables better integration of distributed generation, dis- tribution automation systems and decentralized control (micro- grids).
CONTROL FOR ENERGY RESOURCES IN A MICROGRID
This concept uses a slider setting for microgrid operations that allows a user to select between "more efficient" and "more resilient". This is similar to the slider setting concept for transactive control, except that they are influencing different technical values. As the slider is set to more efficient, the dispatch and droop values of the generators are adjusted to increase the operating efficiency of the system. This is achieved by moving the operating points of the generators to their most efficient points while still meeting the current load. As the slider is set to more resilient, the dispatch and droop values of the generators are adjusted to minimize the frequency deviation from an expected increase in load or loss of generation. The value of the slider setting could be set by a human operator, or determined as part of a more complex control system. For example, the slider value could be determined as the output of a neural network that is optimization the operation of multiple networked microgrids. In its current state the work is using a modified version of the IEEE-123 node test system with 2 diesel generators and 1 PV inverter. As the slider setting is varied the control system determines the set points for both diesel generators and the PV inverter. The values for each generator include their power outputs and their current droop values for controls. The result is that the single slider setting determines multiple set points on multiple generators. The method is scalable, but the optimization becomes computationally burdensome with large number of generators. This should not be an issue with most operational microgrids.
Jarosite for Lithium Extraction
Jarosite is used to extract lithium from aqueous solutions. Given the inherent magnetic properties of Jarosite coupled with Li adsorption capacity, we envision a simpler and economical way to extract Li from aqueous environments. Jarosite is a generic term for an isostructural family of compounds of form AM3(OH)6(SO4)2, (where A+= Na, K, Rb, NH4, H3O, Ag, T and M3+= Fe, Cr, V), in particular has demonstrated reasonable properties for Li-ion batteries and unique lithium inclusion behaviors. Often the product of acid mine drainage and acid sulfate soil environments, jarosite is mostly restricted to surficial, acidified environment. The crystal structure consists of octahedral sheets decorated by sulfate tetrahedra with the cations residing between the octahedral - tetrahedral layers. Bridging hydroxyls connect adjacent metal octahedra. Interestingly, in the octahedral sheets the M3+ions occupy nodes of a triangular lattice with specific magnetic properties. We synthesized and characterized ammonia jarosite with a chemical formula of (NH4)Fe3(SO4)2(OH)6.Based on the ICP-OES data, the Jarosite material adsorbs ~30 mg of Li per gram of Jarosite after magnetic isolation in an aqueous environment at pH 10.