Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Qu, Cheng
Language:English
Published: University of Akron / OhioLINK 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1384534927
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spelling ndltd-OhioLink-oai-etd.ohiolink.edu-akron13845349272021-08-03T06:20:21Z Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery Qu, Cheng Polymers Ni-Zn rechargeable battery has attracted increasing interest due to its high energy density, low cost and safety. However, the short battery life due to battery short-circuit which results from Zn dendrite growth highly limits its utility. In this dissertation, fiber reinforced polymer electrolyte membranes with dendrite inhibiting fillers are produced by embedding nanofibers into polyacrylic acid (PAA)/clay membranes, and the membranes are used in Ni-Zn battery to solve the Zn dendrite growth problem.The nanofibers are produced by electrospinning. Polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and nylon MXD6 electrospun fiber mats with different morphologies (fused, bonded and separated) are obtained by adjusting electrospinning conditions (target distance, applied voltage, nozzle pressure, solution concentration, etc.). Morphology observation of the electrospun fiber mat during uniaxial stretching reveals that interfiber bonds transfer tensile loads and induce deformation resulting in higher mechanical properties.The fiber content and mechanical properties of the fiber reinforced electrolyte membrane depend on interfiber bonding. In the membrane, interfiber bonds hold fibers together against gel swelling, leading to the formation of inter-bonded fiber network and high fiber content enhancing overall mechanical properties of the membrane. Though, with the inter-bonded fiber network in the membrane, high tensile strength and high strain at break are achieved, the ionic conductivity is found to decrease due to the increased membrane tortuosity.By incorporating the electrospun fiber mat with optimum structure for balanced mechanical strength and ionic conductivity, novel polymer electrolyte membranes, including PVDF and MXD6 nanofiber reinforced PAA membranes, PAA/nanofiber/clay hybrid membrane and multilayer membrane are prepared, and battery testing is conducted. The results show that the electrospun fiber mat in the membrane effectively suppresses Zn dendrite growth, and thinner fibers have better dendrite inhibition capability. Exfoliated clay platelets in the nanofiber reinforced membranes could further block the growth of nano-sized Zn dendrites and significantly extend the battery life as they act as “shields” normal to the direction of Zn dendrite growths. The PAA/9vol% MXD6-fiber/3.8vol% clay hybrid membrane with the thickness of 200µm is proved to be the best polymer electrolyte membrane for Ni-Zn battery in this dissertation exceeding the 450 charge/discharge cycle requirements of a typical commercial battery application. 2013 English text University of Akron / OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1384534927 http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1384534927 unrestricted This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
collection NDLTD
language English
sources NDLTD
topic Polymers
spellingShingle Polymers
Qu, Cheng
Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery
author Qu, Cheng
author_facet Qu, Cheng
author_sort Qu, Cheng
title Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery
title_short Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery
title_full Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery
title_fullStr Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery
title_full_unstemmed Novel Polymer Electrolyte Membranes for Nickel-Zinc Battery
title_sort novel polymer electrolyte membranes for nickel-zinc battery
publisher University of Akron / OhioLINK
publishDate 2013
url http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1384534927
work_keys_str_mv AT qucheng novelpolymerelectrolytemembranesfornickelzincbattery
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