• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.6
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• pp.781-797
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• 2023

Recently, there has been a rapid response from mineral-demanding countries for securing critical minerals in a high tech industries. Graphite, while overwhelmingly dominated by China in production, is changing in global supply due to the exponential growth in EV battery sector, with active exploration in East Africa. Rare earth elements are essential raw materials widely used in advanced industries. Globally, there are ongoing developments in the production of REEs from three main deposit types: carbonatite, laterite, and ion-adsorption clay types. While China's production has decreased somewhat, it still maintains overwhelming dominance in this sector. Recent changes over the past few years include the rapid emergence of Myanmar and increased production in Vietnam. Nickel has been used in various chemical and metal industries for a long time, but recently, its significance in the market has been increasing, particularly in the battery sector. Worldwide, nickel deposits can be broadly classified into two types: laterite-type, which are derived from ultramafic rocks, and ultramafic hosted sulfide-type. It is predicted that the development of sulfide-type, primarily in Australia, will continue to grow, while the development of laterite-type is expected to be promoted in Indonesia. This is largely driven by the growing demand for nickel in response to the demand for lithium-ion batteries. The global lithium ores are produced in three main types: brine lake (78%), rock/mineral (19%), and clay types (3%). Rock/mineral type has a slightly higher grade compared to brine lake type, but they are less abundant. Chile, Argentina, and the United States primarily produce lithium from brine lake deposits, while Australia and China extract lithium from both brine lake and rock/mineral sources. Canada, on the other hand, exclusively produces lithium from rock/mineral type. Vanadium has traditionally been used in steel alloys, accounting for approximately 90% of its usage. However, there is a growing trend in the use for vanadium redox flow batteries, particularly for large-scale energy storage applications. The global sources of vanadium can be broadly categorized into two main types: vanadium contained in iron ore (81%) produced from mines and vanadium recovered from by-products (secondary sources, 18%). The primary source, accounting for 81%, is vanadium-iron ores, with 70% derived from vanadium slag in the steel making process and 30% from ore mined in primary sources. Intermediate vanadium oxides are manufactured from these sources. Vanadium deposits are classified into four types: vanadiferous titanomagnetite (VTM), sandstone-hosted, shale-hosted, and vanadate types. Currently, only the VTM-type ore is being produced.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1605-1610
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• 2012

Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of red pepper (Capsicum frutescens) powder or red pepper pigment on the performance and egg yolk color of laying hens. In Exp. 1, 210, thirty-wk old, Hy-line Brown laying hens were fed one of seven diets containing 0.3, 0.6, 1.2, 2.0, 4.8 or 9.6 ppm red pepper pigment or 0.3 ppm carophyll red. Each diet was fed to three replicate batteries of hens with each battery consisting of a row of five cages of hens with two hens per cage (n = 3). In Exp. 2, 180, thirty-wk old, Hyline Brown laying hens, housed similarly to those in Exp. 1, were fed an unsupplemented basal diet as well as treatments in which the basal diet was supplemented with 0.8% red pepper powder processed in a laboratory blender to an average particle size of $300{\mu}m$, 0.8% red pepper powder processed as a super fine powder with a vibrational mill ($44{\mu}m$) and finally 0.8% red pepper powder processed as a super fine powder with a vibrational mill but mixed with 5% $Na_2CO_3$ either before or after grinding. A diet supplemented with 0.3 ppm carophyll red pigment was also included (n = 3). In both experiments, hens were fed the red pepper powder or pigment for 14 days. After feeding of the powder or pigment was terminated, all hens were fed the basal diet for eight more days to determine if the dietary treatments had any residual effects. In Exp. 1, there were no differences in egg-laying performance, feed consumption or feed conversion ratio due to inclusion of red pepper pigment in the diet. Average egg weight was higher (p<0.05) for birds fed 1.2, 2.4 or 9.6 ppm red pepper pigment than for birds fed the diet containing 0.3 ppm red pepper pigment. On d 14, egg color scores increased linearly as the level of red pepper pigment in the diet increased. In Exp. 2, feeding red pepper powder did not affect egg-laying performance, feed consumption or feed conversion ratio (p>0.05). However, compared with the control group, supplementation with all of the red pepper powder treatments increased egg weight (p<0.05). All the red pepper powder treatments also increased (p<0.05) the yolk color score compared with the control. The results of the present study suggest that both red pepper powder and pigment are effective feed additives for improving egg yolk color for laying hens.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.134-141
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• 2022

To improve the performance of aluminum-air batteries, it is very important to understand the effect of electrolytes on the electrochemical properties of electrodes. In this study, the effects of electrolyte cations on the electrochemical redox reactions proceeding at the negative and positive electrodes were investigated using electrolytes having the same anion but different cations such as NaCl, LiCl, CaCl₂, and ZnCl₂. It was confirmed by discharge test, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis that electrolyte cations affect the discharge potential and specific capacity of the electrode. Precipitates were formed on the surface of the positive electrode by Ca²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions, resulting in degradation of the performance of the positive electrode. In addition, Ca²⁺ ions passivated the negative electrode and accelerated the performance degradation. This suggests that the positive ions of the electrolyte have different effects on the electrochemical performance of the positive and negative electrodes.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.627-632
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• 2023

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in various applications, including electric vehicles and portable electronics, due to their high energy density and long cycle life. The performance of lithium-ion batteries can be improved by using solid electrolytes, in terms of higher safety, stability, and energy density. Li_1.5Al_0.5Ti_1.5(PO₄)₃ (LATP) is a promising solid electrolyte for all-solid-state lithium batteries due to its high ionic conductivity and excellent stability. However, the ionic conductivity of LATP needs to be improved for commercializing all-solid-state lithium battery systems. In this study, we investigate the microstructures and ionic conductivities of LATP by incorporating B₂O₃ glass ceramics. The smaller grain size and narrow size distribution were obtained after the introduction of B₂O₃ in LATP, which is attributed to the B₂O₃ glass on grain boundaries of LATP. Moreover, higher ionic conductivity can be obtained after B₂O₃ incorporation, where the optimal composition is 0.1 wt% B₂O₃ incorporated LATP and the ionic conductivity reaches 8.8×10^-5 S/cm, more than 3 times higher value than pristine LATP. More research could be followed for having higher ionic conductivity and density by optimizing the processing conditions. This facile approach for establishing higher ionic conductivity in LATP solid electrolytes could accelerate the commercialization of all-solid-state lithium batteries.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

The cathode, which is one of the four major components of a lithium secondary battery, is an important component responsible for the energy density of the battery. The mixing process of active material, conductive material, and polymer binder is very essential in the commonly used wet manufacturing process of the cathode. However, in the case of mixing conditions of the cathode, since there is no systematic method, in most cases, differences in performance occur depending on the manufacturer. Therefore, LiMn₂O₄ (LMO) cathodes were prepared using a commonly used THINKY mixer and homogenizer to optimize the mixing method in the cathode slurry preparation step, and their characteristics were compared. Each mixing condition was performed at 2000 RPM and 7 min, and to determine only the difference in the mixing method during the manufacture of the cathode other experiment conditions (mixing time, material input order, etc.) were kept constant. Among the manufactured THINKY mixer LMO (TLMO) and homogenizer LMO (HLMO), HLMO has more uniform particle dispersion than TLMO, and thus shows higher adhesive strength. Also, the result of the electrochemical evaluation reveals that HLMO cathode showed improved performance with a more stable life cycle compared to TLMO. The initial discharge capacity retention rate of HLMO at 69 cycles was 88%, which is about 4.4 times higher than that of TLMO, and in the case of rate capability, HLMO exhibited a better capacity retention even at high C-rates of 10, 15, and 20 C and the capacity recovery at 1 C was higher than that of TLMO. It's postulated that the use of a homogenizer improves the characteristics of the slurry containing the active material, the conductive material, and the polymer binder creating an electrically conductive network formed by uniformly dispersing the conductive material suppressing its strong electrostatic properties thus avoiding aggregation. As a result, surface contact between the active material and the conductive material increases, electrons move more smoothly, changes in lattice volume during charging and discharging are more reversible and contact resistance between the active material and the conductive material is suppressed.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.392-401
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• 2020

Purpose: This study analyzes the operating characteristics of a lithium ion capacitor that can be used as a standby power supply in an emergency, and determines whether the standby power supply is abnormal even by measuring the voltage using a linear proportionality characteristic during charging and discharging. The aim is to provide an experimental basis that can be done. Method: As a method for this study, first, analyze the operation principle and characteristics of the existing backup power supply and lithium ion capacitor, and then measure the voltage of the lithium ion capacitor according to the configuration and system block diagram of the induction lamp used in the experiment. We proceed with the test of the measured value of discharge power for each voltage band to check the amount of power held by the battery and the operation test experiment using induction lamps. Results: Just by checking the charging voltage using the linear proportional characteristics of lithium ion capacitors, it provides a basis for accurately inferring the effective operating time of induction lamp lamps. Conclusion: In the event of a disaster, the lithium ion capacitor is used as a spare power supply for emergency induction lamps to prevent complete discharge of emergency induction lamps, to prevent the problem of performing normal operation of the standby power supply, and to use only a simple voltage measurement to reserve power. It was intended to suggest many uses for evacuation equipment application in the future by making it possible to check whether the device is abnormal.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.173-178
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• 2004

Silicon thin film were synthesized from silane and argon gas mixture directly on copper foil by rf PECVD and then lithium ion batteries were prepared from them employed as the negative electrodes without any further treatment. In the present study, two different kinds of silicon thin films, amorphous silicon and copper silicide were prepared by changing deposition temperature. Amorphous silicon film was prepared below $200^{\circ}C$, but copper silicide film with granular shape was formed by the reaction between silicon radical and diffused copper ions under elevating temperature above $400^{\circ}C$. The amorphous silicon film gives higher capacity than copper silicide, but the capacity decreases sharply with charge-discharge cycling. This is possibly due to severe volume changes. The cyclability is improved, however, by employing the copper silicide as a negative electrode. The copper silicide plays an important role as an active material of the electrode, which mitigates volume change cause by the existence of silicon and copper chemical bonding and provides low electrical resistance as well.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.145-152
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• 2010

The gel polymer electrolyte(GPE) were prepared by in-situ thermal cross-linking reaction of homogeneous precursor solution of perfluorinated phosphate-based cross-linker and liquid electrolyte. Ionic conductivities and electrochemical properties of the prepared gel polymer electrolyte with the various contents of liquid electrolytes and perfluorinated organophosphate-based cross-linker were examined. The stable gel polymer electrolyte was obtained up to 97 wt% of the liquid electrolyte. Ionic conductivity and electrochemical properties of the gel polymer electrolytes with the various chain length of perfluorinated ethylene oxide and different content of liquid electrolytes were examined. The maximum ionic conductivity of liquid electrolyte was measured to be $1.02\;{\times}\;10^{-2}\;S/cm$ at $30^{\circ}C$ using the cross-linker($PFT_nGA$). The electrochemical stability of the gel polymer electrolyte was extended to 4.5 V. The electrochemical performances of test cells composed of the resulting gel polymer electrolyte were also studied to evaluate the applicability on the lithium polymer batteries. The test cell carried a discharge capacity of 136.11mAh/g at 0.1C. The discharge capacity was measured to be 91% at 2C rate. The discharge capacity decreased with increase of discharge rate which was due to the polarization. After 500th charge/discharge cycles, the capacity of battery decreased to be 70% of the initial capacity.

• Clean Technology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.223-231
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• 2021

In order to address many issues associated with large volume changes of silicon, which has very low electrical conductivity but offers about 10 times higher theoretical capacity than graphite (Gr), a silicon nanoparticles/hollow carbon (SiNP/HC) composite having bimodal-mesopores was prepared using silica nanoparticles as a template. A control SiNP/C composite without a hollow structure was also prepared for comparison. The physico-chemical and electrochemical properties of SiNP/HC were analyzed by X-ray diffractometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption/desorption measurements for surface area and pore size distribution, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, galvanostatic cycling, and cyclic voltammetry tests to compare them with those of the SiNP/C composite. The SiNP/HC composite showed significantly better cycle life and efficiency than the SiNP/C, with minimal increase in electrode thickness after long cycles. A hybrid composite, SiNP/HC@Gr, prepared by physical mixing of the SiNP/HC and Gr at a 50:50 weight ratio, exhibited even better cycle life and efficiency than the SiNP/HC at low capacity. Thus, silicon/carbon composites designed to have hollow spaces capable of accommodating volume expansion were found to be highly effective for long cycle life of silicon-based composites. However, further study is required to improve the low initial coulombic efficiency of SiNP/HC and SiNP/HC@Gr, which is possibly because of their high surface area causing excessive electrolyte decomposition for the formation of solid-electrolyte-interface layers.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.534-540
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• 2023

The high-rate performance is limited by several factors, such as polarization generation, low electrical conductivity, low surface energy, and low electrolyte permeability of CF_X, which is widely used as a cathode active material in the lithium primary battery. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to improve the battery performance by using carbon fluoride modified by surface treatment using oxygen plasma as a cathode for lithium primary batteries. Through XPS and XRD analysis, changes in the surface chemical characteristics and crystal structure of CF_X modified by oxygen plasma treatment were analyzed, and accordingly, the electrochemical characteristics of lithium-ion primary batteries were analyzed and discussed. As a result, the highest number of semi-ionic C-F bonds were formed under the oxygen plasma treatment condition (7.5 minutes) with the lowest fluorine to carbon (F/C) ratio. In addition, the primary cell prepared under this condition using carbon fluoride as the active material of the cathode showed the highest 3 F/C(3 C rate-performance) rate-performance and maintained a relatively high capacity (550 mAh/g) even at high rates. In this study, it was possible to produce lithium primary batteries with high-rate performance by adjusting the fluorine contents of carbon fluoride and the type of carbon-fluorine bonding through oxygen plasma treatment.