Aggregates, Interfaces and Materials for Energy (AIME)
Institut Charles Gerhardt, Université Montpellier 2, France
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The team "Aggregates, Interfaces and Materials for Energy" (AIME) associates competence in innovative synthesis routes to hierarchical materials with tailored architecture and in surface reactivity and the chemistry of interfaces, with complementary theoretical and experimental approaches applied to energy storage and conversion and environmental remediation processes.
The perspectives of the research are two-fold: elaboration of original materials enabling emerging energy technologies and the study of the interfacial properties and mechanisms governing exchange of energy and matter at interfaces
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Address
Institut Charles Gerhardt Montpellier, UMR 5253
Equipe A.I.M.E.
Université Montpellier 2
CC 1502
Street:Place Eugène Bataillon - Postcode: 34095
- City: Montpellier Cedex 5
- Country: France
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RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Our research activities within ALISTORE consists in the optimisation of Li-ion battery systems and the development of alternative innovative energy storage systems with high energy and power densities. Our know-how is centered on synthesis, electrode formulation and electrochemical characterisation. State-of-the-art in situ and operando techniques (XRD, Mössbauer spectroscopy…) are continuously developed and employed to get deeper insight into the electrochemical mechanisms and their failure.
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We develop Insertion, alloys and Conversion type electrode materials, which provide very high energy. Conversion electrode materials still suffer from serious problems, such as low Coulombic efficiency, high polarisation, poor cycle life (volume expansion) and limited rate capability that still prevent their commercial viability. To overcome these limitations, activities are oriented at: i) in-depth investigation of the electrochemical mechanisms in the bulk as well as at the electrolyte/electrode interface (ANR ICARES (2011-2014) as illustrated on Figure 1 for TiSnSb, ii) optimisation of the electrode by formulation (binder/conductive additive) as well as by composite preparation (e.g. confinement in porous matrix ).
Figure 1: a) Capacity retention of TiSnSb formulated film (CMC/C), b) to follow the formation/evolution of a solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) in the presence of alkyl carbonate based electrolytes, powerful surface characterization techniques (EIS, XPS and solid stateNMR) are combined for studying the electrode/electrolyte interface of TiSnSb composite electrodes.
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A wide research effort is dedicated to finding new efficient negative electrodes for alternative Na-ion batteries. We work on intermetallic compounds in Na-ion batteries which show outstanding performances (capacity and cycle life) as shown on Figure 2 and could be realistic negative electrode candidates for future NaB batteries
Figure 2: Negative electrodes for Na-ion batteries currently studied
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Specific characterisation techniques are at the heart of the research presented Figure4: at the microscopic level, phenomena are systematically analysed using Mössbauer spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, coupled to ab initiocalculations. Operandoapproaches are relentlessly developed to follow in detail the behaviour of battery materials during operation.
Figure 4 Operando combined techniques: XRD/Mössbauer spectroscopy
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