Modern energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors and batteries, have highly temperature-dependent performance. If a device get too hot, it become susceptible to 'thermal runaway.' Thermal runaway-or uncontrolled overheating-can ultimately result in explosions or fires.

Adopting a well-informed thermal management strategy is necessary for the stable and safe operation of devices. To do this, it is important to understand how certain thermal properties, like heat capacity (Cp), dynamically change during charging and discharging.

Recently, researchers from the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology investigated the thermal properties of electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs)-a type of supercapacitor having high power and long life-for a technical foundation in thermal measurement and revealed significant information.

"Using the 3? hot-wire method, we were able to measure the change in heat capacity of EDLCs in real-time in a microscopic electrode-electrolyte volume, which is an active site for the adsorption and desorption of ions," explains Prof. Jae Hun Seol, who led the study. The study was made available online on 5 February 2022 and will be published in Volume 188, Issue 122632 of International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer on 1 June 2022.

The research team conducted experiments both in situ (under static conditions) and operando (during charging). They found that the temperatures of the positive and negative electrodes changed by 0.92% and 0.42% during charging, which corresponded to 9.14% and 3.91% reductions in their respective Cp. "According to thermodynamic theory, the ionic configuration entropy (a measure of randomness) of a system decreases during adsorption, i.e., charging. This also affects the free energy of the system. Together, this leads to a decrease in Cp," explains Prof. Seol.

The team also varied the concentration of the electrolyte, potassium hydroxide, to see how it affected EDLC performance. They found that the EDLC displayed maximum capacitance and Cp reduction when the electrolyte concentration was 8 M. They attributed this to variations in the degree of hydration of ions and their ionic mobility.

"An important aspect of this study is that charging and discharging also alters Cp of EDLCs," says Prof. Seol. "These findings will extend our understanding of the underlying thermal physics of EDLCs."

Indeed, these results can be considered a major step towards future effective thermal management strategies, which will create safer and more reliable energy storage devices.

Research Report:In situ and operando thermal characterization in aqueous electric double layer capacitors using the 3? hot-wire method

Related Links
Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Dual membrane offers hope for long-term energy storage
London, UK (SPX) May 04, 2022
A new approach to battery design could provide the key to low-cost, long-term energy storage, according to Imperial College London researchers. The team of engineers and chemists have created a polysulfide-air redox flow battery (PSA RFB) with not one, but two membranes. The dual membrane design overcomes the main problems with this type of large-scale battery, opening up its potential to store excess energy from, for example, renewable sources such as wind and solar. The research is published in ... read more