1. Mixed metal Prussian blue
analogues as working electrodes for
rechargeable batteries and their
electrochemical properties
Madeline Mackey
madelinelmackey@gmail.com
2. What are we doing?
• Need for high-energy storage for rechargeable
batteries
4. How?
• Mixing metals with Prussian blue analogues
(PBAs)
– Analogue: “a compound with a molecular
structure similar to that of another”
– Hexacyanoferrate (HCF) & hexacyanocobaltate
(HCC)
5. What is Prussian blue
• A dark blue pigment
• Used in medicine as an
antidote for heavy metal
poisoning
• Work as efficient electrodes
due to redox properties
Van Gogh’s Starry Night
-prussian blue color
6. Prussian blue composition
• Open framework crystal
structure
• Properties:
– Stores countercations
– Ion-exchange selectivity
– Ability to catalyze
electrochemical reactions
Prussian blue SEM image,
Cao et al.
7. Materials and Methods
• Nickel Cobalt hexacyanoferrate. NiCoHCF.
• NiCoHCF @ 60 degrees Celsius.
• Iron Manganese hexacyanocobaltate.
FeMnHCC.
• Tin hexacyanocobaltate. SnHCC.
8. Materials and Methods
• Facile method
– Mixed metals in deionized water, mixed PBA with
DI water
– Add mixed metals drop-wise to PBA
– Constant stirring 1 hr.
– Sit for 1 day
• Centrifuged and washed with ethanol
9. Materials and Methods
• Dried in oven
• annealed at 150 degrees Celsius (16 hrs.)
Dried NiCoHCF Annealed NiCoHCF
10. Materials and Methods
• Paste created
• Painted onto carbon tape (electrodes)
• Carbon tape electrodes annealed at 150
degrees for 2 hrs.
11. Testing
• Set up in three-electrode battery
• Scanning electron microscope (SEM)
• Cyclic voltammetry
• Galvanic cycling
12. Three-electrode Battery
• Working electrode – painted
carbon tape
• Reference electrode – glass
tube with silver nitrate and
small silver metal rod
• Anode/Negative electrode –
graphite rod
• Placed in electrolyte.
13. Results – SEM NiCoHCF vs. PB
Prussian blue SEM image, cubical
NiCoHCF SEM image
15. Cyclic Voltammetry
• Applying voltage to the battery and observing
the current.
• Plot of Current versus applied Voltage
• Looking for multiple peaks in graph.
21. Discussion/Future applications
• Continue testing mixed metal
hexacyanoferrate and hexacyanocobaltates
• Attempt to understand the framework and
further understand the electrochemical
properties.
• Exciting new properties to explore that may
create efficient batteries.
22. Acknowledgments
• Dr. Raj Solanki, Neal Kuperman, REU program
• Funded by the National Science Foundation
23. References
• Padigi Prasanna, Gary Goncher, David Evans, and Raj Solanki. “Potassium Barium Hexacyanoferrate – A
Potential Cathode Material for Rechargeable Calcium Ion Batteries.” Journal of Power Sources 273 (2015):
460-64. Web.
•
• Pasta, Mauro, Richard Y. Wang, Riccardo Ruffo, Ruimin Qiao, Hyun-Wook Lee, Badri Shyam, Minghua Guo,
Yayu Wang, L. Andrew Wray, Wanil Yang, Michael F. Toney, and Yi Cui. “Manganese—cobalt
Hexacyanoferrate Cathodes for Sodium—ion Batteries.” J. Mater. Chem. A 4.11 (2016): 4211-223. Web.
•
• Pawel, J. Kulesza, Marcin A. Malik, Roman Schmidt, Anna Smolinska, Krzysztof Miecznikowski, Silvia
Zamponi, Andrzej Czerwinski, Mario Berrettoni, Roberto Marassi. “Electrochemical Preparation and
Characterization of Electrodes Modified With Mixed Metal Hexacyanoferrates of Nickel and Palladium.”
Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 487 (2000): 57-65. Web.
•
• Zhao, Feipeng, Yeyun Wang, Xianoa Xu, Yiling Liu, Rui Song, Guang Lu, and Yanguang Li. “Cobalt
Hexacyanoferrate Nanoparticles as a High-Rate and Ultra-Stable Supercapacitor Electrode Material.” ACS
Appl. Mater. Interfaces ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 6.14 (2014): 11007-1012. Web.
•
• Cao, Minhua, Xinglong Wu, Xiaoyan He, and Changwen Hu. Prussian blue SEM image. Digital image. Shape-
controlled Synthesis of Prussian Blue Analogue Co3[Co(CN)6]2 Nanocrystals. Royal Society of Chemistry, 14
Mar. 2005. Web. <http://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2005/cc/b500153f>.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Making Batteries!
Solar energy – collect and store sunlight, can be used to generate power in a car.
Wind – collect and stored when windy, can be used later for electronics.
So we are trying to create a battery that can store energy and be applied later on.
Want: High abundance, low cost, environmentally friendly
While charging, Lithium ions flow from the cathode anode through the electrolyte.
The Electrons flow from the cathode to the electrode as well but through the charger (V line)
Once all of the Li ions are at the anode, its reversed and goes the other way this is a rechargeable battery.
There need to be tunnels/spaces in this material that allows ions to go in and out that is why we use prussian blue. Prussian blue’s frame work is porous and allows for this to occur.
-these analogues are similar to prussian blue’s tunnel structure that allows for ions to go in and out.
Found in crayons, the original “blue” in blue prints, paints, etc.
Medicine turned it into a pill to counteract metal poisoning
Open framework/tunnels = allows for rapid insertion of ions
Properties = are those of an efficient battery
-We created 6 mixed metal PBAs, however two of them are currently being tested.
-Four others were created, but I will primarily talk about NiCoHCF
NiCoHCF heated first to 60 degrees Celsius
Centrifuged – spun really fast
-electrolyte for NiCoHCF was sodium perchlorate in propylene carbonate: ethylene carbonate (1:1M)
PB – particles are cubical, allows for insertion of ions
NiCoHCF – large agglomerations -- particles are jagged and some circular.
Again, I was attempting to look at the particle structure in order to see if NiCoHCF had similar properties to Prussian blue
-what is cyclic voltammetry? – its applying varying voltages to the battery and sweeping the voltage and observing the current.
-so the graph will be a plot of current versus the voltage/voltage potential.
-since we are working with multiple metals, we expect to see the metals changing oxidation states. This causes multiple peaks/steps in the graph.
-some of our materials are still in testing and cannot be released, therefore I will show you analogous work to what we were doing.
-Here you can see that Calcium was mixed with Cobalt and HCF. There were Strontium ions in acetonitrile (the electrolyte).
-as voltage potential is swept, the current increases until it hits a peak (oxidation potential) meaning extraction of ions
-voltage sweep is reversed, current continues to decrease until hits peak (reduction potential) meaning insertion of ions.
-here you see the same element CaCoHCF however with zinc ions in propylene carbonate as the electrolyte.
-This graph is less defined, however you can see slight peaks.
-My sample, NiCoHCF with sodium perchlorate in propylene carbonate:ethylene carbonate (1:1M).
-25 mV per second, 20 cycles.
-matching peaks. Can see a possible two peaks at the bottom. Indicate ions moving in and out (rechargeable)
Two set voltages, upper cut off and lower cut off.
Info includes battery’s chemistry, capacity, number of cycles, lifetime
Graph of NiCoHCF with Na perchlorate in PC:EC
Graph of voltage vs. time (top = upper cut off voltage, bottom = lower cut off voltage)
- Cycled 20 times. (not the full graph)
-charging cruve = going up
Charging for cathode = ions coming out
-discharging curve = going down
Discharging = ions coming back in
Specific capacity = 125 mA hr (??? Or second???) / g
-understand the different electrochemical properties
-from the research and testing we have done, mixed metal PBAs have exciting properties to explore and may be good candidates for batteries.
Neal for teaching a bio student chemistry and physics – not an easy task
Dr. solanki for providing the tools and his knowledge and time