Rapid mapping of electrochemical processes in energy-conversion devices

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) is ubiquitously applied to identify physicochemical processes governing the performance of energy-conversion devices. However, deconvolution and interpretation of impedance phenomena are limited by measurement throughput and a dearth of scalable analysis methods. Here, we demonstrate an approach to quickly collect and coherently analyze large volumes of electrochemical data. In this study, we accelerate impedance characterization by combining rapid measurements in time and frequency domains, which are interpretably transformed using the distribution of relaxation times (DRT) and a new distribution of phasances (DOP) model. This method provides excellent agreement with EIS and decreases measurement time by an order of magnitude. High-throughput spectra are then distilled into detailed electrochemical maps. This approach is applied to a Li-ion battery and a protonic ceramic electrochemical cell as practical case studies, demonstrating how mapping can richly characterize physicochemical relationships that are difficult to decipher with conventional measurement and analysis methods.. Authors: Huang, Jake D. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)] (ORCID:0000000294875128); Meisel, Charlie [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)]; Sullivan, Neal P. [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)]; Zakutayev, Andriy [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)]; O’Hayre, Ryan [Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)]. DOE Contract: AC36-08GO28308; AR0000808; SC0023450. Subjects: 25 ENERGY STORAGE; batteries; chronopotentiometry; current interrupt; distribution of phasances; distribution of relaxation times; electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; electrochemical mapping; electrolyzers; fuel cells; time domain