► We report on dramatic performance gains achieved for a vanadium redox flow battery. ► The maximum power density was greatly increased to levels exceeding 500 mW/cm2. ► The increase in power density ...represents a significant reduction in ultimate system cost using this design. ► The results show a trade-off between ohmic and kinetic losses.
We demonstrate a vanadium redox flow battery with a peak power density of 557mWcm−2 at a state of charge of 60%. This power density, the highest reported to date, was obtained with a zero-gap flow field cell architecture and non-wetproofed carbon paper electrodes. The electrodes were comprised of stacked sheets of carbon paper and optimized through systematic variation of the total electrode thickness. We anticipate significant reductions in the ultimate system cost of redox flow battery systems based on this design.
Our understanding of a large range of astrophysical phenomena depends on a precise knowledge of charged particle nuclear reactions that occur at very low rates, which are difficult to measure under ...relevant plasma conditions. Here, we describe a method for generating dense plasmas at effective ion temperatures >20 keV, sufficient to induce measurable charged particle nuclear reactions. Our approach uses ultra-intense lasers to drive micron-sized, encapsulated nanofoam targets. Energetic electrons generated in the intense laser interaction pass through the foam, inducing a rapid expansion of the foam ions; this results in a hot, near-solid density plasma. We present the laser and target conditions necessary to achieve these conditions and illustrate the system performance using three-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations, outline potential applications and calculate expected nuclear reaction rates in the D(d,n) and
C(p,γ) systems assuming CD, or CH aerogel foams.
PDF
