Hydrogen storage technologies in low weight hydrides promise to help with the global aim of CO2-emissions reduction. High mass energy densities are needed e.g. for heavy-load long distance mobility like trains, trucks, and airplanes. One of the potential reaction based systems is Mg(NH2)2+LiH with a reversible hydrogen capacity of 5.6 wt.% below 200oC. The kinetics of hydrogen...
Electrochemical cycling of lithium-ion batteries is supplemented by the active transport of lithium ions and electrons, which are exchanged between the cathode and anode material. Besides material properties, such exchange is facilitated by cell parameters like electrode dimensions and geometry, current density, temperature, pressure, reaction rate etc. Such parameters are neither uniformly...
Rare-earth orthoferrites RFeO3 represent an interesting and importantnfamily of magneticncompounds. Their remarkable magnetic properties result from complex interactions between the moments of the 3d electrons on the transition metal and the 4f electrons on the rare-earth atoms.These interactions lead to the presence of magnetoelectric properties and to the magnetocaloric effect in compounds...
We report a comprehensive study of single crystals of the noncentrosymmetric rare-earth compound $\mathrm{EuPtSi}_{3}$ grown by the optical floating-zone technique. Measurements of the magnetization, ac susceptibility, and specific heat consistently establish antiferromagnetic order of localized $\mathrm{Eu}^{2+}$ moments below the Néel temperature $T_{\mathrm{N}} = 17~\mathrm{K}$, followed by...
Structural investigations on functional ceramics is an important tool for material characterisation and tailoring of properties for specialised applications. This frequently requires high angular resolu-tion to resolve highly correlated phase coexistences or subtle structural features. The most common tool is high resolution X-ray or synchrotron radiation. Especially for in situ investigations...
Neutrons are powerful and have unique characteristics, which make possible non-destructive and operando characterizations of cylindrical and prismatic Li-ion batteries. X-rays are an equally competent tool that can provide complementary information on pouch type Li-ion cells during cell operation. Expectedly, both are also capable of providing information at material and electrode level. This...
Graphitic materials have historically a huge technological importance due to their manifold interesting properties, which mostly arise from the anisotropic bonding arrangement. The weak interlayer bonding opens the capability for intercalation reactions and formation of graphite intercalation compounds (GICs), of special interest are the binary metallic GICs, which are well-known in two...
High voltage spinel LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 is considered as one of the most promising cathode material for next generation lithium ion batteries. The material is expected to be significantly cheaper and more safe than state of the art layered oxides, while providing high specific energy of 690 Wh/kg. Yet this material possesses another highly interesting feature which is the possibility of over...
Structural voids are a defining feature of the half-Heusler structure. Using temperature-dependent neutron diffraction, the disordering of these vacancies is followed across the C1$_b$-L2$_1$ transition in samples of Ni$_{1+x}$MnSb for various Ni excesses $x$, demonstrating the second-order nature of this transition. Structure solution on high-resolution room-temperature neutron diffraction as...
