OPTICAL ANALYSIS OF ION DYNAMICS IN A BATTERY
Summary
RFBs have emerged as a promising electrochemical energy storage technology capable of
storing renewable energy sources with long charge-discharge cycle life. As a result, battery
monitoring systems have become highly significant, particularly in battery research,
to evaluate the performance of battery components or materials after many cycles of operation.
In this study, we explore the dynamics of the ions within the electrode when
the cell is linked to a potential since this parameter can provide information on the electrochemical
performance, indicating the reversibility of the ions during operation. The
dielectric characteristics of ions, which react to electric potentials, are utilized to track
ion movement within the cell using optical microscopy. This property is connected to the
polarizability of active particle valence/conduction electrons in electrodes. The cell will
be tested using three different electrolytes; NaCl, FeCl2 and FeCl3. The laser beam is
shone at electrochemically operating battery particles as they store or release ions, and
the scattered light is analysed. According to the experimental results, half-cells with three
different electrolyte solutions may flow ions from one electrode to another with currents
ranging from 6 μA to 0.5 mA. The modulation signal at 1 Hz is applied to the cell, and
the FFT technique is utilized to determine if the ion response can be monitored optically.
However, the response of ions to potential changes is unnoticeable visually. Because the
scatter signal from the ions is too faint to be caught by the camera, the amplitude noise
from the light source becomes more dominating.