Differential Scanning Calorimeter/Thermal Gravimetric Analysis

固态电化学研究关注的是材料的结构与其电化学性质之间的关系。在我们的实验室中，我们的目标是离子和电子在固体中的传输。除了对它们的研究有根本的兴趣外，这些也是开发新的锂离子电池电极和固态电解液材料的关键性质，这构成了我们研究的主要部分。正在研究的材料包括金属锂氧化物、硫化物、氯化物和无机/有机聚合物复合材料。开发新材料需要对材料的结构和组成进行充分的表征；为此，我们需要使用一套物理和分析技术，其中差示扫描量热分析(DSC)和热重分析(TGA)的结合起着绝对关键的作用。 我们通常使用重量扫描量热法和差示扫描量热法来确定固体的组成；前者包括加热材料以测量由于组成变化而产生的质量损失和/或收益。这些变化可能涉及结构中元素(氧、卤化物等)的损失或获得，和/或水和有机成分的损失。在没有质量变化的情况下发生的结构变化被观察为差动量热计中的热事件，其进行的是相对于参照物测量的热得或热损失。这被用来确定前体或非晶态材料的组合在哪里结晶(以便在炉中建立正确的方案)和/或评估材料的热稳定性。DSC技术还测量被分析材料与其环境之间的能量交换，这是一个非常有用的热力学数值，可以转换为热值，帮助确定感兴趣的新材料的性质。 总而言之，需要资金购买同步差示扫描量热仪/热重分析仪器，以便为储能材料(又名电池)的材料表征提供一个重要的分析工具。

Solid-state electrochemistry research is concerned with the relationship between the structure of a material and its electrochemical properties. In our lab, we target our properties towards ion and electron transport in solids. Aside from having fundamental interest in their study, these are also critical properties for the development of new lithium-ion battery electrode and solid state electrolyte materials which form the major part of our research. Materials under study include lithium metal oxides, sulfides, chlorides and inorganic/organic polymer composites. Developing new materials requires that the structure and composition of the material be fully characterized; for this we need to use a suite of physical and analytical techniques, of which the combination of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) plays an absolutely pivotal role. We use gravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry thermal analysis methods routinely to determine the composition of our solids; the former involves heating the material to measure mass losses and/or gains that are incurred as a result of change of composition. These changes can involve loss or gain of elements (oxygen, halide, etc) from the structure, and/or loss of water, and organic components. Structural changes that occur without mass change are observed as thermal events in the differential calorimeter, which proceed with heat gain or loss measured with respect to a reference. This is used to determine where a combination of precursors or an amorphous material crystallizes (so that the correct protocol can be established in a furnace) and/or to evaluate the thermal stability of a material. DSC technology also measures the energy exchange between the material under analysis and its environment, which is a very useful thermodynamic value that can be converted to enthalpy values to help determine the properties of the new material of interest. In summary, funds are requested to acquire a simultaneous differential scanning calorimeter/thermal gravimetric analysis apparatus to give us a crucial analytical tool for materials characterization for energy storage (aka battery) materials.