Differential Scanning Calorimeter/Thermal Gravimetric Analysis

固态电化学研究的是材料的结构与其电化学性能之间的关系。 在我们的实验室中，我们的目标是固体中的离子和电子传输。 除了对它们的研究有根本的兴趣之外，这些也是开发新的锂离子电池电极和固态电解质材料的关键特性，这些材料构成了我们研究的主要部分。 正在研究的材料包括锂金属氧化物、硫化物、氯化物和无机/有机聚合物复合材料。开发新材料需要充分表征材料的结构和组成;为此，我们需要使用一套物理和分析技术，其中差示扫描量热法（DSC）和热重分析法（TGA）的组合起着绝对关键的作用。 我们通常使用重量分析和差示扫描量热热分析方法来确定固体的组成;前者涉及加热材料以测量由于组成变化而引起的质量损失和/或增加。 这些变化可能涉及结构中元素（氧、卤化物等）的损失或增加，和/或水和有机组分的损失。 在没有质量变化的情况下发生的结构变化被观察为差示量热计中的热事件，其进行相对于参考测量的热增益或热损失。 这用于确定前体或无定形材料的组合结晶的位置（以便可以在炉中建立正确的协议）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值，可以转换为焓值，以帮助确定感兴趣的新材料的性能。 总之，要求提供资金，以获得同步差示扫描量热仪/热重分析仪，为我们提供一个重要的分析工具，用于储能（又名电池）材料的材料表征。

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.