Ion transport in confined spaces : application to electrochemical energy storage

Abstract

Electrochemical energy storage (batteries, supercapacitors), driven mainly by the development of electric mobility, has now become a major societal and economic challenge (reducing dependence on fossil fuels and combating_CO2 emissions). Reactions in electrochemical energy storage systems involve ionic and electronic transfers at the solid/electrolyte interface in porous electrodes. The performance of these electrodes depends on the transport and transfer kinetics of the species in the so-called electrochemically active materials. In this talk, we will show how it is possible to measure ionic and electronic fluxes in these electrodes using advanced electrochemical techniques. We'll see that electrolyte confinement in nanometric and subnanometric channels leads to changes in their solvation, resulting in remarkable properties for electrochemical energy storage.

Patrice Simon

Patrice Simon is Professor of Materials Science at Toulouse-III-Paul-Sabatier University. He is deputy director of the French electrochemical energy storage network and CNRS coordinator of PEPR Batteries, a national program launched in January 2023. His research activities focus on the fundamental understanding of electrochemical processes occurring at material/electrolyte interfaces in electrodes of electrochemical energy storage devices (batteries, supercapacitors). Patrice Simon has been a member of the French Academy of Sciences since 2019.