Nucleation and growth of thin nickel layers under the influence of a magnetic field

Enhancing Electrochemical Reactivity with Magnetic Fields: Unraveling the Role of Magneto-Electrochemistry

Electrocatalysis performs a vital role in numerous energy transformation and repository mechanics, including power cells, Electric field-assisted catalysis, and batteries. It is crucial to investigate new methods to improve electrocatalytic performance if effective and long-lasting power systems are developed. The modulation of catalytic activity and selectivity by external magnetic fields over electrochemical processes has received a lot of interest lately. How the use of various magnetic fields in electrocatalysis has great promise for building effective and selective catalysts, opening the door for the advancement of sophisticated energy conversion is discussed. Furthermore, the challenges and possibilities of incorporating magnetic fields into electrocatalytic systems and suggestions for future research areas are discussed.

The Influence of the Substrate and External Magnetic Field Orientation on FeNi Film Growth

The magnetic field-assisted electrodeposition of iron–nickel thin films on different substrates (aluminum, silver, and brass) was investigated. The process was performed galvanostatically in a sulfate solution. The same chemical and electrical conditions were applied for each sample growth, but the time restrictions and the external magnetic field orientation were changeable. The obtained results show a variation of surface morphology and composition dependence on the selected surfaces as a consequence of the presence and orientation of the external magnetic field. We discussed that the FeNi crystal structure depends on the film thickness. The results show the reduction of the film thickness after the external magnetic field application—a decrease of deposition rate.The FeNi alloy’s morphology, composition, and magnetic properties were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and Mössbauer spectroscopy (MS).

Strong Magnetic-Field-Engineered Porous Template for Fabricating Hierarchical Porous Ni-Co-Zn-P Nanoplate Arrays as Battery-Type Electrodes of Advanced All-Solid-State Supercapacitors

The sluggish charge transport kinetics that exist in the energy storage process of all-solid-state supercapacitors (ASSSCs) can be improved by designing open hierarchical porous structures for binder-free electrodes. Herein, a template-directed strategy is developed to fabricate open hierarchical porous Ni-Co-Zn-P nanoplate arrays (NCZP^6T) through phosphating the electrodeposited NiCo-LDH nanosheets loaded on a template. At first, porous conductive NiZn alloy nanoplate arrays are rationally devised as the template by a strong magnetic field (SMF)-assisted electrodeposition. The Lorentz force caused by coupling the SMF with the electrical current induces a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flow (including the micro-MHD flow), which homogenizes the deposition coating, tunes the nucleation and growth of the NiZn alloy, and produces pores in the nanoplates. The open hierarchical porous structure offers a larger specific surface area and pore volume for accelerating charge transport and gives a synergistic effect between the inner porous conductive NiZn array template and the outer electrochemical active phosphides for high-performance hybrid ASSSCs. Accordingly, the battery-type electrode of NCZP^6T shows a much higher specific capacitance of 3.81 F cm^-2 at 1 mA cm^-2, enhanced rate capability, and remarkable cycling stability at progressively varying current densities. Finally, the NCZP^6T//FeS ASSSC delivers a high energy density of 77 μW h cm^-2 at a large power density of 12 mW cm^-2, outperforming most state-of-the-art supercapacitors.

Nucleation and growth mechanism of dendrite-free Ni–Cu catalysts by magneto-electrodeposition for the hydrogen evolution reaction

A controllable preparation strategy for high-efficiency Ni–Cu catalysts with specific morphology.

Electrochemical migration behavior of moldy printed circuit boards in a 10 mT magnetic field

In the electrochemical migration behavior (ECM) of printed circuit boards containing mold under a static magnetic field (SMF), the role of the field perpendicular to the electrodes is discussed; the B field inhibits the growth and metabolism of mold, while controlling electrochemical diffusion and nucleation. The field indirectly affects the function of mold as a transmission bridge between two electrodes. In this work, the water drop test was used to simulate the adhesion and growth of mold on the circuit board in a humid and hot environment; confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, Raman spectra, and a scanning Kelvin probe were used to analyze the mechanism of static magnetic field and mold on the electrochemical migration.

Magnetohydrodynamic Interface-Rearranged Lithium Ions Distribution for Uniform Lithium Deposition and Stable Lithium Metal Anode

Uneven lithium (Li) electrodeposition hinders the wide application of high-energy-density Li metal batteries (LMBs). Current efforts mainly focus on the side-reaction suppression between Li and electrolyte, neglecting the determinant factor of mass transport in affecting Li deposition. Herein, guided Li⁺ mass transport under the action of a local electric field near magnetic nanoparticles or structures at the Li metal interface, known as the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect, are proposed to promote uniform Li deposition. The modified Li⁺ trajectories are revealed by COMSOL Multiphysics simulations, and verified by the compact and disc-like Li depositions on a model Fe₃ O₄ substrate. Furthermore, a patterned mesh with the magnetic Fe-Cr₂ O₃ core-shell skeleton is used as a facile and efficient protective structure for Li metal anodes, enabling Li metal batteries to achieve a Coulombic efficiency of 99.5 % over 300 cycles at a high cathode loading of 5.0 mAh cm^-2 . The Li protection strategy based on the MHD interface design might open a new opportunity to develop high-energy-density LMBs.

Highly conductive and low cost Ni-PET flexible substrate for efficient dye-sensitized solar cells

The highly conductive and flexible nickel-polyethylene terephthalate (Ni-PET) substrate was prepared by a facile way including electrodeposition and hot-press transferring. The effectiveness was demonstrated in the counter electrode of dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The Ni film electrodeposition mechanism, microstructure, and DSSC performance for the Ni-PET flexible substrate were investigated. The uniform and continuous Ni film was first fabricated by electroplating metallic Ni on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) and then intactly transferred onto PET via hot-pressing using Surlyn as the joint adhesive. The obtained flexible Ni-PET substrate shows low sheet resistance of 0.18Ω/□ and good chemical stability for the I(-)/I(3-) electrolyte. A high light-to-electric energy conversion efficiency of 7.89% was demonstrated in DSSCs system based on this flexible electrode substrate due to its high conductivity, which presents an improvement of 10.4% as compared with the general ITO-PEN flexible substrate. This method paves a facile and cost-effective way to manufacture various metals on a plastic nonconducive substrate beneficial for the devices toward flexible and rollable.