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Nanostructure Dependence of T‐Nb 2 O 5 Intercalation Pseudocapacitance Probed Using Tunable Isomorphic Architectures
Author(s) -
Bergh Wessel,
Lokupitiya Hasala Nadeesini,
Vest Natalie Alicia,
Reid Barry,
Guldin Stefan,
Stefik Morgan
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202007826
Subject(s) - pseudocapacitance , niobium pentoxide , materials science , nanostructure , niobium , pentoxide , intercalation (chemistry) , diffusion , chemical physics , nanotechnology , chemical engineering , electrochemistry , thermodynamics , supercapacitor , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , vanadium , electrode , metallurgy , physics , engineering
Intercalation pseudocapacitance has emerged as a promising energy storage mechanism that combines the energy density of intercalation materials with the power density of capacitors. Niobium pentoxide was the first material described as exhibiting intercalation pseudocapacitance. The electrochemical kinetics for charging/discharging this material are surface‐limited for a wide range of conditions despite intercalation via diffusion. Investigations of niobium pentoxide nanostructures are diverse and numerous; however, none have yet compared performance while adjusting a single architectural parameter at a time. Such a comparative approach reduces the reliance on models and the associated assumptions when seeking nanostructure–property relationships. Here, a tailored isomorphic series of niobium pentoxide nanostructures with constant pore size and precision tailored wall thickness is examined. The sweep rate at which niobium pentoxide transitions from being surface‐limited to being diffusion‐limited is shown to depend sensitively upon the nanoscale dimensions of the niobium pentoxide architecture. Subsequent experiments probing the independent effects of electrolyte concentration and film thickness unambiguously identify solid‐state lithium diffusion as the dominant diffusion constraint even in samples with just 48.5–67.0 nm thick walls. The resulting architectural dependencies from this type of investigation are critical to enable energy‐dense nanostructures that are tailored to deliver a specific power density.