Aivaliotis Dimitris, Vernardou Dimitra
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece.
Institute of Emerging Technologies, Hellenic Mediterranean University Center, 71410 Heraklion, Greece.
Materials (Basel). 2024 Oct 19;17(20):5114. doi: 10.3390/ma17205114.
This work presents a versatile and cost-effective spray setup that integrates both compressed air spray and electrospray techniques, specifically designed for small-scale laboratory use. This setup provides researchers with an accessible tool to explore spray methods for growing battery electrodes. While these techniques hold significant industrial promise, affordable and simple methods for their use in research settings have been limited. To address this, the setup includes custom control software and detailed information on costs and materials, offering an easy-to-implement solution. The system was tested with three samples per technique, using identical settings, to evaluate the repeatability of each method and gain insights into the uniformity and structure of the resulting films. The structural and morphological characteristics of the samples were analyzed using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The air-spray samples showed greater consistency and repeatability, whereas the electrospray samples exhibited better deposition results in terms of material coverage and higher crystallinity films. Cracking was observed in the air-spray samples, which was related to thermal stress, and both techniques exhibited solvent evaporation issues. The issues encountered with the setup and samples are summarized, along with possible solutions and the next steps for future upgrades and research.
这项工作展示了一种多功能且经济高效的喷雾装置，它集成了压缩空气喷雾和电喷雾技术，专为小规模实验室使用而设计。该装置为研究人员提供了一个便于使用的工具，用于探索生长电池电极的喷雾方法。虽然这些技术在工业上具有重大前景，但在研究环境中使用它们的经济实惠且简单的方法却很有限。为了解决这个问题，该装置包括定制控制软件以及关于成本和材料的详细信息，提供了一个易于实施的解决方案。使用相同的设置，对每种技术的三个样品进行了测试，以评估每种方法的可重复性，并深入了解所得薄膜的均匀性和结构。使用X射线衍射和扫描电子显微镜对样品的结构和形态特征进行了分析。空气喷雾样品显示出更高的一致性和可重复性，而电喷雾样品在材料覆盖和更高结晶度薄膜方面表现出更好的沉积效果。在空气喷雾样品中观察到了与热应力相关的开裂现象，并且两种技术都存在溶剂蒸发问题。总结了该装置和样品遇到的问题，以及可能的解决方案和未来升级与研究的下一步计划。
