Operating and testing the cell
Time required: Tens of minutes (preparation time), several days (experiment length)
Skills required:
- General chemistry laboratory skills
Step 1: Weigh and add electrolyte to the cell
Using a 5 mL syringe and the scale, add 5 mL of electrolyte to each reservoir, weighing the syringe before and after injection to record the actual mass added to each reservoir.
Step 2: Close the reservoirs
Using 19/22 silicone septa, close the reservoirs.
Step 3: Pre-circulate the electrolyte
Turn the pumps on and circulate the electrolytes for 15 min before applying any current.
Note
This should allow enough time for the separator to become fully wetted with electrolyte and clear out any bubbles trapped in the cell/felts.
Step 4: Connect to the potentiostat and define cycling conditions
Typical conditions for current cell:
- Constant current charge at 30 mA/cm² to fixed capacity (e.g. 25 Ah/L) with high voltage cutoff of 1.6V
- Constant current charge at same current density to 0 V
- Cycling nonstop to your heart's content, or something happens to end the test