Abstract
The wetting time of porous electrodes with electrolytes based on organic solvents and ionic liquids, respectively, was investigated with two different techniques: with a tensiometer and by impedance spectroscopy. The results of this study showed that the wetting time of a porous electrode with ionic liquid-based electrolytes is up to 20 times longer than that with electrolytes comprising organic solvents. A significant reduction in the wetting time with ionic liquid-based electrolytes could be achieved by adding organic solvents. This effect can be explained by the interplay of reduced viscosity, increased surface tension and change in contact angle caused by the addition of the organic solvent, with the lower viscosity being the main driver of improved wetting kinetics.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the University of Muenster, the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Research of North Rhine-Westphalia (MIWF) within the project “Superkondensator und Lithium-Ionen-Hybrid-Superkondensatoren auf der Basis ionischer Flüssigkeiten” and the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the project “Neue Lithium-Gelpolymerelektrolyte basierend auf neu synthetisierten Homo- und Block-Copolymeren” (project number 03SF0390) for the financial support. Furthermore, we would like to thank Xin Qi for carrying out the Hg porosimetry measurement.
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Kühnel, RS., Obeidi, S., Lübke, M. et al. Evaluation of the wetting time of porous electrodes in electrolytic solutions containing ionic liquid. J Appl Electrochem 43, 697–704 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-013-0558-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-013-0558-x