ABSTRACT
The spatial distribution of charge carriers in lithium ion batteries during current flow is of fundamental interest for a detailed understanding of transport properties and the development of strategies for future improvements of the electrolyte-electrode interface behaviour. In this work we explored the potential of (7)Li 1D in situ NMR imaging for the identification of concentration gradients under constant current load in a battery cell. An electrochemical cell based on PTFE body and a stack of glass microfiber discs that are soaked with a technically relevant electrolyte suitable for high-temperature application and squeezed between a Li metal and a nano-Si-graphite composite electrode was assembled to acquire (7)Li 1D in situ NMR profiles with an improved NMR pulse sequence as function of time and state of charge, thereby visualizing the course of ion concentration during charge and discharge. Surface localized changes of Li concentration were attributed to processes such as solid electrolyte interphase formation or full lithiation of the composite electrode. The method allows the extraction of lithium ion transport properties.
ABSTRACT
MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was used to analyze the microstructural properties of articular cartilage. Human patellar cartilage-on-bone samples were imaged at 9.4T using a diffusion-weighted SE sequence (12 gradient directions, resolution = 39 x 78 x 1500 microm(3)). Voxel-based maps of the mean diffusivity, fractional anisotropy (FA), and eigenvectors were calculated. The mean diffusivity decreased from the surface (1.45 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s) to the tide mark (0.68 x 10(-3) mm(2)/s). The FA was low (0.04-0.28) and had local maxima near the surface and in the portion of the cartilage corresponding to the radial layer. The eigenvector corresponding to the largest eigenvalue showed a distinct zonal pattern, being oriented tangentially and radially in the upper and lower portions of the cartilage, respectively. The findings correspond to current scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data on the zonal architecture of cartilage. The eigenvector maps appear to reflect the alignment of the collagenous fibers in cartilage. In view of current efforts to develop and evaluate structure-modifying therapeutic approaches in osteoarthritis (OA), DTI may offer a tool to assess the structural properties of cartilage.
