Nonflammable Lithium-Ion Battery Electrolytes

Not Available The failure analysis of nickel superalloy gas turbines and rocket components is plagued by a major problem: the masking of the unprotected fracture surfaces by thin oxide films formed during operation of the system. Such oxide films mask the fracture surfaces and make them very difficult, if not impossible, to analyze. Current fracture surface cleaning techniques (acetate film replication and plasma etching) are inadequate for removal of the oxide films and preservation of the fracture surface respectively. Inhibited chemical etchants to remove oxide films from steels have been developed to preserve the base metal during pickling in the manufacturing processes. No similar process is required during nickel superalloy production and, therefore, no such inhibitor has been developed to date. In this project, Ultramet proposes to use activated atomic hydrogen gas to rapidly remove all the oxide ions from superalloy fracture surfaces, thus producing exclusively water as a byproduct and reducing the metal ions back to the metal. The proposed two approaches are universally applicable to almost any metal/metal oxide surface.