EL-CELL ECC-Press-Air User manual

© 2012 - 2017
EL-CELL GmbH
Electrochemical Test Cell
ECC-Press-Air (-DL)
User Manual
Release: 1.5
2017-06-12

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The information in this manual has been carefully checked and believed to be
accurate; however, no responsibility is assumed for inaccuracies.
EL-CELL GmbH maintains the right to make changes without further notice to
products described in this manual to improve reliability, function, or design. EL-CELL
GmbH does not assume any liability arising from the use or application of this
product.
Content
1 Product Description.......................................................................................... 3
2 Features and Specification .............................................................................. 3
3 Safety Precautions........................................................................................... 7
4 Unpacking........................................................................................................ 7
5 Cell Assembly.................................................................................................. 8
6 Operation Modes / Gas Supply...................................................................... 11
7 Electrical Connection..................................................................................... 11
8 Sample Valve with Septum Port .................................................................... 13
9 Software Installation (DL option).................................................................... 14
10 Recording the Pressure Signal with an External Potentiostat........................ 15
11 Disassembly and Cleaning ............................................................................ 16
12 Accessories and Spare Parts......................................................................... 17
13 Cables and Connectors ................................................................................. 21
14 Technical Support......................................................................................... 22
15 Warranty....................................................................................................... 23
EL-CELL GmbH
Tempowerkring 8
D-21079 Hamburg - Germany
phone:[phone]
fax: [phone]
[e-mail]
www.el-cell.com

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1 Product Description
The ECC-Press-Air test cell is dedicated to the characterization of gas diffusion
electrodes in aprotic electrolytes, in particular for lithium-air batteries. The attached
pressure sensor serves to monitor the inside pressure in either a flow-through or in a
dead-end pressurized set-up. The ECC-Press-Air combines all the features of the
ECC-Press and the ECC-Air test cells.
The provided low-dead-volume sampling port/valve serves to draw gas samples from
the cell’s headspace. The cell hardware is based on the ECC-Std and ECC-Ref test
cells and can be used with or without a reference electrode.
The ECC-Press-Air comes with a controller box for easy interfacing with an external
potentiostat. The box provides analog outputs for both pressure and temperature. As
an option, all relevant signals of the experiment –cell pressure, temperature, cell
potentials and current –may be recorded with an integrated USB data logger (DL
option).
Pressure sensor 0 to 2.5 bar abs.
Variable dead volume by means of
two sensor spacers
Stand (wall mountable)
Port (plugged or for
gas outlet)
Sampling valve with
syringe port or port
for gas inlet
ECC-Air test cell
Reference pin

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2 Features and Specification
ECC-Press-Air test cell dedicated to the characterization of gas-diffusion
electrodes in aprotic media
Upper electrode is contacted by, and breathes through a perforated current
collector
Gas inlet and outlet for supply of pressurized gases to the gas diffusion
electrode
A siphon directs the incoming gas to the backside of the gas diffusion
electrode
Sampling valve with septum port for drawing gas samples by means of a
syringe
Attached pressure sensor for monitoring of inside gas pressure. Default
pressure range of 0 to 2.5 bar (absolute).
Conditioning electronics with analog outputs for pressure and temperature for
seamless integration with external instrumentation
Total dead volume variable between 4.45 cm3(both sensor spacers in place)
and 16.92 cm3(without spacer)

Only
Dead volume in cm3
1. Both spacers installed*
4.45
2. Only ECC1-00-0136-A (sensor spacer B) installed**
10.58
3. Only ECC1-00-0135-A (sensor spacer A) installed**
10.78
4. No spacer installed**
16.92
* delivery condition
**Requires de-mounting of the sensor and must be done at factory.

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Optional integrated USB data logger for recording of cell pressure,
temperature, cell potentials and current (DL option)
Operation in either flow-through or dead-end pressurized set-up
Fully equipped for operation with and without reference electrode
Reliable ultra-low leakage sealing with PE seal
High precision 18 mm diameter sandwich geometry with <0.1 mm electrode
concentricity
Operating temperature range -20 to +70°C (cell)
Easy and reliable electrolyte filling upon assembly
Fast assembly and dismantling, and easy cleaning of cell components
Electrodes are easily accessible for post-mortem analysis
Reusable cell components except for PE seals
Small and defined electrolyte volume down to 0.05 cm3
Adjustable, reproducible and homogeneous mechanical pressure on
electrodes
Materials in media contact are stainless steel 1.4404 and PEEK (other
materials on request)
Modular cell construction with many interchangeable components
Size (including stand): 90 mm x 80 mm x 240 mm (height x width x depth)
Weight: 900 g
Dedicated tools available to ease cell assembly and operation
http://el-cell.com/products/accessories-tools
Dimensions (Cell)

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Electrical Specifications (Controller)
- Input: 24 V (0.6 A) supplied by PSA15R-240P mains adapter
- Analog output voltages: 0 to 10 V (1 kOhm / 100 nF) for pressure and
temperature
- Resolution of pressure analog output: <0.05% of measurement range
- Error of pressure analog output: <0.5% of measurement range (comprising
non-linearity including hysteresis and non-reproducibility)
- Resolution of temperature analog output: <0.01°C
- Error of temperature output: < 1°C
- Optional USB data logger powered by host PC with galvanic isolation
- Operating temperature range (controller): 0 to 40°C

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3 Safety Precautions
Use proper safety precautions when using hazardous electrode materials and
electrolytes. Wear protective glasses and gloves to protect you against electrolyte
that may accidentally spill out during filling and disassembly. Upon cell disassembly,
dispose all materials properly. Metallic lithium and some insertion compounds may
decompose heavily in contact with water and other solvents, and can cause fire.
4 Unpacking
Check the contents of the packages against the list given below to verify that you
have received all of the components. Contact the factory if anything is missing or
damaged. NOTE: Damaged shipments must remain with the original packaging for
freight company inspection.
List of Components
1. ECC-Press-Air test cell with pressure sensor, assembled for use in a
2-electrode dead-end pressurized set-up
2. Gas sample port with septum and valve
3. Reference electrode pin, REF sleeve and locking pin for 3-electrode
operation
4. PE seals (10 pieces)
5. Septum (10 pieces)
6. One-way syringe and needle
7. Glass fiber separators 18 mm x 1.55 mm (10 pieces)
8. Sleeve removal tool
9. 24 V power supply with country specific adapters
10. Controller box with analog outputs for pressure and temperature, 4 mm
banana sockets for connection to an external potentiostat, and integrated
USB data logger (DL option)
11. CD with manual and data logger software (DL option)
12. USB cable (DL option)
13. Cell cable for connection between test cell and controller box

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5 Cell Assembly
The test cell can either be operated in 2-electrode or 3-electrode (reference)
configuration. In the following, the cell assembly is described for operation with a
lithium metal reference electrode.
Generally, all assembly steps are to be carried out in inert glove box atmosphere,
and all components used are to be dried upfront in a vacuum oven at 80°C for at
least 12 hours. The pressure sensor together with the transfer line may remain
permanently attached to the stand.
In order to operate the test cell with a reference, the small feed-through hole of the
REF sleeve is to be loaded with the reference material, usually metallic lithium. The
vertical position of the reference is determined by the thickness of the components.
Make sure that the electrodes
and separator used have the
appropriate thickness to avoid
a short circuit between the
reference and anyone of the
two other electrodes. The
smaller (inside) diameter of
the reference bore is 0.3 mm.
Assembly Steps:
i) Make sure that the siphon is properly attached to the cell lid. For this purpose,
plug the siphon into the cell lid with the siphon side bore pointing to the gas
outlet port in the lid. Then attach the tube (transfer line) to the gas outlet port
so that the tube end fits into the side bore and thus holds the siphon in place.
ii) Pick up a small piece of lithium by a metal wire, and press the lithium into the
feed-through hole of the REF sleeve until the lithium just arrives at the inner
face of the sleeve. Note that significant force has to be applied to achieve that.
A special REF loading tool is available for this purpose (not included).
iii) Close the side opening of the cell base with the provided plug. This plug is
later on replaced by the reference pin.
iv) Assemble the two-part WE piston with the perforated current collector pointing
upwards
v) Insert the WE piston into the sleeve with the perforated current collector
pointing upwards.
vi) Put the 18 mm diameter gas diffusion electrode onto the piston inside the
sleeve.
Separator
Lower Electrode
Upper Electrode
Separator
Lower Electrode
Upper Electrode
Separator
Lower Electrode
Upper Electrode
0.9 mm Separator
Lower Electrode
Upper Electrode
Separator
Lower Electrode
Upper Electrode
Separator
Lower Electrode
Upper Electrode
Separator
Lower Electrode
Upper Electrode
0.9 mm

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vii) Put the glass fibre separator into the sleeve and dispense a defined amount of
electrolyte onto it. The optimum amount of electrolyte depends on the
electrodes and separator used, and has to be carefully determined in pre-
tests. 0.5 cm3are a reasonable amount for 1.5 mm thick glass fiber separator.
viii) Put the lithium CE disc (18 mm diameter, approx. 0.2 mm thick) on top of the
cell stack.
ix) Push the cell base over the assembly, hold the components tightly together,
and turn the assembly back into the upright position.
x) Release the pressure applied on the cell stack, mount the locking ring to align
the side opening of the cell base with the feed-through hole of the REF sleeve,
and replace the plug in the cell base by the spring-loaded REF pin.
xi) Insert the PE seal and the spring.
xii) Attach the cell lid with the siphon and tube already attached
xiii) Push the cell into the bracket, and tighten the wing nut.

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Bracket
Lid with 2mm
banana jacks
Wing Nut
Siphon
Connection line to
pressure sensor
Gas inlet or gas
sample port / valve
Locking ring
Piston
PE seal
REF sleeve
Cell base with 2mm
banana jacks
Spring
Cell stack
Perforated current
collector
Reference assembly

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6 Operation Modes / Gas Supply
Thanks to its modular design, the ECC-Press-Air may be operated in different
modes. Two basic set-ups are described below.
A. Flow-through set-up
This is the most typical configuration for the characterization of Li-air batteries. In the
simplest set-up of this kind, the cell inlet is connected to the gas (oxygen) supply via
a mass flow controller, and the pressure build-up inside the cell is controlled by
means of a metering valve (or narrow capillary) at the gas outlet located at the sensor
adapter. For gas analysis, the gas outlet may be connected to the "continuous" gas
flow inlet of a mass spectrometer. A small dead volume and plug flow conditions are
mandatory for a good time-resolution of the gas analysis. This is achieved by having
all spacers installed inside the test cell and in the sensor adapter. Even better time
resolution is possible with the ECC-DEMS test cell.
B. Dead-end pressurized set-up
In this configuration, the gas outlet at the sensor adapter is plugged, and the test cell
is pressurized at the beginning of the experiment through the attached sample valve/
port. After equilibration of the closed cell at constant temperature (the time constant
mainly determined by the slow dissolution of gases in the electrolyte), the cell is
charged/ discharged and the resulting pressure change is recorded. For a given
amount of gas, the magnitude of pressure change is the larger, the smaller the dead
volume. The gas composition may be analysed by drawing gas samples via the
attached sample valve/ port. However, for gas analysis, the dead volume spacer in
the sensor adapter must be in place in order to avoid concentration gradients.
7 Electrical Connection
For best results, place the ECC-Press-Air inside a temperature controlled chamber,
at a constant temperature between -20 to +70°C. The chamber needs to have a feed-
through for cable connection to the controller box outside the chamber.
Inside the chamber, attach the square sensor plug to the pressure sensor, and
connect the 2 mm banana plugs of the cell cable to the cell (red and green to the lid,
blue and yellow to the base, black to the reference).

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Outside the chamber, connect your potentiostat to the 4 mm banana sockets on the
front panel of the controller box. The rightmost column in the table below refers to the
terminology used for the lead connections of Biologic potentiostats (MPG-2, SP, VSP
and VMP series).
Both the pressure and the temperature signals are available at the Analog Out
connector of the controller box. These signals can either be routed to the analog
inputs of the controlling potentiostat (if available), or to some other recording device.
The pressure is linearly related to the pressure sensor voltage according to
P(abs) = 0.25 bar/V * Voltage
Likewise, the temperature is related to the temperature sensor voltage according to
T = 8°C/V * Voltage
Controller
Box
Potentiostat
Biologic Potentiostat
VSP, VMP3 etc.
I1
WE Current
WE
V1
WE Sense
Ref1
REF
Reference
Ref2
V2
CE Sense
Ref3
I2
CE
CE
GND
GND
GND

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8 Sample Valve with Septum Port
The gas sample valve serves to draw gas samples from the head space of the ECC-
Press-Air test cell. In the closed state, the valve spindle is seated on the PTFE ferrule
and is thus preventing any bleeding from inside the cell through the septum. In order
to draw a gas sample, i) pierce the septum with the sample syringe, ii) open the valve
by turning the valve handle counter-clockwise by 90 degrees, iii) charge the syringe,
iv) close the valve by turning the valve handle clockwise till finger tight, and remove
the syringe.
Valve Seating
PTFE Ferrule
Valve Handle
Septum Port
Septum
Valve Stem

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9 Software Installation (DL option)
The ECC-Press-Air-DL features an integrated USB data logger for recording cell
pressure, temperature, cell potentials and current. The software installation on a
Windows®PC is described below.
a. You must be logged into an account with Administrator privileges.
b. Save your work and close down all active programs.
c. On the installation CD, run X:\setup. This will install the EC-Link data
logger software. Follow any instructions that may appear on your screen.
d. Once installation is finished plug in the provided USB cable into both the
host PC and the ECC-Press-DL controller box.
e. Launch the data logger software if not already done.
f. After a few seconds, the data logger software should report a valid
connection and you are ready to start the measurement.
Additional information on the EC-LINK software can be found in the EC-LINK Quick
Start Guide.

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10Recording the Pressure Signal
with an External Potentiostat
Many of today’s battery testers and potentiostats provide additional analog inputs
that may be used to record sensor signal along with cell current and potential.
In the following, the combination of the ECC-Press-Air-DL with a Biologic potentiostat
(MPG-2, SP, VSP and VMP series) is described as an example. The Biologic
potentiostats feature two analog inputs that are used here to record both pressure
and temperature.
1. Connect the 9-pin Sub-D connector of the optional analog output cable to the
analog input of the respective Biologic VMP3 channel.
2. Launch the EC-Lab software.
3. From the ECC-Press-Air documentation CD, load the EC-Lab setting file ECC-
Press.mps.
4. In the External Devices dialog, click on Record external devices to see the
settings applied to the analog inputs.

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11 Disassembly and Cleaning
Right after use, disassemble the cell in the reverse order of assembly. Note that the
reference pin MUST be detached before the REF sleeve can be removed.
All chemicals used have to be disposed properly. All wetted parts are to be
cleaned with water and/or other appropriate solvents. Ultrasonic cleaning is
recommended. Persistent dirt on the cell base and plunger may be removed by
treatment with aqueous nitric acid (20%, 2 hours at room temperature). All parts are
to be dried immediately after cleaning at 80°C.
It is recommended to leave the pressure sensor together with the transfer line
attached to the stand. Typically, these parts need not be disassembled or cleaned.
NOTE: Leaving cell parts in contact with ambient atmosphere while still being wetted
with electrolyte may result in severe corrosion.

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12 Accessories and Spare Parts
ECC-Press-Air (-DL)
complete

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Test Cell
(assembled as 3-electrode cell)

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Gas sample port, assy
ECC1-00-0155-A

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Reference pin, assy
ECC1-00-0010-D