Electrochemical impedance analysis of thermogalvanic cells

Abstract

Thermogalvanic cells(also known as thermo-electrochemical cells) that convert waste heat energy to electricity are a new type of energy conversion device. However, the electron transfer kinetics and mass transfer of redox couples have not been thoroughly studied. Here, the ion reaction and charge transport in thermogalvanic cells are investigated by electrochemical impedance analysis. We first propose the detailed impedance model followed experimental verification on three types of electrode materials. Parameters including kinetic rate constants and ion diffusion coefficients for the electrodes are obtained by fitting the impedance data. Our study shows explicitly that impedance analysis can provide useful information on selecting suitable electrode materials for thermogalvanic cells.