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The Endangered Species Act requires actions that improve the passage and survival rates for migrating salmonoids and other fish species that sustain injury and mortality when passing through hydroelectric dams. To develop a low-cost revolutionary acoustic transmitter that may be injected instead of surgically implanted into the fish, one major challenge that needs to be addressed is the micro-battery power source. This work focuses on the design and fabrication of micro-batteries for injectable fish tags. High pulse current and required service life have both been achieved as well as doubling the gravimetric energy density of the battery. The newly designed micro-batteries have intrinsically low impedance, leading to significantly improved electrochemical performances at low temperatures as compared with commercial SR416 batteries. Successful field trial by using the micro-battery powered transmitters injected into fish has been demonstrated, providing an exemplary model of transferring fundamental research into practical devices with controlled qualities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The effects of six types of aprotic organic solvents on the discharge performance and discharge products in Li-O2 batteries are systematically investigated. A large amount of Li2O2 is identified in the air electrodes discharged in glyme-based electrolytes, while only a small amount of Li2O2 is detected in the air electrodes discharged in the electrolytes of nitrile, ionic liquid, phosphate, and sulfoxide. Li2CO3 and LiF are also found as byproducts whose compositions are related to the solvents. Li2CO3 is produced from oxidation and decomposition of the solvent, not from the oxidation of the carbon-based air electrode, as revealed by using a 13C-labeled carbon electrode and the solid-state 13C-magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance technique. LiF in the discharge products can be attributed to the attack of superoxide radical anions to the Teflon binder and/or the F-containing imide salt. The formation of these byproducts will significantly reduce the Coulombic efficiency and cycle life of the Li-air batteries. Among the studied solvents, dibutyl diglyme is the suitable solvent for Li-O2 batteries based on its overall properties. However, better electrolytes that can ensure the formation of Li2O2 but minimize other reaction products need to be further investigated for long cycling rechargeable Li-air batteries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study demonstrates the excellent electrochemical performance of the hybrid carbon fluoride (CFx)/silver vanadium oxide (SVO)/graphene(G) cathode and its potential utilization in the Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS). The impedance increase caused by LiF formation is effectively addressed by silver metal deposition during SVO reduction. The coexistence of graphene additive reduces the initial voltage delay; thus, a prolonged operation voltage is observed with enhanced electronic conductivity, with specific capacity of ~462mAhg−1 at 5C rate and 661mAhg−1 at 1C rate. The peak current delivered from the as-designed hybrid cathode is improved over the commercial Zn/Ag2O batteries, suggesting battery size/weight reduction critical for the JSATS transmitters. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]