posted on 2024-03-04, 17:23authored byJoey Aarts, Natalia Mazur, Hartmut R. Fischer, Olaf C. G. Adan, Henk P. Huinink
Potassium carbonate sesquihydrate has previously been
identified
as a promising material for thermochemical energy storage. The hydration
and cyclic behavior have been extensively studied in the literature,
but detailed investigation into the different processes occurring
during dehydration is lacking. In this work, a systematic investigation
into the different dehydration steps is conducted. It is found that
at higher temperatures, dehydration of pristine material occurs as
a single process since water removal from the pristine crystals is
difficult. After a single cycle, due to morphological changes, dehydration
now occurs as two processes, starting at lower temperatures. The morphological
changes open new pathways for water removal at the newly generated
edges, corners, and steps of the crystal surface. The observations
from this work may contribute to material design as they elucidate
the relation between material structure and behavior.