Mixed Polyanionic Compounds as Positive Electrodes for Low‐Cost Electrochemical Energy Storage

Low‐cost electrochemical energy storage systems (EESSs) are urgently needed to promote the application of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar energy. In analogy to lithium‐ion batteries, the cost of EESSs depends mainly on charge‐carrier ions and redox centers in electrodes, and their performance is limited by positive electrodes. In this context, this Minireview evaluates several EESS candidates and summarizes the known mixed polyanionic compounds (MPCs)—a family with robust frameworks and large channels for ion storage and migration. After comprehensive analysis, it is pointed out that a deeper exploration of MPCs may generate numerous novel crystallographically interesting compounds and excellent cathode materials for low‐cost energy storage applications.     

钠离子电池用铁基正极材料的研究进展

气候变化和化石燃料枯竭等问题将促进新型绿色能源的开发和利用。因此,高效率、低成本、安全的储能系统,得到了越来越多的关注和研究。在各类储能系统中,二次电池是存储电能、为电子设备供电的最理想选择。目前,锂离子电池(LIBs)的应用最广泛。然而,地球上锂资源的短缺和分布不均造成的成本较高,急需研究和开发其他高性能的新型二次电池。钠元素具有地壳中储量丰富、均匀且与锂具有相似化学性质等优势,使得钠离子电池(SIBs)成为了取代LIBs最有前景的备选二次电池之一。然而,钠离子的体积较大、离子传导动力学更缓慢、导电性更差等问题,限制了SIBs高性能的实现,这是目前研究的难点和重点。此外,铁具有储量丰富、环境友好的特点,其在SIBs中的应用引起了电池领域科研工作者的广泛关注。因此,寻找良好的铁基正极材料成为SIBs高性能电极材料开发的一个重要研究方向。本综述对近年来SIBs铁基正极材料方面的研究进展进行了总结,并按照聚阴离子型化合物、过渡金属氧化物、普鲁士蓝及类似物和氟化物分类,进行了系统的阐述和分析。     

2020 Roadmap on Carbon Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion

Carbon is a simple, stable and popular element with many allotropes. The carbon family members include carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, graphene, graphite, graphdiyne and hard carbon, etc. They can be divided into different dimensions, and their structures can be open and porous. Moreover, it is very interesting to dope them with other elements (metal or non‐metal) or hybridize them with other materials to form composites. The elemental and structural characteristics offer us to explore their applications in energy, environment, bioscience, medicine, electronics and others. Among them, energy storage and conversion are extremely attractive, as advances in this area may improve our life quality and environment. Some energy devices will be included herein, such as lithium‐ion batteries, lithium sulfur batteries, sodium‐ion batteries, potassium‐ion batteries, dual ion batteries, electrochemical capacitors, and others. Additionally, carbon‐based electrocatalysts are also studied in hydrogen evolution reaction and carbon dioxide reduction reaction. However, there are still many challenges in the design and preparation of electrode and electrocatalytic materials. The research related to carbon materials for energy storage and conversion is extremely active, and this has motivated us to contribute with a roadmap on ‘Carbon Materials in Energy Storage and Conversion’.     

钾离子电池负极的高性能潜在材料:锑

近年来随着对储能器件的需求增加,钾离子电池受到越来越多的关注。钾的物理化学性质与锂相似,且在地壳中的储量丰富,在储能领域中具有广阔的发展前景。但由于电极材料实际容量远小于理论容量等问题的存在导致应用在钾离子电池的性能仍有不足。金属锑(Sb)具有较高的理论容量被广泛应用在电极材料上,然而在充放电过程体积变化过大导致稳定性较差,需要通过形貌控制、合金化、与碳材料复合等形式来提高结构稳定性。本文主要介绍了Sb材料在钾离子电池负极材料的研究进展,并展望了Sb电极材料的应用前景。     

Advanced Carbon Materials for Non-aqueous Potassium Ion Battery Anodes

Owing to the abundant reserves and low cost, potassium ion batteries(PIBs), as potential alternatives to lithium ion batteries(LIBs) in the field of grid-level electrical energy storage systems, have triggered extensive research interest recently. Taking into consideration of the cost, environmental benignity and sustainability, carbon-based materials are supposed to be a promising choice for PIB anodes. In this perspective, we summarize the carbon-based materials with various microstructures toward PIBs and try to offer comprehensive understanding the underlying mechanism of potassium(K) ion storage. In addition, several strategies including heteroatom doping, morphology engineering, defect engineering, interlayer engineering, and composition engineering are proposed to rationally design the nanostructures of the advanced carbon-based PIB anodes. Finally, we conclude the current challenges and provide our perspectives on the development of high-performance carbon materials for PIB anodes.     

Towards K‐Ion and Na‐Ion Batteries as “Beyond Li‐Ion”

Li‐ion battery commercialized by Sony in 1991 has the highest energy‐density among practical rechargeable batteries and is widely used in electronic devices, electric vehicles, and stationary energy storage system in the world. Moreover, the battery market is rapidly growing in the world and further fast‐growing is expected. With expansion of the demand and applications, price of lithium and cobalt resources is increasing. We are, therefore, motivated to study Na‐ and K‐ion batteries for stationary energy storage system because of much abundant Na and K resources and the wide distribution in the world. In this account, we review developments of Na‐ and K‐ion batteries with mainly introducing our previous and present researches in comparison to that of Li‐ion battery.     

A Low‐Cost and Environmentally Friendly Mixed Polyanionic Cathode for Sodium‐Ion Storage

Sodium‐ion batteries (NIBs) are the most promising alternatives to lithium‐ion batteries in the development of renewable energy sources. The advancement of NIBs depends on the exploration of new electrode materials and fundamental understanding of working mechanisms. Herein, via experimental and simulation methods, we develop a mixed polyanionic compound, Na₂Fe(C₂O₄)SO₄?H₂O, as a cathode for NIBs. Thanks to its rigid three dimensional framework and the combined inductive effects from oxalate and sulfate, it delivered reversible Na insertion/desertion at average discharging voltages of 3.5 and 3.1 V for 500 cycles with Coulombic efficiencies of ca. 99 %. In situ synchrotron X‐ray measurements and DFT calculations demonstrate the Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ redox reactions contribute to electron compensation during Na⁺ desertion/insertion. The study suggests mixed polyanionic frameworks may provide promising materials for Na ion storage with the merits of low cost and environmental friendliness.     

Integrating a Photocatalyst into a Hybrid Lithium–Sulfur Battery for Direct Storage of Solar Energy

Direct capture and storage of abundant but intermittent solar energy in electrical energy‐storage devices such as rechargeable lithium batteries is of great importance, and could provide a promising solution to the challenges of energy shortage and environment pollution. Here we report a new prototype of a solar‐driven chargeable lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) battery, in which the capture and storage of solar energy was realized by oxidizing S^2? ions to polysulfide ions in aqueous solution with a Pt‐modified CdS photocatalyst. The battery can deliver a specific capacity of 792 mAh g^?1 during 2 h photocharging process with a discharge potential of around 2.53 V versus Li⁺/Li. A specific capacity of 199 mAh g^?1, reaching the level of conventional lithium‐ion batteries, can be achieved within 10 min photocharging. Moreover, the charging process of the battery can proceed under natural sunlight irradiation.     

Advances in the Cathode Materials for Lithium Rechargeable Batteries

The accelerating development of technologies requires a significant energy consumption, and consequently the demand for advanced energy storage devices is increasing at a high rate. In the last two decades, lithium‐ion batteries have been the most robust technology, supplying high energy and power density. Improving cathode materials is one of the ways to satisfy the need for even better batteries. Therefore developing new types of positive electrode materials by increasing cell voltage and capacity with stability is the best way towards the next‐generation Li rechargeable batteries. To achieve this goal, understanding the principles of the materials and recognizing the problems confronting the state‐of‐the‐art cathode materials are essential prerequisites. This Review presents various high‐energy cathode materials which can be used to build next‐generation lithium‐ion batteries. It includes nickel and lithium‐rich layered oxide materials, high voltage spinel oxides, polyanion, cation disordered rock‐salt oxides and conversion materials. Particular emphasis is given to the general reaction and degradation mechanisms during the operation as well as the main challenges and strategies to overcome the drawbacks of these materials.     

Urchin-Type Architecture Assembled by Cobalt Phosphide Nanorods Encapsulated in Graphene Framework as an Advanced Anode for Alkali Metal Ion Batteries

Urchin-type cobalt phosphide microparticles assembled by nanorod were encapsulated in a graphene framework membrane (CoP@GF), and used as a binder-free electrode for alkali metal ion batteries. Electrochemical measurements indicate that this membrane exhibits enhanced reversible lithium, sodium, and potassium storage capabilities. Moreover, the energy storage properties of CoP@GF electrodes in alkali metal ion batteries display an order of Li>Na>K. DFT calculations on adsorption energy of CoP surfaces for Li, Na, and K indicated that CoP surfaces were more favorable to transfer electrons to Li atoms than Na and K, and the surface reactivity can be ordered as Li-CoP>Na-CoP>K-CoP; thus, CoP@GF exhibits better storage capacity for lithium. This work provides experimental and theoretical basis for understanding the electrochemical performance of cobalt phosphide-based membranes for alkali metal ion batteries.     

High‐Capacity Anode Materials for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Na‐ion batteries are an attractive alternative to Li‐ion batteries for large‐scale energy storage systems because of their low cost and the abundant Na resources. This Review provides a comprehensive overview of selected anode materials with high reversible capacities that can increase the energy density of Na‐ion batteries. Moreover, we discuss the reaction and failure mechanisms of those anode materials with a view to suggesting promising strategies for improving their electrochemical performance.     

Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Embedded MoS2 Microspheres as Advanced Anodes for Lithium‐ and Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Rational design and synthesis of advanced anode materials are extremely important for high‐performance lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion batteries. Herein, a simple one‐step hydrothermal method is developed for fabrication of N‐C@MoS₂ microspheres with the help of polyurethane as carbon and nitrogen sources. The MoS₂ microspheres are composed of MoS₂ nanoflakes, which are wrapped by an N‐doped carbon layer. Owing to its unique structural features, the N‐C@MoS₂ microspheres exhibit greatly enhanced lithium‐ and sodium‐storage performances including a high specific capacity, high rate capability, and excellent capacity retention. Additionally, the developed polyurethane‐assisted hydrothermal method could be useful for the construction of many other high‐capacity metal oxide/sulfide composite electrode materials for energy storage.     

Biomass Inspired Nitrogen Doped Porous Carbon Anode with High Performance for Lithium Ion Batteries

Ginkgo leave, a naturally abundant resource, has been successfully employed as the raw material to prepare nitrogen doped porous carbon (NDPC) materials. The preparation of the porous carbon does not involve assistance of any activation or template technique. The as‐obtained NDPC shows favorable features for electrochemical energy storage, which can not only provide multiple sites for the storage and insertion of Li ions, but also facilitate rapid mass transport of electrons and Li ions. As a result, the NDPC when evaluated as an anode material for lithium ion batteries delivers high reversible capacity (505 mAh·g^?1 at 0.1 C), excellent rate capability (190 mAh·g^?1 at 10 C). These favorable properties suggest that the NDPC can be a promising anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs).     

Carbon Materials for Lithium Sulfur Batteries—Ten Critical Questions

Lithium–sulfur batteries are among the most promising electrochemical energy storage devices of the near future. Especially the low price and abundant availability of sulfur as the cathode material and the high theoretical capacity in comparison to state‐of‐the art lithium‐ion technologies are attractive features. Despite significant research achievements that have been made over the last years, fundamental (electro‐) chemical questions still remain unanswered. This review addresses ten crucial questions associated with lithium–sulfur batteries and critically evaluates current research with respect to them. The sulfur–carbon composite cathode is a particular focus, but its complex interplay with other hardware components in the cell, such as the electrolyte and the anode, necessitates a critical discussion of other cell components. Modern in situ characterisation methods are ideally suited to illuminate the role of each component. This article does not pretend to summarise all recently published data, but instead is a critical overview over lithium–sulfur batteries based on recent research findings.     

Realizing both High Energy and High Power Densities by Twisting Three Carbon‐Nanotube‐Based Hybrid Fibers

Energy storage devices, such as lithium‐ion batteries and supercapacitors, are required for the modern electronics. However, the intrinsic characteristics of low power densities in batteries and low energy densities in supercapacitors have limited their applications. How to simultaneously realize high energy and power densities in one device remains a challenge. Herein a fiber‐shaped hybrid energy‐storage device (FESD) formed by twisting three carbon nanotube hybrid fibers demonstrates both high energy and power densities. For the FESD, the energy density (50 mWh cm^?3 or 90 Wh kg^?1) many times higher than for other forms of supercapacitors and approximately 3 times that of thin‐film batteries; the power density (1 W cm^?3 or 5970 W kg^?1) is approximately 140 times of thin‐film lithium‐ion battery. The FESD is flexible, weaveable and wearable, which offers promising advantages in the modern electronics.     

Recent Advances in Porous Carbon Materials for Electrochemical Energy Storage

Climate change and the energy crisis have promoted the rapid development of electrochemical energy‐storage devices. Owing to many intriguing physicochemical properties, such as excellent chemical stability, high electronic conductivity, and a large specific surface area, porous carbon materials have always been considering as a promising candidate for electrochemical energy storage. To date, a wide variety of porous carbon materials based upon molecular design, pore control, and compositional tailoring have been proposed for energy‐storage applications. This focus review summarizes recent advances in the synthesis of various porous carbon materials from the view of energy storage, particularly in the past three years. Their applications in representative electrochemical energy‐storage devices, such as lithium‐ion batteries, supercapacitors, and lithium‐ion hybrid capacitors, are discussed in this review, with a look forward to offer some inspiration and guidelines for the exploitation of advanced carbon‐based energy‐storage materials.     

From Lithium‐Ion to Sodium‐Ion Batteries: Advantages,Challenges, and Surprises

Mobile and stationary energy storage by rechargeable batteries is a topic of broad societal and economical relevance. Lithium‐ion battery (LIB) technology is at the forefront of the development, but a massively growing market will likely put severe pressure on resources and supply chains. Recently, sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs) have been reconsidered with the aim of providing a lower‐cost alternative that is less susceptible to resource and supply risks. On paper, the replacement of lithium by sodium in a battery seems straightforward at first, but unpredictable surprises are often found in practice. What happens when replacing lithium by sodium in electrode reactions? This review provides a state‐of‐the art overview on the redox behavior of materials when used as electrodes in lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion batteries, respectively. Advantages and challenges related to the use of sodium instead of lithium are discussed.     

High‐Power Electrochemical Energy Storage System Employing Stable Radical Pseudocapacitors

The development of electrical energy storage devices that can operate at high charge and discharge rates is fundamentally important, however although electrochemical capacitors (ECs) can charge and discharge at high rates, their electrochemical storage capacity remains an order of magnitude lower than that of conventional lithium‐ion batteries. Novel pseudocapasitors are developed, based on the stable persilyl‐susbtituted free radicals of the heavy group 14 elements, (tBu₂MeSi)₃E^. [E=Si ( 1 ), Ge ( 2 ), and Sn ( 3 )], as anode materials for energy storage system. Such systems showed a remarkable cycle stability without significant loss of power density, in comparison with similar characteristics of the known organic radical batteries, the dual carbon cell, and the electrochemical capacitor. Particularly important is that these novel electrochemical energy storage systems employing stable heavy group 14 element radicals are lithium‐free. The electrochemical properties and structures of the reduced and oxidized species were studied by the cyclic voltammetry (CV), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and X‐ray diffraction (XRD).     

NASICON结构正极材料用于钠离子电池的研究进展

随着二次电池技术的迅速发展,锂离子电池(LIBs)已经成为了当今社会一种重要的储能装置。然而,地壳中锂资源有限、含锂化合物价格昂贵,因此科研工作者正在积极寻找LIBs的替代品。钠离子电池(SIBs)具有与LIBs相似的工作原理,且钠元素在地球上储量更丰富更均匀、价格更低廉,使得SIBs成为了最有希望替代LIBs的新型二次电池体系之一。不过,钠离子半径较大、充放电过程中电极材料的不可逆性更明显等缺点,明显地增加了开发高性能SIBs的难度。因此,寻找具有优异性能的电极材料,成为了当前SIBs研究的难点和重点。钠超离子导体(NASICON)结构材料是一类具有超快钠离子传导能力的化合物,在脱/嵌钠过程中具有离子传导率高、结构稳定等优点,表现出明显的应用潜力。本文将在介绍NASICON材料晶体结构的基础上,重点从过渡金属种类与个数,以及阴离子调控的角度,总结其研究进展,并分析了该类材料面临的主要问题和挑战。     

Nickel‐Rich Layered Lithium Transition‐Metal Oxide for High‐Energy Lithium‐Ion Batteries

High energy‐density lithium‐ion batteries are in demand for portable electronic devices and electrical vehicles. Since the energy density of the batteries relies heavily on the cathode material used, major research efforts have been made to develop alternative cathode materials with a higher degree of lithium utilization and specific energy density. In particular, layered, Ni‐rich, lithium transition‐metal oxides can deliver higher capacity at lower cost than the conventional LiCoO₂. However, for these Ni‐rich compounds there are still several problems associated with their cycle life, thermal stability, and safety. Herein the performance enhancement of Ni‐rich cathode materials through structure tuning or interface engineering is summarized. The underlying mechanisms and remaining challenges will also be discussed.