Li Ion Exchanged α-MnO2 Nanowires as Efficient Catalysts for Li-O2 Batteries

Due to the limited energy densities, which could be achieved by lithium-ion cells, Li-O₂ batteries, which could provide a promising super energy storage medium, attract much attention nowadays. For its high activity, high storage and low cost, Mn-based oxides have shown versatile application in various batteries. To enhance the cyclability of Li-O₂ batteries, here, we synthesized a kind of α-MnO₂ nanowires as a bifunctional catalyst for Li-O₂ batteries. The particular structure of α-MnO₂ reduces the mass transfer resistance of the battery, and the MnO₂ nanowires were ion exchanged by saturated lithium sulfate solution so as to further improve the performance of the catalyst. The exchanged α-MnO₂ catalyst showed a high discharge specific capacity(6243 mA·h/g at a current density of 200 mA/g) and significantly improved the cyclability up to the 55th cycle(200 mA/g with capacity of 1000 mA·h/g). The results show that the Li ion exchange method is a promising strategy for improving the performance of MnO₂ catalyst for Li-O₂ batteries.     

Regulating the Deposition of Insoluble Sulfur Species for Room Temperature Sodium-Sulfur Batteries

Room temperature sodium-sulfur(RT-Na-S) batteries are regarded as promising candidates for next-generation high-energy-density batteries. However, in addition to the severe shuttle effect, the inhomogeneous deposition of the insoluble sulfur species generated during the discharge/charge processes also contributes to the rapid capacity fade of RT-Na-S batteries. In this work, the deposition behavior of the insoluble sulfur species in the traditional slurry-coated sulfur cathodes is investigated using microporous carbon spheres as model sulfur host materials. To achieve uniform deposition of insoluble sulfur species, a self-supporting sulfur cathode fabricated by assembling microporous carbon spheres is designed. With homogeneous sulfur distribution and favorable electron transport pathway, the self-supporting cathode delivers remarkably enhanced rate capability(509 mA·h/g at 2.5 C, 1 C=1675 mA/g), cycling stability(718 mA·h/g after 480 cycles at 0.5 C) and areal capacity(4.98 mA·h/cm² at 0.1 C), highlighting the great potential of manipulating insoluble sulfur species to fabricate high-performance RT-Na-S batteries.     

One-step In-situ Synthesis of Vacancy-rich CoFe2O4@Defective Graphene Hybrids as Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalysts for Rechargeable Zn-Air Batteries

Developing efficient catalysts toward both oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction(OER) is the core task for rechargeable metal-air batteries. Although integration of two active components should be an effective method to produce the bifunctional catalysts in principle, traditional techniques still can not attain fine tunable surface structure during material-hybridization process. Herein, we present a facile short-time in-situ argon(Ar) plasma strategy to fabricate a high-performance bifunctional hybrid catalyst of vacancy-rich CoFe₂O₄ synergized with defective graphene(r-CoFe₂O₄@DG). Reflected by the low voltage gap of 0.79 V in two half-reaction measurements, the striking capability to catalyze ORR/OER endows it excellent and durable performance in rechargeable Zn-air batteries, with a maximum power density of 155.2 mW/cm² and robust stability(up to 60 h). Further experimental and theoretical studies validate its remarkable bifunctional energetics root from plasma-induced surface vacancy defects and interfacial charge polarization between DG and CoFe₂O₄. This work offers more opportunities for reliable clean energy systems by rational interfacial and defect engineering on catalyst design.     

Nature-inspired Three-dimensional Au/Spinach as a Binder-free and Self-standing Cathode for High-performance Li-O2 Batteries

Design and fabrication of functional porous air cathode materials with superior catalytic activity is still the key point for non-aqueous lithium-oxygen(Li-O₂) batteries. Herein, inspired by the self-standing three-dimensional(3D) structure of the natural spinach leaves, a unique binder-free and self-standing porous Au/spinach cathode for high-performance Li-O₂ batteries has been developed. The carbonized spinach leaves serve as a superconductive current collector and an ideal porous host for accommodating catalysts. The Au/spinach cathode could offer enough spaces for accommodating the discharge products, shorten the distance of the oxygen and electrolyte diffusion, and promote the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) processes. This optimized Au/spinach cathode achieved a high specific area capacity of 7.23 mA‧h/cm² at a current density of 0.05 mA/cm² and exhibited excellent stability(280 cycles at 0.05 mA/cm² with a fixed capacity of 0.2 mA‧h/cm²). The superior performance encourages the construction of more advanced cathode architectures by the use of bio-composites for Li-O₂ batteries.     

Improved Initial Charging Capacity of Na-poor Na0.44MnO2 via Chemical Presodiation Strategy for Low-cost Sodium-ion Batteries

Sodium-ion batteries(SIBs)are promising for grid-scale energy storage applications due to the natural abundance and low cost of sodium.Among various Na insertion cathode materials,Na0.44MnO2 has attracted the most attention because of its cost effectiveness and structural stability.However,the low initial charge capacity for Na-poor Na0.44MnO2 hinders its practical applications.Herein,we developed a facile chemical presodiated method using sodiated biphenly to transform Na-poor Na0.44MnO2 into Na-rich Na0.66MnO2.After presodiation,the initial charge capacity of Na0.44MnO2 is greatly enhanced from 56.5 mA·h/g to 115.7 mA·h/g at 0.1 C(1 C=121 mA/g)and the excellent cycling stability(the capacity retention of 94.1%over 200 cycles at 2 C)is achieved.This presodiation strategy would open a new avenue for promoting the practical applications of Na-poor cathode materials in sodium-ion batteries.     

高效的尖晶石铁钴氧/氮掺杂有序介孔碳催化剂应用于可充电锌-空气电池

以电催化为核心的新能源储存和转换技术为缓解能源与环境问题提供了有效手段.可充电锌空气电池因其理论能量密度(1086 Wh·kg–1)高、成本效益显著、安全系数高、环境友好及放电平稳等优点被认为是一种具有前景的能源存储/转换装置,有望在新能源汽车、便携式电源等领域广泛应用.氧还原反应(ORR)和氧析出反应(OER)是锌-空气电池中的核心反应,目前,虽然贵金属催化剂对上述反应表现出一定的电催化活性,但由于其稀缺性、高昂价格和低稳定性因素严重阻碍了它们在锌-空气电池中的广泛应用.而非贵金属催化剂所面临的瓶颈在于ORR/OER反应动力学缓慢,导致其在实际应用过程中存在电压效率低和催化剂腐蚀等问题.因此,为了推进锌-空气电池商业化进程,研制低成本、高效、稳定的非贵金属催化剂迫在眉睫.本文通过一步法将双金属前驱体嵌入氮掺杂有序介孔碳(NOMC)中,合成了具有尖晶石型铁钴氧化物的高性能非贵金属电催化剂(FexCo/NOMC,x代表铁钴的摩尔比).实验结果表明,在x=0.5时,所制备的催化剂具有最佳的催化活性,与商业贵金属催化剂相比,该催化剂展现更优的电催化活性和稳定性.电化学测试结果表明,其ORR的半波电位为0.89 V(vs.RHE),当OER电流密度为10 mA·cm–1时,过电势仅为0.31 V,且电流-时间曲线测试结果表明催化剂表现出较好的稳定性.通过X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、穆斯堡尔谱(M?ssbauer)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)和拉曼光谱(Raman)等表征手段对电催化剂的物化性质进行表征,结果表明该材料优异的氧电催化性能归因于双金属氧化物的电子调控作用、NOMC的介孔结构、高导电性和高比表面积,其ORR与OER的催化活性位点分别是氮活化的碳(N-C)和双金属氧化物.以优化的Fe0.5Co/NOMC为正极组装可充电锌-空气电池,该电池在空气环境下展现出优良的充放电性能,其在电流密度为100 mA·cm–2条件下操作时能量密度达到820 Wh·kg–1,在1.0 V时功率密度达到153 mW·cm–2,它还表现出较好的稳定性,经过144 h的循环实验,活性没有明显下降.本文不仅制备了一种有前景的尖晶石型氧化物碳基氧电催化材料,还为高效氧电催化剂的合理开发与构筑提供了一条新的思路.     

Graphdiyne Hybrid Nanowall Arrays for High-capacity Aqueous Rechargeable Zinc Ion Battery

Development of aqueous rechargeable zinc ion battery is an important direction towards grid energy storage sought in various applications.At present,the efficient utilization of aqueous rechargeable zinc ion batteries has been seriously affected due to the defects nature of the cathode materials,such as poor capacity,limited rate performance,and limited cycle stability.Therefore,the search for high-performance cathode materials is a main challenge in this field.Herein,we in-situ prepared graphdiyne-wrapped K0.25·MnO2(K0.25·MnO2@GDY)hybrid nanowall arrays as the cathode of aqueous rechargeable zinc ion battery.The hybridnanowall arrays have obviously alleviated the pulverization and sluggish kinetic process of MnO2 cathode materials and shown high specific capacity(520 mA·h/g at a current density of 55 mA/g),which is near-full two-electron capacity.The high specific capacity was resulted from more than one Zn2+(de)intercalation process occurring per formula unit,in which we observed a structural evolution that partially stemmed from ion exchange between the intercalated K+and Zn2+ions during the discharge process.The present investigation not only provides a new material for the aqueous rechargeable Zn ion batteries,also contributes a novel route for the development of next generation aqueous rechargeable Zn ion batteries with high capacity.     

微波-固相复合加热技术合成LiNi0.5Co0.5O2及其性能研究

用高分子分散及微波-固相复合加热技术合成了层状锂离子电池正极材料LiNi0.5Co0.5O2. 采用循环伏安、充放电循环、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)以及X射线粉末衍射(XRD)等测试技术, 研究了煅烧条件对材料微观形貌、相结构以及电化学性能的影响规律. 研究结果表明: 在750 ℃煅烧4 h即可得到形状为类球形的纯相层状LiNi0.5Co0.5O2正极材料, 该材料的最大放电容量达到154 mA·h/g, 循环10周后放电容量仍保持在148 mA·h/g以上.     

Utilizing the Alterable Solubility of Chitosan in Aqueous Solution to Synthesize Nanosized Sulfur for High Performance Li–S Batteries

We demonstrate the synthesis of cathode material with nanosized sulfur by a precipitation method making use of the alterable solubility of chitosan (CTS) in aqueous solution. Mesoporous Ketjen Black (KB) and carbon nanotube (CNT) are added as conductive agents to provide the three‐dimensional electric channels. This method can reduce the size of the sulfur particles, thus the nanosized sulfur obtained can fully contact with the conductive agent, which could increase the utilization of sulfur and improve the capacity of Li‐S batteries. Moreover, CTS with abundant hydroxyl and amine groups has strong interaction with polysulfides, which can improve the stability of Li‐S batteries. As a result, the obtained CTS/C‐S cathode containing 76 wt% sulfur delivers an impressively initial discharge specific capacity of 1141.6 mA·h·g^–1 at 0.5 C and maintains a capacity of 842.3 mA·h·g^–1 after 300 cycles. Our finding paves a way for the rational design of high‐performance sulfur cathodes for advanced Li‐S batteries.     

Facile Synthesis of Bi2MoO6 Nanosheets@Nitrogen and Sulfur Codoped Graphene Composites for Sodium-ion Batteries

Recently,sodium-ion batteries gradually become the promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries because of cost considerations.In this work,a kind of Bi2MoO6 nanosheets@N,S codoped graphene composite is designed and fabricated for sodium storage applications.Detailed characterizations are employed to investigate its morphology,structure and chemical compositions.When evaluated as an anode material for sodium-ion batteries,the as-prepared composite is able to display a specific capacity of 254 mA·h/g after 50 cycles at a current density of 0.2 A/g,and 186 mA·h/g at 1.6 A/g during the rate capability test.As a result,the further morphology and structure optimization is still required for high performance sodium-ion batteries.     

Self-crystallized Interlayer Integrating Polysulfide-adsorbed TiO2/TiO and Highly-electron-conductive TiO for High-stability Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Low-cost lithium sulfur(Li-S)batteries afford preeminent prospect as a next-generation high-energy storage device by virtue of great theoretical capacity.Nevertheless,their applications are restricted by some challenging technical barriers,such as weak cycling stability and low poor-conductivity sulfur loading originated in notorious shuttling effect of polysulfide intermediates.Herein,free of any complicated compositing process,we design an interlayer of carbon fiber paper supported TiO2/TiO to impede the shuttle effect and enhance the electrical conductivity via physical isolation and chemical adsorption.Such a self-crystallized homogeneous interlayer,where TiO2/TiO enables absorbing lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)and TiO plays a key role of high-electron-conductivity exhibited ultrahigh capacities(1000 mA·h/g at 0.5 C and 900 mA·h/g at 1 C)and outstanding capacity retention rate(97%)after 100 cycles.Thus,our design provides a simple route to suppress the shuttle effect via self-derived evolution Li-S batteries.     

Nitrogen-doped Carbon Coated Na3V2(PO4)3 with Superior Sodium Storage Capability

Cathodes with high cycling stability and rate capability are required for ambient temperature sodium ion batteries in renewable energy storage application. Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ is an attractive cathode material with excellent electrochemical stability and fast ion diffusion coefficient within the 3D NASICON structure. Nevertheless, the practical application of Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ is seriously hindered by its intrinsically poor electronic conductivity. Herein, solvent evaporation method is presented to obtain the nitrogen-doped carbon coated Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ cathode material, delivering enhanced electrochemical performances. N-Doped carbon layer coating serves as a highly conducting pathway, and creates numerous extrinsic defects and active sites, which can facilitate the storage and diffusion of Na⁺. Moreover, the N-doped carbon layer can provide a stable framework to accommodate the agglomeration of the electrode upon electrode cycling. N-Doped carbon coated Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃(NC-NVP) exhibits excellent long cycling life and superior rate performances than bare Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ without carbon coating. NC-NVP delivers a stable capacity of 95.9 mA·h/g after 500 cycles at 1 C rate, which corresponds to high capacity retention(94.6%) with respect to the initial capacity(101.4 mA·h/g). Over 91.3% of the initial capacity is retained after 500 cycles at 5 C, and the capacity can reach 85 mA·h/g at 30 C rate.     

Ni3FeN‐Supported Fe3Pt Intermetallic Nanoalloy as a High‐Performance Bifunctional Catalyst for Metal–Air Batteries

Electrocatalysts for both the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions (ORR and OER) are vital for the performances of rechargeable metal–air batteries. Herein, we report an advanced bifunctional oxygen electrocatalyst consisting of porous metallic nickel‐iron nitride (Ni₃FeN) supporting ordered Fe₃Pt intermetallic nanoalloy. In this hybrid catalyst, the bimetallic nitride Ni₃FeN mainly contributes to the high activity for the OER while the ordered Fe₃Pt nanoalloy contributes to the excellent activity for the ORR. Robust Ni₃FeN‐supported Fe₃Pt catalysts show superior catalytic performance to the state‐of‐the‐art ORR catalyst (Pt/C) and OER catalyst (Ir/C). The Fe₃Pt/Ni₃FeN bifunctional catalyst enables Zn–air batteries to achieve a long‐term cycling performance of over 480 h at 10 mA cm⁻² with high efficiency. The extraordinarily high performance of the Fe₃Pt/Ni₃FeN bifunctional catalyst makes it a very promising air cathode in alkaline electrolyte.     

纳米锡锌复合氧化物贮锂材料的合成和性质

用液相沉淀-热解法合成了一系列结构和组成不同的锂离子电池纳米锡锌复合氧化物贮锂材料, 通过XRD、TEM和电化学测试对材料进行了表征. 测试结果表明, 非晶态ZnSnO3负极材料的初始可逆贮锂容量为844 mA·h/g, ZnO·SnO2负极材料的初始可逆贮锂容量为845 mA·h/g, SnO2·Zn2SnO4复合物负极材料初始可逆贮锂容量为758 mA·h/g, 循环10周后, 三者的充电容量分别为695, 508和455 mA·h/g, 表明非晶态结构的锡锌复合氧化物具有较好的电化学性质, 随着样品中晶体的形成, 该类型负极材料的贮锂性能下降.     

1,3-二氧戊环基LiCF3SO3电解液对锂硫电池正极材料单质硫的电化学性能影响

测试了二元和多元溶剂组分的1,3-二氧戊环基LiCF3SO3电解液的粘度、离子电导率和单质硫的溶解度. 研究结果表明, 由较强的给电子能力溶剂组成的低粘度电解液较容易提高单质硫的氧化还原反应活性和可逆性能, 有利于提高单质硫在2.10 V附近的低放电平台电位和放电比容量. DOL-DME LiCF3SO3电解液能够较好地改善单质硫电极的表面钝化层结构, 促进电活性物质离子扩散和降低界面电荷传递阻抗, 从而表现出很好的放电倍率特性. 在室温下充放电流密度分别为0.1和0.2 mA/cm2时, 单质硫的首次放电比容量为792 mA·h/g, 第29次放电比容量达到412 mA·h/g.     

High aspect ratio γ-MnOOH nanowires for high performance rechargeable nonaqueous lithium-oxygen batteries

High aspect ratio γ-MnOOH nanowires (MNWs) are synthesized by a simple one-step hydrothermal method and used as catalysts in rechargeable nonaqueous lithium-oxygen batteries. When the nanowires are employed, great improvements in discharge capacity, cycle stability, and rate retention are obtained, which are attributed to the high catalyst efficiency and the cathode porosity.     

锌离子电池正极材料V2O5的储能机理和容量衰减原因

采用水热法结合热处理制备了具有高结晶性的V₂O₅,利用X射线衍射仪、球差校正扫描透射电子显微镜和扫描电子显微镜对V₂O₅的物相和形貌进行了表征,发现制备的V₂O₅择优取向生长并且具有良好的结晶性.电化学测试结果表明,以V₂O₅为正极材料的电池在电流密度为0.5 A/g下首次放电比容量约为340 mA·h/g.在电流密度为5 A/g下电池的首次放电比容量为170 mA·h/g,并且循环100次后衰减为50 mA·h/g.对不同放电态的V₂O₅正极材料的物相进行了分析,得出了V₂O₅正极材料在充放电过程中发生了锌离子和质子共嵌入（脱出）的反应机理;V₂O₅正极材料在充放电过程中发生的非晶化和副产物碱式硫酸锌的生成是导致以V₂O₅作为水系锌离子电池正极材料的电池系统发生容量衰减的主要原因.     

Dense Sphene-type Solid Electrolyte Through Rapid Sintering for Solid-state Lithium Metal Battery

The sphene-type solid electrolyte with high ionic conductivity has been designed for solid-state lithium metal battery. However, the practical applications of solid electrolytes are still suffered by the low relative density and long sintering time of tens of hours with large energy consumption. Here, we introduced the spark plasma sintering technology for fabricating the sphene-type Li_1.125Ta_0.875Zr_0.125SiO₅ solid electrolyte. The dense electrolyte pellet with high relative density of ca. 97.4% and ionic conductivity of ca. 1.44×10^-5 S/cm at 30℃ can be obtained by spark plasma sintering process within the extremely short time of only ca. 0.1 h. Also the solid electrolyte provides stable electrochemical window of ca. 6.0 V(vs. Li⁺/Li) and high electrochemical interface stability toward Li metal anode. With the enhanced interfacial contacts between electrodes and electrolyte pellet by the in-situ formed polymer electrolyte, the solid-state lithium metal battery with LiFePO₄ cathode can deliver the initial discharge capacity of ca. 154 mA·h/g at 0.1 C and the reversible capacity of ca. 132 mA·h/g after 70 cycles with high Coulombic efficiency of 99.5% at 55℃. Therefore, this study demonstrates a rapid and energy efficient sintering strategy for fabricating the solid electrolyte with dense structure and high ionic conductivity that can be practically applied in solid-state lithium metal batteries with high energy densities and safeties.     

以Fe2O3为原料制备LiFePO4/C复合材料及其性能研究

以Fe2O3为铁源原料, 利用热还原法成功地制备了LiFePO4/C复合材料. 用XRD以及SEM对材料的晶体结构以及表面形貌进行了表征. 通过循环伏安和充放电测试研究了材料的电化学性能. 研究结果表明， 于700 ℃下制备的LiFePO4/C复合材料在0.1C的倍率下可以得到放电容量144.8 mA·h/g, 在循环160次后, 容量仍保持在141.4 mA·h/g. 这种以廉价的Fe2O3代替目前常用的二价铁盐原料方法, 具有减少LiFePO4合成成本的优点.     

Enhanced Electrochemical Performance of Na0.67Fe0.5Mn0.5O2Cathode with SnO2 Modification

P2-type layered oxide Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ is recognized as a very promising cathode material for sodium-ion batteries due to the merits of high capacity, high voltage, low cost, and easy preparation. However, its unsatisfactory cycle and rate performances remain huge obstacles for practical applications. Here, we report a strategy of SnO₂ modification on P2-type Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ to improve the cycle and rate performance. Scanning electron microscope(SEM) and transmission electron microscope(TEM) images indicate that an insular thin layer SnO₂ is coated on the surface of Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ after medication. The coating layer of SnO₂ can protect Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ from corrosion by electrolyte and the cycle performance is well enhanced. After 100 cycles at 1 C rate(1 C=200 mA/g), the capacity of SnO₂ modified Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ retains 83 mA·h/g(64% to the initial capacity), while the capacity for the pristine Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ is only 38 mA·h/g(33.5% to the initial capacity). X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals that the ratio of Mn⁴⁺ increases after SnO₂ modification, leading to less oxygen vacancy and expanded lattice. As a result, the capacity of Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ increases from 178 mA·h/g to 197 mA·h/g after SnO₂ modification. Furthermore, the rate performance of Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ is enhanced with SnO₂ coating, due to high electronic conductivity of SnO₂ and expanded lattice after SnO₂ coating. The capacity of SnO₂ modified Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂ at 5 C increases from 21 mA·h/g(pristine Na_0.67Fe_0.5Mn_0.5O₂) to 35 mA·h/g.