Recent advances in metal-organic frameworks for lithium metal anode protection

The lithium metal battery has been considered as a promising candidate for next generation batteries.However,safety concerns caused by uncontrollable lithium dendrite growth on lithium anode are severely hampering the commercial application.Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)become one of the most attractive materials due to the high porosity,structural designability and tunability.With unique open channels and pores as well as functional components in MOFs,the transportation and deposition of lithium ions can be regulated,which leads to enhanced electrochemical prope rties.Various strategies for lithium metal protection are proposed in recent wo rks on applications of MOFs in lithium metal batteries.In this review,we highlight latest key approaches in this field and discuss the prospects for MOFs in advanced Li anodes.     

A novel Mo-based oxide β-SnMoO_4 as anode for lithium ion battery

Recently,the development of new electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)has received intensive attention.As an important family of inorganic materials,mixed Mo-based transition metal oxides system is focused as anode materials.In the present work,a simple route has been adopted for the synthesis of layered-flake-likeβ-SnMo04 Nano-assemblies,which have been explored as potential anode materials for the first time in lithium-ion battery(LIB).Overall,the current reports on metal molybdate as anode materials are still rarely.As the anode material for LIBs,it was observed that the fabricated anode is capable of delivering a steady state capacity of almost 400 mAh/g up to 300 cycles under the influence of200 mA/g current density.Further,the anode material is suitable for use as a rated capacity anode because of its high current density tolerance.The present study can be further extended for the generation of a wide variety of other novel materials for multidisciplinary energy related applications.     

Beyond the Polysulfide Shuttle and Lithium Dendrite Formation: Addressing the Sluggish Sulfur Redox Kinetics for Practical High-Energy Li-S Batteries

Electrolyte modulation simultaneously suppresses polysulfide the shuttle effect and lithium dendrite formation of lithium–sulfur (Li-S) batteries. However, the sluggish S redox kinetics, especially under high S loading and lean electrolyte operation, has been ignored, which dramatically limits the cycle life and energy density of practical Li-S pouch cells. Herein, we demonstrate that a rational combination of selenium doping, core–shell hollow host structure, and fluorinated ether electrolytes enables ultrastable Li stripping/plating and essentially no polysulfide shuttle as well as fast redox kinetics. Thus, high areal capacity (>4 mAh cm⁻²) with excellent cycle stability and Coulombic efficiency were both demonstrated in Li metal anode and thick S cathode (4.5 mg cm⁻²) with a low electrolyte/sulfur ratio (10 μL mg⁻¹). This research further demonstrates a durable Li-Se/S pouch cell with high specific capacity, validating the potential practical applications.     

电沉积制备MnO2催化剂及其在微生物燃料电池中的应用

通过电沉积的方法获得了一种具有均匀孔隙结构的海绵状二氧化锰催化剂,结合扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)等手段表征了所制备材料的表面形貌、结构及元素构成和赋存价态,采用线性伏安扫描(LSV)法对电沉积材料的电化学性能进行分析,考察其催化氧还原反应的活性,最后以合成的材料为阴极催化剂,构建微生物燃料电池系统,考察其在微生物燃料电池中的应用效果。结果表明,以电沉积二氧化锰为阴极催化剂的微生物燃料电池最大功率密度为975.6 mW/m~2,是以商业二氧化锰为阴极催化剂的电池的1.7倍;这表明作为一种经济、高效、环境友好的阴极氧还原催化剂,电沉积法制备的二氧化锰为实现阴极催化剂的低成本制备以及微生物燃料电池放大化推进提供了新的研究途径。     

多孔金属有机框架材料作为锂金属负极保护层助力长寿命锂氧气电池

在众多能源储存系统中,锂氧气电池以其高达3500 Wh·kg^-1的理论能量密度有望在性能上超越商用锂离子电池.然而,在电池充放电过程中,金属锂不可控的枝晶生长和严重的腐蚀问题极大地阻碍了锂氧气电池的发展.为了解决以上问题,制备了一种具有高比表面积、丰富孔道结构的金属有机框架材料（MOF-801）,并将其设计成金属锂负极的保护层应用在锂氧气电池中.在本工作中,成功合成了具有高达762.9 m²·g^-1比表面积,边长约为800 nm的立方体状纯净MOF-801材料.并且这种材料表现出对于有机电解液体系（四乙二醇二甲醚1 mol·L^-1三氟甲基磺酸锂）和强还原性的金属锂都具有很好的稳定性.得益于该材料丰富的孔道结构以及高比表面积,锂离子得以更均匀地分布在电极表面促进金属锂均匀沉积,有效避免了由于枝晶刺破隔膜而导致的短路甚至火灾事故.此外,MOF-801保护层本身的阻隔作用和材料捕捉水的特性可以帮助减少污染物质（水、氧气、强氧化性物质等）的穿梭效应带来的副反应,缓解锂氧气电池中金属锂负极的腐蚀情况.因此,将经过保护的金属锂组装成的对称电池进行测试,循环寿命长达800 h,同时充/放电过电势仅为0.023 V（未经保护的电池寿命仅为254 h,最终充/放电过电势高达5 V）,且循环阻抗大大降低,证明了这种策略有效地稳定了金属锂/电解液界面.将经过MOF材料保护的电极实际应用在锂氧气电池中,在限容量1000 mAh·g^-1,限电流500 mA·g^-1条件下,可以实现长达170圈的稳定长寿命的循环（是未经保护的电池寿命的2.88倍）.使用MOF-801保护层的锂氧气电池还表现出了高达8935 mAh·g^-1的高比容量.因此,本工作所报道的保护层策略为未来的碱金属空气电池负极保护领域提供了新颖的视角.     

Recent progress of computational investigation on anode materials in Li ion batteries

Computations have been widely used to explore new Li ion battery materials because of its remarkable advantages. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on computational investigation on anode materials in Li ion batteries. By introducing the computational studies on Li storage capability in carbon nanotubes, graphene, alloys and oxides, we reveal that computations have successfully addressed many fundamental problems and are powerful tools to understand and design new anode materials for Li ion batteries.     

偏压及测试环境对离子束DLC膜摩擦学行为的影响

采用线性阳极层离子束技术制备了类金刚石薄膜(DLC膜),研究了不同衬底负偏压和测试环境对DLC薄膜摩擦学性能的影响.结果表明:在-50V偏压下,薄膜硬度和弹性模量最大,这主要与薄膜中高的sp³含量相关;衬底负偏压对薄膜在室温大气条件下的摩擦学性能影响不显著,薄膜总体呈现较低的摩擦系数和磨损率,显示出优异的抗磨损性能;线性离子束制备的含氢DLC薄膜的摩擦学行为受湿度及环境气氛影响较大,归因于环境中的氧气和水分造成的摩擦化学反应.     

Two-dimensional photon counting imaging detector based on a Vernier position sensitive anode readout

A two-dimensional photon counting imaging detector based on a Vernier position sensitive anode is reported. The decode principle and design of a two-dimensional Vernier anode are introduced in detail. A photon counting imaging system was built based on a Vernier anode. The image of very weak optical radiation can be reconstructed by image processing in a period of integration time. The resolution is superior to 100 μm according to the resolution test. The detector may realize the imaging of very weak particle flow of high-energy photons, electrons and ions, so it can be used for high-energy physics, deep space exploration, spectral measurement and bio-luminescence detection.     

GISAXS and SAXS studies on the spatial structures of Co nanowire arrays

The spatial structures of magnetic Co nanowire array embedded in anodic aluminium membranes were investigated by grazing incidence small angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS) and conventional small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) techniques. Compared with SEM observation, the GISAXS and SAXS measurements can get more overall structural information in a large-area scale. In this study, the two-dimensional GISAXS pattern was well reconstructed by using the IsGISAXS program. The results demonstrate that the hexagonal lattice formed by the Co nanowires is distorted (a ≈ 105 nm, b ≈ 95 nm). These Co nanowires are isolated into many structure domains with different orientations with a size of about 2 μm. The SAXS results have also confirmed that the nanopore structures in the AAM can be retained after depositing Co nanowires although the Co nanowires can not completely but only just fill up the nanopores. These results are helpful for understanding the global structure of the Co nanowire array.     

Hierarchical Mesoporous SnO Microspheres as High Capacity Anode Materials for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Mesoporous SnO microspheres were synthesised by a hydrothermal method using NaSO₄ as the morphology directing agent. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) analyses showed that SnO microspheres consist of nanosheets with a thickness of about 20 nm. Each nanosheet contains a mesoporous structure with a pore size of approximately 5 nm. When applied as anode materials in Na‐ion batteries, SnO microspheres exhibited high reversible sodium storage capacity, good cyclability and a satisfactory high rate performance. Through ex situ XRD analysis, it was found that Na⁺ ions first insert themselves into SnO crystals, and then react with SnO to generate crystalline Sn, followed by Na–Sn alloying with the formation of crystalline NaSn₂ phase. During the charge process, there are two slopes corresponding to the de‐alloying of Na–Sn compounds and oxidisation of Sn, respectively. The high sodium storage capacity and good electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the unique hierarchical mesoporous architecture of SnO microspheres.