Pre-intercalation of Ammonium Ions in Layered δ-MnO2 Nanosheets for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries

Layered manganese dioxide is a promising cathode candidate for aqueous Zn-ion batteries. However, the narrow interlayer spacing, inferior intrinsic electronic conductivity and poor structural stability still limit its practical application. Herein, we report a two-step strategy to incorporate ammonium ions into manganese dioxide (named as AMO) nanosheets as a cathode for boosted Zn ion storage. K⁺-intercalated δ-MnO₂ nanosheets (KMO) grown on carbon cloth are chosen as the self-involved precursor. Of note, ammonium ions could replace K⁺ ions via a facile hydrothermal reaction to enlarge the lattice space and form hydrogen-bond networks. Compared with KMO, the structural stability and the ion transfer kinetics of the layered AMO are enhanced. As expected, the obtained AMO cathode exhibits remarkable electrochemical properties in terms of high reversible capacity, decent rate performance and superior cycling stability over 10000 cycles.     

Fine-Tuning Electrolyte Concentration and Metal–Organic Framework Surface toward Actuating Fast Zn2+ Dehydration for Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries

Functional porous coating on zinc electrode is emerging as a powerful ionic sieve to suppress dendrite growth and side reactions, thereby improving highly reversible aqueous zinc ion batteries. However, the ultrafast charge rate is limited by the substantial cation transmission strongly associated with dehydration efficiency. Here, we unveil the entire dynamic process of solvated Zn²⁺ ions’ continuous dehydration from electrolyte across the MOF-electrolyte interface into channels with the aid of molecular simulations, taking zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-7 as proof-of-concept. The moderate concentration of 2 M ZnSO₄ electrolyte being advantageous over other concentrations possesses the homogeneous water-mediated ion pairing distribution, resulting in the lowest dehydration energy, which elucidates the molecular mechanism underlying such concentration adopted by numerous experimental studies. Furthermore, we show that modifying linkers on the ZIF-7 surface with hydrophilic groups such as −OH or −NH₂ can weaken the solvation shell of Zn²⁺ ions to lower the dehydration free energy by approximately 1 eV, and may improve the electrical conductivity of MOF. These results shed light on the ions delivery mechanism and pave way to achieve long-term stable zinc anodes at high capacities through atomic-scale modification of functional porous materials.     

Metal–Organic Frameworks as Metal Ion Precursors for the Synthesis of Nanocomposites for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are promising materials with fascinating properties. Their widespread applications are sometimes hindered by the intrinsic instability of frameworks. However, this instability of MOFs can also be exploited for useful purposes. Herein, we report the use of MOFs as metal ion precursors for constructing functional nanocomposites by utilizing the instability of MOFs. The heterogeneous growth process of nanostructures on substrates involves the release of metal ions, nucleation on substrates, and formation of a covering structure. Specifically, the synthesized CoS with carbon nanotubes as substrates display enhanced performance in a lithium-ion battery. Such strategy not only presents a new way for exploiting the instability of MOFs but also supplies a prospect for designing versatile functional nanocomposites.     

Comparative studies in subsolidus areas of ternary oxide systems PbO–V2O5–In2O3 and PbO–V2O5–Fe2O3

Thermal stability of PbO was studied. Reactivity of oxides in the systems PbO–M₂O₃ (M = In, Fe) was investigated up to 650 °C. Using the DTA and XRD methods, parts of investigated ternary oxide systems, labelled by compounds: V₂O₅, Pb₈V₂O₁₃ and M₂O₃ (M = In, Fe), have been divided into partial ternary systems. IR spectra of compounds Pb₂MV₃O₁₁ (M = In, Fe) have been compared.     

Raman spectroscopic study of CuO–V2O5–P2O5–CaO glass system

In order to evidence the structural changes induced by CuO and V₂O₅ in the phosphate glass network and their modifier or former role, x(CuO·V₂O₅)(100 − x)[P₂O₅·CaO] glass system was prepared and investigated using Raman spectroscopy (0 ≤ x ≤ 40 mol%).Raman spectra of the studied glasses present the specific bands of the phosphate glasses at low concentration of transition metal (TM) ions, but at higher concentration (x > 7 mol%) a strong depolymerization of the phosphate network appears; non-bridging oxygen atoms are involved in VOP and CuOP bonds and new short units are formed. For a high concentration of V₂O₅ (x > 10 mol%) the Raman bands of V₂O₅ prevail in the spectra; this fact suggests that vanadium oxide imposes its structural units in the network acting thus as a network glass former.2D correlation analysis was also applied for the concentration-dependent Raman spectra in order to verify the assignments of the vibration modes and to find correlations in the changes induced by TM ions content. 2D correlation maps indicate a good correlation between the bands at ∼705 cm⁻¹ assigned to POP stretching vibration and at ∼1175 cm⁻¹ assigned to PO₂ groups which suggest the depolymerization of the phosphate network. The correlation between the 1270 cm⁻¹ and 930 cm⁻¹ bands also suggests that V₂O₅ oxide is responsible for PO bonds breaking and POV formation.     

Electric Conductivity of Glasses in the MgO–V2O5–P2O5 System

Russian Journal of Electrochemistry - Amorphous glasses of the composition xMgO–yP2O5– (100 – x – y)V2O5 with x = 1–5 and y = 5, 10, and 15 mol % are obtained by the...     

The subsolidus area of CoO–In2O3–V2O5 system

The subsolidus phase relations of the ternary system CoO?CIn₂O₃?CV₂O₅ were investigated by differential thermal analysis and X-ray diffraction techniques. It has been shown that the system consists of seven subsidiary systems in which three solid phases coexist in equilibrium. The melting temperatures of these subsystems have also been determined.     

Impedance spectroscopy of V2O5–Bi2O3–BaTiO3 glass–ceramics

The glasses within composition as: (80 − x)V₂O₅/20Bi₂O₃/xBaTiO₃ with x = 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 mol% have been prepared. The glass transition (T_g) increases with increasing BaTiO₃ content. Synthesized glasses ceramic containing BaTi₄O₉, Ba₃TiV₄O₁₅ nanoparticles of the order of 25–35 nm and 30–46 nm, respectively were estimated using XRD. The dielectric properties over wide ranges of frequencies and temperatures were investigated as a function of BaTiO₃ content by impedance spectroscopy measurements. The hopping frequency, ω_h, dielectric constant, ε′, activation energies for the DC conduction, E_σ, the relaxation process, E_c, and stretched exponential parameter β of the glasses samples have been estimated. The, ω_h, β, decrease from 51.63 to 0.31 × 10⁶ (s⁻¹), 0.84 to 0.79 with increasing BaTiO₃ respectively. Otherwise, the E_σ, increase from 0.279 to 0.306 eV with increasing BaTiO₃. The value of dielectric constant equal 9.5·10³ for the 2.5BaTiO₃/77.5V₂O₅/20Bi₂O₃ glasses-ceramic at 330 K for 1 KHz which is ten times larger than that of same glasses composition. Finally the relaxation properties of the investigated glasses are presented in the electric modulus formalism, where the relaxation time and the respective activation energy were determined.     

Multifunctional Electrocatalytic Cathodes Derived from Metal–Organic Frameworks for Advanced Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

The rechargeable lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery is a promising candidate for the next generation of energy storage technology, owing to the high theoretical capacity, high specific energy density, and low cost of electrode materials. The main drawbacks in the development of long-life Li-S batteries are capacity fading and the sluggish kinetics at the cathode caused by the polysulfides shuttle. These limitations are addressed through the design of novel nanocages containing cobalt phosphide (CoP) nanoparticles embedded in highly porous nitrogen-doped carbon (CoP-N-GC) by thermal annealing of ZIF-67 in a reductive atmosphere followed by a phosphidation step using sodium hypophosphite. The CoP nanoparticles, with large surface area and uniform homogeneous distribution within the N-doped nanocage graphitic carbon, act as electrocatalysts to suppress the shuttle of soluble polysulfides through strong chemical interactions and catalyze the sulfur redox. As a result, the S@CoP-N-GC electrode delivers an extremely high specific capacity of 1410 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.1 C (1 C=1675 mA g⁻¹) with an excellent coulombic efficiency of 99.7 %. Moreover, capacity retention from 864 to 678 mA h g⁻¹ is obtained after 460 cycles with a very low decay rate of 0.046 % per cycle at 0.5 C. Therefore, the combination of the CoP catalyst and polar conductive porous carbon effectively stabilizes the sulfur cathode, enhancing the electrochemical performance and stability of the battery.     

Electroactive Metal–Organic Frameworks as Emitters for Self-Enhanced Electrochemiluminescence in Aqueous Medium

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have limited applications in electrochemistry owing to their poor conductivity. Now, an electroactive MOF (E-MOF) is designed as a highly crystallized electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitter in aqueous medium. The E-MOF contains mixed ligands of hydroquinone and phenanthroline as oxidative and reductive couples, respectively. E-MOFs demonstrate excellent performance with surface state model in both co-reactant and annihilation ECL in aqueous medium. Compared with the individual components, E-MOFs significantly improve the ECL emission due to the framework structure. The self-enhanced ECL emission with high stability is realized by the accumulation of MOF cation radicals via pre-reduction electrolysis. The self-enhanced mechanism is theoretically identified by DFT. The mixed-ligand E-MOFs provide a proof of concept using molecular crystalline materials as new ECL emitters for fundamental mechanism studies.     

In Situ Electrochemical Activation of Hydroxyl Polymer Cathode for High-Performance Aqueous Zinc–Organic Batteries

The slow reaction kinetics and structural instability of organic electrode materials limit the further performance improvement of aqueous zinc-organic batteries. Herein, we have synthesized a Z-folded hydroxyl polymer polytetrafluorohydroquinone (PTFHQ) with inert hydroxyl groups that could be partially oxidized to the active carbonyl groups through the in situ activation process and then undertake the storage/release of Zn²⁺. In the activated PTFHQ, the hydroxyl groups and S atoms enlarge the electronegativity region near the electrochemically active carbonyl groups, enhancing their electrochemical activity. Simultaneously, the residual hydroxyl groups could act as hydrophilic groups to enhance the electrolyte wettability while ensuring the stability of the polymer chain in the electrolyte. Also, the Z-folded structure of PTFHQ plays an important role in reversible binding with Zn²⁺ and fast ion diffusion. All these benefits make the activated PTFHQ exhibit a high specific capacity of 215 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹, over 3400 stable cycles with a capacity retention of 92 %, and an outstanding rate capability of 196 mAh g⁻¹ at 20 A g⁻¹.     

Hewettite ZnV6O16 ⋅ 8H2O with Remarkably Stable Layers and Ultralarge Interlayer Spacing for High-Performance Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries

Aqueous Zn-ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising candidates for grid-scale energy storage because of their intrinsic safety, low-cost and high energy-intensity. Vanadium-based materials are widely used as the cathode of ZIBs, especially A₂V₆O₁₆ ⋅ nH₂O (AVO, A=NH₄⁺, Na, K). However, AVO suffers from serious dissolution, phase transformation and narrow gallery spacing (∼3 Å), leading to poor cycling stability and rate capability. Herein, we unveiled the root cause of the performance degradation in the AVO cathode and therefore developed a new high-performance cathode of ZnV₆O₁₆ ⋅ 8H₂O (ZVO) for ZIB. Through a method of ion exchange induced phase transformation, AVO was converted to hewettite ZVO with larger gallery spacing (∼6 Å) and more stable V₆O₁₆ layers. ZVO cathode thus constructed delivers a high capacity of 365 and 170 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.5 and 15 A g⁻¹, while 86 % and 70 % of its capacity are retained at 0.5 A g⁻¹ after 300 cycles and at 15 A g⁻¹ after 10000 cycles, substantially better than conventional AVO.     

Amorphous Metal–Organic Framework-Dominated Nanocomposites with Both Compositional and Structural Heterogeneity for Oxygen Evolution

Amorphous metal–organic frameworks (aMOFs) are an emerging family of attractive materials with great application potential, however aMOFs are usually prepared under harsh conditions and aMOFs with complex compositions and structures are rarely reported. In this work, an aMOF-dominated nanocomposite (aMOF-NC) with both structural and compositional complexity has been synthesized using a facile approach. A ligand-competition amorphization mechanism is proposed based on experimental and density functional theory calculation results. The aMOF-NC possesses a core–shell nanorod@nanosheet architecture, including a Fe-rich Fe-Co-aMOF core and a Co-rich Fe-Co-aMOF shell in the core–shell structured nanorod, and amorphous Co(OH)₂ nanosheets as the outer layer. Benefiting from the structural and compositional heterogeneity, the aMOF-NC demonstrates an excellent oxygen evolution reaction activity with a low overpotential of 249 mV at 10.0 mA cm⁻² and Tafel slope of 39.5 mV dec⁻¹.     

Composition and Properties of Aqueous Fluoroplastic Dispersion for Deposition of Metal–Polymer Coatings

Russian Journal of Applied Chemistry - Formulation of an aqueous dispersion of F-40 tetrafluoroethylene–ethylene copolymer for applying metal–polymer coatings by cathodic...     

Phases in the subsolidus area of the system CuO–V2O5–Fe2O3

The phase equilibria in the solid state in the system FeVO₄?CCu₃V₂O₈ and FeVO₄?CCuO have been determined. Based on the obtained DTA and XRD analysis results and some additional research, a phase diagram in the whole subsolidus area of the system CuO?CV₂O₅?CFe₂O₃ has been worked out. Eighteen subsidiary subsystems can be distinguished in this ternary system. Basic properties of the obtained phases with howardevansite- and lyonsite-type structure have been investigated by DTA, IR, and SEM methods.     

Scalable Synthesis of Fe/N-Doped Porous Carbon Nanotube Frameworks for Aqueous Zn–Air Batteries

Aqueous Zn–air batteries are emerging to be ideal next-generation energy-storage devices with high safety and high energy/power densities. However, the rational design and fabrication of low-cost, highly efficient, and durable electrocatalysts on the cathode side remain highly desired. Herein, template-assisted, scalable Fe-implanted N-doped porous carbon nanotube networks (Fe–N–CNNs) have been synthesized based on an environmentally friendly template hydroxyapatite nanowires (HAP NWs). Thanks to the hierarchical meso/micropores, high specific surface area, and abundant active sites, the optimized Fe–N–CNNs exhibit excellent oxygen reduction activity. Furthermore, the Zn–air batteries based on the Fe–N–CNNs cathode deliver a high discharge voltage of 1.27 V at a current density of 20 mA cm⁻² and a large peak power density of 202.2 mW cm⁻². More far-reaching, this HAP-based template strategy opens a new avenue toward the mass production of efficient, cost-effective electrocatalysts, and the Fe–N–CNNs with hollow interiors are expected to extend their other potential uses in energy storage, molecular sieves, adsorbents, and biomedical engineering.     

Rational Synthesis of “Grape-like” Ni2V2O7 Microspheres as High-capacity Anodes for Rechargeable Lithium Batteries

Vanadates have received booming attention recently as promising materials for extensive electrochemical devices such as batteries and electrocatalysis. However, the enormous difficulties of achieving pure-phase transition metal vanadates, especially for nickel-based, hinder their exploitations. Herein, for the first time, by controlling the amount of ethylene glycol (EG) and reaction time, grape-like Ni₂V₂O₇ (or V₂O₅/Ni₂V₂O₇) microspheres were rationally fabricated. It is demonstrated that the EG can chelate both Ni²⁺ and VO₃⁻ to form organometallic precursors. As anode in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), it could deliver superior reversible capacity of 1050 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g and excellent rate capability of 600 mAh/g at 4 A/g. The facile hydrothermal synthesis broadens the material variety of nickel vanadates and offers new opportunities for their wider applications in electrochemistry.     

β-MnO2/Metal–Organic Framework Derived Nanoporous ZnMn2O4 Nanorods as Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes with Superior Lithium-Storage Performance

Nanoporous ZnMn₂O₄ nanorods have been successfully synthesized by calcining β-MnO₂/ZIF-8 precursors (ZIF-8 is a type of metal–organic framework). If measured as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries, the ZnMn₂O₄ nanorods exhibit an initial discharge capacity of 1792 mA h g⁻¹ at 200 mA g⁻¹, and an excellent reversible capacity of 1399.8 mA h g⁻¹ after 150 cycles (78.1 % retention of the initial discharge capacity). Even at 1000 mA g⁻¹, the reversible capacity is still as high as 998.7 mA h g⁻¹ after 300 cycles. The remarkable lithium-storage performance is attributed to the one-dimensional nanoporous structure. The nanoporous architecture not only allows more lithium ions to be stored, which provides additional interfacial lithium-storage capacity, but also buffers the volume changes, to a certain degree, during the Li⁺ insertion/extraction process. The results demonstrate that nanoporous ZnMn₂O₄ nanorods with superior lithium-storage performance have the potential to be candidates for commercial anode materials in lithium-ion batteries.