High-performance Na1.25V3O8 nanosheets for aqueous zinc-ion battery by electrochemical induced de-sodium at high voltage

Aqueous rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ARZIBs) are expected to replace organic electrolyte batteries owing to its low price, safe and environmentally friendly characteristics. Herein, we fabricated vanadium-based Na_1.25V₃O₈ nanosheets as a cathode material for ARZIBs, which present a high performance by electrochemical de-sodium at high voltage to form Na₂V₆O₁₆ phase in the first cycle: high capacity of 390 mAh/g at 0.1 A/g, high rate performance (162 mAh/g at 10 A/g) and superior cycle stability (179 mAh/g with a high capacity retention of 88.2% of the maximum capacity after 2000 cycles). In addition, the cell exhibits a high energy density of 416.9 Wh/kg at 143.6 W/kg, suggesting great potential of the as-prepared Na_1.25V₃O₈ nanosheets for ARZIBs     

Enhanced electrochemical performance of carbon-coated TiO2 nanobarbed fibers as anode material for lithium-ion batteries

We report the electrochemical performance of carbon-coated TiO₂ nanobarbed fibers (TiO₂@C NBFs) as anode material for lithium-ion batteries. The TiO₂@C NBFs are composed of TiO₂ nanorods grown on TiO₂ nanofibers as a core, coated with a carbon shell. These nanostructures form a conductive network showing high capacity and C-rate performance due to fast lithium-ion diffusion and effective electron transfer. The TiO₂@C NBFs show a specific reversible capacity of approximately 170 mAh g^− 1 after 200 cycles at a 0.5 A g^− 1 current density, and exhibit a discharge rate capability of 4 A g^− 1 while retaining a capacity of about 70 mAh g^− 1. The uniformly coated amorphous carbon layer plays an important role to improve the electrical conductivity during the lithiation–delithiation process.     

High capacity Li[Li0.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13]O2–V2O5 composite cathodes with low irreversible capacity loss for lithium ion batteries

With an aim to suppress the huge irreversible capacity loss encountered in high capacity layered oxide solid solutions between Li₂MnO₃ and LiMO₂ (M = Mn, Ni, and Co), layered Li[Li_0.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13]O₂–V₂O₅ composite cathodes with various V₂O₅ contents have been investigated. The irreversible capacity loss decreases from 68 mAh/g at 100% Li[Li_0.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13]O₂ to 0 mAh/g around 89 wt.% Li[Li_0.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13]O₂–11 wt.% V₂O₅ as the lithium-free V₂O₅ serves as an insertion host to accommodate the lithium ions that could not be inserted back into the layered lattice after the first charge. The Li[Li_0.2Mn_0.54Ni_0.13Co_0.13]O₂–V₂O₅ composite cathodes with about 10–12 wt.% V₂O₅ exhibit an attractive discharge capacity of close to 300 mAh/g with little irreversible capacity loss and good cyclability.     

Effect of Lorentz force on the electrochemical performance of lithium-ion batteries

Lorentz force theory demonstrates that electric current density and magnetic force are proportional, indicating that they compensate each other. In a battery operated at high magnetic forces, the electrons in the active material move fast in a specific magnetic field. γ-Fe₂O₃, a highly magnetic material, is used to prepare LiFePO₄ electrodes to study the effect of the Lorentz force on lithium-ion battery performance. The magnetic field created by γ-Fe₂O₃ induces magnetic forces on the charged LiFePO₄ particles, accelerating electron movement. Superconducting quantum interference measurements reveal that saturation magnetization and remanence are prominent when γ-Fe₂O₃ is added to the LiFePO₄ electrodes. The LiFePO₄ electrode containing 15 wt% γ-Fe₂O₃ led to superior battery capacity (69.8 mAh g^− 1 at 10C) compared with the pure LiFePO₄ electrode (1.8 mAh g^− 1 at 10C). In this study, Lorentz force theory is applied to improve the specific capacity and cycle life at high current rates of a battery containing LiFePO₄ cathode materials, suggesting that incorporating γ-Fe₂O₃ into the cathode is an easy and cheap strategy for increasing the power density and cycle life of lithium-ion batteries.     

LixV2O5 nanobelts for high capacity lithium-ion battery cathodes

5–10 μm long, typically 200–300 nm wide, and several nanometers thick Li_xV₂O₅ (× ～ 0.8) nanobelts with the δ-type crystal structure were synthesized by a hydrothermal treatment of Li⁺-exchanged V₂O₅ gel. When dried at 200 °C under vacuum prior to electrochemical testing, the as-prepared nanobelts underwent the well-known δ → ε → γ-phase transition giving a mixture of ε and γ phases as a nanocomposite electrode material. Such a simple preparation procedure guarantees a yield of material with drastically enhanced initial discharge specific capacity of 490 mAh/g and great cyclability. The enhanced electrochemical performance is attributed to the complex of experimental procedures including post-synthesis treatment of the single-crystalline Li_xV₂O₅ nanobelts.     

Magnetite/carbon core-shell nanorods as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Carbon coated magnetite (Fe₃O₄) core-shell nanorods were synthesized by a hydrothermal method using Fe₂O₃ nanorods as the precursor. Transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) analysis indicated that a carbon layer was coated on the surfaces of the individual Fe₃O₄ nanorods. The electrochemical properties of Fe₃O₄/carbon nanorods as anodes in lithium-ion cells were evaluated by cyclic voltammetry, ac impedance spectroscopy, and galvanostatic charge/discharge techniques. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄/C core-shell nanorods show an initial lithium storage capacity of 1120 mAh/g and a reversible capacity of 394 mAh/g after 100 cycles, demonstrating better performance than that of the commercial graphite anode material.     

Si–AB5 composites as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

The Si–AB₅ (MmNi_3.6Co_0.7Al_0.3Mn_0.4 alloy) composites with a high tap density as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries were synthesized by ball-milling. Si nanoparticles are distributed homogeneously on the surface of the AB₅ matrix. The electrochemical performance of the Si–AB₅ composites as a function of Si content was investigated. It is demonstrated that the Si–AB₅ composite delivers a larger reversible capacity and better cycle ability because the inactive AB₅ alloy can accommodate the large volume changes of Si nanoparticles distributed on the surface of the Si–AB₅ composite during cycling. In particular, the Si–AB₅ composite containing 20 wt% Si with the high tap density of 2.8 g/cm³ obtained after ball-milling for 11 h exhibits an initial and maximum reversible (charge) capacity of 370 and 385 mAh/g. The high capacity retention can be achieved after 50 cycles in the potential range from 0.02 to 1.5 V.     

Au@Y2O3:Eu3+ rare earth oxide hollow sub-microspheres with encapsulated gold nanoparticles and their optical properties

A facile method to synthesize novel Au@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ hollow sub-microspheres encapsulated with moveable gold nanoparticle core and Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ as shell via two-step coating processes and a succeeding calcination process has been developed. Silica coating on citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles with a size of 25 nm can be obtained through a slightly modified Stöber process. Gold particles coated with double shell silica and Eu doped Y(OH)₃ can be obtained by coating on the Au@SiO₂ spheres through simply adding Y(NO₃)₃, Eu(NO₃)₃ and an appropriate quantity of NH₃·H₂O. Au@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ hollow sub-microspheres with moveable individual Au nanoparticle as core can be obtained after calcination of Au@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ particles at 600 °C for 2 h. These new core–shell structures with encapsulated gold nanoparticles have combined optical properties of both the Au nanoparticles and the Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ phosphor materials which might have potential applications.     

VO2 nano-sheet negative electrodes for lithium-ion batteries

Vanadium dioxide (VO₂) nano-sheets were directly synthesized via a continuous hydrothermal process and were investigated as electrodes in a wide potential range of 0.05–3 V vs. Li/Li⁺. The nano-sheets showed excellent capacity retention, with a specific capacity of 350 mAh g^− 1 at an applied current of 0.1 A g^− 1 and 95 mAh g^− 1 at 10 A g^− 1. Further electrochemical testing suggested that a significant proportion of the charge storage in the cells was due to pseudocapacitive processes.     

Nano-LiCoO2 as cathode material of large capacity and high rate capability for aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries

Crystalline nanoparticles of LiCoO₂ are prepared by a sol–gel method at 550 °C and characterized by X-ray diffraction. Their electrochemical behaviors were characterized by cyclic voltammograms, capacity measurement and cycling performance. Results show that the reversible capacity of the nano-LiCoO₂ can be up to 143 mAh/g at 1000 mA/g and still be 133 mAh/g at 10,000 mA/g (about 70C) in 0.5 mol/l Li₂SO₄ aqueous electrolyte. In addition, their cycling behavior is also very satisfactory, no evident capacity fading during the initial 40 cycles. These data present great promise for the application of aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries.     

High-capacity LiV3O8 thin-film cathode with a mixed amorphous–nanocrystalline microstructure prepared by RF magnetron sputtering

LiV₃O₈ thin films with a mixed amorphous–nanocrystalline microstructure were deposited on stainless steel substrates using radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering for the first time. The films exhibited good performance as a cathode material for lithium ion batteries. Results indicate that the film electrodes had a smooth surface and consisted mainly of an amorphous structure containing nanocrystalline zones dispersed within it. Depending on its microstructure, the films delivered an initial discharge capacity as high as 382 mAh/g and exhibited good capacity retention, with discharge capacity of 301 mAh/g after 100 cycles representing a loss rate of 0.21% per cycle.     

Enhancing the rate capability of high capacity xLi2MnO3 · (1 − x)LiMO2 (M = Mn,Ni, Co) electrodes by Li–Ni–PO4 treatment

The rate capability of high capacity xLi₂MnO₃ · (1 ? x)LiMO₂ (M = Mn, Ni, Co) electrodes for lithium-ion batteries has been significantly enhanced by stabilizing the electrode surface by reaction with a Li–Ni–PO₄ solution, followed by a heat-treatment step. Reversible capacities of 250 mAh/g at a C/11 rate, 225 mAh/g at C/2 and 200 mAh/g at C/1 have been obtained from 0.5Li₂MnO₃ · 0.5LiNi_0.44Co_0.25Mn_0.31O₂ electrodes between 4.6 and 2.0 V. The data bode well for their implementation in batteries that meet the 40-mile range requirement for plug-in hybrid vehicles.     

New approaches to improve cycle life characteristics of lithium–sulfur cells

Two different approaches were tried for an improvement of the cycle performance of Li–S cells: (1) A mixed polymer binder system of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and polyethyleneimine (PEI) was developed to maintain the initial morphology of the carbon electrodes, the positive electrode of the Li–S cells, during charge–discharge cycles; (2) a tetrabutylammonium (TBA)-based mixed salt system was applied to an organic liquid electrolyte of the Li–S cells to change certain chemical reactions of polysulfides in the electrolyte solutions. The Li–S cells with PEI showed a significant improvement in cycle performance as well as in discharge capacity, compared with the Li–S cells using PVP only. The discharge capacity at the 50th cycle was found to be ∼580 mAh/g-sulfur, 83% of an initial capacity (∼720 mAh/g-sulfur), at a high current density of 2.0 mA cm⁻². It was observed that the Li–S cells with a mixed electrolyte of 0.5 M LiCF₃SO₃/0.5 M TBAPF₆ did not show a distinct improvement in the aspect of discharge capacity. The Li–S cells, however, showed a significant enhancement in the cycle life characteristics much better than that of Li–S cells with 1.0 M LiCF₃SO₃.     

Designing high-capacity cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries

Na-rich layered oxides as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries were designed using an electrochemical method based on Li-rich layered oxides. The materials show high specific capacity that can reach 234 mAh/g at a current of 5 mA/g. The energy density of this material (644 Wh/kg) is even higher than those of commercial cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, such as LiFePO₄ and LiMn₂O₄. Kinetic analysis of Na⁺ insertion/extraction into/from the Na-rich layered oxide reveals that the Na⁺ diffusion coefficient is about 10^− 14 cm²/s.     

Structure and electrochemical hydrogen storage behaviors of alloy Co2B

The alloys Co₂B were prepared by two ways of high temperature solid phase process and arc melting, the structure of the alloys was characterized by XRD and SEM. It showed that it was structure of tetragonal Co₂B.The electrochemical experimental results demonstrated that the Co₂B prepared by two means both showed excellent cycling stability. The initial discharge capacity of Co₂B prepared by the high temperature solid phase process was 480.3 mA h g⁻¹, there was no distinct declination after 70 charge–discharge cycles and the capacity kept about 195 mA h g⁻¹. Co₂B prepared by the high temperature solid phase process showed very good electrochemical reversibility in CV curves. The hydrogen storage mechanism was also discussed, it confirmed that the high initial capacity of Co₂B prepared by the high temperature solid phase process was due to the oxidation of Co and B₂O₃, and it was irreversible.     

A novel anode material of antimony nitride for rechargeable lithium batteries

Antimony nitride thin film has been successfully fabricated by magnetron sputtering method and its electrochemistry with lithium was investigated for the first time. The reversible discharge capacity of Sb₃N/Li cells cycled between 0.3 V and 3.0 V was found above 600 mAh/g. By using transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction measurements, the conversion reaction of Sb₃N into Li₃Sb and Li₃N was revealed during the lithium electrochemical reaction of Sb₃N thin film electrode. The high reversible capacity and the good cycleability made Sb₃N one of promising anode materials for future rechargeable lithium batteries.     

Iron (III) nanocomposites for enzyme-less biomimetic cathode: A promising material for use in biofuel cells

In this paper, we discuss the synthesis and electrochemical properties of a new material based on iron oxide nanoparticles stabilized with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDAC); this material can be used as a biomimetic cathode material for the reduction of H₂O₂ in biofuel cells. A metastable phase of iron oxide and iron hydroxide nanoparticles (PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs) was synthesized through a single procedure. On the basis of the Stokes–Einstein equation, colloidal particles (diameter: 20 nm) diffused at a considerably slow rate (D = 0.9 × 10^? 11 m s^? 1) as compared to conventional molecular redox systems. The quasi-reversible electrochemical process was attributed to the oxidation and reduction of Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺ from PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs; in a manner similar to redox enzymes, it acted as a pseudo-prosthetic group. Further, PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs was observed to have high electrocatalytic activity for H₂O₂ reduction along with a significant overpotential shift, ΔE = 0.68 V from ? 0.29 to 0.39 V, in the presence and absence of PDAC–FeOOH/Fe₂O₃-NPs. The abovementioned iron oxide nanoparticles are very promising as candidates for further research on biomimetic biofuel cells, suggesting two applications: the preparation of modified electrodes for direct use as cathodes and use as a supporting electrolyte together with H₂O₂.     

A layered δ-MnO2 nanoflake cathode with high zinc-storage capacities for eco-friendly battery applications

This study reports the use of a layered-type birnessite δ-MnO₂ nano-flake cathode for eco-friendly zinc-ion battery (ZIB) applications. The present δ-MnO₂ was prepared via the simple low temperature thermal decomposition of KMnO₄. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of the samples was well indexed to the δ-MnO₂ phase. Field emission SEM and TEM images of the δ-MnO₂ revealed flake-like morphologies with an average diameter of 200 nm. The electrochemical properties, investigated by cyclic voltammetry and constant current charge-discharge measurements, revealed that the nano-flake cathode exhibited first discharge capacity of 122 mAh g^− 1 under a high current density of 83 mA g^− 1 versus zinc. The discharge capacity thereafter increased until it reached 252 mAh g^− 1 in the fourth cycle. On the hundredth cycle, the electrode registered a discharge capacity of 112 mAh g^− 1. Coulombic efficiencies of nearly 100% were maintained on prolonged cycling and thereby indicate the long cycle stability of the δ-MnO₂. Besides, the realization of specific capacities of 92 and 30 mAh/g at high current densities of 666 and 1333 mA g⁻¹, respectively, clearly demonstrates the decent rate capabilities of δ-MnO₂ nano-flake cathode. These results may facilitate the utilization of layered-type birnessite δ-MnO₂ in ZIB applications.     

Anomalous capacity and cycling stability of xLi2MnO3 · (1 − x)LiMO2 electrodes (M = Mn,Ni, Co) in lithium batteries at 50 °C

Transition metal oxides with composite xLi₂MnO₃ ·  (1 − x)LiMO₂ rocksalt structures (M = Mn, Ni, Co) are of interest as a new generation of cathode materials for high energy density lithium-ion batteries. After electrochemical activation to 4.6 or 4.8 V (vs. Li⁰) at 50 °C, xLi₂MnO₃ · (1 − x)LiMn_0.33Ni_0.33Co_0.33O₂ (x = 0.5, 0.7) electrodes deliver initial discharge capacities (>300 mAh/g) at a low current rate (0.05 mA/cm²) that exceed the theoretical values for lithiation back to the rocksalt stoichiometry (240–260 mAh/g), at least during the early charge/discharge cycles of the cells. Attention is drawn to previous reports of similar, but unaccounted and unexplained anomalous behavior of these types of electrode materials. Possible reasons for this anomalous capacity are suggested. Indications are that electrodes in which M = Mn, Ni and Co do not cycle with the same stability at 50 °C as those without cobalt.     

Electrochemical reduction of nano-SiO2 in hard carbon as anode material for lithium ion batteries

A composite of silica (SiO₂) and hard carbon was prepared by hydrothermal reaction. Special attention was paid to the characterization of the possible electrochemical reduction of nano-SiO₂ in the composite. Evidence by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and high lithium storage capacity of the composite prove the electrochemical reduction of nano-SiO₂ and the formation of Li₄SiO₄ and Li₂O as well as Si in the first-discharge. The reversible lithium storage capacity of the nano-SiO₂ is as high as 1675 mAh/g.