Effects of particle size on the electrochemical performances of a layered double hydroxide, [Ni<Subscript>4</Subscript>Al(OH)<Subscript>10</Subscript>]NO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

In this paper, the electrochemical performances of a layered double hydroxide, [Ni₄Al(OH)₁₀]NO₃, of different particle sizes are studied. The results show that the particle size of the sample has evident effects on its discharge capacity at high current density, although a larger capacity may be observed for the bigger particles when they are discharged at lower current densities, e.g. 0.2 A g⁻¹. However, the capacity decreases more quickly than that of the sample in smaller particle size when the current density increases. For example, the discharge capacity of the smallest particle remains as high as 180 mAh·g⁻¹ even at very high current density, e.g. 4.0 A g⁻¹. The results also show that long time soaked electrodes in 7 mol l⁻¹ KOH have improved performance, especially for the hydrothermal samples. It also seems that there is an optimal size for materials, which can maintain their performance for longer time.     

Carbon coated Na3V2(PO4)3 as novel electrode material for sodium ion batteries

A Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ sample coated uniformly with a layer of 6 nm carbon has been successfully synthesized by a one-step solid state reaction. This material shows two flat voltage plateaus at 3.4 V vs. Na⁺/Na and 1.63 V vs. Na⁺/Na in a nonaqueous sodium cell. When the Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C sample is tested as a cathode in a voltage range of 2.7-3.8 V vs. Na⁺/Na, its initial charge and discharge capacities are 98.6 and 93 mAh/g. The capacity retention of 99% can be achieved after 10 cycles. The electrode shows good cycle performance and moderate rate performance. When it is tested as an anode in a voltage range of 1.0-3.0 V vs. Na⁺/Na, the initial reversible capacity is 66.3 mAh/g and the capacity of 59 mAh/g can be maintained after 50 cycles. These preliminary results indicate that Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C is a new promising material for sodium ion batteries.     

球磨辅助高温固相法制备Li1.0Na0.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mn0.54O2正极材料及其性能

以乙酸盐(乙酸锂、乙酸钠、乙酸钴、乙酸镍、乙酸锰等)为原材料,采用球磨辅助高温固相法制备Li_(1.0)Na_(0.2)Ni_(0.13)Co_(0.13)Mn_(0.54)O_2正极材料。借助XRD、SEM等表征材料的结构和形貌,利用循环伏安、恒流充放电、交流阻抗等方法研究材料的电化学性能。结果表明,钠的掺杂导致颗粒表面光滑度降低,形成Na_(0.77)Mn O_(2.05)新相。0.05C活化过程中,掺钠样品和未掺钠样品首次放电比容量分别为258.4 m Ah·g~(-1)和215.8 m Ah·g~(-1),库伦效率分别为75.2%和72.8%;2C放电比容量分别为116.3 m Ah·g~(-1)和106.2 m Ah·g~(-1)。研究发现,掺钠可减小首次充放电过程的不可逆容量,提高容量保持率;改善倍率性能与容量恢复特性;降低SEI膜阻抗和电荷转移阻抗;掺钠后样品首次循环就可以基本完成Li_2Mn O_3组分向稳定结构的转化,而未掺杂的样品需要两次循环才能逐步完成该过程;XPS结果表明,掺钠样品中Ni~(2+)、Co~(3+)、Mn~(4+)所占比例明显提高,改善了样品的稳定性和电化学性能;循环200次后的XRD结果表明掺钠与未掺钠材料在脱嵌锂反应中的相变化过程基本一致,良好有序的层状结构遭到破坏是循环过程中容量衰减的主要原因。     

Preparation of spherical spinel LiMn2O4 cathode material for lithium ion batteries

A novel process is proposed for synthesis of spinel LiMn₂O₄ with spherical particles from the inexpensive materials MnSO₄, NH₄HCO₃, and NH₃H₂O. The successful preparation started with carefully controlled crystallization of MnCO₃, leading to particles of spherical shape and high tap density. Thermal decomposition of MnCO₃ was investigated by both DTA and TG analysis and XRD analysis of products. A precursor of product, spherical Mn₂O₃, was then obtained by heating MnCO₃. A mixture of Mn₂O₃ and Li₂CO₃ was then sintered to produce LiMn₂O₄ with retention of spherical particle shape. It was found that if lithium was in stoichiometric excess of 5% in the calcination of spinel LiMn₂O₄, the product had the largest initial specific capacity. In this way spherical particles of spinel LiMn₂O₄ were of excellent fluidity and dispersivity, and had a tap density as high as 1.9 g cm^–3 and an initial discharge capacity reaching 125 mAh g^–1. When surface-doped with cobalt in a 0.01 Co/Mn mole ratio, although the initial discharge capacity decreased to 118 mAh g^–1, the 100th cycle capacity retention reached 92.4% at 25°C. Even at 55°C the initial discharge capacity reached 113 mAh g^–1 and the 50th cycle capacity retention was in excess of 83.8%.     

前驱体Ni(OH)2对LiCo0.3Ni0.7O2正极材料的影响研究

研究了两种不同前驱体Ni(OH)₂对LiCo_0.3Ni_0.7O₂锂离子电池正极材料的结构与电化学性能的影响，并用XRD、SEM及电性能测试考察了材料的结构、形貌与电化学性能。结果表明，前驱体Ni(OH)₂的形貌、结晶形态对LiCo_0.3Ni_0.7O₂正极材料的性能有极大的影响。与目前镍酸锂合成需高密度球形镍前驱体Ni(OH)₂认识不同，本文发现呈枝晶网络状结构、表面蓬松、比表面积高和振实密度低的前驱体Ni(OH)₂具有较高的化学活性，可有效抑制产物LiCo_0.3Ni_0.7O₂正极材料中阳离子混排产物的生成。由其制备的目标正极材料LiCo_0.3Ni_0.7O₂显示出较优的电化学性能，首次放电容量为175 mAh·g^-1，首次放电效率为93.9%，40次循环容量保持率为94.8%，显示较好的循环稳定性。     

锂离子电池片状四氧化三钴负极的合成及改性

采用液相沉淀法结合低温固相热解法合成了锂离子电池片状Co3O4负极.通过X射线粉体衍射(XRD)、Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET)比表面积分析、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)及恒电流充放电等表征手段,发现该Co3O4为立方相,结晶完整且无杂质,由直径为1.5-3.0μm、厚度约为100-300 nm的不规则片状颗粒组成,比表面积约为30.5 m2·g-1;其比容量高且容量保持率好,在0.1C倍率下,首次放电容量高达1444.5 mAh·g-1,50次循环后充电容量仍大于1100.0 mAh·g-1;但在高倍率(1C)下,50次循环后充电容量保持率仅为75.3%,倍率性能一般.故采用碳纳米管(CNTs)掺杂改性,结果表明:在1C倍率下,70次循环后复合材料充电容量保持率为96.3%;在2C倍率下,50次循环后充电容量保持率仍高达97.0%,倍率性能显著提升.     

Synthesis of magnetic nickel spinel ferrite nanospheres by a reverse emulsion-assisted hydrothermal process

Nickel ferrite nanospheres were successfully synthesized by a reverse emulsion-assisted hydrothermal method. The reverse emulsion was composed of water, cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide, polyoxyethylene(10)nonyl phenyl ether, iso-amyl alcohol and hexane. During the hydrothermal process, β-FeO(OH) and Ni_0.75Fe_0.25(CO₃)_0.125(OH)₂·0.38H₂O (INCHH) nanorods formed first and then transformed into nickel spinel ferrite nanospheres. The phase transformation mechanism is proposed based on the results of X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, etc. Nickel ferrite may form at the end of the INCHH nanorods or from the solution accompanied by the dissolution of β-FeO(OH) and INCHH nanorods. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis shows that a few Fe³⁺ ions have been reduced to Fe²⁺ ions during the formation of nickel ferrite. The maximum magnetization of the nickel ferrite nanospheres obtained after hydrothermal reaction for 30 h is 55.01 emu/g, which is close to that of bulk NiFe₂O₄.     

Preparation of magnetic CoFe2O4-functionalized graphene sheets via a facile hydrothermal method and their adsorption properties

Magnetic CoFe₂O₄-functionalized graphene sheets (CoFe₂O₄-FGS) nanocomposites have been synthesized by hydrothermal treatment of inorganic salts and thermal exfoliated graphene sheets. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations show that cobalt ferrite nanoparticles with sizes of 10-40 nm are well dispersed on graphene sheets. OH⁻ was recognized as a tie to integrate the inorganic salts with the graphene sheets, which made reaction started and developed on the surface of graphene sheets and formed cobalt ferrite nanoparticles on graphene sheets. The adsorption kinetics investigation revealed that the adsorption of methyl orange from aqueous solution over the as-prepared CoFe₂O₄-FGS nanocomposites followed pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the adsorption capacity was examined as high as 71.54 mg g⁻¹. The combination of the superior adsorption of FGS and the magnetic properties of CoFe₂O₄ nanoparticles can be used as a powerful separation tool to deal with water pollution.     

Development of mesoporous TiO2 microspheres with high specific surface area for selective enrichment of phosphopeptides by mass spectrometric analysis

In this study, mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres were synthesized by simple hydrothermal reaction, and successfully developed for phosphopeptides enrichment from both standard protein digestion and real biological sample such as rat brain tissue extract. The mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres (the diameter size of about 1.0 μm) obtained by simple hydrothermal method were found to have a specific surface area of 84.98 m²/g, which is much larger than smooth TiO₂ microspheres with same size. The surface area of mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres is almost two times of commercial TiO₂ nanoparticle (a diameter of 90 nm). Using standard proteins digestion and real biological samples, the superior selectivity and capacity of mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres for the enrichment of phosphorylated peptides than that of commercial TiO₂ nanoparticles and TiO₂ microspheres was also observed. It has been demonstrated that mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres have powerful potential for selective enrichment of phosphorylated peptides. Moreover, the preparation of the mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres obtained by the hydrothermal reaction is easy, simple and low-cost. These mesoporous TiO₂ microspheres with the ability of large scale synthesis can widely be applied for phosphorylated proteomic research.     

Controlled synthesis and luminescent properties of Eu(Eu), Dy-doped Sr3Al2O6 phosphors by hydrothermal treatment and postannealing approach

In this work, Sr₃Al₂O₆: Eu²⁺ (Eu³⁺), Dy³⁺ phosphors have been prepared by hydrothermal treatment and subsequently postannealing approach, using Sr(NO₃)₂, Al(NO₃)₃·9H₂O, and CO(NH₂)₂ as starting materials. The as-obtained phosphors were characterized by means of XRPD, FESEM, and PL techniques. In addition, many reaction parameters were studied in detail, including the initial mole ratios, hydrothermal reaction temperature, calcination temperature and calcination atmosphere. Remarkably, two scientific merits exist herein: Sr₃Al₂O₆: Eu²⁺ (Eu³⁺), Dy³⁺ phosphors can be selectively obtained in a reducing atmosphere (H₂/Ar, 20%+80%) and in air, respectively; adding certain amount of sodium citrate can alter the shape and size of Sr₃Al₂O₆: Eu²⁺ (Eu³⁺), Dy³⁺ phosphors in essence. Besides, the luminescent properties of Sr₃Al₂O₆: Eu²⁺ (Eu³⁺), Dy³⁺ phosphors were studied by excitation spectra, emission spectra and decay curves.     

松针状NiCo2O4@碳布复合材料在锂硫电池中的应用

以碳布（CC）作为柔性基底,采用水热法在其表面原位生长松针状网络结构NiCo₂O₄,制得NiCo₂O₄@CC复合材料,并应用于锂硫电池。NiCo₂O₄在碳纤维表面竖直生长形成三维纳米针簇网络,为硫的存储提供更多的空间,有效缓解硫电极的体积膨胀。通过吸附实验,证明了NiCo₂O₄@CC能有效吸附多硫化物,从而抑制多硫化物的穿梭效应。与CC/S相比（933 mAh·g^-1）,NiCo₂O₄@CC/S复合材料用于锂硫电池具有更优异的电池性能,在0.1C下初始放电比容量高达1 467 mAh·g^-1,在0.2C下初始放电比容量为1 098 mAh·g^-1,经200次循环后,放电比容量仍然保持在879 mAh·g^-1,平均每圈衰减率为0.09%,表现出良好的循环性能。     

Sulfur Nanoparticle-Decorated Nickel Cobalt Sulfide Hetero-Nanostructures with Enhanced Energy Storage for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Transition-metal sulfides exaggerate higher theoretical capacities and were considered a type of prospective nanomaterials for energy storage; their inherent weaker conductivities and lower electrochemical active sites limited the commercial applications of the electrodes. The sheet-like nickel cobalt sulfide nanoparticles with richer sulfur vacancies were fabricated by a two-step hydrothermal technique. The sheet-like nanoparticles self-combination by ultrathin nanoparticles brought active electrodes entirely contacted with the electrolytes, benefiting ion diffusion and charges/discharges. Nevertheless, defect engineers of sulfur vacancy at the atomic level raise the intrinsic conductivities and improve the active sites for energy storage functions. As a result, the gained sulfur-deficient NiCo₂S₄ nanosheets consist of good specific capacitances of 971 F g⁻¹ at 2 A g⁻¹ and an excellent cycle span, retaining 88.7% of the initial capacitance over 3500 cyclings. Moreover, the values of capacitance results exhibited that the fulfilling characteristic of the sample was a combination of the hydrothermal procedure and the surface capacitances behavior. This novel investigation proposes a new perspective to importantly improve the electrochemical performances of the electrode by the absolute engineering of defects and morphologies in the supercapacitor field.     

长循环寿命结晶@非结晶金属硫化物复合电极材料的制备及其混合电容器性能

通过乙二醇诱导策略成功地设计和构建了结晶@非结晶NiCo₂S₄@MoS₂(v-NCS@MS)纳米结构,利用非结晶MoS₂壳层的柔性保护和带缺陷的内部核 NiCo₂S₄的高比容量,使 v-NCS@MS电极具有高比容量(1 A·g^-1时 1 034 mAh·g^-1)和出色的倍率性能。此外,以v-NCS@MS为正极、活性炭(AC)为负极组装的混合超级电容器在219 W·kg^-1的比功率下可获得111 Wh·kg^-1的高比能量,在不同电流密度下循环15 000次后容量保持率高达80.5%。     

球磨辅助高温固相法制备Li1.0Na0.2Ni0.13Co0.13Mn0.54O2正极材料及其性能

以乙酸盐(乙酸锂、乙酸钠、乙酸钴、乙酸镍、乙酸锰等)为原材料,采用球磨辅助高温固相法制备Li_1.0Na_0.2Ni_0.13Co_0.13Mn_0.54O₂正极材料。借助XRD、SEM等表征材料的结构和形貌,利用循环伏安、恒流充放电、交流阻抗等方法研究材料的电化学性能。结果表明,钠的掺杂导致颗粒表面光滑度降低,形成Na_0.77MnO_2.05新相。0.05C活化过程中,掺钠样品和未掺钠样品首次放电比容量分别为258.4 mAh·g^-1和215.8 mAh·g^-1,库伦效率分别为75.2%和72.8%;2C放电比容量分别为116.3 mAh·g^-1和106.2 mAh·g^-1。研究发现,掺钠可减小首次充放电过程的不可逆容量,提高容量保持率;改善倍率性能与容量恢复特性;降低SEI膜阻抗和电荷转移阻抗;掺钠后样品首次循环就可以基本完成Li₂MnO₃组分向稳定结构的转化,而未掺杂的样品需要两次循环才能逐步完成该过程;XPS结果表明,掺钠样品中Ni²⁺、Co³⁺、Mn⁴⁺所占比例明显提高,改善了样品的稳定性和电化学性能;循环200次后的XRD结果表明掺钠与未掺钠材料在脱嵌锂反应中的相变化过程基本一致,良好有序的层状结构遭到破坏是循环过程中容量衰减的主要原因。     

镁二次电池正极材料纳米Fe3S4的电化学性能

首次将尖晶石相的纳米Fe₃S₄材料用作镁二次电池的正极材料。采用水热法一步合成了具有纳米结构的Fe₃S₄材料, 并采用XRD、SEM测试手段对产物的物相、形貌进行了表征。实验结果表明, 在160 ℃能够合成纯相的Fe₃S₄材料, 该材料具有银耳状纳米结构。电化学测试结果显示, 水热法合成的纳米Fe₃S₄材料能够在镁二次电池体系中进行有效的可逆充放电, 放电平台电压为0.9 V, 首次放电容量高达267 mAh·g^-1, 50次循环后衰减至110 mAh·g^-1。电化学交流阻抗测试结果表明镁离子能够在Fe₃S₄晶格中扩散。     

Single-Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of Biochar from H3PO4-Activated Lettuce Waste for Efficient Adsorption of Cd(II) in Aqueous Solution

Developing an ideal and cheap adsorbent for adsorbing heavy metals from aqueous solution has been urgently need. In this study, a novel, effective and low-cost method was developed to prepare the biochar from lettuce waste with H₃PO₄ as an acidic activation agent at a low-temperature (circa 200 °C) hydrothermal carbonization process. A batch adsorption experiment demonstrated that the biochar reaches the adsorption equilibrium within 30 min, and the optimal adsorption capacity of Cd(II) is 195.8 mg∙g⁻¹ at solution pH 6.0, which is significantly improved from circa 20.5 mg∙g⁻¹ of the original biochar without activator. The fitting results of the prepared biochar adsorption data conform to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model (PSO) and the Sips isotherm model, and the Cd(II) adsorption is a spontaneous and exothermic process. The hypothetical adsorption mechanism is mainly composed of ion exchange, electrostatic attraction, and surface complexation. This work offers a novel and low-temperature strategy to produce cheap and promising carbon-based adsorbents from organic vegetation wastes for removing heavy metals in aquatic environment efficiently.     

Electrochemical properties of LiFePO4/C synthesized using polypyrrole as carbon source

LiFePO₄/C composites were synthesized by pyrolysis of LiFePO₄/polypyrrole (PPy), which was obtained by an in situ chemical polymerization involving pyrrole monomer and hydrothermal synthesis LiFePO₄. All samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and galvanostatic charge–discharge techniques. The results showed the LiFePO₄/C sintered at 800 °C containing 2.8 wt.% carbon exhibited a higher discharge capacity of 49.6 mAh·g⁻¹ at 0.1 C, and bare LiFePO₄ only delivered 11.6 mAh·g⁻¹ in 2 M LiNO₃ aqueous electrolyte. The possible reason for the improvement of electrochemical performance was discussed and could be attributed to the formation of aromatic compounds during the carbonization of PPy.     

Low-temperature heat capacity and standard enthalpy of formation of neodymium glycine perchlorate complex [Nd2(Gly)6(H2O)4](ClO4)6·5H2O

Rare-earth perchlorate complex coordinated with glycine [Nd₂(Gly)₆(H₂O)₄](ClO₄)₆·5H₂O was synthesized and its structure was characterized by using thermogravimetric analysis (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), chemical analysis and elementary analysis. Its purity was 99.90%. Heat capacity measurement was carried out with a high-precision fully-automatic adiabatic calorimeter over the temperature range from 78 to 369 K. A solid-solid phase transformation peak was observed at 256.97 K, with the enthalpy and entropy of the phase transformation process are 4.438 kJ mol⁻¹ and 17.270 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, respectively. There is a big dehydrated peak appears at 330 K, its decomposition temperature, decomposition enthalpy and entropy are 320.606 K, 41.364 kJ mol⁻¹ and 129.018 J K⁻¹ mol⁻¹, respectively. The polynomial equations of heat capacity of this compound in different temperature ranges have been fitted. The standard enthalpy of formation was determined to be −8023.002 kJ mol⁻¹ with isoperibol reaction calorimeter at 298.15 K.     

高振实密度圆饼状LiFePO4/C的制备及电化学性能

以乙二醇为溶剂,采用溶剂热法一步合成圆饼状LiFePO₄,然后以葡萄糖为碳源与合成的LiFePO₄前躯体高温烧结得到碳包覆的LiFePO₄/C复合材料,其振实密度高达1.3 g·cm^-3。采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)对LiFePO₄/C复合材料进行了物相和形貌表征,研究结果表明制备得到的LiFePO₄呈圆饼状,且生成的圆饼是由单晶LiFePO₄纳米片堆积而成。此外,LiFePO₄颗粒表面碳层包覆均匀。将制备的LiFePO₄/C用作锂离子电池正极材料,电化学性能测试表明其具有高的充放电比容量(在0.1C时放电,其初始放电比容量为157.7 mAh·g^-1)与良好的循环性能(500次循环后容量保持率为82.4%)。     

Comparative study of LiMn2O4 thin film cathode grown at high, medium and low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition

LiMn₂O₄ thin films with different crystallizations were respectively grown at high, medium and low temperatures by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Structures, morphologies and electrochemical properties of these three types of thin films were comparatively studied. Films grown at high temperature (?873 K) possessed flat and smooth surfaces and were highly crystallized with different textures and crystal sizes depending on the deposition pressure of oxygen. However, films deposited at low temperature (473 K) had rough surfaces with amorphous characteristics. At medium temperature (673 K), the film was found to consist mainly of nano-crystals less than 100 nm with relatively loose and rough surfaces, but very dense as observed from the cross-section. The film deposited at 873 K and 100 mTorr of oxygen showed an initial discharge capacity of 54.3 μAh/cm² μm and decayed at 0.28% per cycle, while the amorphous film had an initial discharge capacity of 20.2 μAh/cm² μm and a loss rate of 0.29% per cycle. Compared with the highly crystallized and the amorphous films, nano-crystalline film exhibited higher potential, more capacity and much better cycling stability. As high as 61 μAh/cm² μm of discharge capacity can be achieved with an average decaying rate of only 0.032% per cycle up to 500 cycles. The excellent performance of nano-crystalline film was correlated to its microstructures in the present study.