Enhancing Energy Conversion Efficiency and Durability of Alkaline Nickel-Zinc Batteries with Air-Breathing Cathode

Despite their high output voltage and safety advantages, rechargeable alkaline nickel-zinc batteries face significant challenges associated with the cathodic side reaction of oxygen evolution, which results in low energy efficiency (EE) and poor stability. Herein, we propose to leverage the side oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in nickel-zinc batteries by coupling electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reactions (ORR) in the cathode, thus constructing an air breathing cathode. Such a novel battery (Ni-ZnAB), designed in a pouch-type cell with a lean electrolyte, exhibits an outstanding EE of 85 % and a long cycle life of 100 cycles at 2 mA cm⁻², which are significantly superior to those of traditional Ni-Zn batteries (54 %, 50 cycles). Compared to Ni-Zn, the enhanced EE of Ni-ZnAB is attributed to the contribution from ORR, while the improved cycling stability is because the stability of the anode, cathode and electrolyte are also enhanced in Ni-ZnAB. Furthermore, an ultrahigh stability of 500 cycles with an average EE of 84 % at 2 mA cm⁻² was achieved using a mold cell with rich electrolyte, demonstrating the strong application potential of Ni-ZnAB.     

制备工艺条件对SO42-/TiO2-Al2O3-Al固体酸催化剂性能影响

采用铝阳极氧化法制备了Al2O3-Al-体型多孔氧化铝载体,再采用电沉积技术将TiO2沉积到氧化铝多孔的纳米孔道内,制备了催化精馏专用SO42-/TiO2-Al2O3-Al型固体酸催化剂,并以乙酸乙酯合成为模型反应,考察了水封条件,电沉积电压、电沉积时间等制备工艺条件对催化剂活性的影响.实验结果表明,适宜的制备条件为水封温度为50℃,水封时间为1 h,电沉积电压为6V,电沉积时间为30 min,在此制备条件下,醋酸转化率为31.34%.采用扫描电镜(SEM),X射线衍射分析(XRD)手段对所制备催化剂进行了表征.结果表明:阳极氧化铝膜的结构为无定型结构,TiO2在载体上呈高度分散状态.     

新型Ni(OH)2.05电极材料的电化学性能研究

采用化学氧化法制备了碱性二次电池用正极材料Ni(OH)2.05, 考察了其作为镍氢电池正极活性材料的电化学性能. 结果表明: 以氧化处理过的样品为正极材料组装成镍氢模拟电池在0.2 C倍率下放电容量为281 mAh•g－1; 1 C充放电条件下, 270次循环后容量保持98% 以上. 交流阻抗分析和循环伏安测试表明, 经过氧化修饰的镍电极具有更小的电荷传递电阻、更快的质子扩散速度; ΔEa,c小于未处理样品70 mV, 电化学可逆性优于未处理样品; 对不同放电截止电压下的充放电测试发现: 放电截止电压进一步降低后, 相对于未处理过的样品, 氧化处理后样品无明显的二次放电平台, 第一放电平台末的容量与未处理样品二次放电平台末容量相当, 从而有效地抑制了二次放电平台现象.     

二氧化碳膨胀乙醇体系中碳基金属复合物的合成及其催化和电化学性能(英文)

与块体材料相比,功能复合材料表现了更加优异的性能,而且比其中任何单一组分的性能都好,因此在催化、锂离子电池等领域得以广泛研究.通常情况下,在复合材料的制备中金属或金属氧化物粒子要求能够以足够小的粒径在基底上均匀分散,并实现活性组分负载量的可控.据报道,很多方法可以将金属(或氧化物)活性组分引入到载体之中,比如水热/溶剂热、水解、热分解、化学气相沉积等,但这些方法均存在如下缺点.第一,为了获得满意的负载量和可控包覆,碳基底需要预氧化处理使其表面含有丰富的含氧官能团.例如,由于碳纳米管自身的相容性和加工性较差,需要硝酸预氧化处理;石墨烯也需要预处理为石墨烯氧化物然后再进行第二组分的负载.但是,剧烈的氧化处理条件不可避免地造成对碳sp~2结构和电子特性的破坏,并且增加了繁杂的后续处理过程.第二,金属组分前驱体在基底上负载不完全,易形成自由粒子聚集在溶液中,从而降低活性组分的有效利用.第三,传统方法中由于使用水、乙醇等表面张力大的极性溶剂,导致粒子结晶再生长,形成的颗粒尺寸大,对催化剂会降低活性表面积及催化效率;对于电池材料会增加电极/电解液的接触面积,增加锂离子的扩散距离及电池充电过程的内部应力.而且,有机溶剂由于粘度大,不利于金属纳米粒子在基底上的均匀分散及合成过程的绿色化.因此,我们利用资源丰富,廉价的二氧化碳作为绿色溶剂,研究了二氧化碳膨胀的乙醇体系中金属(氧化物)纳米粒子在碳基底上均匀负载的方法.由于超临界二氧化碳具有独特的低粘度、"零"表面张力、高扩散能力、以及物性参数随温度和压力可调等特点,可以使金属(氧化物)前驱体不受液体毛细作用的限制在孔道中快速、均一地分散,保证孔结构稳定,对多孔复合材料的加工和制备表现了巨大的优势.同时,超临界二氧化碳的抗溶剂能力也能够有效降低乙醇和水引起的溶剂效应,从而降低纳米粒子之间的聚集.此外,通过改变前驱体的浓度可以精确调控表面组分的负载量.更重要的是,碳基底可以直接利用制备碳基复合材料,无需任何预处理及表面活性剂参与,避免了前处理对基底的形貌和电子特性的破坏.本综述首先介绍了超临界二氧化碳膨胀乙醇体系的属性,讨论了碳基复合材料在该体系中的形成机理.然后分别介绍了零维碳球、一维碳纳米管、二维石墨烯、三维多孔碳材料作为基底形成的一系列金属(氧化物)复合材料,及这些材料在催化和锂离子电池领域中的应用.最后,对超临界二氧化碳沉积方法的应用进行了总结和展望.     

双功能型嵌入镍纳米颗粒的碳棱柱状微米棒电极用于电化学甲醇氧化助力的节能产氢

With the rapid development of human society, clean energy forms are imperative to sustain the normal operations of various mechanical and electrical facilities under a cozy environment. Hydrogen is considered among the most promising clean energy sources for the future. Recently, electrochemical water splitting has been considered as one of the most efficient approaches to harvest hydrogen energy, which generates only non-pollutant water on combustion. However, the sluggish anodic oxygen evolution reaction significantly restricts the efficiency of water splitting and requires a relatively high cell voltage to drive the electrolysis. Therefore, seeking a thermodynamically favorable anodic reaction to replace the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction by utilizing highly active bifunctional electrocatalysts for the anodic reaction and hydrogen evolution are crucial for achieving energy-efficient hydrogen production for industrial applications. Nevertheless, it is known that the oxygen evolution reaction can be replaced with other useful and thermodynamically favorable reactions to reduce the electrolysis voltage for realizing energy-efficient hydrogen production. Therefore, in this study, we present a bifunctional nickel nanoparticle-embedded carbon (Ni@C) prism-like microrod electrocatalyst synthesized via a two-step method involving the synthesis of a precursor metal-organic framework-74 and subsequent carbonization treatment for methanol oxidation and hydrogen evolution. The interfacial structure consisting of a nickel and carbon skeleton was realized via in situ carbonization. However, the dispersed nickel nanoparticles do not easily aggregate owing to the partition by the surrounding carbon as it would sufficiently expose the active Ni sites to the electrolytes, ensuring fast charge transfer between the catalyst and electrolytes by accelerating the electrochemical kinetics. In the anodic methanol oxidation, the products were detected as carbon dioxide and formate with faradaic efficiencies of 36.2% and 62.5%, respectively, at an applied potential of 1.55 V. Meanwhile, the Ni@C microrod catalyst demonstrated high activity and durability (2.7% current decay after 12 h of continuous operation) toward methanol oxidation, which demonstrates that methanol oxidation precedes oxidation under voltage forces. Notably, the bifunctional catalyst not only exhibits excellent performance toward methanol oxidation but also yields a low overpotential of 155 mV to drive 10 mA∙cm⁻² toward hydrogen evolution in 1.0 mol∙L⁻¹ KOH aqueous solution with 0.5 mol∙L⁻¹ methanol at room temperature, which guarantees the hydrogen production efficiency. More importantly, the constructed two-electrode electrolyzer produced a current density of 10 mA∙cm⁻² at a low cell voltage of 1.6 V, which decreased by 240 mV after replacing the oxygen evolution reaction with methanol oxidation.     

Electrolessly Plated Ni-Zn（Fe）-P Alloy and Its Corrosion Resistance Properties

The autocatalytic deposition of Ni-Zn(Fe)-P alloys has been carried out on substrate of carbon steel from a bath containing nickel sulfate, zinc sulfate, sodium hypophosphite, sodium citrate and boric acid. The effects of pH and the molar ratio of NiSO4/ZnSO4 on the deposition rate and the composition of deposits have been studied. It was found that the presence of zinc sulfate in the bath has an inhibitory effect on the alloy deposition. The structure and the surface morphology of Ni-Zn(Fe)-P coatings were characterized with XRD and SEM, respectively. The alloys plated under the experimental conditions consisted of an amorphous phase coexisting with a crystalline cubic Ni phase (poly-crystalline). The surface morphology of the coating is dependent on the deposition parameters. The corrosion resistance of the Ni-Zn(Fe)-P deposits was examined via mass loss tests and anodic polarization measurements, respectively. The results show that the surface morphologies of the deposits and the corrosion resistance of the deposits have been improved. The results of mass loss tests almost accord with those of anodic polarization measurements. The corrosion mechanisms of Ni-Zn(Fe)-P alloys in NaCl and NaOH solutions were investigated by means of EDX. The deposit immersed in an NaCI or an NaOH solution contains more content of oxygen and less contents of the metals(except Fe) than that placed in air, which shows that the NaCl or NaOH solution can accelerate the oxidation of the deposit.     

Preparation and characterization of composite polyaniline materials for catalytic purposes

Composite film electrodes were prepared by open-circuit Pt deposition on polymeric PANI films that were electrosynthesized from aniline acid solutions with suspended carbon particles (CPs). Gold, nickel, and a Ni-based alloy, Nichrome, were used as substrates, and carbon particles, carbon nanotubes (CNT), and Vulcan XC-72R carbon black, suspended in the monomer acid solution, were incorporated into the film. Pt particles were dispersed on films grown on Ni-based substrates by deposition from a Pt(IV) acid solution at open circuit (OC). CNT trapped into the PANI films have a favorable influence on Pt dispersion. The novel composite electrodes showed significant catalytic activity for methanol oxidation.     

Roles of pH and acid type in the anodic growth of porous alumina

Several theoretical models have been formulated to explain the growth of porous structures in anodized alumina. Using some basic assumptions, these models predict the size and shape of the pores in the anodic porous alumina as functions of pH and voltage. Additionally, they address issues of stability in the pore growth. In this work, we have carried out a systematic experimental investigation to study the stability phase diagram as a function of pH and applied voltage. We also obtain the dependence of pore dimensions on the pH, voltage, and acid type. Based on our results, and insight gained from recent chemical analysis of the porous alumina anodization process, we conclude that the models must include an appropriate weighting factor to account for the oxidation and dissolution mechanism during the pore formation.     

Degradation of lithium-ion batteries and how to fight it: A review

The phenomenology of the decrease in the capacity and energy density of lithium-ion batteries during their cycling and storage is considered together with the basic factors responsible for this phenomenon (overcharge and self-discharge of batteries, dissolution and phase alterations of electrode materials, cathodic reduction and anodic oxidation of electrolyte components, corrosion of materials of current leads) and the mechanism of chemical and electrochemical electrode processes responsible for degradation of batteries. Possible ways and basic techniques of increasing stability of exploitation characteristics of batteries are considered.Translated from Elektrokhimiya, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2005, pp. 3–19.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Kanevskii, Dubasova.     

Inexpensive and robust iron-based electrode substrates for water electrolysis and energy storage

The instability of iron under anodic conditions makes iron-based electrode substrates unsuitable for alkaline electrolyzers and rechargeable alkaline batteries. Therefore, significantly more expensive substrates such as nickel foam or sintered nickel are used. Nickel adds a significant cost to electrolysis and energy storage systems. We show that iron substrates can be stabilized using a unique protective thermal coating. These coatings can also yield some of the most electrocatalytically active electrodes in addition to showing no notable change in performance even after 1500 h of anodic polarization. Besides sintered iron, low-carbon steel mesh can be stabilized similarly. Low-carbon steel protected by a thin layer of lithium-doped cobalt spinel was found to be an excellent current collector for positive nickel hydroxide electrodes in alkaline batteries. Thus, surface-modified iron substrates, 40 times less expensive than nickel, are promising for lowering the material costs of alkaline water electrolyzers and rechargeable alkaline batteries.     

Ni-SiO2催化剂空间限域维度对CH4-CO2重整反应金属抗积碳能力的影响

制备了3种化学组成相同但金属活性位点空间结构不同的Ni-SiO₂催化剂(Ni/SiO₂负载型催化剂、 Ni/SBA-15介孔结构催化剂和Ni@SiO₂核壳结构催化剂), 考察了不同空间限域维度及结构对CH₄-CO₂重整反应活性金属抗积碳机制的影响规律. 结果表明, Ni/SiO₂催化剂无空间限域效应, 抗积碳能力最弱, 表现出最差的稳定性; Ni/SBA-15催化剂存在部分空间限域效应, 抗积碳能力明显提高, 表现出较好的稳定性但是仍有失活; Ni@SiO₂催化剂具有完全几何限域效应, 抗积碳能力最强, 表现出最优的稳定性.     

集流体对可充镁电池电解液电化学性能的影响

系统研究了铂、镍、不锈钢(SS)、铜、铝五种金属集流体和碳纤维、石墨箔、碳布三种碳纸集流体对“一代” (Mg(AlCl₂BuEt)₂/THF)、“二代” ((PhMgCl)₂-AlCl₃/THF)可充镁电池电解液阳极氧化分解电位和镁沉积-溶出性能的影响。金属镍、不锈钢、铜、铝作为可充镁电池正极的集流体时, 充电至一定电压时自身均会发生腐蚀。其中, 镍和不锈钢可用作充电电压在2.1V(vs Mg/Mg²⁺)以下正极材料的集流体; 铜可用作充电电压在1.8V(vs Mg/Mg²⁺)以下正极材料的集流体。碳集流体比金属集流体具有更高的稳定性, 其中, 碳布作为集流体, 适用于充电电压在2.25V(vs. Mg)(对“一代”电解液)和2.95V(vs Mg/Mg²⁺)(对“二代”电解液)以下的正极材料。     

Voltammetric Behavior of Trolox in Methanol and Ethanol Solutions

Electrochemical oxidation of trolox on carbon electrodes was investigated by means of some voltammetric techniques in methanol and ethanol solutions in the presence of an excess of acid or base. The oxidation occurs according to EEC mechanism, i.e. in two quasireversible one‐electron steps yielding the corresponding phenoxyl radical and, subsequently, phenoxonium cation. Phenoxonium ion decays because of a pseudo‐first order follow‐up chemical reaction with nucleophiles. The electrochemical behavior of trolox is strongly influenced by the surrounding environmental conditions. In acidic solutions, a single two‐electron anodic wave was observed. The presence of a strong base drastically improves the stability of the intermediate, phenoxyl radical. Under these conditions, the two‐electron wave was found to split into its one‐electron components over a range of scan rates. The resolution is much distinct in ethanol. Simulations with DigiSim software were used to fit the cyclic voltammograms in order to estimate thermodynamic and kinetic data for the reaction mechanism studied.     

Preparation and electrochemistry of Pd-Ni/Si nanowire nanocomposite catalytic anode for direct ethanol fuel cell

A new silicon-based anode suitable for direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) is described. Pd-Ni nanoparticles are coated on Si nanowires (SiNWs) by electroless co-plating to form the catalytic materials. The electrocatalytic properties of the SiNWs and ethanol oxidation on the Pd-Ni catalyst (Pd-Ni/SiNWs) are investigated electrochemically. The effects of temperature and working potential limit in the anodic direction on ethanol oxidation are studied by cyclic voltammetry. The Pd-Ni/SiNWs electrode exhibits higher electrocatalytic activity and better long-term stability in an alkaline solution. It also yields a larger current density and negative onset potential thus boding well for its application to fuel cells.     

(4,4′,4″,4″′-四硝基)·酞菁合钴(Ⅱ)化学修饰电极对抗坏血酸的电催化氧化

合成了一种钴的酞菁配合物,以玻碳为基体、用化学吸附法制备了它的化学修饰电极。用CV法研究了该化学修饰电极对抗坏血酸氧化的电催化作用。结果表明,该化学修饰电极对抗坏血酸的氧化有一定的电催化作用,且电催化活性的稳定性高,抗坏血酸的电催化氧化峰电流和其浓度之间有良好的线性关系。     

分级结构AgAu纳米合金用于高效电催化乙醇氧化

乙醇由于具有无毒、理论能量密度高、易存储等优点,被广泛用于直接醇类燃料电池研究.乙醇电氧化是直接醇类燃料电池中重要的阳极反应,通常涉及C1和C2反应路径.C1路径中乙醇分子主要转化成二氧化碳,但该过程涉及C-C键断裂,会有COad和CH(x)ad等中间体产生;C2路径中乙醇分子转化成乙醛,最终转化成乙酸或乙酸根.为提升...     

Selective matching of catalyst element and carbon source in single-walled carbon nanotube synthesis on silicon substrates

We have studied the compatibility of various catalysts for ethylene and ethanol chemical vapor deposition (CVD) syntheses of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) on Si substrates. A strong selectivity between the catalyst elemental species and carbon source was found; SWNT yield for Fe (Co) catalysts was much higher for ethylene (ethanol) CVD than for ethanol (ethylene) CVD. This strong and completely opposite selectivity implies significantly different SWNT growth mechanisms for ethanol and ethylene CVD on Si substrates.     

聚合物自由基锂二次电池正极材料的合成与电化学性能

合成了一种聚合物自由基聚 4 甲基丙烯酸 2 ,2 ,6 ,6 四甲基哌啶 1 氮氧自由基酯 (PTMA) ,并用红外光谱 (IR)、紫外光谱 (UV)、电子顺磁共振 (ESR)等证实了PTMA的结构 .PTMA的循环伏安曲线 (扫描速度为 5mV·s- 1)显示通过阳极的氧化电量和阴极的还原电量相等且氧化峰电流等于还原峰电流 ,表明PTMA的氧化还原反应可逆性很好 .PTMA的氧化峰电位 (Ea ,p=3 6 6VversusLi Li+ )与还原峰电位 (Ec,p=3 58V)之差为 80mV ,比其它锂二次电池的有机正极材料 (如有机二硫化物 )小得多 ,因此PTMA的氧化还原反应速度比较快 .PTMA的最大放电比容量为 78 4mAh·g- 1(以 0 2C充放电 ) ,是它理论比容量 ( 111mAh·g- 1)的 70 6 % ,它的充放电曲线分别在 3 6 5V和 3 56V处有一个很平稳的平台 ,经过 10 0次充放电循环后电池的放电比容量相对于最大放电比容量只衰减了 2 % ,表明PTMA 锂扣式电池具有优良的循环稳定性 .这些研究结果显示PTMA是一种非常有发展前景的有机聚合物自由基锂二次电池正极材料     

Electrochemical preparation of effective and low cost catalyst for electrooxidation of ethanol

A nanocatalyst coating was prepared at surface of a glassy carbon electrode by electropolymerization of pyrrole by cycling the electrode potential between ?0.8 and 0.8 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Then, polypyrrole film was potentiostatically coated with platinum nanoparticles at constant potential of ?0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). The resulting electrode was denoted as GCE/PPy/Pt. This modified electrode was characterized by IR, SEM, TEM and EDX. The electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol at the GCE/PPy/Pt has been investigated using cyclic voltammetric and chronoamperometric methods. The effects of various parameters on electrocatalytic oxidation of the ethanol, such as the thickness of PPy film, the amount of platinum nanoparticles, ethanol concentration, potential scan rate and working potential limit in anodic direction, were investigated. The kinetic of the ethanol oxidation is discussed on the GCE/PPy/Pt. The stability and reproducibility of this modified electrode were also studied.     

Co/Fe催化剂乙醇裂解和部分氧化制氢研究

采用共沉淀法制备的Co/Fe催化剂催化乙醇裂解和部分氧化制氢反应，考察了反应温度对两种途径反应的影响。结果发现，Co/Fe催化剂对乙醇部分氧化制氢显示出较高的氢选择性，且稳定性较好；该催化剂对乙醇裂解制氢也具有较高的氢选择性，但其稳定性很很差。XRD表征结果表明，在催化乙醇部分氧化反应后，Co70Fe30催化剂中存在CoFe合金和CoO相；而催化乙醇裂解反应后，Co70Fe30催化剂中仅存在CoFe合金，即CoFe合金可能是裂解反应的活性组分。