Impact of titanium precursors on formation and electrochemical properties of Li4Ti5O12 anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

This work describes comparative study on the application of Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (LTO) as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries which were successfully prepared by sol-gel synthesis with the use of two titanium sources. One of them was anatase-type titanium dioxide (TiO₂), whereas the second was tetrabutyl titanate (TBT). Both obtained LTO materials were very similar in terms of their crystallinity and purity. In turn, the sample synthetized with TBT source revealed better particle dispersibility, and its particles were slightly lower in size. These particular features resulted in higher Li⁺ diffusion coefficient and better kinetic of Li⁺ ions during charge transfer reactions for the LTO synthetized with TBT source. This reflected in specific capacitance values for both electrodes which equalled 150 mAh g⁻¹, 120 mAh g⁻¹, and 63 mAh g⁻¹ for TBT-LTO and 120 mAh g⁻¹, 80 mAh g⁻¹, and 58 mAh g⁻¹ for TiO₂-LTO at C-rates of 1, 5, and 10 C, respectively.

     

Sandwich-like mesoporous graphene@magnetite@carbon nanosheets for high-rate lithium ion batteries

Sandwich-like mesoporous GS@Fe₃O₄@C nanosheets with a 2D nanoarchitecture have been successfully synthesized by one-step solvothermal treatment. Such type of 2D nanoarchitecture is made up of a number of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles uniformly grown on a graphene sheet and an even amorphous carbon layer covering on their surface. The Li-cycling properties of GS@Fe₃O₄@C nanosheets have been evaluated by galvanostatic discharge-charge cycling and impedance spectroscopy. Results indicate that the GS@Fe₃O₄@C nanosheets with about 5 wt % of graphene content provides a very high discharge capacity of 913.2 mAh g⁻¹ at a current densities of 200 mA g⁻¹ after 100 cycles and reveals a stable discharge capacity of 483.2 mAh g⁻¹ at a rate of 1600 mA g⁻¹.     

High reversible capacity and rate capability of ZnCo2O4/graphene nanocomposite anode for high performance lithium ion batteries

A facile and straightforward method was adopted to synthesize ZnCo₂O₄/graphene nanocomposite anode. In the first step, pure ZnCo₂O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized using urea-assisted auto-combustion synthesis followed by annealing at a low temperature of 400 °C. In the second step, in order to synthesize ZnCo₂O₄/graphene nanocomposite, the obtained pure ZnCo₂O₄ nanoparticles were milled with 10 wt% reduced graphene nanosheets using high energy spex mill for 30 s. The ZnCo₂O₄ nanoparticles, with particle sizes of 25–50 nm, were uniformly dispersed and anchored on the reduced graphene nanosheets. Compared with pure ZnCo₂O₄ nanoparticles anode, significant improvements in the electrochemical performance of the nanocomposite anode were obtained. The resulting nanocomposite delivered a reversible capacity of 1124.8 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C after 90 cycles with 98% Coulombic efficiency and high rate capability of 515.9 mAh g⁻¹ at 4.5 C, thus exhibiting one of the best lithium storage properties among the reported ZnCo₂O₄ anodes. The significant enhancement of the electrochemical performance of the nanocomposite anode could be credited to the strong synergy between ZnCo₂O₄ and graphene nanosheets, which maintain excellent electronic contact and accommodate the large volume changes during the lithiation/delithiation process.     

聚吡咯改性电沉积Sn负极材料的电化学性能

本工作采用直接在铜箔表面恒电流电沉积的方法制备Sn负极,以NiCl₂为沉积电解液的添加剂得到了Sn空心管,提高了单纯Sn负极的可逆比容量,60次循环后仍剩余184.3 mAh·g^-1。进一步引入聚吡咯进行表面修饰改性,有效地提高了沉积电极的电化学循环性能,60次循环后仍剩余440.6 mAh·g^-1可逆比容量,同时具备良好的循环稳定性。沉积电极可直接用作锂离子电池负极,无需任何粘结剂,电极装配操作简单。     

聚吡咯改性电沉积Sn负极材料的电化学性能

本工作采用直接在铜箔表面恒电流电沉积的方法制备Sn负极,以NiCl2为沉积电解液的添加剂得到了Sn空心管,提高了单纯Sn负极的可逆比容量,60次循环后仍剩余184.3 mAh·g-1。进一步引入聚吡咯进行表面修饰改性,有效地提高了沉积电极的电化学循环性能,60次循环后仍剩余440.6 mAh·g-1可逆比容量,同时具备良好的循环稳定性。沉积电极可直接用作锂离子电池负极,无需任何粘结剂,电极装配操作简单。     

Electrochemical characterization of vertical arrays of tin nanowires grown on silicon substrates as anode materials for lithium rechargeable microbatteries

Vertical arrays of one-dimensional tin nanowires on silicon dioxide (SiO₂)/silicon (Si) substrates have been developed as anode materials for lithium rechargeable microbatteries. The process is complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible for fabricating on-chip microbatteries. Nanoporous anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) templates integrated on SiO₂/Si substrates were employed for fabrication of tin nanowires resulting in high surface area of anodes. The microstructure of these nanowire arrays was investigated by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The electrochemical tests showed that the discharge capacity of about 400 mA h g⁻¹ could be maintained after 15 cycles at the high discharge/charge rate of 4200 mA g⁻¹.     

N掺杂MnO2/碳布复合材料的制备及储锂性能

采用碳布（CC）为柔性基底,通过水热法制备了MnO₂/CC及N掺杂MnO₂/CC无黏结剂负极材料,借助X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电镜（SEM）、X射线光电子能谱（XPS）、比表面积测试和恒电流充放电对材料进行了结构表征及电化学性能测试。结果表明N掺杂MnO₂/CC具有良好的倍率性能和循环稳定性。在0.1 A·g^-1的电流密度下,其首次充电比容量为948.8 mAh·g^-1,经过不同倍率测试后电流密度恢复至0.1 A·g^-1时仍然保持有907.9 mAh·g^-1的可逆比容量,容量保持率为95.7%。在1 A·g^-1的大电流密度下,其首次充电比容量为640.3 mAh·g^-1,循环100次后仍然保持有529.9 mAh·g^-1的可逆比容量,容量保持率为82.8%,可逆比容量远高于商用MnO₂。     

Mesoporous Fe2O3 nanoparticles as high performance anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

This work introduces an effective, inexpensive, and large-scale production approach to the synthesis of Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles with a favorable configuration that 5 nm iron oxide domains in diameter assembled into a mesoporous network. The phase structure, morphology, and pore nature were characterized systematically. When used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, the mesoporous Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles exhibit excellent cycling performance (1009 mA h g^− 1 at 100 mA g^− 1 up to 230 cycles) and rate capability (reversible charging capacity of 420 mA h g^− 1 at 1000 mA g^− 1 during 230 cycles). This research suggests that the mesoporous Fe₂O₃ nanoparticles could be suitable as a high rate performance anode material for lithium-ion batteries.     

二维层状Ti3C2Tx-MXene@VS2用于高性能锂离子电池负极

为探索一种高性能的锂离子电池负极材料,采用酸刻蚀法制备了高导电性、高稳定性的二维层状Ti₃C₂T_x,通过溶剂热法制备了具有高理论比容量的花瓣状VS₂纳米片,再经过简单的液相混合得到了二维层状Ti₃C₂T_x-MXene@VS₂复合物。通过扫描电子显微镜、透射电子显微镜、X射线光电子能谱、X射线衍射和能谱分析对复合材料的形貌和结构进行了表征,采用循环伏安、恒流充放电、长循环和交流阻抗谱对复合材料的电化学性能进行了研究。结果表明：VS₂纳米片均匀地分布在Ti₃C₂T_x的层间及表面,该复合物具有高的可逆容量(电流密度为0.1A·g^-1时,比容量为610.5mAh·g^-1)、良好的倍率性能(电流密度为2A·g^-1时,比容量为197.1mAh·g^-1)和良好的循环稳定性(电流密度为0.2 A·g^-1时,循环600圈后比容量为874.9 mAh·g^-1;电流密度为2 A·g^-1时,循环1 500圈后比容量为115.9mAh·g^-1)。     

中空分级结构Fe3O4@C/rGO复合材料的合成及其储锂性能

以氧化石墨烯(GO)为基底,Fe(NO_3)_3·9H_2O、异丙醇、甘油为原料,通过溶剂热法和后续热处理过程2步合成了Fe_3O_4@C/rGO复合材料,实现了碳包覆的Fe_3O_4纳米粒子自组装形成的分级结构空心球在氧化石墨烯片上的原位生长。采用X射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和恒流充放电等手段分析了材料的物理化学性能与储锂性能。结果表明,该复合材料在5.0 A·g~(-1)的电流密度下,仍有437.7 mAh·g~(-1)的可逆容量,在1.0 A·g~(-1)下循环200圈后还有587.3 mAh·g~(-1)的放电比容量。这主要归因于还原态氧化石墨烯(rGO)对碳包覆Fe_3O_4分级空心球整体结构稳定性和导电性的提高。     

High capacity SnxSbyCuz composite anodes for lithium ion batteries

To increase the volumetric discharge capacity of negative electrode for rechargeable lithium batteries, a composite anode Sn_xSb_yCu_z has been synthesized by using high energy mechanical ball milling method. The synthesized composite anode materials have been characterized by X-ray diffraction and SEM analysis. The charge/discharge characteristics of the fabricated coin cells have been evaluated galvanostatically in the potential range 0.01–2 V using 1 M LiPF₆ in 1:1 EC/DEC as electrolyte. Results indicate that the composition with 90 wt% Sn, 8 wt% Sb and 2 wt% Cu delivers an average discharge capacity of 740 mAh g⁻¹ over the investigated 50 cycles which is a potential candidate for use as an anode material for lithium rechargeable cells.     

Controllable synthesis Co3O4 nanorods and nanobelts and their excellent lithium storage performance

Co₃O₄ nanorods and nanobelts can be synthesized controllably by a template-free hydrothermal method. Enhanced lithium-ion battery performances are obtained from Co₃O₄ nanorods and nanobelts. After 50 cycles, the reversible capacity is up to 1124 and 1260 mAh g⁻¹ at C/20 rate (20 h per half cycle), respectively, and the cyclability are excellent. Lithium-ion battery performance of nanobelts is much higher than that of nanorods. Such a behavior is attributed to more efficient Li insertion, less volume change and no agglomeration of nanobelts. The present results open a way for fabrication of porous 1D nanostructures and imply that porous 1D nanostructures are good candidates for high performance lithium-ion battery anodes.     

Two-Dimensional Germanium Sulfide Nanosheets as an Ultra-Stable and High Capacity Anode for Lithium Ion Batteries

Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) at present still suffer from low rate capability and poor cycle life during fast ion insertion/extraction processes. Searching for high-capacity and stable anode materials is still an ongoing challenge. Herein, a facile strategy for the synthesis of ultrathin GeS₂ nanosheets with the thickness of 1.1 nm is reported. When used as anodes for LIBs, the two-dimensional (2D) structure can effectively increase the electrode/electrolyte interface area, facilitate the ion transport, and buffer the volume expansion. Benefiting from these merits, the as-synthesized GeS₂ nanosheets deliver high specific capacity (1335 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.15 A g⁻¹), extraordinary rate performance (337 mAh g⁻¹ at 15 A g⁻¹) and stable cycling performance (974 mAh g⁻¹ after 200 cycles at 0.5 A g⁻¹). Importantly, our fabricated Li-ion full cells manifest an impressive specific capacity of 577 mAh g⁻¹ after 50 cycles at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and a high energy density of 361 Wh kg⁻¹ at a power density of 346 W kg⁻¹. Furthermore, the electrochemical reaction mechanism is investigated by the means of ex-situ high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. These results suggest that GeS₂ can use to be an alternative anode material and encourage more efforts to develop other high-performance LIBs anodes.     

Scalable one-pot synthesis of bismuth sulfide nanorods as an electrode active material for energy storage applications

The quest for developing the scalable methods of synthesis of materials with potential electrochemical energy storage applications remains a great challenge. Herein, we propose a facile, one-step chemical precipitation method for the synthesis of Bi₂S₃ with the nanorods morphology. Influence of different synthesis temperatures on the physical, chemical, and electrochemical performance was investigated. Relatively low BET surface area and mesopore volume of Bi₂S₃ increased with the higher reaction temperature. Bismuth sulfides synthesized at various temperatures were used as an electrode active material in supercapacitor. The semiconductive properties of Bi₂S₃ resulted in exceptional capacitive behavior. Bismuth sulfide synthesized at 75 °C exhibited a specific capacitance of 457 F g⁻¹ at 1 A g⁻¹ in 6 mol L⁻¹ KOH solution as an electrolyte. Moreover, material prepared at 75 °C maintained the best capacitance value at a large current density of 20 A g⁻¹, compared with bismuth sulfides synthesized at the temperatures of 0 °C and 25 °C.

     

ZIF-67 derived carbon wrapped discontinuous CoxP nanotube as anode material in high-performance Li-ion battery

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) are prospective anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities and low redox voltages. Herein, we report a template directing method to develop a tube-sheath hybrid composing of cobalt phosphide particles encapsulated in metal organic frameworks (MOFs) derived N-doped carbon sheaths (Co_xP@NC). The utilization of directing template leads to a homogenous distribution of the subsequently formed cobalt phosphide particles, restrains the aggregation of cobalt phosphides, and thus results in the superb rate capability and cyclability. Contributable to the integrated merits of the interior downsized cobalt phosphide particles and the outer ZIF-67 derived porous carbon sheath, the volume expansion during cycling is effectively suppressed. The Co_xP@NC hybrid shows superb electrochemical performance as anode material for LIB, with good reversible capacity of 928 mAh·g^?1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g^?1, and high stability of 526 mAh·g^?1 after 600 cycles at 1.0 A g^?1. This work provides a route for rational design of MOF derived carbon-based anode material for LIB, which could also be applied as a promising platform in diverse field.     

Fe3O4@C Nanotubes Grown on Carbon Fabric as a Free-Standing Anode for High-Performance Li-Ion Batteries

Recently, Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have attracted extensive attention owing to their wide applications in portable and flexible electronic devices. Such a huge market for LIBs has caused an ever-increasing demand for excellent mechanical flexibility, outstanding cycling life, and electrodes with superior rate capability. Herein, an anode of self-supported Fe₃O₄@C nanotubes grown on carbon fabric cloth (CFC) is designed rationally and fabricated through an in situ etching and deposition route combined with an annealing process. These carbon-coated nanotube structured Fe₃O₄ arrays with large surface area and enough void space can not only moderate the volume variation during repeated Li⁺ insertion/extraction, but also facilitate Li⁺/electrons transportation and electrolyte penetration. This novel structure endows the Fe₃O₄@C nanotube arrays stable cycle performance (a large reversible capacity of 900 mA h g⁻¹ up to 100 cycles at 0.5 A g⁻¹) and outstanding rate capability (reversible capacities of 1030, 985, 908, and 755 mA h g⁻¹ at 0.15, 0.3, 0.75, and 1.5 A g⁻¹, respectively). Fe₃O₄@C nanotube arrays still achieve a capacity of 665 mA h g⁻¹ after 50 cycles at 0.1 A g⁻¹ in Fe₃O₄@C//LiCoO₂ full cells.     

Ni Foam-Supported Tin Oxide Nanowall Array: An Integrated Supercapacitor Anode

A novel product consisting of a homogeneous tin oxide nanowall array with abundant oxygen deficiencies and partial Ni-Sn alloying onto a Ni foam substrate was successfully prepared using a facile solvothermal synthesis process with subsequent thermal treatment in a reductive atmosphere. Such a product could be directly used as integrated anodes for supercapacitors, which showed outstanding electrochemical properties with a maximum specific capacitance of 31.50 mAh·g⁻¹ at 0.1 A·g⁻¹, as well as good cycling performance, with a 1.35-fold increase in capacitance after 10,000 cycles. An asymmetric supercapacitor composed of the obtained product as the anode and activated carbon as the cathode was shown to achieve a high potential window of 1.4 V. The excellent electrochemical performance of the obtained product is mainly ascribed to the hierarchical structure provided by the integrated, vertically grown nanowall array on 3D Ni foam, the existence of oxygen deficiency and the formation of Ni-Sn alloys in the nanostructures. This work provides a general strategy for preparing other high-performance metal oxide electrodes for electrochemical applications.     

Tin oxide–based anodes for both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries

Tin oxide, SnO₂, is a suitable anode for both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs) unlike graphite and silicon, which are only suitable anodes for LIB. SnO₂ has garnered much attention because of its high theoretical capacities (LIB = 1494 mA h g^?1 and SIB = 1378 mA h g^?1). However, the commercialization of SnO₂ anodes is still hugely challenged because these anodes suffer from large volume expansion caused by lithiation/delithiation or sodiation/desodiation during cycling, leading to severe capacity fading. The adopted strategies to solve these problems are nanosizing that greatly improves the structural stability of the material and helps to have fast reaction kinetics. Synthesizing nanocomposite of SnO₂ nanoparticles with nanoporous carbonaceous materials to buffer the volume expansion, enhance cycling stability; create oxygen deficiency to improve intrinsic conductivity. In this review, the recent research trends on SnO₂ as anode for both LIB and SIB systems are presented.     

Effect of Ca,Mg-ions on the properties of LiCo0.9M0.1PO4/graphitic carbon composites

LiCo_0.9M_0.1PO₄ (M = Co²⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺)/graphitic carbon composites are synthesized by Pechini-assisted sol–gel process and annealed by the 2-steps annealing process (300 °C for 5 min in air, then at 730 °C for 12 h in nitrogen). The structural investigation, performed on powders, reveals the presence of LiCoPO₄ as the major crystalline phase and of CoP₂O₇ (M = Co), of Co₂P (M = Mg), of Co₂P, Li₃PO₄, (Ca,Co)₃(PO₄)₂ (M = Ca) as impurities. The morphological investigation of the composites shows the formation of crystalline “islands-like” structures with acicular crystallites with different dimensions (typically 5–50 μm) on the top of them. The voltammetric analysis shows a very good reversibility of the (de)intercalation processes and the presence of two mean peak maxima in the cathodic region at ∼5.01 V and ∼5.05 V respectively. The discharge specific capacities, at a discharge rate of C/10 and room temperature, were 100 mAh g⁻¹ for M = Co, 68 mAh g⁻¹ for M = Mg and 104 mAh g⁻¹ for M = Ca respectively. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data reveal a decrease of the electrical resistance and the improvement of the Li-ion conductivity in the Ca and Mg ions containing composites.     

熔盐锌热法制备三维多孔碳用于高性能钾离子电池负极材料

采用熔盐锌热法,以蔗糖为前驱体成功制备了三维多孔碳材料,并将其用作钾离子电池负极材料。所制备的三维多孔碳具有大量相互贯通的孔道,有效地缓解了电极在充放电循环过程中的体积效应,提高了电解液对电极的浸润性,缩短了钾离子的扩散路径,从而展现出优异的循环稳定性和倍率性能。三维多孔碳电极在0.5 A·g-1的电流密度下,经过2500次循环后仍展现174.6 mAh·g-1的比容量,甚至在4.4 A·g-1的高倍率下容量仍保持在170 mAh·g-1。