Robust S-doped TiO2@N,S-codoped carbon nanotube arrays as free-binder anodes for efficient sodium storage

Titanium dioxide(TiO_2) has been investigated broadly as a stable,safe,and cheap anode material for sodium-ion batteries in recent years.However,the poor electronic conductivity and inherent sluggish sodium ion diffusion hinder its practical applications.Herein,a self-template and in situ vulcanization strategy is developed to synthesize self-supported hybrid nanotube arrays composed of nitrogen/sulfur-codoped carbon coated sulfur-doped TiO_2 nanotubes(S-TiO_2@NS-C) starting from H_2 Ti_2 O_5-H_2 O nanoarrays.The S-TiO_2@NS-C composite with one-dimensional nano-sized subunits integrates several merits.Specifically,sulfur doping strongly improves the Na~+ storage ability of TiO_2@C-N nanotubes by narrowing the bandgap of original TiO_2.Originating from the nanoarrays structures built from hollow nanotubes,carbon layer and sulfur doping,the sluggish Na~+ insertion/extraction kinetics is effectively improved and the volume variation of the electrode material is significantly alleviated.As a result,the S-TiO_2@NS-C nanoarrays present efficient sodium storage properties.The greatly improved sodium storage performances of S-TiO_2@NS-C nanoarrays confirm the importance of rational engineering and synthesis of hollow array architectures with higher complexity.     

Monodispersed SWNTs Assembled Coating Layer as an Alterna-tive to Graphene with Enhanced Alkali-ion Storage Performance

Graphene coating is commonly used to improve the performance of electrode materials,while its steric hindrance effect hampers fast ion transport with compromised rate capability.Herein,a unique single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs)coating layer,as an alternative to graphene,has been developed to improve the battery behavior of iron-based anodes.Benefiting from the structure merits of mesoporous SWNTs layer for fast electron/ion transport and hollow Fe₃O₄ for volume accommodation,as-prepared Fe₃O₄@SWNTs exhibited excellent lithium storage performance.It delivers a high capacity,excellent rate capability,and long lifespan with capacities of 582 mA·h·g^-1 at 5 A·g^-1 and 408 mA·h·g^-1 at 8 A·g^-1 remained after 1000 cycles.Such performance is better than graphene-coated Fe₃O₄ and other SWNT-Fe₃O₄ architectures.Besides,SWNTs coating is also used to improve the sodium and potassium storage performance of FeSe₂.The kinetics analysis and ex-situ experiment further reveal the effect of SWNTs coating for fast electron/ion transfer kinetics and good structure stability,thus leading to the superior performance of SWNTs-coated composites.     

2020 Roadmap on Carbon Materials for Energy Storage and Conversion

Carbon is a simple, stable and popular element with many allotropes. The carbon family members include carbon dots, carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, graphene, graphite, graphdiyne and hard carbon, etc. They can be divided into different dimensions, and their structures can be open and porous. Moreover, it is very interesting to dope them with other elements (metal or non‐metal) or hybridize them with other materials to form composites. The elemental and structural characteristics offer us to explore their applications in energy, environment, bioscience, medicine, electronics and others. Among them, energy storage and conversion are extremely attractive, as advances in this area may improve our life quality and environment. Some energy devices will be included herein, such as lithium‐ion batteries, lithium sulfur batteries, sodium‐ion batteries, potassium‐ion batteries, dual ion batteries, electrochemical capacitors, and others. Additionally, carbon‐based electrocatalysts are also studied in hydrogen evolution reaction and carbon dioxide reduction reaction. However, there are still many challenges in the design and preparation of electrode and electrocatalytic materials. The research related to carbon materials for energy storage and conversion is extremely active, and this has motivated us to contribute with a roadmap on ‘Carbon Materials in Energy Storage and Conversion’.     

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.     

Urchin-Type Architecture Assembled by Cobalt Phosphide Nanorods Encapsulated in Graphene Framework as an Advanced Anode for Alkali Metal Ion Batteries

Urchin-type cobalt phosphide microparticles assembled by nanorod were encapsulated in a graphene framework membrane (CoP@GF), and used as a binder-free electrode for alkali metal ion batteries. Electrochemical measurements indicate that this membrane exhibits enhanced reversible lithium, sodium, and potassium storage capabilities. Moreover, the energy storage properties of CoP@GF electrodes in alkali metal ion batteries display an order of Li>Na>K. DFT calculations on adsorption energy of CoP surfaces for Li, Na, and K indicated that CoP surfaces were more favorable to transfer electrons to Li atoms than Na and K, and the surface reactivity can be ordered as Li-CoP>Na-CoP>K-CoP; thus, CoP@GF exhibits better storage capacity for lithium. This work provides experimental and theoretical basis for understanding the electrochemical performance of cobalt phosphide-based membranes for alkali metal ion batteries.     

Fe-Doped CoP Flower-Like Microstructure on Carbon Membrane as Integrated Electrode with Enhanced Sodium Ion Storage

Poor cyclability and rate performance always impede the development of transition metal phosphide-based anode materials. Many strategies have been used to address the above problems, such as the designing of hierarchical structures, combination with carbon materials, and doping with other metal elements. Considering those strategies, a flower-like Fe-doped CoP material is designed. The synthesis consists of microsheets grown on a carbon membrane (CM, leaves as precursor) through a hydrothermal method and in situ phosphorization. The Fe doping and carbon membrane synergistically induce the formation of a flower-like hierarchical microstructure during the crystal-growing process. The unique hierarchical microstructure increases the contact area between electrode and electrolyte, and accommodates the volume expansion during cycling. The hierarchical Fe-doped CoP grown directly on the carbon membrane increases the active sites for intercalation of sodium species and further promotes the internal electron conduction in the Fe-doped CoP/CM electrode. Thereby, the Fe-doped CoP/CM as the anode electrode for sodium ion batteries exhibits a high specific capacity of 515 mA h g⁻¹ at 100 mA g⁻¹ after 100 cycles. Even if the current density rises to 500 mA g⁻¹, the specific capacity is still maintained at 324 mA h g⁻¹ after 500 cycles, showing superior rate performances and cyclability.     

Needle-like cobalt phosphide arrays grown on carbon fiber cloth as a binder-free electrode with enhanced lithium storage performance

Cobalt phosphide(CoP) is a promising anode candidate for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) due to its high specific capacity and low working potential.However,the poor cycling stability and rate performance,caused by low electrical conductivity and huge volume variation,impede the further practical application of CoP anode materials.Herein,we report an integrated binder-free electrode featuring needle-like CoP arrays grown on carbon fiber cloth(CC) for efficient lithium storage.The as-prepared CoP/CC electrode integrates the advantages of 1 D needle-like CoP arrays for efficient electrolyte wettability and fast cha rge transpo rtation,and 3 D CC substrate for superior mechanical stability,flexibility and high conductivity.As a result,the CoP/CC electrode delivers an initial specific capacity of 1283 mAh/g and initial Coulombic effeciencies of 85.4%,which are much higher than that of conventional CoP electrode.Notably,the Co P/CC electrode shows outstanding cycling performance up to 400 cycles at 0.5 A/cm² and excellent rate performance with a discharge capacity of 549 mAh/g even at 5 A/cm².This work demonstrates the great potential of integrated CoP/CC hybrid as efficient bind-free and freestanding electrode for LIBs and future flexible electronic devices.     

Rational design of freestanding necklace-like ZnSe with double N-doped carbon layer protection for efficient sodium storage

ZnSe, as a promising electrode material for sodium storage, has a high theoretical capacity, low cost, and excellent physicochemical properties. The poor reaction kinetics and huge volume variation of ZnSe hinder its practical applications. Therefore, in this study, ZnSe electrode materials embedded in carbon nanofibers (ZnSe@NC@NCNFs) were synthesized through electrospinning and selenization using a Zn-based metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF) precursor. During the calcination process, the MOF-derived porous N-doped carbon layer wraps the ZnSe nanoparticles, and the one-dimensional (1D) carbon nanofiber forms a second N-doped carbon protective layer. The interwoven nanofibers can be severed as a freestanding electrode for sodium storage without conductive and binder agents. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) demonstrates the formation of irreversible NaZn₁₃ during the initial discharge process, which can act as sodiophilic sites and buffering matrices for subsequent Na⁺ insertion/extraction. The ZnSe@NC@NCNFs exhibit significant electrochemical performance for sodium storage with high reversible capacity and desired rate performance.     

Hollow carbon spheres with wide size distribution as anode catalyst support for direct methanol fuel cells

Hollow carbonaceous composites (HCCs) possessing sphere and hemisphere shape, which had wide size distribution between several tens of nanometers and several micrometers, were prepared through a facile hydrothermal method using glucose as carbon source with the assistance of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Pyrolysis of these hollow carbonaceous composites at 900 °C under nitrogen flow produced carbonized hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) without changing their structures. Platinum (Pt) was directly deposited on the surface of the HCSs by incipient wet method, using the NaBH₄ as the reductant. TEM, SEM, powder XRD and FT-IR were utilized to characterize all these samples. It was found that Pt nanoparticles were uniformly anchored on the outer and the inner surface of HCSs. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pt/HCS electrode for methanol oxidation have been investigated through cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The Pt/HCS electrode showed significantly higher electrocatalytic activity and more stability for methanol oxidation compared with Pt supported carbon microspheres (Pt/CMs) and commercial carbon (Pt/XC-72) electrode. The excellent performance for the Pt/HCS might be attributed to the high dispersion of platinum catalysts and the particular hollow structure of HCSs.     

金纳米棒@碳中空胶囊的制备及催化性能

以聚吡咯为碳壳前驱体制备了金纳米棒镶嵌于碳壳内的中空胶囊.先合成羧基修饰的聚苯乙烯微球和十六烷基三甲基溴化铵稳定的金纳米棒; 再利用二者之间的静电力将金纳米棒组装在聚苯乙烯微球表面; 最后, 通过氧化聚合将聚吡咯壳包覆在聚苯乙烯@金纳米棒复合物的表面.在氮气保护下经高温煅烧, 聚吡咯壳被碳化为碳壳的同时聚苯乙烯微球分解, 从而制得金纳米棒@碳中空胶囊.在煅烧过程中, 由于碳壳的保护, 金纳米棒很好地保持了“棒状”形貌.通过调节吡咯单体的浓度, 可以控制聚吡咯壳和碳壳的厚度.金纳米棒@碳中空胶囊在以NaBH₄为还原剂还原亚甲基蓝的反应中表现出良好的催化活性.     

一步硫/磷热处理制备空心Co9S8/CoP/C纳米复合材料及其储钠性能研究

低成本、高性能的钠离子电池有望成为代替锂离子电池的下一代核心器件.但是开发出高比容量、高倍率的钠离子电池负极材料依然是瓶颈.本文通过水热/溶剂热法制备了Co基前驱体,然后将其一步硫/磷热处理制得具有空心多孔结构的h-Co₉S₈/CoP/C纳米复合材料.通过X-射线粉末衍射(XRD)、拉曼光谱(Raman)、扫描电镜(SEM)、透射电镜(TEM)和X-射线光电子能谱(XPS)等表征以确定纳米复合物的物相以及形貌特征.当h-Co₉S₈/CoP/C作为钠离子电池负极材料时,该电极材料展示了高的比容量(561 mAh g^-1@0.1 Ag^-1)、较好的循环性能(可逆比容量200 mAh g^-1@2 Ag^-1)和倍率性能.h-Co₉S₈/CoP/C之所以显示出良好的储钠性能,主要得益于其空心多孔结构不仅提供更多的空间缓解钠在反复嵌入和脱出过程造成的体积膨胀效应,而且可以缩短离子/电荷扩散途径以加快反应动力学,此外,Co₉S₈、CoP和C独特的电子结构优势得以共同发挥.     

层状碳及层状碳/硫酸铅复合材料的制备与应用

碳酸钾或碳酸钠颗粒作催化剂基底,采用化学气相沉积（CVD）制得类似于石墨烯的层状碳材料,并经原位化学沉积可得层状碳/硫酸铅复合材料. 用X射线衍射（XRD）、热重分析、扫描电镜（SEM）和透射电镜（TEM）分析与测试样品. 结果表明,层状碳为无定型碳层,复合材料为无定型碳层与附着其上的细小硫酸铅颗粒的复合. 上述层状碳和复合材料作为负极添加剂应用于铅酸电池中,测试了电池电化学性能. 结果表明,电池大电流放电比容量和循环寿命均明显提高. 通过电化学交流阻抗谱图（EIS）、充放电曲线和负极失效后的SEM照片证实,加入添加剂能够降低反应阻抗、减小极化及有效抑制极板硫酸盐化.     

Antimony anchored in MoS2 nanosheets with N-doped carbon coating to boost potassium storage performance

Potassium ions batteries (PIBs) have been considered as promising energy storage systems owning to potassium rich natural abundances. However, the difficult reaction kinetics and poor cycling of electrode restrict the further development of PIBs. In this work, antimony anchored in MoS₂ nanosheets with N-doped carbon coating (Sb/MoS₂/NCs) are prepared and evaluated as anode for PIBs. In the unique Sb/MoS₂/NCs structure, the volume expansion of Sb particles could be effectively buffered by the around MoS₂ structure. The defects in MoS₂ nanosheets provide more electrochemical reaction sites for sufficient K⁺ insertion/extraction. Furthermore, the N-doped carbon can further accommodate the volume expansion and improve the electronic conductivity of Sb/MoS₂/NCs composites. Due to the above advantages, the Sb/MoS₂/NCs anode delivers a capacity of 235 mAh/g at 50 mA/g after 78 cycles. This work provides a prospective strategy to design advanced anode materials for PIBs using MoS₂ and antimony composites.     

Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Embedded MoS2 Microspheres as Advanced Anodes for Lithium‐ and Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Rational design and synthesis of advanced anode materials are extremely important for high‐performance lithium‐ion and sodium‐ion batteries. Herein, a simple one‐step hydrothermal method is developed for fabrication of N‐C@MoS₂ microspheres with the help of polyurethane as carbon and nitrogen sources. The MoS₂ microspheres are composed of MoS₂ nanoflakes, which are wrapped by an N‐doped carbon layer. Owing to its unique structural features, the N‐C@MoS₂ microspheres exhibit greatly enhanced lithium‐ and sodium‐storage performances including a high specific capacity, high rate capability, and excellent capacity retention. Additionally, the developed polyurethane‐assisted hydrothermal method could be useful for the construction of many other high‐capacity metal oxide/sulfide composite electrode materials for energy storage.     

Synthesis of poly(p‐phenylenediamine‐ co‐o‐aminophenol)/multi‐walled carbon nanotube composites by emulsion polymerization

Organic–inorganic composites composed of electrically conducting copolymer p‐phenylenediamine‐ co‐o‐aminophenol and carboxylic acid functionalized multi‐walled carbon nanotubes [poly(pPD‐co‐oAP)/c‐MWNTs] were prepared via in situ emulsion pathway using sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) as an emulsifier and potassium persulphate as an oxidant. Acid functionalized MWNTs were used as cores in the formation of tubular shells of the composites. TEM and FESEM analysis showed that a tubular layer of coated copolymer film of several nanometer thicknesses is present on the c‐MWNTs surfaces. FT‐IR spectra endorsed the formation of composites. TGA results indicated that the decomposition temperatures of composites were higher than the bare copolymer. UV‐visible absorption spectra of diluted colloidal dispersion of composites were similar to those of the bare copolymer. The composites were also confirmed by XRD and XPS. Room‐temperature conductivity increases with an increasing fraction of c‐MWNTs. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preparation of SiO2@polystyrene@polypyrrole sandwich composites and hollow polypyrrole capsules with movable SiO2 spheres inside

In this paper, we describe a flexible method for preparing conducting building blocks: SiO2@polystyrene@polypyrrole sandwich multilayer composites and hollow polypyrrole (PPy) capsules with movable SiO2 spheres inside. First, SiO2@polystyrene (PS) core/shell composites were synthesized, and then SiO2@PS@PPy sandwich multilayer composites were prepared by chemical polymerization of pyrrole monomer on the surface of SiO2@PS composites. Furthermore, hollow polypyrrole capsules with movable SiO2 spheres inside were obtained after removal of the middle PS layer. The diameter of sandwich multilayer composites could easily be controlled by adjusting the dosage of pyrrole monomer. The conductivities of composites increased with the increase of PPy content. After the insulating PS layer was selectively etched, the conductivities of hollow capsules with movable SiO2 spheres inside were much higher than those of the corresponding sandwich multilayer composites.     

酸功能化碳纳米管对多孔碳材料储能活性及稳定性的增强作用

采用球磨法将酸功能化碳纳米管（AMWCNTs）与环糊精均匀混合。 酸功能化有利于增强碳管和环糊精间的相互作用,从而使二者形成均匀、有效的复合。 在N2气保护下碳化并经后续的ZnCl2活化处理,最终获得酸功能化碳纳米管/多孔碳(PC)复合体材料。 采用透射电子显微镜、X射线衍射和拉曼光谱等方法对材料结构进行了表征。 结果表明,碳纳米管在多孔碳骨架内均匀分布,并且复合体同时具有较高的比表面积和良好的导电性。 循环伏安及恒流充放电等电化学测试表明,由于二者的协同作用及碳纳米管在多孔碳骨架内均匀、有效的复合,材料具有较好的电化学储能性能和良好的电化学稳定性。 电流密度为0.5 A/g时,AMWCNTs/PC12-4（其中12代表β-环糊精和AMWCNTs的质量比,4代表酸化碳纳米管/β-环糊精碳与氯化锌的质量比）复合材料的质量比电容为156 F/g,远远高于AMWCNTs（43 F/g）和PC-4（87 F/g）。 经5000次循环后,电极比电容无明显衰减,而且每次恒流充放电的库仑效率均大于99.9%,说明复合材料具有良好的稳定性,是非常有前景的超级电容器电极材料。     

磷化钴/多壁碳纳米管的制备及电催化性能研究

不断增加的能源需求和环境污染危机推动了替代高效能源转换和储存技术的广泛研究。电催化分解水具有潜在的应用前景,其可以利用电能获得清洁无污染的氢能。鉴于此,本论文通过不同浓度KOH浸泡超声的多壁碳纳米管(MWNT_S)作为基底,CoCl₂溶液为反应液,运用水热与固体磷化法得到负载有CoP的多壁碳纳米管材料。通过X-射线粉末衍射仪(XRD)、冷场发射扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、比表面及孔隙度分析(BET)对复合材料的晶型、形貌和比表面积进行了分析;通过电化学工作站对其相关电学性能进行了测试。实验结果表明在浓度为1 mol·L^-1 KOH浸泡的碳纳米管吸附的CoP含量最高(CoP-MWNTS-1.0),且电催化性能最佳,其在10 mA·cm²的电流密度下过电势为196 mV,Tafel斜率为231.07 mV/dec。     

Improving Na+ transport kinetics and Na+ storage of hierarchical rhenium-nickel sulfide (ReS2@NiS2) hollow architecture by assembling layered 2D-3D heterostructures

Mixed metal sulfides have been widely used as anode material of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) because of their excellent conductivity and sodium ion storage performance. Herein, ReS₂@NiS₂ heterostructures have been triumphantly designed and prepared through anchoring ReS₂ nanosheet arrays on the surface of NiS₂ hollow nanosphere. Specifically, the carbon nanospheres was used as hard template to synthesize NiS₂ hollow spheres as the substrate and then the ultrathin two-dimensional ReS₂ nanosheet arrays were uniformly grown on the surface of NiS₂. The internal hollow property provides sufficient space to relieve the volume expansion, and the outer two-dimensional nanosheet realizes the rapid electron transport and insertion/extraction of Na⁺. Owing to the great improvement of the transport kinetics of Na⁺, NiS₂@ReS₂ heterostructure electrode can achieve a high specific capacity of 400 mAh/g at the high current density of 1 A/g and still maintain a stable cycle stability even after 220 cycles. This hard template method not only paves a new way for the design and construct binary metal sulfide heterostructure electrode materials with outstanding electrochemical performance for Na⁺ batteries but also open up the potential applications of anode materials of SIBs.     

Effects of fluorination modification on pore size controlled electrospun activated carbon fibers for high capacity methane storage

Electrospun carbon fibers were prepared as a methane storage medium. Chemical activation was carried out using potassium carbonate to develop the pore structure, which can provide sites for the uptake of methane, and then fluorination surface modification was conducted to enhance the capacity of storage. Chemical activation provided a highly microporous structure, which is beneficial for methane storage, with a high specific surface area greater than 2500 m²/g. The pore size distribution showed that the prepared samples have pore sizes in the range of 0.7–1.6 nm. The effect of fluorination surface modification was also investigated. The functional groups, which were confirmed by XPS analysis, played an important role in guiding methane gas into the carbon silt pores via the attractive force felt by the electrons in the methane molecules due to the high electronegativity of fluorine. Eventually, the methane uptake increased up to 18.1 wt.% by the synergetic effects of the highly developed micropore structure and the guiding of methane to carbon pores by fluorine.