Regulating Cation Interactions for Zero-Strain and High-Voltage P2-type Na2/3Li1/6Co1/6Mn2/3O2 Layered Oxide Cathodes of Sodium-Ion Batteries

Deep sodium extraction/insertion of sodium cathodes usually causes undesired Jahn–Teller distortion and phase transition, both of which will reduce structural stability and lead to poor long-cycle reliability. Here we report a zero-strain P2- Na_2/3Li_1/6Co_1/6Mn_2/3O₂ cathode, in which the lithium/cobalt substitution contributes to reinforcing the host structure by reducing the Mn³⁺/Mn⁴⁺ redox, mitigating the Jahn–Teller distortion, and minimizing the lattice change. 94.5 % of Na⁺ in the unit structure can be reversibly cycled with a charge cut-off voltage of 4.5 V (vs. Na⁺/Na). Impressively, a solid-solution reaction without phase transitions is realized upon deep sodium (de)intercalation, which poses a minimal volume deviation of 0.53 %. It attains a high discharge capacity of 178 mAh g⁻¹, a high energy density of 534 Wh kg⁻¹, and excellent capacity retention of 95.8 % at 1 C after 250 cycles.     

Water Molecules in Hydrotalcite‐like Layered Double Hydroxides: Interplay between the Hydration of the Anions and the Metal Hydroxide Layer

Layered double hydroxides comprise positively charged metal hydroxide layers and intercalated anions. These materials are obtained from aqueous medium both in nature and in the laboratory. Consequently the layered double hydroxides include a considerable amount of water. The presented study was designed to determine the proportion of water associated with the hydration sphere of the anion as opposed to that of the metal hydroxide slab. Among the two differently bound water species observed in all layered double hydroxides, the weakly bound water is associated with the metal hydroxide layer and is lost at 100 °C, whereas the strongly bound water is in the hydration sphere of the anion and is lost at higher temperatures (100 °C ≤ T ≤ 250 °C). This is in contrast to the better known cationic clays, wherein all the intercalated water is generally found to be in the hydration sphere of the cations. Further the water molecules in layered double hydroxides also bond to each other, leading to the incorporation of water in excess of what is predicted by the Miyata formula (Miyata, 1975) based on crystal chemical considerations. The excess water is one of the reasons for the poor crystallinity of layered hydroxides.     

Polytype Transformations in the SO42– Containing Layered Double Hydroxides of Zinc with Aluminum and Chromium: The Metal Hydroxide Layer as a Structural Synthon

Solid–solid inter‐polytype transformations are observed during the thermal dehydration of sulfate‐containing layered double hydroxides (LDHs). The metal hydroxide layer behaves as a “structural synthon” and the interconversion of polytypes of rhombohedral and hexagonal symmetries takes place by rigid translations of successive layers by (± 1/3, ± 2/3) relative to one another in the ab plane. These translations are selected among the many possible, as they preserve the coincidence of the symmetry elements of the individual layers and thereby conserve the threefold symmetry of the crystal across the inter‐polytype conversions. As a result, these transformations are enthalpically not expensive. These translations are facilitated at near ambient temperatures (30–60 °C) by the reversible dehydration of the LDH, which involves the deinsertion/insertion of water molecules within the restricted space of the interlayer region.     

Complexation of Li+, Na+ and K+ Ions by [222], [222D], [221], [221D] Cryptands in Acetonitrile at 25 °C: Conductometric Determination of the True Thermodynamic Formation Constants

A new method is presented for the analysis of precise conductance data to obtain the true thermodynamic formation constants of macrocyclic–cation complexes. The method, based on the Lee–Wheaton theory on mixed electrolytes, takes into consideration the ion pair formation of both the uncomplexed and complexed cations and avoids the use of the simple additivity assumption of the conductances of two electrolytic species present in salt/ligand/solvent systems. The method has been applied to determine the thermodynamic complexation constants of lithium, sodium and potassium ions with the cryptands [221], [222] and their decyl derivatives [221D], [222D] in acetonitrile. The results show that the presence of an alkyl chain in the molecular structure of the cryptands decreases the macrocyclic–cation complexation constant with respect to the values obtained for the parent compounds by almost an order of magnitude. Such a finding has been explained in terms of the asymmetric position in the space of the oxyethylenic bridges of the macrocyclic ligand promoted by the presence of the linked hydrocarbon chain. The above explanation has been confirmed by the anomalous behavior of both the ion-pair association constants of complexed salts and their limiting molar conductivity.