Matryoshka-type carbon-stabilized hollow Si spheres as an advanced anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Silicon(Si) is regarded as the potential anode for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs), due to the remarkable theoretical specific capacity and low voltage plateau. However, the rapid capacity decay resulting from volume variation and slow electron/ion transportation of Si limit its practical application. Here, matryoshka-type carbon-stabilized hollow silicon spheres(Si/C/Si/C) are synthesized by an aluminothermic reduction and calcination process. The Si/C/Si/C anode materials prepared at 500 ℃(Si/C/Si...     

锂离子电池用纳米Sn/SnSb合金三维复合负极的制备及性能

采用多步电沉积法制备的三维多孔铜箔作为集流体、低温液相化学还原法制备的纳米Sn/SnSb 合金作为负极材料, 制备出一种新型三维多孔结构的纳米Sn/SnSb合金复合负极. 通过与普通负极电化学性能的对比实验发现, 这种新型三维复合负极具有如下优点: 三维多孔网络结构提高了负极活性材料与集流体之间的结合力, 使不含粘结剂电极的制备成为可能; 有效缓解了高容量负极活性材料在充放电过程中的体积膨胀, 提高了负极活性材料的循环性能, 当循环到第30周时, 普通负极剩余容量为初始容量的33%, 而三维复合负极剩余容量为初始容量的41%; 三维铜箔集流体的特殊结构为高容量负极活性材料提供了一个良好的导电环境, 使电极反应进行得更加完全, 从而获得了更高的电极比容量, 普通负极初始容量为480 mAh·g-1, 而三维复合负极达到了800 mAh·g-1. 纳米Sn/SnSb合金三维复合负极良好的电化学性能为锂离子电池负极结构的设计开发提供了新的思路.     

Investigation of PZT-5H and PZT-8 type piezoelectric effect on cycling stability on Si-MWCNT containing anode materials

Silicon (Si) containing materials cannot be used in commercial lithium ion batteries due to the mechanical stress problem triggered by volume expansion during cycling. The high-volume change causes mechanical instability of Si anode materials during charging/discharging, resulting fast capacity fading. It is thought that piezoelectric materials can be a solution for the volume expansion problem because of their ability to generate electric field when pressure is applied on them. For this purpose, PZT-8 and PZT-5H type piezoelectric materials were mixed with silicon and multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) to obtain anode composites and tested electrochemically versus lithium metal. The piezoelectiric effect on the electrochemical activity of these anodes is investigated by preparing the anode composite without any piezoelectric material additive (Sample #3). At the end of the 50 charge/discharge cycles, the capacities reached 420 mAh/g, 300 mAh/g and 100 mAh/g for PZT-8-added, PZT-5H-added and no-PZT samples, respectively. These results showed that PZT addition improves capacity performance of Si-MWCNT anodes. Additionally, the obtained anode composites were characterized with X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.     

SiOx encapsulated FeSi2–Si eutectic nanoparticles as durable anode of lithium-ion batteries

Low-cost and high-efficiency production of silicon-based material is the key to improve the energy density of lithium-ion batteries. Herein, we propose a novel structure of FeSi₂–Si eutectic nanoparticles protected by the SiO_x shell. FeSi₂, as a buffer phase can improve the electrochemical stability of the electrode. A SiO_x shell is formed on the surface of the nanoparticles through the passivation process. SiO_x encapsulated FeSi₂–Si eutectic nanoparticles exhibit excellent capacity of 674.9 mAh/g after 500 charge/discharge cycles. The capacity retention rate is above 90% after the stabilization process. This work provides a new nanomaterial design for high performance silicon-based anode materials of lithium-ion batteries.     

Ni3S2@碳纳米管复合材料的制备及其储钠性能

采用一步固相煅烧工艺制备了碳纳米管原位封装Ni₃S₂纳米颗粒（Ni₃S₂@CNT）,并研究了其作为钠离子电池（SIBs）负极材料的电化学性能. 通过X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、循环伏安测试、恒流充放电以及交流阻抗等研究了Ni₃S₂@CNT的物相结构、形貌特征以及电化学性能. 电化学测试表明,材料在100 mA·g ^-1电流密度下,放电容量可以达到541.6 mAh·g ^-1,甚至在2000 mA·g ^-1的大电流密度下其放电比容量也可以维持在274.5 mAh·g ^-1. 另外,材料在100 mA·g ^-1电流密度下,经过120周充放电循环后其放电和充电比容量仍然可以保持在374.5 mAh·g ^-1和359.3 mAh·g ^-1,说明其具有良好倍率性能和循环稳定性能. 良好的电化学性能归因于这种独特的碳纳米管原位封装Ni₃S₂纳米颗粒结构. 碳纳米管不但可以提高复合材料的导电性,也可以缓冲Ni₃S₂纳米颗粒在反复充放电过程中产生的体积膨胀效应,明显改善了Ni₃S₂@CNT负极复合材料的电化学性能.     

Interdispersed silicon–carbon nanocomposites and their application as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

As an anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), silicon offers among the highest theoretical storage capacity, but is known to suffer from large structural changes and capacity fading during electrochemical cycling. Nanocomposites of silicon with carbon provide a potential material platform for resolving this problem. We report a spray-pyrolysis approach for synthesizing amorphous silicon–carbon nanocomposites from organic silane precursors. Elemental mapping shows that the amorphous silicon is uniformly dispersed in the carbon matrix. When evaluated as anode materials in LIBs, the materials exhibit highly, stable performance and excellent Coulombic efficiency for more than 150 charge discharge cycles at a charging rate of 1 A/g. Post-mortem analysis indicates that the structure of the Si–C composite is retained after extended electrochemical cycling, confirming the hypothesis that better mechanical buffering is obtained when amorphous Si is embedded in a carbon matrix.     

Porous Si/C composite as anode materials for high-performance rechargeable lithium-ion battery

A novel porous silicon was synthesized through a magnesiothermic reduction method of molecular sieve for the first time, the porous silicon was used as anode material, which shows a high initial specific capacity of 2018.5 mAh/g with current density of 0.1 A/g.     

NiSe2 nanoparticles encapsulated in CNTs covered and N-doped TiN/carbon nanofibers as a binder-free anode for advanced sodium-ion batteries

Metal selenides are promising anodes for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to the high theoretical capacity through conversion reaction mechanism. However, developing metal selenides with superior electrochemical sodium-ion storage performance is still a great challenge. In this work, a novel composite material of free-standing NiSe₂ nanoparticles encapsulated in N-doped TiN/carbon composite nanofibers with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in-situ grown on the surface (NiSe₂@N-TCF/CNTs) is prepared by electrospinning and pyrolysis technique. In this composite materials, NiSe₂ nanoparticles on the surface of carbon nanofibers were encapsulated into CNTs, thus avoiding aggregation. The in-situ grown CNTs not only improve the conductivity but also act as a buffer to accommodate the volume expansion. TiN inside the nanofibers further enhances the conductivity and structural stability of carbon-based nanofibers. When directly used as anode for SIBs, the NiSe₂@N-TCF/CNT electrode delivered a reversible capacity of 392.1 mAh/g after 1000 cycles and still maintained 334.4 mAh/g even at a high rate of 2 A/g. The excellent sodium-ion storage performance can be attributed to the fast Na⁺ diffusion and transfer rate and the pseudocapacitance dominated charge storage mechanism, as is evidenced by kinetic analysis. The work provides a novel approach to the fabrication of high-performance anode materials for other batteries.     

MoO2/C共包覆Si/石墨复合锂离子电池负极材料的研究

采用溶胶-凝胶法, 用二氧化钼(MoO₂)和C共同包覆Si/石墨粒子制备了Si/石墨/MoO₂/C锂离子电池负极材料. 利用X射线衍射(XRD)、 扫描电子显微镜(SEM)、 透射电子显微镜(TEM)、 循环伏安(CV)和电化学阻抗(EIS)等分析了材料的形貌和性质. 结果表明, MoO₂/C的共包覆在缓解材料体积膨胀的同时提高了材料的电子和离子电导率, 进而提高了材料的电化学性能. 复合材料的首次充电比容量为2494 mA·h/g, 首次库仑效率为72%, 经过100次循环后比容量为636.6 mA·h/g.     

Polydopamine-mediated synthesis of Si@carbon@graphene aerogels for enhanced lithium storage with long cycle life

The application of Si as the anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is still severely hindered by the rapid capacity decay due to the structural damage caused by large volume change (> 300%) during cycling. Herein, a three-dimensional (3D) aerogel anode of Si@carbon@graphene (SCG) is rationally constructed via a polydopamine-assisted strategy. Polydopamine is coated on Si nanoparticles to serve as an interface linker to initiate the assembly of Si and graphene oxide, which plays a crucial role in the successful fabrication of SCG aerogels. After annealing the polydopamine is converted into N-doped carbon (N-carbon) coatings to protect Si materials. The dual protection from N-carbon and graphene aerogels synergistically improves the structural stability and electronic conductivity of Si, thereby leading to the significantly improved lithium storage properties. Electrochemical tests show that the SCG with optimized graphene content delivers a high capacity (712 mAh/g at 100 mA/g) and robust cycling stability (402 mAh/g at 1 A/g after 1500 cycles). Furthermore, the full cell using SCG aerogels as anode exhibits a reversible capacity of 187.6 mAh/g after 80 cycles at 0.1 A/g. This work provides a plausible strategy for developing Si anode in LIBs.     

Yolk-shell Si/C composites with multiple Si nanoparticles encapsulated into double carbon shells as lithium-ion battery anodes

The conceptual design of yolk-shell structured Si/C composites is considered to be an effective way to improve the recyclability and conductivity of Si-based anode materials. Herein, a new type of yolk-shell structured Si/C composite(denoted as TSC-PDA-B) has been intelligently designed by rational engineering and precise control. In the novel structure, the multiple Si nanoparticles with small size are successfully encapsulated into the porous carbon shells with double layers benefiting from the strong etching effect of HF. The TSC-PDA-B product prepared is evaluated as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).The TSC-PDA-B product exhibits an excellent lithium storage performance with a high initial capacity of 2108 mAh g~(-1) at a current density of 100 mA g~(-1) and superior cycling performance of 1113 mAh g~(-1) over 200 cycles. The enhancement of lithium storage performance may be attributed to the construction of hybrid structure including small Si nanoparticles, high surface area, and double carbon shells, which can not only increase electrical conductivity and intimate electrical contact with Si nanoparticles, but also provide built-in buffer voids for Si nanoparticles to expand freely without damaging the carbon layer.The present findings can provide some scientific insights into the design and the application of advanced Si-based anode materials in energy storage fields.     

Graphene-supported cobalt nanoparticles used to activate SiO2-based anode for lithium-ion batteries

Although SiO₂-based anode is a strong competitor to supersede graphite anode for lithium-ion batteries, it still has problems such as low electrochemical activity, enormous loss of active lithium, and serious volume expansion. In order to solve these problems, we used a graphene network loaded with cobalt metal nanoparticles (rGO–Co) to coat SiO₂ porous hollow spheres (SiO₂@rGO–Co). The construction of porous hollow structure and graphene network can shorten the lithium-ion (Li⁺) diffusion distance and enhance the conductivity of the composite, which improves the electrochemical activity of SiO₂ effectively. They also alleviate the volume expansion of the anode in the cycling process. Moreover, nano-scale cobalt metal particles dispersed on graphene catalyze the conversion reaction of SiO₂ and activate the locked Li⁺ in Li₂O through a reversible reaction, which improves the charge and discharge capacity of the anode. The capacity of SiO₂@rGO–Co reaches 370.4 mAh/g after 100 cycles at 0.1 A/g, which is 6.19 times the capacity of pure SiO₂ (59.8 mAh/g) under the same circumstance. What is more, its structure also exhibits excellent cycle stability, with a volume expansion rate of only 13.0% after 100 cycles at a current density of 0.1 A/g.     

Soft carbon-coated bulk graphite for improved potassium ion storage

Potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) have attracted tremendous attention for large-scale energy storage fields based on abundant potassium resources. Graphite is a promising anode material for PIBs due to its low potassium ion intercalation voltage and mature industrialized preparation technology. However, the inability of graphitic structures to endure large volume change during charge/discharge cycles is a major limitation in their advancement for practical PIBs. Herein, a soft carbon-coated bulk graphite composite is synthesized using PTCDA as a carbon precursor. The PTCDA-derived soft carbon coating layer with large interlayer distance facilities fast potassium ion intercalation/extraction in the BG@C composite and buffers severe volume change during the charge/discharge cycles. When tested as anode for PIBs, the composite realizes enhanced rate capability (131.3 mAh/g at 2 C, 1 C = 279 mA/g) and cycling performance (capacity retention of 76.1% after 150 cycles at 0.5 C). In general, the surface modification route to engineer graphite anode could inherently improve the electrochemical performance without any structural alteration.     

Niobium oxyphosphate nanosheet assembled two-dimensional anode material for enhanced lithium storage

The development of high-capacity and high-rate anodes has become an attractive endeavor for achieving high energy and power densities in lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).Herein,a new-type anode material of reduced graphene oxide(rGO) supported niobium oxyphosphate(NbOPO_4) nanosheet assembled twodimensional composite material(NbOPO_4/rGO) is firstly fabricated and presented as a promising highperformance LIB anode material.In-depth electrochemical analyses and in/ex situ characterizations reveal that the intercalation-conversion reaction takes place during the first discharge process,followed by the reversible redox process between amorphous NbPO_4 and Nb which contributes to the reversible capacity in the subsequent cycles.Meanwhile,the lithiation-generated Li3 PO_4,behaving as a good lithium ion conductor,facilitates ion transport.The rGO support further regulates the structural and electron/ion transfer properties of NbOPO_4/rGO composite compared to neat NbOPO_4, resulting in greatly enhanced electrochemical performances.As a result,NbOPO_4/rGO as a new-type LIB anode material achieves a high capacity of 502.5 mAh g^-1 after 800 cycles and outstanding rate capability of 308.4 mAh g^-1 at 8 A g^-1.This work paves the way for the deep understanding and exploration of phosphate-ba sed high-efficiency anode materials for LIBs.     

不同生物炭材料的制备及其在Li-S电池中的应用

Biochar derived from reproducible massive biomasses presents the advantages of low cost and renewable resources. In this work aiming to solve the existing problems of the lithium-sulfur battery, sulfur@biochar (S@biochar) composite cathode materials with high capacity and good cycle performance were developed. Specifically, four kinds of biochar prepared from rice husk, miscanthus, fir, and pomelo peel were used as host matrices for the Li-S battery. Among them, the S@biochar derived from rice husk delivered the highest specific capacity and the best cycle stability according to electrochemical tests. To further optimize its performance, we prepared a highly porous rice husk derived biochar (HPRH-biochar) using silica gel as the template. The S@HPRH-biochar composite (60% (w, mass fraction) S) enables the homogeneous dispersion of amorphous sulfur in the carbon matrix and its porous structure could effectively suppress the dissolution of the polysulfide. As a result, its electrochemical performance improved, achieving a high initial charge capacity of 1534.1 mAh·g^-1 and maintaining a high capacity of 738.7 mAh·g^-1 after 100 cycles at 0.2C (1C corresponds to a current density of 1675 mA·g^-1). It also gives a capacity of 485.3 mAh·g^-1 at 2.0C in the rate capacity test.     

二次包覆法制备煤沥青基硅/碳复合物及其锂离子电池性能

本文采用市售纳米硅为硅源,以软化点低、得碳率高、价格便宜的煤沥青作为碳源,通过两步包覆法制备了煤沥青基硅/碳(Si/C/C)复合物,并研究其作为锂离子电池负极材料的电化学性能。 结果表明,所得复合物的粒径在300~350 nm间,Si纳米粒子被C包覆并相互连结成C-Si-C网络结构,其中Si含量为27%的硅/碳复合物(Si/C/C-27%)作为锂电池电极材料表现了良好的储锂性能。 在0.1 A/g的小电流密度下,Si/C/C-27%的放电比容量为1281 mA·h/g;在3 A/g的大电流密度下,其放电比容量仍能保持在582 mA·h/g,表现了良好的倍率性能。Si/C/C-27%在2 A/g的电流密度下经过100次的循环后其比容量保持率为76.61%,表现了良好的循环稳定性。 相比于煤沥青基碳的一次包覆所得的硅/碳复合材料(Si/C),Si/C/C有效提高了Si纳米粒子的导电性并抑制了其在嵌锂和脱锂过程中的体积膨胀。 本文提出的二次包覆的新方法为制备具有优异电化学性能的锂离子电池负极材料提供了新的研究思路。     

PAni/Si/G/C复合材料的制备及电化学性能

通过球磨及高温固相法制得了Si/C复合材料,并氧化合成聚苯胺包覆于硅碳复合材料的表面. 采用XRD、SEM、红外和热重分析观察复合材料形貌、分析样品结构,循环伏安法和充放电测试表征PAni/Si/G/C电极电化学性能. 结果表明,PAni/Si/C复合材料表面覆盖了较为完整的片层状结构的聚苯胺膜,可逆容量高达784 mAh.g^-1,50次周期循环后,嵌锂容量保持在690 mAh?g-1.     

Simplified Synthesis of Biomass-Derived Si/C Composites as Stable Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Synthesis of silicon/carbon (Si/C) composites from biomass resources could enable the effective utilization of agricultural products in the battery industry with economical as well as environmental benefits. Herein, a simplified process was developed to synthesize Si/C from biomass, by using a low-cost agricultural byproduct “rice husk (RH)” as a model. This process includes the calcination of RH for SiO₂/C and the reduction of SiO₂/C by Al in molten salts at a moderate temperature. This process does not need the removal of carbon before thermal reduction of SiO₂, which is thought to be necessary to avoid the formation of SiC at elevated temperatures. Thus, carbon derived from biomass can be directly used for Si/C composites for anode materials. The resultant Si/C shows a high reversible capacity of 1309 mAh g⁻¹ and long cycle life (300 cycles). This research advocates a new and simplified strategy for the synthesis of RH-based biomass-derived Si/C, which is beneficial for low-cost, environmentally friendly, and green energy storage applications.     

Design of hierarchical and mesoporous FeF3/rGO hybrids as cathodes for superior lithium-ion batteries

Iron fluoride (FeF₃) is considered as a promising cathode material for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity (712 mAh/g) with a 3e^? transfer. Herein, we have designed a strategy of hierarchical and mesoporous FeF₃/rGO hybrids for LIBs, where the hollow FeF₃ nanospheres are the main contributor to the specific capacity and the 2D rGO nanosheets are the matrix elevating the electronic conductivity and buffering the volume expansion. The unique FeF₃/rGO hybrid can be rationally synthesized by a non-aqueous in-situ precipitation method, offering the merits of large specific surface area with rich active sites, fast transport channels for lithium ions, effective alleviation of volume expansion during cycles, and accelerating the electrochemical reaction kinetics. The FeF₃/rGO hybrid electrode possesses a high initial discharge capacity of 553.9 mAh/g at a rate of 0.5 C with 378 mAh/g after 100 cycles, acceptable rate capability with 168 mAh/g at 2 C, and feasible high-temperature operation (320 mAh/g at 70 °C). The superior electrochemical behaviors presented here demonstrates that the FeF₃/rGO hybrid is a potential electrode for LIBs, which may open up a new vision to design high-efficiency energy-storage devices such as LIBs based on transition metal fluorides.     

Carbon-coated Li3VO4 with optimized structure as high capacity anode material for lithium-ion capacitors

Due to the high capacity, moderate voltage platform, and stable structure, Li₃VO₄ (LVO) has attracted close attention as feasible anode material for lithium-ion capacitor. However, the intrinsic low electronic conductivity and sluggish kinetics of the Li⁺ insertion process severely impede its practical application in lithium-ion capacitors (LICs). Herein, a carbon-coated Li₃VO₄ (LVO/C) hierarchical structure was prepared by a facial one-step solid-state method. The synthesized LVO/C composite delivers an impressive capacity of 435 mAh/g at 0.07 A/g, remarkable rate capability, and nearly 100% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 0.5 A/g. The superior electrochemical properties of LVO/C composite materials are attributed to the improved conductivity of electron and stable carbon/LVO composite structures. Besides, the LIC device based on activated carbon (AC) cathode and optimal LVO/C as anode reveals a maximum energy density of 110 Wh/kg and long-term cycle life. These results provide a potential way for assembling the advanced hybrid lithium-ion capacitors.