Molecular Engineering on Solvation Structure of Carbonate Electrolyte toward Durable Sodium Metal Battery at −40 °C

Carbonate electrolytes have excellent chemical stability and high salt solubility, which are ideally practical choice for achieving high-energy-density sodium (Na) metal battery at room temperature. However, their application at ultra-low temperature (−40 °C) is adversely affected by the instability of solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed by electrolyte decomposition and the difficulty of desolvation. Here, we designed a novel low-temperature carbonate electrolyte by molecular engineering on solvation structure. The calculations and experimental results demonstrate that ethylene sulfate (ES) reduces the sodium ion desolvation energy and promotes the forming of more inorganic substances on the Na surface, which promote ion migration and inhibit dendrite growth. At −40 °C, the Na||Na symmetric battery exhibits a stable cycle of 1500 hours, and the Na||Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃ (NVP) battery achieves 88.2 % capacity retention after 200 cycles.     

Cycling a Lithium Metal Anode at 90 °C in a Liquid Electrolyte

Stable operation at elevated temperature is necessary for lithium metal anode. However, Li metal anode generally has poor performance and safety concerns at high temperature (>55 °C) owing to the thermal instability of the electrolyte and solid electrolyte interphase in a routine liquid electrolyte. Herein a Li metal anode working at an elevated temperature (90 °C) is demonstrated in a thermotolerant electrolyte. In a Li|LiFePO₄ battery working at 90 °C, the anode undergoes 100 cycles compared with 10 cycles in a practical carbonate electrolyte. During the formation of the solid electrolyte interphase, independent and incomplete decomposition of Li salts and solvents aggravate. Some unstable intermediates emerge at 90 °C, degenerating the uniformity of Li deposition. This work not only demonstrates a working Li metal anode at 90 °C, but also provides fundamental understanding of solid electrolyte interphase and Li deposition at elevated temperature for rechargeable batteries.     

Zinc–Organic Battery with a Wide Operation-Temperature Window from −70 to 150 °C

Aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries have been considered as promising candidates for grid-scale energy storage. However, their cycle stability is generally limited by the structure collapse of cathode materials and dendrite formation coupled with undesired hydrogen evolution on the Zn anode. Herein we propose a zinc–organic battery with a phenanthrenequinone macrocyclic trimer (PQ-MCT) cathode, a zinc-foil anode, and a non-aqueous electrolyte of a N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) solution containing Zn²⁺. The non-aqueous nature of the system and the formation of a Zn²⁺–DMF complex can efficiently eliminate undesired hydrogen evolution and dendrite growth on the Zn anode, respectively. Furthermore, the organic cathode can store Zn²⁺ ions through a reversible coordination reaction with fast kinetics. Therefore, this battery can be cycled 20 000 times with negligible capacity fading. Surprisingly, this battery can even be operated in a wide temperature range from −70 to 150 °C.     

Catalytic Chemistry Derived Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphase for Stable Lithium Metal Anodes Working at 20 mA cm−2 and 20 mAh cm−2

A stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer is crucial for lithium metal anode (LMA) to survive in long-term cycling. However, chaotic structures and chemical inhomogeneity of natural SEI make LMA suffering from exasperating dendrite growth and severe electrode pulverization, which hinder the practical application of LMAs. Here, we design a catalyst-derived artificial SEI layer with an ordered polyamide-lithium hydroxide (PA-LiOH) bi-phase structure to modulate ion transport and enable dendrite-free Li deposition. The PA-LiOH layer can substantially suppress the volume changes of LMA during Li plating/stripping cycles, as well as alleviate the parasitic reactions between LMA and electrolyte. The optimized LMAs demonstrate excellent stability in Li plating/stripping cycles for over 1000 hours at an ultra-high current density of 20 mA cm⁻² in Li||Li symmetric cells. A high coulombic efficiency up to 99.2 % in Li half cells in additive-free electrolytes is achieved even after 500 cycles at a current density of 1 mA cm⁻² with a capacity of 1 mAh cm⁻².     

Instability of the DNPH-formaldehyde derivative in the certified reference material BCR-551 stored at −70 °C but not at −20 °C

During the post-certification stability monitoring of the certified reference material (CRM) BCR-551 (DNPH derivatives dissolved in acetonitrile), a decreased concentration of one of the analytes of this CRM, the DNPH-formaldehyde derivative, was detected in reference samples (stored at ?70 °C), while the concentration of normal “on-sale” samples (stored at ?20 °C) remained stable. This behaviour is contrary to the expectation of better stability at lower temperatures. Apparently, the DNPH-formaldehyde derivative reacts with dinitrophenylhydrazine (DNPH) remaining from the synthesis phase to produce two new substances. These substances have been identified as C₁₃H₁₂N₈O₈ (substance 1) and C₂₀H₁₆N₁₂O₁₂ (substance 2) which, based on their structure, are suggested to be produced consecutively: DNPH + DNPH-formaldehyde derivative → substance 1 and substance 1 + DNPH-formaldehyde derivative → substance 2. Since acetonitrile freezes at ?45 °C, reference samples are frozen at ?70 °C, while normal samples are still liquid at ?20 °C. We believe that this leads to a cryo-concentration of the solutes above the eutectic point and thus to an increased reaction rate in the reference samples. This case demonstrates that care should be taken when extrapolating stability results towards conditions that never have been tested, especially if phase transitions are involved, even at temperature as low as ?70 °C. Furthermore, a slower degradation rate at lower temperatures can be overcompensated by a higher concentration due to cryo-concentration above the eutectic temperature.     

Complexation Properties of a Carbon-Bridged Cryptand with Metal Ions in Aqueous Solution at 25°C

Abstract

Thermodynamic quantities (log K, ΔH, and ΔS) for the interactions of a carbon-bridged cryptand with Li⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, and Pb²⁺ were determined at 25° C by calorimetric titration in aqueous solution. The cryptand forms complexes with Na⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺, and Pb²⁺ with log K ≤ 2. Complexation was not detected for Li⁺, K⁺, and Ca²⁺. Weak interactions with Li⁺ and K⁺ and a log K value of 2.4 for Na⁺ suggest that the cavity size of the cryptand is close to that of Na⁺ but too small for K⁺ and too large for Li⁺. The carbon-bridged cryptand selectively binds Sr²⁺ (log K = 3.2) over Ca²⁺ and Ba²⁺ by more than one order of magnitude.     

Construction of Rich Conductive Pathways from Bottom to Top: A Highly Efficient Charge-Transfer System Used in Durable Li/Na-Ion Batteries at −20 °C

The construction of potential electrode materials with wide temperature property for high-energy-density secondary batteries has attracted great interest in recent years. Herein, a hybrid electrode, consisting of a nitrogen-doped carbon/α-MnS/flake graphite composite (α-MnS@N-C/FG), is prepared through a post-sulfurization route. In the α-MnS@N-C/FG composite, α-MnS nanoparticles wrapped by the N−C layer are uniformly embedded onto FG, forming a novel nanofoam structure. The as-obtained α-MnS@N-C/FG shows excellent lithium/sodium storage performance, with a specific capacity of 712 mA h g⁻¹ in the 700th cycle at 1.0 A g⁻¹ or 186.4 mA h g⁻¹ in the 100th cycle at 100 mA g⁻¹ using lithium or sodium foil as the counter electrode, respectively. Moreover, even operated at −20 °C, the α-MnS@N-C/FG can still attain a high specific capacity of 350 mA h g⁻¹ after 50 cycles at 100mA g⁻¹ for LIBs. This exceptional electrochemical response is attributed to the synergetic effect of the smart design of a hybrid nanofoam structure, in which the FG skeleton and N-C coating layer can significantly enhance the conductivity of the whole electrode from bottom to top. Accordingly, the enhanced redox kinetics endow the electrode with pseudocapacitive-dominated electrochemical behavior, leading to fast electrode reactions and robust structural stability in the whole electrode.     

In Situ Immobilization of Palladium Nanodots in C−C Bonded 2D Conjugated Polymers through Suzuki Polymerization at the Liquid–Liquid Interface

Traditional methods for immobilization of noble metal nanodots in 2D materials (2DMs) need multiple steps and unfriendly reaction conditions. Herein, a one-step method was developed by immobilizing in situ palladium nanodots during the preparation of the 2D conjugated polymer (2DCP) through Suzuki polymerization on interface under mild conditions. Through this method, three 2D conjugated nanosheets carrying palladium nanodots were synthesized.     

Interaction of Poly(vinyl alcohol) with Poly(acrylic acid) and with Sodium Polyacrylate in Aqueous Solutions: A Volumetric Study at 25 °C

The infinite dilution partial molar volumes $\bar{V}^{\infty}$ of poly(acrylic acid), at different degrees of neutralization α _N with sodium hydroxide, have been experimentally determined in aqueous solutions. Analysis of the data indicates that, to a good approximation, the observed decrease of $\bar{V}^{\infty}$ with α _N can be interpreted in terms of the electrostriction of the water molecules involved in the hydration cospheres of the –RCOO^? groups. The presence of PVA does not significantly affect the value of $\bar{V}^{\infty}$ for the undissociated acid, but causes a large decrease for the sodium salt. This aspect has been discussed in terms of direct interaction between the two polymers.     

Speciation of the nickel(II) complexes with oxalic and malonic acids studied in 1.0 mol dm−3 NaCl at 25°C

In this article, we present the results of the speciation of the binary nickel(II)-oxalic acid (H₂L) and nickel(II)-malonic acid (H₂L) systems studied by electromotive forces measurements emf (H) using 1.0?mol?dm^?3 NaCl as the ionic medium at 25°C. The experimental data were analyzed by a computational least-squares program LETAGROP/FONDO, a version of the LETAGROP program, written to analyze regular formation function and reduced formation functions, taking into account the hydrolysis of the nickel(II) cation and the acid base reactions of the ligands which were kept fixed during the analysis. In the nickel(II)-oxalic acid system the complexes [NiHL]⁺, [NiL], [Ni(OH)L]^?, and [NiL₂]^2? were observed and for the nickel(II)-malonic acid system the complexes [NiHL]⁺, [NiL], [Ni(OH)L]^?, and [Ni(OH)₂L]^2? were detected. The stability constants were determined and the species distribution diagrams as a function of pH are briefly discussed.     

Physicochemical Properties of Ampicillin and Amoxicillin as Biologically Active Ligands with Some Alkali Earth,Transition Metal,and Lanthanide Ions in Aqueous and Mixed Solvents at 20, 30, and 40<Superscript>∘</Superscript>C

The acid-base equilibria of ampicillin and amoxicillin were investigated in pure water and different solvent + water mixtures (solvent = methanol, ethanol, acetone, dimethylformamide, and dimethyl sulfoxide) at a constant ionic strength (I = 0.1 mol-dm^–3 KNO₃) and organic solvent volume fractions of 10, 20, and 30%. The effect of temperature on these equilibria was studied at 20, 30, and 40C. Thermodynamic functions of these ligands were calculated and discussed in terms of G, H, and S. The number of ionizable protons was determined using conductometric titrations. The formation constant of the complexes, which form by reaction of the ligands with Mg(II), Ca(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), Ce(III), Pr(III), Eu(III), Gd(III), Ho(III), Er(III), and Yb(III), are determined. The relative stability of the alkali earth, transition, and lanthanide elements are compared with each other and discussed in terms of the ionic radius and the electronic structure of the outer shell of that ion. The results obtained are discussed in terms of macroscopic properties of the mixed solvents and the possible variation in microheterogenity of the solvation shells around the solute.     

Hydrolysis of Protactinium(V). II. Equilibrium Constants at 40 and 60°C: A Solvent Extraction Study with TTA in the Aqueous System Pa(V)/H2O/H+/Na+/ClO− 4

The hydrolysis of protactinium (V) was studied at tracer scale (ca. 10^–12 M) with the solvent extraction method involving the aqueous system: Pa(V)/H₂O/H⁺/Na⁺/ClO^– ₄ at 40 and 60°C for three values of ionic strength. Extraction experiments were conducted using the chelating agent thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) in toluene. Hydrolysis constants are reported for each ionic strength investigated. An SIT modeling is presented and extrapolated constants to zero ionic strength are derived, as well as interaction coefficients involving Pa(V) and perchlorate ions.     

Speciation of the Ternary Complexes of Vanadium(III)–Dipicolinic Acid with the Amino Acids Glycine,Proline, <Emphasis Type="Italic">α</Emphasis>-Alanine and <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-Alanine Studied in 3.0 mol⋅dm<Superscript>−3</Superscript> KCl at 25 °C

In this paper we present speciation results for the ternary vanadium(III)–dipicolinic acid (H₂dipic) systems with the amino acids glycine (Hgly), proline (Hpro), α-alanine (Hα-ala), and β-alanine (Hβ-ala), obtained by means of electromotive forces measurements emf(H) using 3.0 mol⋅dm⁻³ KCl as the ionic medium and a temperature of 25 °C. The experimental data were analyzed by means of the computational least-squares program LETAGROP, taking into account hydrolysis of the vanadium(III) cation, the respective stability constants of the binary complexes, and the acid base reactions of the ligands, which were kept fixed during the analysis. In the vanadium(III)–dipicolinic acid–glycine system, formation of the ternary [V(Hdipic)(Hgly)]²⁺, [V(dipic)(Hgly)]⁺, [V(dipic)(gly)], [V(dipic)(gly)(OH)]⁻ and [V(dipic)(gly)(OH)₂]²⁻ was observed; in the case of the vanadium(III)–dipicolinic acid–proline system the ternary complexes [V(Hdipic) (Hpro)]²⁺, [V(dipic)(Hpro)]⁺, [V(dipic)(pro)] and [V(dipic)(pro)(OH)]⁻ were observed; in the vanadium(III)–picolinic acid–α-alanine were observed [V(Hdipic)(Hα-ala)]²⁺, [V(dipic) (Hα-ala)]⁺, [V(dipic)(αala)], [V(dipic)(α-ala)(OH)]⁻ and [V(dipic)(α-ala)(OH)₂]²⁻; and in the vanadium(III)–dipicolinic acid–β-ala system the complexes [V(dipic) (Hβ-ala)]⁺, [V(dipic)(β-ala)], [V(dipic)(β-ala)(OH)]⁻ and [V(dipic)(β-ala)(OH)₂]²⁻ were observed. Their respective stability constants were determined, and we evaluated values of Δlog ₁₀ K″ in order to understand the relative stability of the ternary complexes compared to the corresponding binary ones. The species distribution diagrams are briefly discussed as a function of pH.