Synthesis, characterization, and electrochemical properties of self-assembled leaf-like CuO nanostructures

A simple hydrothermal process was used to synthesize the assembled leaf-like copper oxide (CuO) from copper hydroxide and urea in aqueous solution. The field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed that the individual CuO leaf-like nanostructure has a dimension of about 0.5–1.5 μm in length, 50–70 nm in thickness, and 80–110 nm in width, respectively. These CuO nanostructures were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy, which showed that the CuO nanostructures prepared from the hydrothermal process have high crystalline properties with a monoclinic structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy studies confirmed that the as-prepared sample is composed of CuO, which is consistent with X-ray diffraction patterns. The CuO nanostructures were used as electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries, demonstrating electrochemical properties of a high initial discharge capacity of approximately 1,028 mAh/g along with good cycle stability.     

SnO2 hollow spheres:Polymer bead-templated hydrothermal synthesis and their electrochemical properties for lithium storage

SnO2 hollow spheres have been synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method using sulfonated polystyrene beads as a template followed by a calcination process in air.X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,and transmission electron microscopy show that the as-obtained SnO2 hollow spheres have a wall thickness of about 50 nm,and consist of nanosized SnO2 particles with a mean diameter of about 15 nm.Electrochemical measurements indicate that the SnO2 hollow spheres exhibit improved electrochemical performance in terms of specific capacity and rate capability in comparison with commercial SnO2 when used as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.The enhanced performance may be attributed to the spherical and hollow structure,as well as the building blocks of SnO2 nanoparticles.     

锂离子电池负极材料ZnMn2O4微米空心球的制备和电化学性能

通过溶剂热方法合成了ZnMn2O4微米空心球,并探讨了其形成机理。采用XRD,SEM,TEM等测试手段对产物的结构、形貌和组成进行了表征。实验结果表明,溶剂热反应条件如反应温度、反应介质对于产物的结构和形貌起着关键作用。在140℃,采用乙醇和水作为反应介质,反应6 h可以制备出直径约3μm的ZnMn2O4微米空心球;当以乙醇为溶剂,反应6 h可以得到团聚的尺寸约250 nm的ZnMn2O4纳米颗粒。将所制备的ZnMn2O4微米空心球/纳米颗粒组装成锂扣式模拟电池,考察其电化学脱嵌锂性能。电化学测试结果显示,与ZnMn2O4纳米颗粒相比,空心结构的ZnMn2O4微米球具有较高的初始放电容量(1335 mAh·g-1)和较好的倍率性能,有望作为锂离子电池的新型负极材料。     

Direct electrochemistry of hemoglobin immobilized in CuO nanowire bundles

It is one of main challenges to find the suitable materials to enhance the direct electron transfer between the electrode and redox protein for direct electrochemistry field. Nano-structured metal oxides have attracted considerable interest because of unique properties, well biocompatibility, and good stability. In this paper, the copper oxide nanowire bundles (CuO NWBs) were prepared via a template route, and the bioelectrochemical performances of hemoglobin (Hb) on the CuO NWBs modified glass carbon electrodes (denoted as Hb-CuO NWBs/GC) were studied. TEM and XRD were used to characterize the morphology and structure of the as synthesized CuO NWBs. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) proved that Hb in the CuO NWBs matrix could retain its native secondary structure. A pair of well-defined and quasi-reversible redox peaks at approximately −0.325 V (vs. Ag/AgCl saturated KCl) were shown in the cyclic voltammogram curve for the Hb-CuO NWBs/GC electrode, which indicated the direct electrochemical behavior. The Hb-CuO NWBs/GC electrode also displayed a good electrocatalytic activity toward the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. These results indicate that the CuO NWBs are good substrates for immobilization of biomolecules and might be promising in the fields of (bio) electrochemical analysis.     

Direct electrocatalytic reduction of hydrogen peroxide at a glassy carbon electrode modified with polypyrrole nanowires and platinum hollow nanospheres

A nonenzymatic sensor for hydrogen peroxide has been fabricated by dispersing platinum hollow nanospheres onto polypyrrole (PPy) nanowires to form a PPy-Pt hollow sphere nanocomposite on a glassy carbon electrode. The materials were characterized by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The process and the sensor were characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and chrono-amperometry and revealed that the electrode has a large electroactive surface area and small resistance to electron transfer. The linear range for the determination of hydrogen peroxide is from 3.5 µM to 9.9 mM, the detection limit is 1.2 µM (S/N?=?3), and the response time is 3 s. The electrode exhibited good stability and excellent repeatability.     

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.     

Ni(OH)2纳米管的制备、表征及电化学性能

以多孔氧化铝为模板, 在不同溶液浓度下, 用化学沉积法制备了氢氧化镍纳米管. 采用XRD, SEM, TEM和HRTEM等手段, 对产物的物相、表面形貌及微结构进行了表征. 结果表明所得产物是高纯度的氢氧化镍纳米管, 外径约为180～220 nm, 管壁厚20～30 nm. 将所制备的氢氧化镍纳米管制成电极, 其电化学性能测试表明, Ni(OH)₂纳米管的中空结构特点, 能够有效地提高镍电极的充电效率、放电比容量、高倍率及高温放电性能. 机理分析表明中空结构的Ni(OH)₂纳米管对于提高碱性二次电池的综合性能有着极为重要的意义.     

锡基复合氧化物的高能球磨法制备及其电化学性能

随着锂离子电池的发展,人们越来越多地要求可充锂离子电池电极材料具有更高的容量.许多研究小组正致力于寻找和开发能够取代现有碳材料(理论最大比容量为372 mAh·g-1)的新型负极材料[1].锡氧化物基材料由于其高的储锂容量和低的锂离子脱嵌平台电压倍受人们关注,有望作为新一代锂离子电池负极材料[2～5].通过在线X-射线研究,Courtney等[4,5]提出了这类材料作为锂离子电池负极材料的两步反应机理:在首次放电过程中,锡氧化物被不可逆地还原成金属锡,同时生成氧化锂;随后,金属锡与锂发生可逆的合金化与去合金化反应,用反应式表示如下:     

Hydrothermal synthesis and photocatalytic property of porous CuO hollow microspheres via PS latex as templates

Porous copper oxide (CuO) hollow microspheres have been fabricated through a simple hydrothermal method using PS latex as templates. The as-obtained samples were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The influences of the mole ratio of Ethylenediamine (C₂H₈N₂) and copper acetate (Cu(Ac)₂·H₂O), hydrothermal temperature and time on the size and morphologies of the final products have been investigated. The possible formation mechanism of porous CuO hollow microspheres has been proposed and the specific surface area of the hollow microspheres with 81.71 m²/g is measured by BET method. The band gap value calculated from a UV–vis absorption spectrum of porous CuO hollow microspheres is 2.71 eV. The as-synthesized product exhibits high photocatalytic activity during the photodegradation of an organic dyestuff, rhodamine B (RhB), under UV-light illumination.     

Cobalt oxide hollow microspheres with micro- and nano-scale composite structure: Fabrication and electrochemical performance

Co₃O₄ hollow microspheres with micro- and nano-scale composite structure self-assembled by nanosheets were successfully fabricated by the template-free wet-chemical approach. This method is simple, facile and effective. The Co₃O₄ hollow microspheres with good purity and homogeneous size were well characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform IR (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP). The formation mechanism was deeply studied. The micro- and nano-scale composite structure constructed by the porous nanosheets promotes to improve the electrochemical properties of Co₃O₄ hollow microspheres. The high discharge capacity of 1048 mAh g⁻¹ indicates it to be the potential application in electrode materials of Li-ion battery.     

CuO/GNS复合材料的制备及其电化学性能

利用改进的Hummers 法制备GO,采用化学沉淀法合成CuO/GNS复合材料,用X 射线衍射(XRD)、扫描电镜(FESEM)、比表面积测试(BET)等表征了产物的组成、结构和形貌;用循环伏安、恒电流充放电等测试方法对复合材料的电化学性能进行了研究。结果显示：在这种复合材料中,石墨烯作为导电骨架,有利于增加氧化铜颗粒之间的导电性和材料的机械稳定性。大电流放电表现出优异的电化学性能,在 10 A.g_-1的电流密度下复合材料的比电容仍可达 276 F.g_-1,1000 次循环后比电容仍能保持86.5%,呈示该复合材料具有优异的电化学性能。     

Dopant-stimulated CuO Nanofibers for Electro-oxidation and Determination of Glucose

We described the preparation of copper oxide composite nanofibers doped with carbon nanotubes (CuO/C-NFs) or nickel oxide(CuO/NiO-NFs) by electrospinning for direct glucose determination. The interest in exploring practical CuO/C-NFs and CuO/NiO-NFs electrode materials for sensor application was fascinated by the possibility of promoting electron transfer for kinetically unfavorable glucose oxidation reactions at a lower overpotential and thus improving the selectivity of the electrode for glucose in electroanalysis. The morphologies of CuO/C-NFs and CuO/NiO-NFs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and X-ray powder diffraction(XRD). The electrocatalytic performances of glucose were evaluated in detail by cyclic voltammetry(CV) and chronoamperometry. Facile charge transport, enhanced current response(at a lower overpotential of +0.35 V), improved stability and selectivity, as well as excellent resistance towards electrode fouling were observed at CuO/ C-NFs electrode in direct glucose electroanalysis. These merits are attributed to the highly porous three-dimensional network film structure of CuO/C-NFs electrode materials and the potential synergic catalytic effect of CuO and carbon nanotubes in composite nanofibers. This study may provide a new insight into metal oxide-based composite nanofibers obtained via electrospinning for fabricating novel and high performance sensors and devices.     

The use of in situ techniques in R&;D of Li and Mg rechargeable batteries

Rechargeable batteries are complicated devices in which three bulk zones (electrodes, electrolyte solution) and two interfaces have to work simultaneously and coherently, without any side reactions. The study of electrode materials and electrode–solution interfaces of rechargeable batteries requires the use of first-rate techniques for structure and surface analysis, in conjunction with electrochemical methods. The use of in situ techniques in which spectroscopy, diffractometry, or microscopy are measured in conjunction with an electrochemical response may be highly important and beneficial for battery research. We review herein the use of in situ Fourier transform–infrared spectroscopy, Raman, X-ray absorption, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, and electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance techniques for research and development of rechargeable Li and Mg batteries.     

A Microwave Synthesis of Mesoporous NiCo2O4 Nanosheets as Electrode Materials for Lithium‐Ion Batteries and Supercapacitors

A facile microwave method was employed to synthesize NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets as electrode materials for lithium‐ion batteries and supercapacitors. The structure and morphology of the materials were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller methods. Owing to the porous nanosheet structure, the NiCo₂O₄ electrodes exhibited a high reversible capacity of 891 mA h g^?1 at a current density of 100 mA g^?1, good rate capability and stable cycling performance. When used as electrode materials for supercapacitors, NiCo₂O₄ nanosheets demonstrated a specific capacitance of 400 F g^?1 at a current density of 20 A g^?1 and superior cycling stability over 5000 cycles. The excellent electrochemical performance could be ascribed to the thin porous structure of the nanosheets, which provides a high specific surface area to increase the electrode–electrolyte contact area and facilitate rapid ion transport.     

有机电极材料过渡态的研究进展

有机电极材料具有理论比容量大、结构可设计性强、加工使用过程环境友好等优点被广泛应用于二次电池的研究中.有机电极材料在氧化还原过程会产生具有不成对电子的自由基中间体,自由基中间体的稳定程度影响电极材料的电化学性能.通过改变材料的结构可以调控自由基中间体的稳定性,从而优化有机电极材料的电化学性能.本文对有机电极材料在电化学...     

Non-enzymatic electrochemical CuO nanoflowers sensor for hydrogen peroxide detection

The electrocatalytic activity of a CuO flower-like nanostructured electrode was investigated in terms of its application to enzyme-less amperometric H₂O₂ sensors. The CuO nanoflowers film was directly formed by chemical oxidation of copper foil under hydrothermal condition and then used as active electrode material of non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors for H₂O₂ detection under alkaline conditions. The sensitivity of the sensor with CuO nanoflowers electrode was 88.4 μA/mM cm² with a linear response in the range from 4.25 × 10⁻⁵ to 4 × 10⁻² M and a detection limit of 0.167 μM (S/N = 3). Excellent electrocatalytic activity, large surface-to-volume ratio and efficient electron transport property of CuO nanoflowers electrode have enabled stable and highly sensitive performance for the non-enzymatic H₂O₂ sensor.     

Active material and interphase structures governing performance in sodium and potassium ion batteries

Development of energy storage systems is a topic of broad societal and economic relevance, and lithium ion batteries (LIBs) are currently the most advanced electrochemical energy storage systems. However, concerns on the scarcity of lithium sources and consequently the expected price increase have driven the development of alternative energy storage systems beyond LIBs. In the search for sustainable and cost-effective technologies, sodium ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium ion batteries (PIBs) have attracted considerable attention. Here, a comprehensive review of ongoing studies on electrode materials for SIBs and PIBs is provided in comparison to those for LIBs, which include layered oxides, polyanion compounds and Prussian blue analogues for positive electrode materials, and carbon-based and alloy materials for negative electrode materials. The importance of the crystal structure for electrode materials is discussed with an emphasis placed on intrinsic and dynamic structural properties and electrochemistry associated with alkali metal ions. The key challenges for electrode materials as well as the interface/interphase between the electrolyte and electrode materials, and the corresponding strategies are also examined. The discussion and insights presented in this review can serve as a guide regarding where future investigations of SIBs and PIBs will be directed.

The importance of the active material structure and the interface/interphase between the electrode and electrolyte in enhancing the electrochemical performance of sodium and potassium ion batteries.     

Na2FePO4F/Biocarbon Nanocomposite Hollow Microspheres Derived from Biological Cell Template as High-Performance Cathode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

We have successfully synthesized Na₂FePO₄F/biocarbon nanocomposite hollow microspheres from Fe^III precursor as cathodes for sodium-ion batteries through self-assembly of yeast cell biotemplate and sol-gel technology. The carbon coating on the nanoparticle surface with a mesoporous structure enhances electron diffusion into Na₂FePO₄F crystal particles. The improved electrochemical performance of Na₂FePO₄F/biocarbon nanocomposites is attributed to the larger electrode−electrolyte contact area and more active sites for Na⁺ on the surface of hollow microspheres compared with those of Na₂FePO₄F/C. The Na₂FePO₄F/biocarbon nanocomposite exhibits a high initial discharge capacity of 114.3 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.1 C, long-cycle stability with a capacity retention of 74.3 % after 500 cycles at 5 C, and excellent rate capability (70.2 mAh g⁻¹ at 5 C) compared with Na₂FePO₄F/C. This novel nanocomposite hollow microsphere structure is suitable for improving the property of other cathode materials for high-power batteries.     

Fabrication of Hierarchically Structured MOF‐Co3O4 on Well‐aligned CuO Nanowire with an Enhanced Electrocatalytic Property

Engineering appropriate shape and size of three‐dimensional inorganic nanostructures materials is of one the main critical problems in pursuing high‐performance electrode materials. Herein, we fabricate a metal‐organic framework derived cobalt oxide (Co₃O₄) are grown on copper oxide nanowire (CuO NWs) supported on the surface of 3D copper foam substrate. The highly aligned CuO NWs were prepared by using electrochemical anodization of copper foam in ambient temperature and followed by MOF Co₃O₄ was grown via a simple in situ solution deposition then consequent calcination process. The obtained binder‐free 3D CuO NWs@Co₃O₄ nanostructures were further characterized by using X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, field‐emission scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. Furthermore, electrochemical sensing of glucose was studied by using Cyclic Voltammetry, and chronoamperometry techniques. Interestingly, 3D CuO NWs@Co₃O₄ electrode exhibits excellent performance for the oxidation of glucose compared with individual entities. The proposed sensor shows wide linear ranges from 0.5 μM to 0.1 mM with the sensitivity of 6082 μA/μM and the lowest detection limit (LOD) of 0.23 μM was observed with the signal to noise ratio, (S/N) of 3. The superior catalytic oxidation of glucose mainly is endorsed by the excellent electrical conductivity and synergistic effect of the Co₃O₄ and CuO NWs.     

CoO纳米颗粒/石墨烯纳米纤维复合材料的制备及电化学性能

用石墨烯和Co(CH₃COO)₂·4H₂O作为原料,利用超声辅助法合成了锂离子电池的负极材料CoO纳米颗粒/中空石墨烯纳米纤维复合物.采用X射线衍射(XRD)确定材料的物相组成,采用扫描电子显微镜(SEM)和透射电子显微镜(TEM)观察材料的表面形貌和微观结构,采用X射线光电子能谱(XPS)确定材料的价态结构.采用循环伏安、恒电流充放电和交流阻抗谱表征材料的电化学性能.结果显示,在100 mA/g的电流密度下,循环了160次后,可逆容量仍超过800 mA/g,库仑效率保持在99%以上.该材料优异的电化学性能主要归因于石墨烯的中空纤维结构,中空内部可以容纳电解液,能直接将离子输送到颗粒表面,实现了离子的快速传输;二维中空纤维搭建成三维网络结构,实现了三维电子传导网络.