Heterogeneous nanostructured electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage

In order to fulfil the future requirements of electrochemical energy storage, such as high energy density at high power demands, heterogeneous nanostructured materials are currently studied as promising electrode materials due to their synergic properties, which arise from integrating multi-nanocomponents, each tailored to address a different demand (e.g., high energy density, high conductivity, and excellent mechanical stability). In this article, we discuss these heterogeneous nanomaterials based on their structural complexity: zero-dimensional (0-D) (e.g. core-shell nanoparticles), one-dimensional (1-D) (e.g. coaxial nanowires), two-dimensional (2-D) (e.g. graphene based composites), three-dimensional (3-D) (e.g. mesoporous carbon based composites) and the even more complex hierarchical 3-D nanostructured networks. This review tends to focus more on ordered arrays of 1-D heterogeneous nanomaterials due to their unique merits. Examples of different types of structures are listed and their advantages and disadvantages are compared. Finally a future 3-D heterogeneous nanostructure is proposed, which may set a goal toward developing ideal nano-architectured electrodes for future electrochemical energy storage devices.     

Plasma treated carbon paper electrode greatly improves the performance of iron-hydrogen battery for low-cost energy storage

A novel iron-hydrogen battery system, whose Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺cathode circumvents slowly dynamic oxygen reduction reaction and anode is fed with clean and cordial hydrogen, is systematically investigated. The maximum discharge power density of the iron-hydrogen battery reaches to 96.0 m W/cm2 under the room temperature. The capacity reaches to 17.2 Ah/L and the coulombic and energy efficiency are achieved to99% and 86%, respectively, during the galvanostatic charge-discharge test. M...     

Fluoride based electrode materials for advanced energy storage devices

Energy storage and conversion have become a prime area of research to address both the societal concerns regarding the environment and pragmatic applications such as the powering of an ever increasing cadre of portable electronic devices. This paper reviews the use of fluoride based electrode materials in energy storage devices. The majority of the energy storage and conversion applications for fluorine based materials resides in present and future lithium battery chemistries. The use of fluorides either as coatings or in the formation of oxyfluorides has resulted in a marked increase of the stability and morphological development of electrodes for use in nonaqueous lithium and lithium-ion batteries. Pure fluorides, despite their intrinsic insulative properties, have demonstrated the capability to exhibit exceptional energy densities and have the potential to open the door to future high energy lithium battery technology.     

Carbon nanotubes/carbon xerogel-nafion electrodes: a comparative study of preparation methods

We report the preparation and electrochemical characterization of carbon nanotubes (CNT)/carbon xerogel-nafion (CXN) electrodes obtained by casting carbon nanotube inks on carbon xerogel-nafion matrixes under terrestrial (g) and enhanced (13?g) gravity. The impregnated electrodes were compared with composites prepared by mixing CXN dispersions with CNT inks. For casted CNT, alternate current scanning electrochemical microscopy studies along the film-electrode area showed differences that can be correlated with the position of the electronic conducting CNT phase on the more resistive matrix. It revealed the transition from a conductive to dielectric surface when impregnation takes place at terrestrial and enhanced gravity, respectively. Although the addition of CNT enhances the capacitance and mechanical properties of CXN in all preparation methods, the largest specific capacitance was observed in electrodes impregnated at 1?g. Electrodes prepared by mixing and those casted at 13?g show similar capacitance values regardless of contrasting conductivity. A mechanism explaining the microstructural, electrical, and adsorptive differences brought out by the various preparation methods is proposed.     

Efficient electrode material for electrochemical energy storage from organic waste

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Heteroatom functionalities in activated carbons have a positive effect on their electrochemical properties. High surface area, reasonable heteroatom...     

Microbe-derived carbon materials for electrical energy storage and conversion

Microbes are microscopic living organisms that surround us which include bacteria, archaea, most protozoa, and some fungi and algae. In recent years, microbes have been explored as novel precursors to synthesize carbon-based(nano)materials and as substrates or templates to produce carbon-containing(nano)composites. Being greener and more affordable, microbe-derived carbons(MDCs) offer good potential for energy applications. In this review, we describe the unique advantages of MDCs and outline the common procedures to prepare them. We also extensively discuss the energy applications of MDCs including their use as electrodes in supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries, and as electrocatalysts for processes such as oxygen reduction, oxygen evolution, and hydrogen evolution reactions which are essential for fuel cell and water electrochemical splitting cells. Based on the literature trend and our group's expertise, we propose potential research directions for developing new types of MDCs. This review, therefore, provides the state-of-the-art of a new energy chemistry concept. We expect to stimulate future research on the applications of MDCs that may address energy and environmental challenges that our societies are facing.     

High-performance nanostructured bio-based carbon electrodes for energy storage applications

Cellulose - Polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based carbon precursor is a well-established and researched material for electrodes in energy storage applications due to its good physical properties and...     

Nano-graphite functionalized mesocellular carbon foam with enhanced intra-penetrating electrical percolation networks for high performance electrochemical energy storage electrode materials

Mesocellular carbon foam (MSU-F-C) is functionalized with hollow nanographite by a simple solution-phase method to enhance the intrapenetrating electrical percolation network. The electrical conductivity of the resulting material, denoted as MSU-F-C-G, is increased by a factor of 20.5 compared with the pristine MSU-F-C. Hollow graphite nanoparticles are well-dispersed in mesocellular carbon foam, as confirmed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and the d spacing of the (002) planes is 0.343 nm, which is only slightly larger than that of pure graphite (0.335 nm), suggesting a random combination of graphitic and turbostratic stacking. After nanographitic functionalization, the BET surface area and total pore volume decreased from 928 m(2) g(-1) and 1.5 cm(3) g(-1) to 394 m(2) g(-1) and 0.7 cm(3) g(-1), respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis in air shows that the thermal stability of MSU-F-C-G is improved relative to that of MSU-F-C, and the one-step weight loss indicates that the nanographite is homogeneously functionalized on the MSU-F-C particles. When the resulting mesocellular carbon materials are used as electrode materials for an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC), the specific capacitances (C(sp)) of the MSU-F-C and MSU-F-C-G electrodes at 4 mV s(-1) are 109 F g(-1) and 93 F g(-1), respectively. The MSU-F-C-G electrode exhibited a very high area capacitance (C(area), 23.5 μF cm(-2)) compared with that of the MSU-F-C electrode (11.7 μF cm(-2)), which is attributed to the enhanced intraparticle conductivity by the nanographitic functionalization. MSU-F-C-G exhibited high capacity retention (52%) at a very high scan rate of 512 mV s(-1), while only a 23% capacity retention at 512 mV s(-1) was observed in the case of the MSU-F-C electrode. When applied as an anode in a lithium ion battery, a significant increase in the initial efficiency (44%), high reversible discharge capacity (580 mA h g(-1)) in the lower voltage region, and a higher rate capability were observed. The high rate capability of the MSU-F-C-G electrode as charge storage was due to the low resistance derived from the nanographitic functionalization.     

吸附共沉淀法制备聚醚醚酮/多壁碳纳米管复合材料与性能研究

通过吸附共沉淀法均匀混合聚醚醚酮(PEEK)粉末和经过表面改性的多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT),再经注塑加工成功地制得PEEK/MWCNT复合材料(PM)。SEM观察结果显示,该复合法使得MWCNT在PEEK中均匀分散且与PEEK有较好的结合力。力学测试结果表明,MWCNT含量为6%的PM其弯曲强度提高20%左右,拉伸强度提高10%。MWCNT的加入使得复合材料的结晶温度和熔融温度均有一定提高。     

MWCNT/Nileblue Heterostructured Composite Electrode for Flavanone Naringenin Quantification in Fruit Juices

Naringenin (NR) displays strong antioxidant and numerous pharmacological activities, mitigating severity of metabolic‐syndromes without undesirable side‐effects. With the upsurge of interest in administering NR as diet‐supplement antioxidant, in this work for the first time we implemented functionalized‐MWCNT/Nileblue‐composite on carbon paste electrode (fMWNCT/NB/MCPE), as electrochemical sensor for catalytic NR oxidation. Integrated properties of fMWCNT/NB and their consonance with CPE, led to lowering of R_ct value with fast‐kinetics and diminution of over‐potential. NR determination was due to electrical‐conductivity, π‐π and electrostatic‐forces that magnified anodic current by 5.5 fold. In the pH range 3.0 to 10.0 NR undergoes irreversible oxidation via transfer of 1e^?/H⁺. Critical parameters, namely, pH and scan rate were assessed to reinforce differential pulse voltammtery (DPV) sensitivity for quantitative measurements. Sensor's selectivity, stability, accuracy and reproducibility were determined. Finally its viability in quantifying NR was validated by scrutinizing NR fortified fruit juices, as real sample matrices.     

Inexpensive and robust iron-based electrode substrates for water electrolysis and energy storage

The instability of iron under anodic conditions makes iron-based electrode substrates unsuitable for alkaline electrolyzers and rechargeable alkaline batteries. Therefore, significantly more expensive substrates such as nickel foam or sintered nickel are used. Nickel adds a significant cost to electrolysis and energy storage systems. We show that iron substrates can be stabilized using a unique protective thermal coating. These coatings can also yield some of the most electrocatalytically active electrodes in addition to showing no notable change in performance even after 1500 h of anodic polarization. Besides sintered iron, low-carbon steel mesh can be stabilized similarly. Low-carbon steel protected by a thin layer of lithium-doped cobalt spinel was found to be an excellent current collector for positive nickel hydroxide electrodes in alkaline batteries. Thus, surface-modified iron substrates, 40 times less expensive than nickel, are promising for lowering the material costs of alkaline water electrolyzers and rechargeable alkaline batteries.     

Electrochemical fingerprint of cytochrome c on a polymer/MWCNT nanocomposite electrode

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Aligned carbon nanostructures based 3D electrodes for energy storage

Electrochemical energy storage systems with high specific energy and power as well as long cyclic stability attract increasing attention in new energy technologies. The principles for rational design of electrodes are discussed to reduce the activation, concentration, and resistance overpotentials and improve the active material efficiency in order to simultaneously achieve high specific energy and power. Three dimensional(3D)nanocomposites are currently considered as promising electrode materials due to their large surface area,reduced electronic and ionic diffusion distances, and synergistic effects. This paper reviews the most recent progress on the synthesis and application of 3D thin film nanoelectrode arrays based on aligned carbon nanotubes(ACNTs) directly grown on metal foils for energy storages and special attentions are paid on our own representative works. These novel 3D nanoelectrode arrays on metal foil exhibit improved electrochemical performances in terms of specific energy, specific power and cyclic stability due to their unique structures.In this active materials coated ACNTs over conductive substrate structures, each component is tailored to address a different demand. The electrochemical active material is used to store energy, while the ACNTs are employed to provide a large surface area to support the active material and nanocable arrays to facilitate the electron transport. The thin film of active materials can not only reduce ion transport resistance by shortening the diffusion length but also make the film elastic enough to tolerate significant volume changes during charge and discharge cycles. The conductive substrate is used as the current collector and the direct contact of the ACNT arrays with the substrate reduces significantly the contact resistance. The principles obtained from ACNT based electrodes are extended to aligned graphene based electrodes. Similar improvements have been achieved which confirms the reliability of the principles obtained. In addition, we also discuss and view the ongoing trends in development of aligned carbon nanostructures based electrodes for energy storage.     

石墨烯/碳纳米管复合膜修饰电极检测亚硝酸根

本研究先采用滴涂法制备了多壁碳纳米管修饰电极,然后采用电化学沉积技术从含有氧化石墨烯的溶液中制备了石墨烯(GR)/多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)复合膜修饰电极(GR/MWCNT/GCE)。研究了亚硝酸根(NO2-)在该修饰电极上的电化学行为。结果表明,该修饰电极对亚硝酸根的电氧化具有高的催化活性。在pH 7.00的PBS缓冲溶液中,微分脉冲伏安法测定亚硝酸根的线性范围为1.0×10-7mol·L-1~1.7×10-3mol·L-1,检出限为5.0×10-8mol·L-1(S/N=3)。用该法测定了土壤中亚硝酸根的含量,结果令人满意。     

Activated carbon derived from marine Posidonia Oceanica for electric energy storage

In this paper, the synthesis and characterization of activated carbon from marine Posidonia Oceanica were studied. The activated carbon was prepared by a simple process namely pyrolysis under inert atmosphere. The activated carbon can be used as electrodes for supercapacitor devices. X-ray diffraction result revealed a polycrystalline graphitic structure. While scanning electron microscope investigation showed a layered structure with micropores. The EDS analysis showed that the activated carbon contains the carbon element in high atomic percentage. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed a capacitive behavior (electrostatic phenomena). The specific capacity per unit area of the electrochemical double layer of activated carbon electrode in sulfuric acid electrolyte was 3.16 F cm⁻². Cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic chronopotentiometry demonstrated that the electrode has excellent electrochemical reversibility. It has been found that the surface capacitance was strongly related to the specific surface area and pore size.     

Redox-active conjugated microporous polymers as electron-accepting organic pseudocapacitor electrode materials for flexible energy storage

Science China Chemistry - Efficient energy storage devices, i.e. pseudocapacitors, are being intensively pursued to address the environmental and energy crises. Most high-performance...     

Effect of electrode charge balance on the energy storage performance of hybrid supercapacitor cells based on LiFePO4 as Li-ion battery electrode and activated carbon

Journal of Solid State Electrochemistry - Hybrid supercapacitors using asymmetric, LiFePO4 (LFP) lithium intercalation and electric double layer activated carbon (AC) electrodes combining the high...     

Cut growth and abrasion behaviour,and morphology of natural rubber filled with MWCNT and MWCNT/carbon black

Various amounts of predispersed multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were mixed with natural rubber (NR), with and without carbon black (CB), for preparing MWCNT-filled NR (NC) and MWCNT/CB-filled NR (NH) vulcanizates. All NH vulcanizates contained 30 phr CB and the amount of MWCNT for both NC and NH was varied from 0 to 8 phr. Helium ion microscopy (HIM) and FE-SEM images showed that MWCNT in the NH was dispersed much better than in the NC. Additionally, the well dispersed CB and MWCNT in the NH functioned synergistically in promoting an increase in longitudinal crack growth, leading to enhancement of edge-cut tensile strength (CTS) with increasing MWCNT loading. In contrast, all NC specimens ruptured in a simple lateral direction relating to their lower CTS. Results also revealed that abrasion resistance of the NH was not significantly changed with increasing MWCNT, whereas that of the NC increased. Nevertheless, abrasion resistance of both vulcanizates showed good correlation with the average value of ridge spacing on their abraded surfaces. It was also found that tensile strength of the NH was almost unchanged when the MWCNT loading was increased because the reinforcement by CB predominates over the MWCNT. However, 100% modulus and hardness of both NC and NH increased with increasing MWCNT content.     

Nano-sized lithium manganese oxide dispersed on carbon nanotubes for energy storage applications

Nano-sized lithium manganese oxide (LMO) dispersed on carbon nanotubes (CNT) has been synthesized successfully via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal reaction at 200 °C for 30 min using MnO₂-coated CNT and an aqueous LiOH solution. The initial specific capacity is 99.4 mAh/g at a 1.6 C-rate, and is maintained at 99.1 mAh/g even at a 16 C-rate. The initial specific capacity is also maintained up to the 50th cycle to give 97% capacity retention. The LMO/CNT nanocomposite shows excellent power performance and good structural reversibility as an electrode material in energy storage systems, such as lithium-ion batteries and electrochemical capacitors. This synthetic strategy opens a new avenue for the effective and facile synthesis of lithium transition metal oxide/CNT nanocomposite.