Electrospun V2O5 Nanostructures with Controllable Morphology as High‐Performance Cathode Materials for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Porous V₂O₅ nanotubes, hierarchical V₂O₅ nanofibers, and single‐crystalline V₂O₅ nanobelts were controllably synthesized by using a simple electrospinning technique and subsequent annealing. The mechanism for the formation of these controllable structures was investigated. When tested as the cathode materials in lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), the as‐formed V₂O₅ nanostructures exhibited a highly reversible capacity, excellent cycling performance, and good rate capacity. In particular, the porous V₂O₅ nanotubes provided short distances for Li⁺‐ion diffusion and large electrode–electrolyte contact areas for high Li⁺‐ion flux across the interface; Moreover, these nanotubes delivered a high power density of 40.2 kW kg^?1 whilst the energy density remained as high as 201 W h kg^?1, which, as one of the highest values measured on V₂O₅‐based cathode materials, could bridge the performance gap between batteries and supercapacitors. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first preparation of single‐crystalline V₂O₅ nanobelts by using electrospinning techniques. Interestingly, the beneficial crystal orientation provided improved cycling stability for lithium intercalation. These results demonstrate that further improvement or optimization of electrochemical performance in transition‐metal‐oxide‐based electrode materials could be realized by the design of 1D nanostructures with unique morphologies.     

Lithium-ion batteries based on vertically-aligned carbon nanotube electrodes and ionic liquid electrolytes

In conjunction with environmentally benign ionic liquid electrolytes, vertically-aligned carbon nanotubes (VA-CNTs) sheathed with and without a coaxial layer of vanadium oxide (V(2)O(5)) were used as both cathode and anode, respectively, to develop high-performance and high-safety lithium-ion batteries. The VA-CNT anode and V(2)O(5)-VA-CNT cathode showed a high capacity (600 mAh g(-1) and 368 mAh g(-1), respectively) with a high rate capability. This led to potential to achieve a high energy density (297 Wh kg(-1)) and power density (12 kW kg(-1)) for the prototype batteries to significantly outperform the current state-of-the-art Li-ion batteries.     

Environmentally friendly chemical route to vanadium oxide single-crystalline nanobelts as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

Orthorhombic V(2)O(5) single-crystalline nanobelts with widths of 100-300 nm, thicknesses of 30-40 nm, and lengths up to tens of micrometers have been synthesized on a large scale in a hydrogen peroxide aqueous solution by an environmentally friendly chemical route. Such nanobelts grow along the direction of [010]. The influence of the reaction time on the crystal structures and morphologies of the resulting products are investigated. A probable dehydration-recrystallization-cleavage mechanism for the formation of V(2)O(5) nanobelts is proposed. The experiments demonstrate that the use of a nanosized belt-like structure can considerably enhance the specific discharge capacity in lithium-ion batteries.     

Low-cost and facile one-pot synthesis of pure single-crystalline ε-Cu(0.95)V2O5 nanoribbons: high capacity cathode material for rechargeable Li-ion batteries

Pure single-crystalline ε-Cu(0.95)V(2)O(5) nanoribbons have been successfully synthesized via a facile one-pot solvothermal route using low-cost raw materials. The obtained materials can react electrochemically with 2.64 Li in a reversible fashion and thus greatly expands the range of cathode choices.     

First investigation on charge-discharge reaction mechanism of aqueous lithium ion batteries: a new anode material of Ag2V4O11 nanobelts

Aqueous lithium ion batteries have been widely considered as promising "green" batteries due to several advantages, such as low toxicity, low cost, high safety, as well as high ion conductivity. But unlike the great effort devoted to understanding the lithium insertion/extraction process in non-aqueous lithium ion batteries, the knowledge about this in aqueous electrolytes is still lacking research at present. In this work, taking a new anode material of single-crystalline Ag(2)V(4)O(11) nanobelts as an example, we investigated the charge-discharge reaction mechanism of aqueous lithium ion batteries for the first time. A two-step reaction mechanism was proposed and it was also deduced that crystallinity loss of the electrode materials and partial irreversibility of silver oxidation are the key reasons for rapid capacity fading. We expect this work to provide a scientific platform that could help to investigate and evaluate other electrode materials in this research area.     

A feasibility study on the use of Li(4)V(3)O(8) as a high capacity cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

Li(4)V(3)O(8) materials have been prepared by chemical lithiation by Li(2)S of spherical Li(1.1)V(3)O(8) precursor materials obtained by a spray-drying technique. The over-lithiated vanadates were characterised physically by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), and electrochemically using galvanostatic charge-discharge and cyclic voltammetry measurements in both the half-cell (vs. Li metal) and full-cell (vs. graphite) systems. The Li(4)V(3)O(8) materials are stable in air for up to 5 h, with almost no capacity drop for the samples stored under air. However, prolonged exposure to air will severely change the composition of the Li(4)V(3)O(8) materials, resulting in both Li(1.1)V(3)O(8) and Li(2)CO(3). The electrochemical performance of these over-lithiated vanadates was found to be very sensitive to the conductive additive (carbon black) content in the cathode. When sufficient carbon black is added, the Li(4)V(3)O(8) cathode exhibits good cycling behaviour and excellent rate capabilities, matching those of the Li(1.1)V(3)O(8) precursor material, that is, retaining an average charge capacity of 205 mAh g(-1) at 2800 mA g(-1) (8C rate; 1C rate means full charge or discharge of a battery in one hour), when cycled in the potential range of 2.0-4.0 V versus Li metal. When applied in a non-optimised full cell system (vs. graphite), the Li(4)V(3)O(8) cathode showed promising cycling behaviour, retaining a charge capacity (Li(+) extraction) above 130 mAh g(-1) beyond 50 cycles, when cycled in the voltage range of 1.6-4.0 V, at a specific current of 117 mA g(-1) (C/3 rate).     

钼掺杂磷酸钒锂正极材料的制备及其电化学性能研究

以Li2CO3,NH4H2PO4,V2O5和MoO3为原料,柠檬酸为络合剂和碳源,采用溶胶凝胶法制备了锂离子正极材料Li3MoxV2-x(PO4)3/C (x = 0.01, 0.02和0.03). X射线衍射（XRD）表明,合成的材料具有单一的单斜晶系结构,空间群为P21/n. 扫描电镜（SEM）显示Li3Mo0.02V1.98(PO4)3/C具有均一的表面形貌。恒流充放电测试表明,当x = 0.02时,掺杂后的Li3Mo0.02V1.98(PO4)3具有最佳的电化学性能. 在1C倍率下,3.0 ~ 4.3 V电位区间,Li3Mo0.02V1.98(PO4)3/C的首次放电比容量达到122.3 mAh?g-1,循环50周之后,容量没有衰减的迹象;而当x = 0, 0.01和0.03时,首次放电比容量仅分别为117.1 mAh?g-1,115.1 mAh?g-1和116.0 mAh?g-1. 在3C和5C倍率下,样品Li3Mo0.02V1.98 (PO4)3/C仍能保持优异的循环稳定性.     

Low-valent vanadium oxide nanostructures with controlled crystal structures and morphologies

Low-valent vanadium oxide nanostructures have been synthesized in large quantities using commercial V2O5 powder as the precursor by a facile reduction method. The crystal structures and morphologies of vanadium oxide nanostructures can be adjusted by altering the concentrations and types of reductants. VO2(B) nanostructures are fabricated using oxalic acid as the reductant. VO2(B) nanobelts with widths of 80-150 nm, thicknesses of 20-30 nm, and lengths up to several micrometers can evolve to olive-like nanostructures composed of nanosheets with thicknesses of several nanometers and lateral dimensions of several micrometers as the concentration of oxalic acid increases. H2V3O8 nanobelts with widths of 200-300 nm, thicknesses of 10-20 nm, and lengths up to several 10s of micrometers are obtained under the reduction of V2O5 powder with ethanol. The belt-shaped morphologies of H2V3O8 are not affected by the concentration of ethanol.     

A Universal Molten Salt Method for Direct Upcycling of Spent Ni-rich Cathode towards Single-crystalline Li-rich Cathode

With ever-increasing pursuit for high-value output in recycling spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), traditional recycling methods of cathodes tend to be obsolete because of the complicated procedures. Herein, we first upcycle spent polycrystal LiNi_0.88Co_0.095Al_0.025O₂ (S-NCA) to high value-added single-crystalline and Li-rich cathode materials through a simple but feasible LiOH-Na₂SO₄ eutectic molten salt strategy. The in situ X-ray diffraction technique and a series of paratactic experiments record the evolution process of upcycling and prove that excessive Li occupies the transition metal (TM) layers. Beneficial from the single-crystalline and Li-rich nature, the regenerated NCA (R-NCA) exhibits remarkably enhanced electrochemical performances in terms of long-term cyclability, high-rate performance and low polarization. This approach can also be successfully extended to other cathode materials e.g., LiNi_xCo_yMn_zO₂ (NCM) and mixed spent NCAs with varied degree of Li loss.     

Self-assembly and hierarchical organization of Ga2O3/In2O3 nanostructures

We report on the realization of novel 3-D hierarchical heterostructures with 6-and 4-fold symmetries by a transport and condensation technique. It was found that the major core nanowires or nanobelts are single-crystalline In2O3, and the secondary nanorods are single-crystalline monoclinic beta-Ga2O3 and grow either perpendicular on or slanted to all the facets of the core In2O3 nanobelts. Depending on the diameter of the core In2O3 nanostructures, the secondary Ga2O3 nanorods grow either as a single row or multiple rows. The one-step growth of the unique Ga2O3/In2O3 heteronanostructures is a spontaneous and self-organized process. The simultaneous control of nanocrystal size and shape together with the possibility of growing heterostructures on certain nanocrystal facets opens up novel routes to the synthesis of more sophisticated heterostructures as building blocks for opto- and nanoelectronics.     

四元尖晶石相Li——M——Mn——O(M=Ni,Cr,Mo,V)嵌入电极的研究

制备了用不同价态的几种金属阳离子(Ni2^+,Cr3^+,V5^+,Mo6^+)修饰的尖晶石LiMn~2O~4嵌入化合物作为锂二次电池的阴极材料,对Li/LiM~yMn~2~-~yO~4电池进行了电化学和X射线衍射研究.结果表明,其它离子的掺杂使标准尖晶石LiMn~2O~4电极对锂的反复脱嵌和嵌入有了更强的承受力,但在不同程度上降低了其初始容量.循环性能的提高归于掺杂的金属阳离子使尖晶石结构趋于更稳定.同时还讨论了修饰离子对尖晶石相在充放电时5V电压平台出现的影响。     

P(VdF-HFP)-基离子液体复合聚合物电解质的阴极稳定性及热稳定性

以聚偏氟乙烯-六氟丙烯P(VdF-HFP)聚合物为基体, 制备了含离子液体1-甲基-3-乙基咪唑六氟磷酸盐(EMIPF6)、用于锂离子电池的离子液体复合聚合物电解质[P(VdF-HFP)/LiPF₆/EMIPF₆/EC(碳酸乙烯酯)-PC(碳酸丙烯酯)]. 采用热重分析法以及燃烧实验测试了复合聚合物电解质的热稳定性. 离子电导率测试表明, 离子液体的存在显著改善了复合聚合物电解质的离子传输; 循环伏安测试表明, 添加剂EC和PC的加入提高了复合电解质的阴极稳定性, 制得的离子液体复合聚合物电解质在0.3-4.3 V 电压范围内稳定存在. Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ 和LiCoO₂为电极材料、P(VdF-HFP)/LiPF₆/EMIPF₆/EC-PC 为电解质的半电池表现出优良的循环性能, 0.1C充放电倍率下, Li/LiCoO₂和Li/Li₄Ti₅O₁₂半电池的可逆容量分别为130和144 mAh·g^-1. 但EC、PC在一定程度上降低了离子液体复合聚合物电解质的热稳定性.     

Double‐Shelled Nanocages with Cobalt Hydroxide Inner Shell and Layered Double Hydroxides Outer Shell as High‐Efficiency Polysulfide Mediator for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) batteries have been considered as a promising candidate for next‐generation electrochemical energy‐storage technologies because of their overwhelming advantages in energy density. Suppression of the polysulfide dissolution while maintaining a high sulfur utilization is the main challenge for Li–S batteries. Here, we have designed and synthesized double‐shelled nanocages with two shells of cobalt hydroxide and layered double hydroxides (CH@LDH) as a conceptually new sulfur host for Li–S batteries. Specifically, the hollow CH@LDH polyhedra with complex shell structures not only maximize the advantages of hollow nanostructures for encapsulating a high content of sulfur (75 wt %), but also provide sufficient self‐functionalized surfaces for chemically bonding with polysulfides to suppress their outward dissolution. When evaluated as cathode material for Li–S batteries, the CH@LDH/S composite shows a significantly improved electrochemical performance.     

水系锌离子电池钒基氧化物正极材料研究进展

近年来,钒基氧化物因为种类众多、理论比容量高和倍率性能优异等优点,被认为是一类具有潜在应用价值的水系锌离子电池正极材料。本文综述了V2O5、VO2等钒基氧化物材料的结构特点及其作为水系锌离子电池正极材料的最近研究进展。重点概述了当前钒基氧化物在锌离子电池中所面临的关键问题以及应对策略;最后,对钒基氧化物储锌材料的发展方向进行了展望。     

Facile preparation and electrochemical properties of cubic-phase Li4Mn5O12 nanowires

Single crystalline Li4Mn5O12 nanowires with cubic phase were prepared in a large scale by a simple molten salt route without using any surfactant as template; the nanowires exhibited high storage capacity and coulombic efficiency as cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries.     

Li2MnSiO4/CNTs复合正极材料的合成与电化学性能

采用水热辅助溶胶-凝胶工艺,通过原位复合的方法合成了锂离子电池用Li2MnSiO4/CNTs复合正极材料.分析了复合正极材料的形貌和组成特征,并对每摩尔分别复合5,10,20和30 g碳纳米管(CNTs)及未复合CNTs的样品进行了电化学性能测试.结果显示,所合成的Li2MnSiO4颗粒尺寸分布均匀,粒径在100 nm左右,易团聚.但随着CNTs复合量的增加,团聚现象逐渐改善.合成的Li2MnSiO4材料结晶度良好,属于正交晶系Pmn21空间群.电化学测试结果表明,每摩尔复合20 g CNTs的样品电化学性能最佳,在10 mA/g电流密度下,首周放电容量为150 mA.h/g,循环20周后仍保持在80 mA.h/g;CNTs的原位复合可提高Li2MnSiO4材料的导电性能,并改善其电化学性能.     

Functionalized Carbon Nanomaterials Derived from Carbohydrates

A tremendous growth in the field of carbon nanomaterials has led to the emergence of carbon nanotubes, fullerenes, mesoporous carbon and more recently graphene. Some of these materials have found applications in electronics, sensors, catalysis, drug delivery, composites, and so forth. The high temperatures and hydrocarbon precursors involved in their synthesis usually yield highly inert graphitic surfaces. As some of the applications require functionalization of their inert graphitic surface with groups like ? COOH, ? OH, and ? NH₂, treatment of these materials in oxidizing agents and concentrated acids become inevitable. More recent works have involved using precursors like carbohydrates to produce carbon nanostructures rich in functional groups in a single‐step under hydrothermal conditions. These carbon nanostructures have already found many applications in composites, drug delivery, materials synthesis, and Li ion batteries. The review aims to highlight some of the recent developments in the application of carbohydrate derived carbon nanostructures and also provide an outlook of their future prospects.     

Topochemical synthesis of cobalt oxide-based porous nanostructures for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Two kinds of topochemical conversion routes from cobalt hydroxide precursors to cobalt oxide-based porous nanostructures are presented: pyrolysis in air and hydrothermal treatment by the Kirkendall diffusion effect. These cobalt hydroxide precursors were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal approach with sodium acetate as mineralizer at 200 °C. Detailed proof indicates that the process of cobalt hydroxide precursor growth is dominated by a nucleation, dissolution, renucleation, growth, and exfoliation mechanism. By the topochemical conversion processes several Co(3)O(4) nanostructures, such as cobalt oxide-coated cobalt hydroxide carbonate nanowires, cobalt oxide nanotubes, hollow cobalt oxide spheres, and porous cobalt oxide nanowires, have been synthesized. The obtained Co(3)O(4) nanostructures have also been evaluated as the anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. It was found that the as-prepared Co(3)O(4) nanostructures exhibited high reversible capacity and good cycle performance due to their porous structure and small size.     

Li?CO2电池机理、催化剂和性能研究进展

对化石能源依赖所造成的能源安全和环境污染等问题限制了人类社会的可持续发展。 Li-CO2电池能量密度高、原材料成本低廉且结构简单,因而被认为是开发和利用可再生清洁能源的有力技术,在住宅能量存储、电动汽车驱动和智能电网等领域具备良好的应用前景。此外, CO2等温室气体的大量排放是全球变暖的主要原因, Li-CO2电池放电时可将空气中的 CO2还原固定,生成的碳材料可用作燃料和化工原料,在资源利用化上提供了新途径。 Li-CO2电池是建立在锂-空气电池的基础上。相比大气中的其他成分, H2O与 CO2对该电池的影响很大。防水膜可以减少水的影响;而在放电过程中, CO2的存在会生成 Li2CO3, Li2CO3是可以分解的。由此可见, CO2在可充放的锂电池中作为正极活性成分储能,从而被利用起来。目前 Li-CO2电池至少面临三个问题：(1)电池充放电的机理尚不完全清楚,并且以 O2和 CO2混合气为活性气体的机理与以纯 CO2为活性气体的机理是有差别的, Li2CO3的生成与分解的机制仍在探索中;(2)电解液的稳定性;(3)寻找高效的正极催化剂材料。
　　本文介绍了 Li-CO2电池的发展历程,讨论了 Li-CO2电池的充放电机理、电解液的影响以及正极催化材料的选取等。综述了活性气体为纯 CO2和 CO2-O2混合气时机理的差别,以及 CO2/O2混合比对电池性能的影响。选取电解液应考虑其粘度和介电性。高效能的正极催化材料大多具有高导电性、多孔结构和大的比表面积等特点。而温度也是影响 Li-CO2电池性能的因素之一。虽然 Li-CO2电池的概念相对较新,但可实现 CO2在能源储存与转化领域中的应用,并为 Li-O2电池向锂空气电池飞跃提供了重要参考。本文以如何提高正极材料的催化性能和 Li2CO3的生成和分解机理为重点,总结了正极材料所具有的导电性、比表面积、特殊结构等特点,以及相关机理。     

Amorphous hierarchical porous GeO(x) as high-capacity anodes for Li ion batteries with very long cycling life

Many researchers have focused in recent years on resolving the crucial problem of capacity fading in Li ion batteries when carbon anodes are replaced by other group-IV elements (Si, Ge, Sn) with much higher capacities. Some progress was achieved by using different nanostructures (mainly carbon coatings), with which the cycle numbers reached 100-200. However, obtaining longer stability via a simple process remains challenging. Here we demonstrate that a nanostructure of amorphous hierarchical porous GeO(x) whose primary particles are ~3.7 nm diameter has a very stable capacity of ~1250 mA h g(-1) for 600 cycles. Furthermore, we show that a full cell coupled with a Li(NiCoMn)(1/3)O(2) cathode exhibits high performance.