锂离子电池正极材料LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4金属掺杂的第一性原理研究

近来尖晶石相LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4被认为是一种有前景的二次锂离子电池正极材料.但是其相对较差的循环性能和倍率性能限制了LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4的大规模应用.金属掺杂被认为是一种提高其电化学性能的有效方法.然而,还急需深层次地理解掺杂对材料结构和电化学性质的影响.采用第一性原理方法,系统地研究了金属掺杂的LiM0.125Ni0.375Mn1.5O4(M为Cr,Fe和Co)电极体系的结构与电子性质.计算结果显示,少量的过渡金属M取代LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4晶格中的Ni,能够有效抑制材料在电化学脱嵌锂过程中的体积变化(从锂化相到脱锂相,体积变化率约为4%,而未掺杂的情况为4.7%),提高材料循环性能.体系态密度表明金属掺杂能够减小体系的带隙,进而提高材料的电子传导.另外,通过Li离子的扩散计算,我们发现与未掺杂的LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4相比,Co掺杂使得Li在材料中两条不同扩散路径的扩散能垒分别降低了约90 meV和140 meV,表明Co掺杂有利于Li在材料中的快速扩散.     

Comparative study on structure and properties of titanium/silicon mono‐ and co‐doped amorphous carbon films deposited by mid‐frequency magnetron sputtering

The titanium/silicon mono‐ and co‐doped amorphous carbon films were deposited by mid‐frequency magnetron sputtering Ti target, Si target, and Ti80S20 alloy target, respectively. The effects of doped elements on the composition, surface morphology, microstructure, and mechanical and tribological properties of the films were investigated. The results reveal that the ratio of sp³ and sp² carbon bonds of the films is regulated between 0.28 and 0.62 by a combination of Ti and Si dopant. The addition of small amounts of silicon leads to an increase in sp³ bonds and disorder degree of the sp² carbon. The co‐doped film exhibits significantly superior friction performance than the mono‐doped films. The ultra‐low friction (μ < 0.01) was achieved under a load of 2 N in ambient air with 40% RH. By comparing to the mono‐and co‐doped films, it is thought that the sp³/sp² ratio of the films may play a key role for the superlow friction. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Excellent Performance of Few‐Layer Borocarbonitrides as Anode Materials in Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Borocarbonitrides (B_xC_yN_z) with a graphene‐like structure exhibit a remarkable high lithium cyclability and current rate capability. The electrochemical performance of the B_xC_yN_z materials, synthesized by using a simple solid‐state synthesis route based on urea, was strongly dependent on the composition and surface area. Among the three compositions studied, the carbon‐rich compound B_0.15C_0.73N_0.12 with the highest surface area showed an exceptional stability (over 100 cycles) and rate capability over widely varying current density values (0.05–1 A g^?1). B_0.15C_0.73N_0.12 has a very high specific capacity of 710 mA h g^?1 at 0.05 A g^?1. With the inclusion of a suitable additive in the electrolyte, the specific capacity improved drastically, recording an impressive value of nearly 900 mA h g^?1 at 0.05 A g^?1. It is believed that the solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer at the interface of B_xC_yN_z and electrolyte also plays a crucial role in the performance of the B_xC_yN_z .     

Highly Efficient Orange and Warm White Phosphorescent OLEDs Based on a Host Material with a Carbazole–Fluorenyl Hybrid

A new carbazole–fluorenyl hybrid compound, 3,3′(2,7‐di(naphthaline‐2‐yl)‐9H‐fluorene‐9,9‐diyl)bis(9‐phenyl‐9H‐carbazole) (NFBC) was synthesized and characterized. The compound exhibits blue‐violet emission both in solution and in film, with peaks centered at 404 and 420 nm. In addition to the application as a blue emitter, NFBC is demonstrated to be a good host for phosphorescent dopants. By doping Ir(2‐phq)₃ in NFBC, a highly efficient orange organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) with a maximum efficiency of 32 cd A^?1 (26.5 Lm W^?1) was obtained. Unlike most phosphorescent OLEDs, the device prepared in our study shows little efficiency roll‐off at high brightness and maintains current efficiencies of 31.9 and 26.8 cd A^?1 at a luminance of 1000 and 10 000 cd m^?2, respectively. By using NFBC simultaneously as a blue fluorescence emitter and as a host for a phosphorescent dopant, a warm white OLED with a maximum efficiency of 22.9 Lm W^?1 (21.9 cd A^?1) was also obtained.     

Fabrication of Predominantly Mn4+‐Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles under Equilibrium Conditions and Their Application as Visible‐Light Photocatalyts

The chemical state of a transition‐metal dopant in TiO₂ can intrinsically determine the performance of the doped material in applications such as photocatalysis and photovoltaics. In this study, manganese‐doped TiO₂ is fabricated by a near‐equilibrium process, in which the TiO₂ precursor powder precipitates from a hydrothermally obtained transparent mother solution. The doping level and subsequent thermal treatment influence the morphology and crystallization of the TiO₂ samples. FTIR spectroscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses indicate that the manganese dopant is substitutionally incorporated by replacing Ti⁴⁺ cations. The absorption band edge can be gradually shifted to 1.8 eV by increasing the nominal manganese content to 10 at %. Manganese atoms doped into the titanium lattice are associated with the dominant 4+ valence oxidation state, which introduces two curved, intermediate bands within the band gap and results in a significant enhancement in photoabsorption and the quantity of photogenerated hydroxyl radicals. Additionally, the high photocatalytic performance of manganese‐doped TiO₂ is also attributed to the low oxygen content, owing to the equilibrium fabrication conditions. This work provides an important strategy to control the chemical and defect states of dopants by using an equilibrium fabrication process.     

高分散Co0.2Ni1.6Fe0.2P助催化剂改性P掺杂g-C3N4纳米片高效光催化析氢的研究

随着化石燃料使用的增加和温室气体排放量持续上升,20世纪以来气温上升得更快。开发环境友好型能源取代传统化石燃料是当务之急。氢能源作为一种清洁、高效的能源,被认为是最有希望取代传统化石燃料的能源。光催化水分解水产氢作为为一种环保型技术被认为是最有前景的氢能生产方法。提高光生电子-空穴对分离效率是构建高效光催化剂的关键。然而,利用高度分散的助催化剂构建高效、稳定的产氢光催化剂仍然是一个挑战。本文首次成功地采用一步原位高温磷化法制备了高度分散的非贵金属三金属过度金属磷化Co_0.2Ni_1.6Fe_0.2P助催化剂(PCNS-CoNiFeP)掺杂P的石墨相氮化碳纳米片(PCNS)。有趣的是,PCNS-CoNiFeP与传统氢氧前驱体磷化法制备的CoNiFeP相比,没有聚集性,分散性高。X射线衍射(XRD)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、元素映射图像和高分辨率透射电镜(HRTEM)结果表明,PCNS-CoNiFeP已成功合成。紫外-可见吸收光谱结果表明,PCNS-CoNiFeP在200–800 nm波长范围内较PCNS略有增加。光致发光光谱、电化学阻抗谱(EIS)和光电流分析结果表明,CoNiFeP助催化剂能有效促进光生电子-空穴对的分离,加速载流子的迁移。线性扫描伏安法(LSV)结果还表明,负载CoNiFeP助催化剂可大大降低CNS的过电位。结果表明,以三乙醇胺溶液为牺牲剂的PCNS-CoNiFeP最大产氢速率为1200 μmol·h^-1·g^-1,是纯CNS-Pt (320 μmol·h^-1·g^-1)的4倍。在420 nm处的表观量子效率为1.4%。PCNS-CoNiFeP在光催化反应中也表现出良好的稳定性。透射电镜结果表明,6–8 nm的CoNiFeP高度分散在PCNS表面。高度分散的CoNiFeP比聚集的CoNiFeP具有更好的电荷分离能力和更高的电催化析氢活性。由此可见,聚合的CoNiFeP-PCNs (300 μmol·h^-1·g^-1)的产氢速率远低于PCNS-CoNiFeP。此外,CNS的P掺杂可以改善其电导率和电荷传输。     

表面限域掺杂提升高比能正极材料稳定性

Lithium ion batteries (LIBs) have broad applications in a wide variety of a fields pertaining to energy storage devices. In line with the increasing demand in emerging areas such as long-range electric vehicles and smart grids, there is a continuous effort to achieve high energy by maximizing the reversible capacity of electrode materials, particularly cathode materials. However, in recent years, with the continuous enhancement of battery energy density, safety issues have increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, becoming a non-negligible factor in determining whether the electric vehicle industry has a foothold. The key issue in the development of battery systems with high specific energies is the intrinsic instability of the cathode, with the accompanying question of safety. The failure mechanism and stability of high-specific-capacity cathode materials for the next generation of LIBs, including nickel-rich cathodes, high-voltage spinel cathodes, and lithium-rich layered cathodes, have attracted extensive research attention. Systematic studies related to the intrinsic physical and chemical properties of different cathodes are crucial to elucidate the instability mechanisms of positive active materials. Factors that these studies must address include the stability under extended electrochemical cycles with respect to dissolution of metal ions in LiPF₆-based electrolytes due to HF corrosion of the electrode; cation mixing due to the similarity in radius between Li⁺ and Ni²⁺; oxygen evolution when the cathode is charged to a high voltage; the origin of cracks generated during repeated charge/discharge processes arising from the anisotropy of the cell parameters; and electrolyte decomposition when traces of water are present. Regulating the surface nanostructure and bulk crystal lattice of electrode materials is an effective way to meet the demand for cathode materials with high energy density and outstanding stability. Surface modification treatment of positive active materials can slow side reactions and the loss of active material, thereby extending the life of the cathode material and improving the safety of the battery. This review is targeted at the failure mechanisms related to the electrochemical cycle, and a synthetic strategy to ameliorate the properties of cathode surface locations, with the electrochemical performance optimized by accurate surface control. From the perspective of the main stability and safety issues of high-energy cathode materials during the electrochemical cycle, a detailed discussion is presented on the current understanding of the mechanism of performance failure. It is crucial to seek out favorable strategies in response to the failures. Considering the surface structure of the cathode in relation to the stability issue, a newly developed protocol, known as surface-localized doping, which can exist in different states to modify the surface properties of high-energy cathodes, is discussed as a means of ensuring significantly improved stability and safety. Finally, we envision the future challenges and possible research directions related to the stability control of next-generation high-energy cathode materials.     

Development of the Self-doping Porous Carbon and Its Application in Supercapacitor Electrode

The massive discharge of biomass wastes not only causes waste of resources, but also pollutes the environment. Therefore, converting biomass wastes into carbon materials is an effective way to solve the above problems. Here, using biomass waste pig nails as raw materials and K₂CO₃ as chemical activators, the N-doped porous carbon(KPNC) is prepared by direct pyrolysis. As an electrode for supercapacitors, the electrochemical tests of KPNCs showed that they exhibited good electrochemical performance and excellent cycling stability. When the current density is 0.2 A/g, the specific capacitance is up to 344.6 F/g. Moreover, it still maintains 97.6% initial capacitance retention after 2000 cycles at a high current density of 5 A/g. Above exceptional electrochemical performances may be ascribed to an appropriate porous structure(S_micro/S_total=80.31%, V_micro/V_total=76.19%), high nitrogen contents(4.44%, atomic fraction), oxygen contents(9.13%, atomic fraction) as well as small internal resistance. The above experimental results show that the conversion of pig nails to porous carbon can reduce the waste of resources and alleviate environmental pollution.     

Cu Doping-Induced Transformation from [Ag62S12(SBut)32]2+ to [Ag62−xCuxS12(SBut)32]4+ Nanocluster

The change in the valence state of nanocluster can induce remarkable changes in the properties and structure. However, achieving the valence state changes in nanoclusters is still a challenge. In this work, we use Cu²⁺ as dopant to “oxidize” [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ (4 free electrons) to obtain the new nanocluster: [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ with 2 free electrons. As revealed by its structure, the [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ (x=10∼21) has a similar structure to that of [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ precursor and all the Cu atoms occupy the surface site of nanocluster. It′s worth noting that with the Cu atoms doping, the [Ag_62−xCu_xS₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]⁴⁺ nanocluster is more stable than [Ag₆₂S₁₂(SBu^t)₃₂]²⁺ at higher temperature and in electrochemical cycle. This result has laid a foundation for the subsequent application and exploration. Overall, this work reveals crystals structure of a new Ag−Cu nanocluster and offers a new insight into the electron reduction/oxidation of nanocluster.