The effects of coil–stretch transition behavior of polyfluorene inks on single droplet formation during inkjet printing

For drop-on-demand (DOD) inkjet printing, stable and single ink droplet formation without satellite dots is the key to improve the print quality. The formation of stable and single droplet is influenced by filament break up and the polymer chain’s coil–stretch transition behavior. In this paper, the droplet formation behaviors of polyfluorene (PFO) ink at various driving voltages (V), polymer chain’s coil–stretch transition mechanism and its effects on single ink droplet formation are investigated. It indicates that when 58 < V ≤ 63 V, a single and stable droplet is formed with a pulse time of 38.5 μs. At this stage, the Weissenberg number (Wi) < 0.5, the PFO molecular chain is coiled to guarantee stable and single droplets. When V > 63 V, Wi > 0.5, the PFO molecular chain is stretched because of the high hydrodynamic forces, resulting unwanted satellite droplets. When 55 < V ≤ 58 V, the droplet shrinks into the nozzle, which indicates that the kinetic energy supplied by the deformation of the piezoelectric transducer isn't enough to force the droplet to be jetted from the nozzle.     

Dynamic and reversible electrowetting with low voltage on the dimethicone infused carbon nanotube array in air

Unremitting efforts have been intensively making for pursuing the goal of the reversible transition of electrowetting owing to its vital importance to many practical applications, but which remains a major challenge for carbon nanotubes due to the irreversible electrochemical damage. Herein, we proposed a subtly method to prevent the CNT array from electrochemical damage by using liquid medium instead of air medium to form a liquid/liquid/solid triphase system. The dimethicone dynamically refills in CNT arrays after removing of voltage that makes the surface back to hydrophobic, which is an elegant way to not only decrease energy dissipation in electrowetting process but also obtain extra energy in reversible dewetting process. Repeated cycles of in situ experiments showed that more than four reversible electrowetting cycles could be achieved in air. It worth mention that the in situ reversible electrowetting voltage of the dimethicone infused CNT array has been lowered to 2 V from 7 V which is the electrowetting voltage for the pure CNT array. The surface of the dimethicone infused CNT array can maintain hydrophobicity with a contact angle of 145.6° after four cycles, compared with 148.1° of the initial state. Moreover, a novel perspective of theoretical simulations through the binding energy has been provided which proved that the charged CNTs preferred binding with water molecules thereby replacing the dimethicone molecules adsorbed on the CNTs, whereas reconnected with dimethicone after removing the charges. Our study provides distinct insight into dynamic reversible electrowetting on the nanostructured surface in air and supplies a way for precise control of wettability in surface chemistry, smart phase-change heat transfer enhancement, liquid lenses, microfluidics, and other chemical engineering applications.     

A Perspective: the Technical Barriers of Zn Metal Batteries

Energy storage will witness a leap of understanding of new battery chemistries.Considering the safety that cannot be compromised,new aqueous batteries may surface as the solutions to meet the immense market needs,where the growth of renewables is no longer limited by the lack of storage.Aqueous Zn-metal batteries are intriguing candidates to deliver the desirable properties and exhibit competitive levelized energy cost.However,the fact that most commercial Zn batteries are primary batteries states the difficulty of reversibility for the reactions of electrodes in such batteries.This article will highlight the practical needs that guide the development of storage batteries.The causes of irreversibility for both cathode and zinc metal anode are discussed,and the potential solutions for these challenges are summarized.Zn metal batteries may one day address the storage needs,and there exists a vast potential to further improve the properties of reactions in this battery.     

中空核壳结构Ni1.2Co0.8P@N-C钠离子电池负极材料的制备及拉曼研究

本文设计制备了一种新型的氮掺杂碳包覆镍钴双金属磷化物中空核壳结构纳米立方体(Ni_1.2Co_0.8P@N-C)作为钠离子电池负极材料. 该材料以镍钴类普鲁士蓝(PBA)纳米粒子为模板,先后经水热法、磷化法和高温碳化处理后合成. 将其作为活性材料应用在钠离子电池中,该材料展现出优异的循环稳定性,当以100 mA·g^-1的电流密度循环至200圈时,该材料的库仑效率保持在99.3%. 进一步通过对不同电位下Ni_1.2Co_0.8P@N-C材料中的氮掺杂碳进行原位拉曼光谱测试,结果显示钠离子在氮掺杂的碳壳中的脱嵌行为具有较大程度的可逆性,研究结果对钠离子电池充放电过程的后续电化学研究提供了有价值的信息.     

Ni3S2@碳纳米管复合材料的制备及其储钠性能

采用一步固相煅烧工艺制备了碳纳米管原位封装Ni₃S₂纳米颗粒（Ni₃S₂@CNT）,并研究了其作为钠离子电池（SIBs）负极材料的电化学性能. 通过X射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）、透射电子显微镜（TEM）、循环伏安测试、恒流充放电以及交流阻抗等研究了Ni₃S₂@CNT的物相结构、形貌特征以及电化学性能. 电化学测试表明,材料在100 mA·g ^-1电流密度下,放电容量可以达到541.6 mAh·g ^-1,甚至在2000 mA·g ^-1的大电流密度下其放电比容量也可以维持在274.5 mAh·g ^-1. 另外,材料在100 mA·g ^-1电流密度下,经过120周充放电循环后其放电和充电比容量仍然可以保持在374.5 mAh·g ^-1和359.3 mAh·g ^-1,说明其具有良好倍率性能和循环稳定性能. 良好的电化学性能归因于这种独特的碳纳米管原位封装Ni₃S₂纳米颗粒结构. 碳纳米管不但可以提高复合材料的导电性,也可以缓冲Ni₃S₂纳米颗粒在反复充放电过程中产生的体积膨胀效应,明显改善了Ni₃S₂@CNT负极复合材料的电化学性能.     

ZIF-67 derived carbon wrapped discontinuous CoxP nanotube as anode material in high-performance Li-ion battery

Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) are prospective anode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities and low redox voltages. Herein, we report a template directing method to develop a tube-sheath hybrid composing of cobalt phosphide particles encapsulated in metal organic frameworks (MOFs) derived N-doped carbon sheaths (Co_xP@NC). The utilization of directing template leads to a homogenous distribution of the subsequently formed cobalt phosphide particles, restrains the aggregation of cobalt phosphides, and thus results in the superb rate capability and cyclability. Contributable to the integrated merits of the interior downsized cobalt phosphide particles and the outer ZIF-67 derived porous carbon sheath, the volume expansion during cycling is effectively suppressed. The Co_xP@NC hybrid shows superb electrochemical performance as anode material for LIB, with good reversible capacity of 928 mAh·g^?1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g^?1, and high stability of 526 mAh·g^?1 after 600 cycles at 1.0 A g^?1. This work provides a route for rational design of MOF derived carbon-based anode material for LIB, which could also be applied as a promising platform in diverse field.     

Enabling High‐Voltage Lithium Metal Batteries by Manipulating Solvation Structure in Ester Electrolyte

Lithium metal is an ideal electrode material for future rechargeable lithium metal batteries. However, the widespread deployment of metallic lithium anode is significantly hindered by its dendritic growth and low Coulombic efficiency, especially in ester solvents. Herein, by rationally manipulating the electrolyte solvation structure with a high donor number solvent, enhancement of the solubility of lithium nitrate in an ester‐based electrolyte is successfully demonstrated, which enables high‐voltage lithium metal batteries. Remarkably, the electrolyte with a high concentration of LiNO₃ additive presents an excellent Coulombic efficiency up to 98.8 % during stable galvanostatic lithium plating/stripping cycles. A full‐cell lithium metal battery with a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode exhibits a stable cycling performance showing limited capacity decay. This approach provides an effective electrolyte manipulation strategy to develop high‐voltage lithium metal batteries.     

Photo‐excited Oxygen Reduction and Oxygen Evolution Reactions Enable a High‐Performance Zn–Air Battery

The storage of solar energy in battery systems is pivotal for a sustainable society, which faces many challenges. Herein, a Zn–air battery is constructed with two cathodes of poly(1,4‐di(2‐thienyl))benzene (PDTB) and TiO₂ grown on carbon papers to sandwich a Zn anode. The PDTB cathode is illuminated in a discharging process, in which photoelectrons are excited into the conduction band of PDTB to promote oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and raise the output voltage. In a reverse process, holes in the valence band of the illuminated TiO₂ cathode are driven for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) by an applied voltage. A record‐high discharge voltage of 1.90 V and an unprecedented low charge voltage of 0.59 V are achieved in the photo‐involved Zn–air battery, regardless of the equilibrium voltage. This work offers an innovative pathway for photo‐energy utilization in rechargeable batteries.     

Solvation Rule for Solid‐Electrolyte Interphase Enabler in Lithium‐Metal Batteries

Despite the exceptionally high energy density of lithium metal anodes, the practical application of lithium‐metal batteries (LMBs) is still impeded by the instability of the interphase between the lithium metal and the electrolyte. To formulate a functional electrolyte system that can stabilize the lithium‐metal anode, the solvation behavior of the solvent molecules must be understood because the electrochemical properties of a solvent can be heavily influenced by its solvation status. We unambiguously demonstrated the solvation rule for the solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) enabler in an electrolyte system. In this study, fluoroethylene carbonate was used as the SEI enabler due to its ability to form a robust SEI on the lithium metal surface, allowing relatively stable LMB cycling. The results revealed that the solvation number of fluoroethylene carbonate must be ≥1 to ensure the formation of a stable SEI in which the sacrificial reduction of the SEI enabler subsequently leads to the stable cycling of LMBs.     

General Approach to Single and Hybrid Metal Oxide Fiber Structures for High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Owing to the high specific capacity and energy density, metal oxides have become very promising electrodes for lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). However, poor electrical conductivity accompanied with inferior cycling stability resulting from large volume changes are the main obstacles to achieve a high reversible capacity and stable cyclability. Herein, a facile and general approach to fabricate SnO₂, Fe₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃/SnO₂ fibers is proposed. The appealing structural features are favorable for offering a shortened lithium‐ion diffusion length, easy access for the electrolyte and reduced volume variation when used as anodes in LIBs. As a consequence, both single and hybrid oxides show satisfactory reversible capacities (1206 mAh g^?1 for Fe₂O₃ and 1481 mAh g^?1 for Fe₂O₃/SnO₂ after 200 cycles at 200 mA g^?1) and long lifespans.