Ionizable Cyclofructan 6-Based Stationary Phases for Hydrophilic Interaction Liquid Chromatography Using Superficially Porous Particles

Chromatographia - One of the challenges of hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) is the development of hydrolytically stable stationary phases. In this work, reproducible synthesis,...     

Identifying the Structural Evolution of the Sodium Ion Battery Na2FePO4F Cathode

Na₂FePO₄F is a promising cathode material for Na‐ion batteries owing to its relatively high discharge voltage and excellent cycling performance. Now, the long‐ and short‐range structural evolution of Na₂FePO₄F during cycling is studied by in situ high‐energy X‐ray diffraction (XRD), ex situ solid‐state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and first‐principles DFT calculations. DFT calculations suggest that the intermediate phase, Na_1.5FePO₄F, adopts the space group of P2₁/c, which is a subgroup (P2₁/b11, No. 14) of Pbcn (No. 60), the space group of the starting phase, Na₂FePO₄F, and this space group provides a good fit to the experimental XRD and NMR results. The two crystallographically unique Na sites in the structure of Na₂FePO₄F behave differently during cycling, where the Na ions on the Na2 site are electrochemically active while those on the Na1 site are inert. This study determines the structural evolution and the electrochemical reaction mechanisms of Na₂FePO₄F in a Na‐ion battery.