Exploring Lead Zirconate Titanate, the Potential Advancement as an Anode for Li-Ion Batteries.

Graphite, widely adopted as an anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), faces challenges such as an unsustainable supply chain and sluggish rate capabilities. This emphasizes the urgent need to explore alternative anode materials for LIBs, aiming to resolve these challenges and drive the advancement of more efficient and sustainable battery technologies. The present research investigates the potential of lead zirconate titanate (PZT: PbZrTiO) as an anode material for LIBs.

Low-Temperature Molten Salt Electrochemical CO Upcycling for Advanced Energy Materials.

One strategy for addressing the climate crisis caused by CO emissions is to efficiently convert CO to advanced materials suited for green and clean energy technology applications. Porous carbon is widely used as an advanced energy storage material because of its enhanced energy storage capabilities as an anode. Herein, we report electrochemical CO upcycling to solid carbon with a controlled microstructure and porosity in a ternary molten carbonate melt at 450 °C.

Surpassing the Performance of Phenolate-derived Ionic Liquids in CO Chemisorption by Harnessing the Robust Nature of Pyrazolonates.

Superbase-derived ionic liquids (SILs) are promising sorbents to tackle the carbon challenge featured by tunable interaction strength with CO via structural engineering, particularly the oxygenate-derived counterparts (e. g., phenolate).

Facile Strategy to Prepare Poly(ionic liquid)-Coated Solid Polymer Electrolytes through Layer-by-Layer Assembly.

The inability of solid polymer electrolytes to preserve strong mechanical strength with high ionic conductivity hinders the commercialization of lithium metal batteries (LMBs). The success of fabricating layer-by-layer (LbL)-assembled electrolytes has realized the application of flexible solid polymer electrolytes in electrochemical devices. Here, we demonstrate a rational strategy to construct solid electrolytes coated with multiple ultrathin layers of polyanions (poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonate)) and polycations (linear poly(1-butyl-3-(4-vinylbenzyl)-1H-imidazolium chloride) (BVIC)/linear poly(PEG-VIC)/SiO--poly(PEG-VIC)) using an LbL assembly method.

Machine-learning-assisted material discovery of oxygen-rich highly porous carbon active materials for aqueous supercapacitors.

Porous carbons are the active materials of choice for supercapacitor applications because of their power capability, long-term cycle stability, and wide operating temperatures. However, the development of carbon active materials with improved physicochemical and electrochemical properties is generally carried out via time-consuming and cost-ineffective experimental processes. In this regard, machine-learning technology provides a data-driven approach to examine previously reported research works to find the critical features for developing ideal carbon materials for supercapacitors.

Entropy stabilized cubic LiLaZrO with reduced lithium diffusion activation energy: studied using solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

Stabilizing cubic polymorph of LiLaZrO at low temperatures is challenging and currently limited to mono- or dual-ion doping with aliovalent ions. Herein, a high-entropy strategy at the Zr sites was deployed to stabilize the cubic phase and lower the lithium diffusion activation energy, evident from the static Li and MAS Li NMR spectra.

Construction of Boron- and Nitrogen-Enriched Nanoporous π-Conjugated Networks Towards Enhanced Hydrogen Activation.

Boron-enriched scaffolds have demonstrated unique features and promising performance in the field of catalysis towards the activation of small gas molecules. However, there is still a lack of facile approaches capable of achieving high B doping and abundant porous channels in the targeted catalysts. Herein, construction of boron- and nitrogen-enriched nanoporous π-conjugated networks (BN-NCNs) was achieved via a facile ionothermal polymerization procedure with hexaazatriphenylenehexacarbonitrile [HAT(CN) ] sodium borohydride as the starting materials.

Construction of Nitrogen-abundant Graphyne Scaffolds via Mechanochemistry-Promoted Cross-Linking of Aromatic Nitriles with Carbide Toward Enhanced Energy Storage.

The 2D graphyne-related scaffolds linked by carbon-carbon triple bonds have demonstrated promising applications in the field of catalysis and energy storage due to their unique features including high conductivity, permanent porosity, and electron-rich properties. However, the construction of related scaffolds is still mainly limited to the cross-linking of CaC with multiple substituted aromatic halogens and there is still a lack of efficient methodology capable of introducing high-concentration heteroatoms within the architectures. The development of alternative and facile synthesis procedures to afford nitrogen-abundant graphyne materials is highly desirable yet challenging in the field of energy storage, particularly via the facile mechanochemical procedure under neat and ambient conditions.

Scalable Advanced Li(NiCoMn)O Cathode Materials from a Slug Flow Continuous Process.

Li[NiCoMn]O (LNCMO811) is the most studied cathode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries with high energy density. However, available synthesis methods are time-consuming and complex, restricting their mass production. A scalable manufacturing process for producing NCM811 hydroxide precursors is vital for commercialization of the material.

Construction of Fluorine- and Piperazine-Engineered Covalent Triazine Frameworks Towards Enhanced Dual-Ion Positive Electrode Performance.

Organic positive electrodes featuring lightweight and tunable energy storage modes by molecular structure engineering have promising application prospects in dual-ion batteries. Herein, a series of highly porous covalent triazine frameworks (CTFs) were synthesized under ionothermal conditions using fluorinated aromatic nitrile monomers containing a piperazine ring. Fluorinated monomers can result in more defects in CTFs, leading to a higher surface area up to 2515 m  g and a higher N content of 11.

Fully Conjugated Poly(phthalocyanine) Scaffolds Derived from a Mechanochemical Approach Towards Enhanced Energy Storage.

Phthalocyanines (Pc)-derived materials represent an attractive category of porous organic scaffolds featured by extensive π-conjugated networks, but their construction is still limited to the solution-based pathways, producing materials with inferior conductivity and porosity. Herein, a mechanochemistry-driven approach was developed leveraging the on-surface polymerization of aromatic nitrile monomers with ortho-positioned dicyano groups in the presence of metal catalysts (magnesium, zinc, or aluminum) under neat and ambient conditions. Diverse Pc-functionalized conjugated porous networks (Pc-CPNs) were obtained featured by extensively and fully π-conjugated skeletons, high surface areas, and hierarchical porosities.

Controlling the elasticity of polyacrylonitrile fibers ionic liquids containing cyano-based anions.

As the predominant precursor for high-performance carbon fiber manufacturing, the fabrication of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-based composite fibers attracts great interest. Ionic liquids (ILs) have recently been investigated for melt-spinning of ultrafine PAN fibers. The plasticizing properties of ILs are significantly affected by the structure of ILs and can be influenced by electronegativity, steric effects, Herein, we report a facile strategy to control the elasticity of the PAN/ILs fibers by tuning the anion structure of ILs.

Direct Correlation of the Salt-Reduced Diffusivities of Organic Solvents with the Solvent's Mole Fraction.

Lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) in organic solvents (especially propylene carbonate) has demonstrated extraordinary pseudocapacitive performance as an electrolyte in the supercapacitor configuration ( 2019, 4, 241-248). However, the influence of the solvated ions on the diffusivity of the solvent molecules is yet to be understood. We examine the impact of LiTFSI on the diffusivity in five organic solvents: acetonitrile (ACN), tetrahydrofuran (THF), methanol (MeOH), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), and propylene carbonate (PC) using a combination of neutron scattering, conductivity measurements, and molecular dynamics simulations.

Flux upcycling of spent NMC 111 to nickel-rich NMC cathodes in reciprocal ternary molten salts.

The proper handling of end-of-life (EOL) lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has become an urgent and challenging issue with the surging use of LIBs, in which recovering high-value cathodes not only relieves the pressure on the raw material supply chain but also minimizes environmental pollution. Beyond direct recycling of spent cathodes to their pristine states, the direct upcycling of spent cathodes to the next-generation cathodes is of great significance to maximize the value of spent materials and to sustain the fast development of LIBs. Herein, a "reciprocal ternary molten salts" (RTMS) system was developed to directly upcycle spent NMC 111 to Ni-rich NMCs by simultaneously realizing the addition of Ni and the relithiation of Li in spent NMC 111.

Formation of LiF Surface Layer During Direct Fluorination of High-Capacity Co-Free Disordered Rocksalt Cathodes.

Disordered rocksalt (DRX) cathodes have attracted interest due to their high capacity and compositional flexibility (e.g., Co-free chemistries).

Strong Enhancement of Nanoconfined Water Mobility by a Structure Breaking Salt.

For the majority of the water present on earth, the two most important factors influencing its behavior are confinement, in either inorganic or organic matrixes, and the presence of solutes. Here, we investigate the effect of confinement in 3 nm pores on water diffusivity in aqueous solutions with archetypical solutes, a structure making (kosmotrope) NaCl and a structure breaking (chaotrope) KCl, up to 1.0 M in concentration.

Low-Cost Transformation of Biomass-Derived Carbon to High-Performing Nano-graphite via Low-Temperature Electrochemical Graphitization.

Graphite, an essential component of energy storage devices, is traditionally synthesized via an energy-intensive thermal process (Acheson process) at ∼3300 K. However, the battery performance of such graphite is abysmal under fast-charging conditions, which is deemed essential for the propulsion of electric vehicles to the next level. Herein, a low-temperature electrochemical transformation approach has been demonstrated to afford a highly crystalline nano-graphite with the capability of tuning interlayer spacing to enhance the lithium diffusion kinetics in molten salts at 850 °C.

Synthesizing High-Capacity Oxyfluoride Conversion Anodes by Direct Fluorination of Molybdenum Dioxide (MoO ).

High-capacity metal oxide conversion anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are primarily limited by their poor reversibility and cycling stability. In this study, a promising approach has been developed to improve the electrochemical performance of a MoO anode by direct fluorination of the prelithiated MoO . The fluorinated anode contains a mixture of crystalline MoO and amorphous molybdenum oxyfluoride phases, as determined from a suite of characterization methods including X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and scanning transmission electron microscopy.

Probing the Li Ti O Interface Upon Lithium Uptake by Operando Small Angle Neutron Scattering.

The formation of a solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the surface of Li Ti O (LTO) has become a highly controversial topic, with arguments for it and against it. However, prior studies supporting the formation of an SEI layer have typically suggested that a layer forms upon cycling of a cell, although the layer is probed after disassembling. In this study, cubic mesostructured LTO is synthesized with crystallite domain sizes between 3 and 4 nm and uniform pores with diameters ≤8 nm.

Electrochemically induced crystallization of amorphous materials in molten MgCl: boron nitride and hard carbon.

A novel and versatile strategy for the amorphous-to-crystalline transformation of boron nitride (BN) with the capability to control the degree of crystallization was developed through an electrochemical pathway using MgCl at low temperature (750 °C). This procedure can be extended to the transformation of amorphous carbon to graphite, which significantly reduces the energy and cost, accelerates the synthesis process and could potentially replace industrial graphite synthesis globally. Thus, the synthesized graphite exhibits much enhanced electrochemical performance at high charge-discharge rates (5C) compared to commercial synthetic graphite.

Fluorination of MXene by Elemental F as Electrode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The transformation of MXene sheets into TiOF 2D sheets with superior electrochemical performance was developed. MXene synthesized from Ti AlC was fluorinated for 3, 6, and 24 h, respectively, by means of a direct fluorination process. Exposure of MXene powder to elemental fluorine for 3 h induced the formation of CF groups and TiF on the surface, which have beneficial effects on the electrochemical performance.

Spatio-temporal patterns of attacks on human and economic losses from wildlife in Chitwan National Park, Nepal.

Wildlife attacks on humans and economic losses often result in reduced support of local communities for wildlife conservation. Information on spatial and temporal patterns of such losses in the highly affected areas contribute in designing and implementing effective mitigation measures. We analyzed the loss of humans, livestock and property caused by wildlife during 1998 to 2016, using victim family's reports to Chitwan National Park authorities and Buffer Zone User Committees.

An extended E⊗e Jahn-Teller Hamiltonian for large-amplitude motion: Application to vibrational conical intersections in CHSH and CHOH.

An extended E⊗e Jahn-Teller Hamiltonian is presented for the case where the (slow) nuclear motion extends far from the symmetry point and may be described approximately as motion on a sphere. Rather than the traditional power series expansion in the displacement from the C symmetry point, an expansion in the spherical harmonics is employed. Application is made to the vibrational Jahn-Teller effect in CHXH, with X = S, O, where the equilibrium CXH angles are 83° and 72°, respectively.