Pecan Shell-Derived Activated Carbon for High-Electrochemical Performance Supercapacitor Electrode.

Carbon nanomaterials-based electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) are reliable and appealing energy-storage systems offering high power density and long cycling stability. However, these energy storage devices are plagued with critical shortcomings, such as low specific capacitance, inefficient physical/chemical activation process, and self-discharge of electrode materials, hindering their future application. In this work, we use a self-activation process, an environmentally benign and low-cost process, to produce high-performance activated carbon (AC).

Impact of the expanded child tax credit and its expiration on adult psychological well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated stress and psychological distress among adults with children, with certain populations experiencing a greater mental health burden. The expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) under the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act provided temporary relief to families with children through monthly payments from July through December 2021, offering a unique opportunity to examine the impact of a near-universal cash transfer on adult psychological well-being in the United States. We use the Household Pulse Survey Waves 28-41 (April 14, 2021 to January 10, 2022) to analyze the CTC expansion and Waves 34-42 (July 21, 2021 to February 7, 2022) to examine the expiration of the expanded CTC to investigate the effects of the expanded CTC and its expiration on psychological distress of adults in households with children and its differential effects by gender, education, marital status, and race and ethnicity (N = 167,772).

Nanoengineering to achieve high efficiency practical lithium-sulfur batteries.

Rapidly increasing markets for electric vehicles (EVs), energy storage for backup support systems and high-power portable electronics demand batteries with higher energy densities and longer cycle lives. Among the various electrochemical energy storage systems, lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have the potential to become the next generation rechargeable batteries because of their high specific energy at low cost. However, the development of practical Li-S batteries for commercial products has been challenged by several obstacles, including unstable cycle life and low sulfur utilization.

Publisher Correction: 2D MoS as an efficient protective layer for lithium metal anodes in high-performance Li-S batteries.

In the version of this Article originally published, a technical error in typesetting led to the traces in Fig. 3a being trimmed and made to overlap. The figure has now been corrected with the traces as supplied by the authors; the original and corrected Fig.

fabrication of a graphene-coated three-dimensional nickel oxide anode for high-capacity lithium-ion batteries.

The high theoretical specific capacity of nickel oxide (NiO) makes it attractive as a high-efficiency electrode material for electrochemical energy storage. However, its application is limited due to its inferior electrochemical performance and complicated electrode fabrication process. Here, we developed an fabrication of a graphene-coated, three-dimensional (3D) NiO-Ni structure by simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD).

2D MoS as an efficient protective layer for lithium metal anodes in high-performance Li-S batteries.

Among the candidates to replace Li-ion batteries, Li-S cells are an attractive option as their energy density is about five times higher (~2,600 Wh kg). The success of Li-S cells depends in large part on the utilization of metallic Li as anode material. Metallic lithium, however, is prone to grow parasitic dendrites and is highly reactive to several electrolytes; moreover, Li-S cells with metallic Li are also susceptible to polysulfides dissolution.

Synthesis of uniform single layer WS for tunable photoluminescence.

Two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides (2D TMDs) have gained great interest due to their unique tunable bandgap as a function of the number of layers. Especially, single-layer tungsten disulfides (WS) is a direct band gap semiconductor with a gap of 2.1 eV featuring strong photoluminescence and large exciton binding energy.

Vertically oriented MoS nanoflakes coated on 3D carbon nanotubes for next generation Li-ion batteries.

The advent of advanced electrode materials has led to performance enhancement of traditional lithium ion batteries (LIBs). We present novel binder-free MoS coated three-dimensional carbon nanotubes (3D CNTs) as an anode in LIBs. Scanning transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that vertically oriented MoS nanoflakes are strongly bonded to CNTs, which provide a high surface area and active electrochemical sites, and enhanced ion conductivity at the interface.

Three-dimensional free-standing carbon nanotubes for a flexible lithium-ion battery anode.

Flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have received considerable attention as energy sources for wearable electronics. In recent years, much effort has been devoted to study light-weight, robust, and flexible electrodes. However, high areal and volumetric capacities need to be achieved for practical power and energy densities.