Scalable Spray Drying Production of Amorphous V O -EGO 2D Heterostructured Xerogels for High-Rate and High-Capacity Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are promising in stationary grid energy storage due to their advantages in safety and cost-effectiveness, and the search for competent cathode materials is one core task in the development of ZIBs. Herein, the authors design a 2D heterostructure combining amorphous vanadium pentoxide and electrochemically produced graphene oxide (EGO) using a fast and scalable spray drying technique. The unique 2D heterostructured xerogel is achieved by controlling the concentration of EGO in the precursor solution.

Rational design of metal oxide catalysts for electrocatalytic water splitting.

Electrocatalytic energy conversion between electricity and chemical bonding energy is realized through redox reactions with multiple charge transfer steps at the electrode-electrolyte interface. The surface atomic structure of the electrode materials, if appropriately designed, will provide an energetically affordable pathway with individual reaction intermediates that not only reduce the thermodynamic energy barrier but also allow an acceptably fast kinetic rate of the overall redox reaction. As one of the most abundant and stable forms, oxides of transitional metals demonstrated promising electrocatalytic activities towards multiple important chemical reactions.