Hybrid Nano Flake-like Vanadium Diselenide Combined on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube as a Binder-Free Electrode for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

As the market for electric vehicles and portable electronic devices continues to grow rapidly, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have emerged as energy storage systems to replace lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, sodium-ion is heavier and larger than lithium-ion, resulting in volume expansion and slower ion transfer. It is necessary to find suitable anode materials with high capacity and stability.

Electrolyte-Dependent Sodium Ion Transport Behaviors in Hard Carbon Anode.

A comprehensive study is conducted on hard carbon (HC) series samples by tuning the graphitic local microstructures systematically as an anode for SIBs in both carbonate- (CBE) and glyme-based electrolytes (GBE). The results reveal more detailed charge storage characters of HCs on the LVP section. 1) The LVP capacity is closely related to the prismatic surface area to the basal plane as well as the bulk density, regardless of electrolyte systems.

Chemical and physical reinforcement of hydrophilic gelatin film with di-aldehyde nanocellulose.

Gelatin is a representative hydrophilic protein material with remarkable biocompatibility and biodegradability. From the aspect of materials processing, gelatin also has the advantage that its entire fabrication process can be performed in an aqueous solution. However, practical application of various gelatin materials-in particular gelatin films-has thus far been limited because of their weak mechanical properties and vulnerability under aqueous environments.

Magnesiophilic Graphitic Carbon Nanosubstrate for Highly Efficient and Fast-Rechargeable Mg Metal Batteries.

The high volumetric energy density of rechargeable Mg batteries (RMBs) gives them a competitive advantage over current Li ion batteries, which originates from the high volumetric capacity (∼3833 mA h cm) of bivalent Mg metal anodes (MMAs). On the other hand, despite their importance, there are few reports on research strategies to improve the electrochemical performance of MMAs. This paper reports that catalytic carbon nanosubstrates rather than metal-based substrates, such as Mo, Cu, and stainless steel, are essential in MMAs to improve the electrochemical performance of RMBs.

Intensification of Pseudocapacitance by Nanopore Engineering on Waste-Bamboo-Derived Carbon as a Positive Electrode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Nanoporous carbon, including redox-active functional groups, can be a promising active electrode material (AEM) as a positive electrode for lithium-ion batteries owing to its high electrochemical performance originating from the host-free surface-driven charge storage process. This study examined the effects of the nanopore size on the pseudocapacitance of the nanoporous carbon materials using nanopore-engineered carbon-based AEMs (NE-C-AEMs). The pseudocapacitance of NE-C-AEMs was intensified, when the pore diameter was ≥2 nm in a voltage range of 1.

Anode-Free Sodium Metal Batteries Based on Nanohybrid Core-Shell Templates.

Anode-free sodium metal batteries (AF-SMBs) can deliver high energy and enormous power, but their cycle lives are still insufficient for them to be practical as a power source in modern electronic devices and/or grid systems. In this study, a nanohybrid template based on high aspect-ratio silver nanofibers and nitrogen-rich carbon thin layers as a core-shell structure is designed to improve the Coulombic efficiency (CE) and cycling performance of AF-SMBs. The catalytic nanohybrid templates dramatically reduce the voltage overshooting caused by metal nucleation to one-fifth that of a bare Al foil electrode (≈6 mV vs ≈30 mV), and high average CE values of >99% are achieved over a wide range of current rates from 0.

Catalytic Pyroprotein Seed Layers for Sodium Metal Anodes.

We report a pyroprotein seed layer (PSL, ∼100 nm in thickness)-coated Cu foil electrode (PSL-Cu) demonstrating highly reversible Na metal storage behavior with a mean Coulombic efficiency (CE) of ∼99.96% over 300 cycles in a glyme-based electrolyte. Via a synergistic effect with the electrolyte, the carbonaceous thin film containing numerous nucleophilic active sites guides the homogeneous Na metal deposition/stripping process with the formation of numerous catalytic seeds, resulting in remarkably stable cycling and a low Na metal nucleation overpotential of ∼10 mV.

High-toughness natural polymer nonwoven preforms inspired by silkworm cocoon structure.

As the interest in environmentally friendly materials and concerns regarding depletion of petroleum resources has increased, the research on natural polymers is being actively pursued. Among the various materials based on natural polymeric resources, the interest in using natural fibers in bio-composites has grown due to their lightweight, non-toxicity, low cost, and abundance. However, the lack of interfacial adhesion between filaments and poor water resistance make the use of natural fiber-based polymer composites less attractive.

Sericin-derived activated carbon-loaded alginate bead: An effective and recyclable natural polymer-based adsorbent for methylene blue removal.

Activated carbon has been widely used as an effective adsorbent for removing contaminants from the water stream. Preparation of activated carbon using agricultural by-products is environmentally friendly and can greatly contribute to the virtuous cycle of natural polymers. In this study, highly porous activated carbon was prepared using silk sericin, a secondary protein of the sericulture industry.

Pyrolytic Carbon Nanosheets for Ultrafast and Ultrastable Sodium-Ion Storage.

Na-ion cointercalation in the graphite host structure in a glyme-based electrolyte represents a new possibility for using carbon-based materials (CMs) as anodes for Na-ion storage. However, local microstructures and nanoscale morphological features in CMs affect their electrochemical performances; they require intensive studies to achieve high levels of Na-ion storage performances. Here, pyrolytic carbon nanosheets (PCNs) composed of multitudinous graphitic nanocrystals are prepared from renewable bioresources by heating.

Nanocomposite Films of Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Grafted Graphene Oxide/Poly(vinyl alcohol) for Gas Barrier Film Applications.

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) composites containing graphene oxide (GO) functionalized with PVA were synthesized via the esterification of the carboxylic groups of GO. The presence of PVA-grafted GO (PVA-g-GO) in the PVA matrix induced strong interactions between the chains of the PVA matrix and allowed the PVA-g-GO to be uniformly dispersed throughout the matrix. The grafting of PVA to GO increased the gas barrier properties of the GO/PVA composites because of the increased compatibility between GO and PVA.

Hierarchical porous carbon/MnO2 hybrids as supercapacitor electrodes.

Hybrid electrodes of hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) and manganese oxide (MnO2) were synthesized using a fast surface redox reaction of potassium permanganate under facile immersion methods. The HPC/MnO2 hybrids had a number of micropores and macropores and the MnO2 nanoparticles acted as a pseudocapacitive material. The synergistic effects of electric double-layer capacitor (EDLC)-induced capacitance and pseudocapacitance brought about a better electrochemical performance of the HPC/MnO2 hybrid electrodes compared to that obtained with a single component.

Hierarchically porous carbon nanosheets from waste coffee grounds for supercapacitors.

The nanostructure design of porous carbon-based electrode materials is key to improving the electrochemical performance of supercapacitors. In this study, hierarchically porous carbon nanosheets (HP-CNSs) were fabricated using waste coffee grounds by in situ carbonization and activation processes using KOH. Despite the simple synthesis process, the HP-CNSs had a high aspect ratio nanostructure (∼20 nm thickness to several micrometers in lateral size), a high specific surface area of 1945.