Polyacrylamide-based hydrogel electrolyte for modulating water activity in aqueous hybrid batteries.

While zinc-ion and hybrid aqueous battery systems have emerged as potential substitutes for expensive lithium-ion batteries, issues like side reactions, limited electrochemical stability, and electrolyte leakage hinder their commercialization. Due to their low cost, high stability, minimal leakage risks, and a wide variety of modification opportunities, hydrogel electrolytes are considered the most promising solution compared to liquid or solid electrolytes. Here, we synthesized a dual-function hydrogel electrolyte based on polyacrylamide and poly(ethylene dioxythiophene):polystyrene (PPP).

Facile Deposition of the LiFePO Cathode by the Electrophoresis Method.

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO, LFP) is one of the most advanced commercial cathode materials for Li-ion batteries and is widely applied as battery cells for electric vehicles. In this work, a thin and uniform LFP cathode film on a conductive carbon-coated aluminum foil was besieged by the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique. Along with the LFP deposition conditions, the impact of two types of binders, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF) and poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), on the film quality and electrochemical results has been studied.

Onion-Structured Si Anode Constructed with Coating by LiTiO and Cyclized-Polyacrylonitrile for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Low dimensional Si-based materials are very promising anode candidates for the next-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, to satisfy the ever-increasing demand in more powerful energy storage devices, electrodes based on Si materials should display high-power accompanied with low volume change upon operation. Thus far, there were no reports on the Si-based materials which satisfy the stated requirements.

Pragmatic Approach to Design Silicon Alloy Anode by the Equilibrium Method.

Silicon fascinates with incredibly high theoretical energy density as an anode material and considered as a primary candidate to replace well-established graphite. However, further commercialization is hindered by the abnormal volume changes of Si in every single cycle. Silicon embedded in a buffer matrix using the melt-spinning process is a promising approach; however, its metastable nature significantly reduces the microstructure homogeneity, the quality of the composition, and, therefore, the electrochemical performances.

The Electrochemical Performances of n-Type Extended Lattice Spaced Si Negative Electrodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The electrochemical performances of lithium-ion batteries with different lattice-spacing Si negative electrodes were investigated. To achieve a homogeneous distribution of impurities in the Si anodes, single crystalline Si wafers with As-dopant were ball-milled to form irregular and agglomerated micro-flakes with an average size of ~10 μm. The structural analysis proved that the As-doped Si negative materials retain the increased lattice constant, thus, keep the existence of the residual tensile stress of around 1.

LiNiN, a Promising Negative Electrode Material for Li-Ion Batteries with a Soft Structural Response.

The layered lithium nitridonickelate LiNiN has been investigated as a negative electrode in the 0.02-1.25 V vs Li/Li potential window.

A Free-Standing Sulfur/Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Electrode for High-Performance Lithium/Sulfur Batteries.

A free-standing sulfur/nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube (S/N-CNT) composite prepared via a simple solution method was first studied as a cathode material for lithium/sulfur batteries. By taking advantage of the self-weaving behavior of N-CNT, binders and current collectors are rendered unnecessary in the cathode, thereby simplifying its manufacturing and increasing the sulfur weight ratio in the electrode. Transmission electronic microscopy showed the formation of a highly developed core-shell tubular structure consisting of S/N-CNT composite with uniform sulfur coating on the surface of N-CNT.