High performance of 5 V LiNiMnO cathode materials synthesized from recycled LiCO for sustainable Lithium-Ion batteries.

Lithium has become a critical element in the modern era due to the emergence of lithium-ion battery (LIB) technologies as a mean to lessen the environmental burden created by the energy usage from conventional sources. In this study, LiCO was obtained from spent LIBs using a hydrometallurgical method and sintered with Taylor Flow Reactor (TFR) synthesized NiMn(OH) precursor to synthesize high-voltage LiNiMnO (R-LNMO) cathode material for the first time and conducted a series of tests and inspections for structure, morphology, electrochemical lithium cycling behaviour and its controlling factors, electronic conductivity, lithium ion diffusion characteristics and self-discharge behaviour. The results are benchmarked with C-LNMO synthesized through a similar processing but using LiCO obtained from a commercial source.

Cobalt nanoclusters Deposit on Nitrogen-Doped graphene Sheets as bifunctional electrocatalysts for high performance lithium - Oxygen batteries.

Rechargeable lithium-oxygen (Li-O) batteries are being considered as the next-generation energy storage systems due to their higher theoretical energy density. However, the practical application of Li-O batteries is hindered by slow kinetics and the formation of side products during the oxygen reduction and evolution reactions on the cathode. These reactions lead to high overpotentials during charging and discharging.

MXene-Embedded PEDOT:PSS Hole-Transport Material for Lead-Free Perovskite Solar Cells.

Improving the energy alignment between charge-transport layers and the perovskite is crucial for further enhancing the photovoltaic performance of tin-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, the role of TiCT MXene in a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole transport layer (HTL) on the photovoltaic properties of PSCs is investigated as a function of its concentration. An improved perovskite film formation with reduced pinhole density and a more uniform contact potential difference is noted when MXene is embedded in the PEDOT:PSS HTL.

Systematic study of Co-free LiNiMnAlO Ni-rich cathode materials to realize high-energy density Li-ion batteries.

The growing use of EVs and society's energy needs require safe, affordable, durable, and eco-friendly high-energy lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To this end, we synthesized and investigated the removal of Co from Al-doped Ni-rich cathode materials, specifically LiNiCoAlO (NCA-0), LiNiMnAlO (NMA-0), LiNiMnAlO (NMA-3), intending to enhance LIB performance and reduce the reliance on cobalt, a costly and scarce resource. Our study primarily focuses on how the removal of Co affects the material characteristics of Ni-rich cathode material and further introduces aluminum into the cathode composition to study its impacts on electrochemical properties and overall performance.

Two birds with one stone: One-pot concurrent Ta-doping and -coating on Ni-rich LiNiCoMnO cathode materials with fiber-type microstructure and Li-conducting layer formation.

A novel scalable Taylor-Couette reactor (TCR) synthesis method was employed to prepare Ta-modified LiNiCoMnO (T-NCM92) with different Ta contents. Through experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the phase and microstructure of Ta-modified NCM92 were analyzed, showing that Ta provides a bifunctional (doping and coating at one time) effect on LiNiCoMnO cathode material through a one-step synthesis process via a controlling suitable amount of Ta and Li-salt. Ta doping allows the tailoring of the microstructure, orientation, and morphology of the primary NCM92 particles, resulting in a needle-like shape with fine structures that considerably enhance Li ion diffusion and electrochemical charge/discharge stability.

Unveiling high-power and high-safety lithium-ion battery separator based on interlayer of ZIF-67/cellulose nanofiber with electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/melamine nonwoven membranes.

Due to the poor thermal stability of conventional separators, lithium-ion batteries require a suitable separator to maintain system safety for long-term cycling performance. It must have high porosity, superior electrolyte uptake ability, and good ion-conducting properties even at high temperatures. In this work, we demonstrate a novel composite membrane based on sandwiching of zeolitic imidazole frameworks-67 decorated cellulose acetate nanofibers (ZIF-67@CA) with electrospun poly(vinyl alcohol)/melamine (denoted as PVAM) nonwoven membranes.

An automated materials and processes identification tool for material informatics using deep learning approach.

This article reports a tool that enables Materials Informatics, termed as MatRec, via a deep learning approach. The tool captures data, makes appropriate domain suggestions, extracts various entities such as materials and processes, and helps to establish entity-value relationships. This tool uses keyword extraction, a document similarity index to suggest relevant documents, and a deep learning approach employing Bi-LSTM for entity extraction.

Ultrasensitive Nonenzymatic Real-Time Hydrogen Peroxide Monitoring Using Gold Nanoparticle-Decorated Titanium Dioxide Nanotube Electrodes.

An amperometric enzyme-free hydrogen peroxide (HO) sensor was developed by catalytically stabilizing active gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) of 4-5 nm on a porous titanium dioxide nanotube (TiO NTs) electrode. The Au NPs were homogeneously distributed on anatase TiO NTs with an outer diameter of ~102 nm, an inner diameter of ~60 nm, and a wall of thickness of ~40 nm. The cyclic voltammogram of the composite electrode showed a pair of redox peaks characterizing the electrocatalytic reduction of HO.

Exploration of Charge Storage Behavior of Binder-Free EDL Capacitors in Aqueous Electrolytes.

Charge storage in electrochemical double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) is via the adsorption of electrolyte counterions in their positive and negative electrodes under an applied potential. This study investigates the EDLC-type charge storage in carbon nanotubes (CNT) electrodes in aqueous acidic (NaHSO), basic (NaOH), and neutral (NaSO) electrolytes of similar cations but different anions as well as similar anions but different cations (NaSO and LiSO) in a two-electrode Swagelok-type cell configuration. The physicochemical properties of ions, such as mobility/diffusion and solvation, are correlated with the charge storage parameters.

Nitrogen-Doped Titanium Dioxide as a Hole Transport Layer for High-Efficiency Formamidinium Perovskite Solar Cells.

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) offer advantages over widely deployed silicon solar cells in terms of ease of fabrication; however, the device is still under rigorous materials optimization for cell performance, stability, and cost. In this work, we explore a version of a PSC by replacing the polymeric hole transport layer (HTL) such as Spiro-OMeTAD, P3HT, and PEDOT: PSS with a more air-stable metal oxide, viz., nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (TiO:N).

Sustainability in Numbers by Data Analytics.

For a successful delivery of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and to track the progress of UNSDGs as well as identify the gaps and the areas requiring more attention, periodic analyses on the "research on sustainability" by various countries and their contribution to the topic are inevitable. This paper tracks the trends in sustainability research including the geographical distribution on sustainability research, their level of multi-disciplinarity and the cross-border collaboration, their distribution of funding with respect to the UNSDGs, and the lifecycle analyses. Cumulative publications and patents on sustainability could be fitted to an exponential function, thereby highlighting the importance of the research on sustainability in the recent past.

Optoelectronic Enhancement of Perovskite Solar Cells through the Incorporation of Plasmonic Particles.

The optoelectronic advantages of anchoring plasmonic silver and copper particles and non-plasmonic titanium particles onto zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoflower (NF) scaffolds for the fabrication of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are addressed in this article. The metallic particles were sputter-deposited as a function of sputtering time to vary their size on solution-grown ZnO NFs on which methylammonium lead iodide perovskite was crystallized in a controlled environment. Optical absorption measurements showed impressive improvements in the light-harvesting efficiency (LHE) of the devices using silver nanoparticles and some concentrations of copper, whereas the LHE was relatively lower in devices used titanium than in a control device without any metallic particles.

Lithium Nafion-Modified LiGaLaZrOF Trilayer Hybrid Solid Electrolyte for High-Voltage Cathodes in All-Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries.

All-solid-state batteries containing ceramic-polymer solid electrolytes are possible alternatives to lithium-metal batteries containing liquid electrolytes in terms of their safety, energy storage, and stability at elevated temperatures. In this study we prepared a garnet-type LiGaLaZrOF (LGLZOF) solid electrolyte modified with lithium Nafion (LiNf) and incorporated it into poly(vinylidene fluoride--hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) matrixes. We used a solution-casting method to obtain bilayer (Bi-HSE) and trilayer (Tri-HSE) hybrid solid electrolytes.

MoO Nanoparticle Coatings on High-Voltage 5 V LiNiMnO Cathode Materials for Improving Lithium-Ion Battery Performance.

To reduce surface contamination and increase battery life, MoO nanoparticles were coated with a high-voltage (5 V) LiNiMnO cathode material by in-situ method during the high-temperature annealing process. To avoid charging by more than 5 V, we also developed a system based on anode-limited full-cell with a negative/positive electrode (N/P) ratio of 0.9.

Water Purification through a Novel Electrospun Carbon Nanofiber Membrane.

Here, we report water purification through novel polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based carbon nanofibers synthesized through the electrospinning technique. In our novel approach, we mix PVA and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) with green tea solutions with different concentrations to synthesize carbon-based nanofibers (CNFs) and further calcine at 280 °C for carbonization. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results show the diameter of the nanofibers to be ∼500 nm, which decreases by about 50% after carbonization, making them more suitable candidates for the filtration process.

Glucose Biosensor Based on Glucose Oxidase-Horseradish Peroxidase/Multiporous Tin Oxide (SnO₂) Modified Electrode.

The fabrication of a network of glucose oxidase-horseradish peroxidase/tin oxide (GOx-HRP/SnO₂), immobilized onto a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) and its utilization as a biosensor for glucose detection is reported. The network established with GOx-HRP/SnO₂ possess high sensitivity and stability by performing the electrocatalytic features in the sensing of glucose. The turbidity of fabrication had been scanned and analyzed using UV-vis spectroscopy.

Electrochemical Characteristics of a Polymer/Garnet Trilayer Composite Electrolyte for Solid-State Lithium-Metal Batteries.

Although solid-state Li-metal batteries (LMBs) featuring polymer-based solid electrolytes might one day replace conventional Li-ion batteries, the poor Li-ion conductivity of solid polymer electrolytes at low temperatures has hindered their practical applications. Herein, we describe the first example of using a co-precipitation method in a Taylor flow reactor to produce the metal hydroxides of both the Ga/F dual-doped LiLaZrO (Ga/F-LLZO) ceramic electrolyte precursors and the LiMoO-modified NiCoMnO (LMO@T-LNCM 811) cathode materials for LMBs. The Li/Nafion (LiNf)-coated Ga/F-LLZO (LiNf@Ga/F-LLZO) ceramic filler was finely dispersed in the poly(vinylidene fluoride)/polyacrylonitrile/lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonimide)/succinonitrile matrix to give a trilayer composite polymer electrolyte (denoted "Tri-CPE") through a simple solution-casting.

Effects of alkali and transition metal-doped TiO hole blocking layers on the perovskite solar cells obtained by a two-step sequential deposition method in air and under vacuum.

Planar perovskite solar cells (PPSCs) have received great attention in recent years due to their intriguing properties, which make them a good choice for photovoltaic applications. In this work, the effect of alkali and transition metal-doped TiO (cesium-doped TiO (Cs-TiO) and yttrium-doped TiO (Y-TiO)) compact layers on the optical, structural and the photovoltaic performance of the PPSCs have been investigated. The perovskite layer syntheses were carried out by depositing a lead iodide (PbI) layer spin-coating; converting PbI into methyl ammonium iodide (CHNHPbI) by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and spin-coating at 60 min and 60 s conversion times respectively.