Understanding Degradation at the Lithium-Ion Battery Cathode/Electrolyte Interface: Connecting Transition-Metal Dissolution Mechanisms to Electrolyte Composition.

Lithium transition-metal oxides (LiMnO and LiMO where M = Ni, Mn, Co, ) are widely applied as cathode materials in lithium-ion batteries due to their considerable capacity and energy density. However, multiple processes occurring at the cathode/electrolyte interface lead to overall performance degradation. One key failure mechanism is the dissolution of transition metals from the cathode.

Enhancing the Electrocatalysis of LiNiCoMnO by Introducing Lithium Deficiency for Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

LiNiCoMnO (NCM523), as a cathode material for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, has attracted considerable attention and been successfully commercialized for decades. NCM is also a promising electrocatalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and the catalytic activity is highly correlated to its structure. In this paper, we successfully obtain NCM523 with three different structures: spinel NCM synthesized at low temperature (LT-NCM), disordered NCM (DO-NCM) with lithium deficiency obtained at high temperature, and layered hexagonal NCM at high temperature (HT-NCM).

Switchable photovoltaic windows enabled by reversible photothermal complex dissociation from methylammonium lead iodide.

Materials with switchable absorption properties have been widely used for smart window applications to reduce energy consumption and enhance occupant comfort in buildings. In this work, we combine the benefits of smart windows with energy conversion by producing a photovoltaic device with a switchable absorber layer that dynamically responds to sunlight. Upon illumination, photothermal heating switches the absorber layer-composed of a metal halide perovskite-methylamine complex-from a transparent state (68% visible transmittance) to an absorbing, photovoltaic colored state (less than 3% visible transmittance) due to dissociation of methylamine.

Low-temperature ozone exposure technique to modulate the stoichiometry of WOx nanorods and optimize the electrochromic performance.

A low-temperature ozone exposure technique was employed for the post-treatment of WO(x) nanorod thin films fabricated from hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) and ultrasonic spray deposition (USD) techniques. The resulting films were characterized with x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The stoichiometry and surface crystallinity of the WO(x) thin films were subsequently modulated upon ozone exposure and thermal annealing without particle growth.

High-performance hydrogen production and oxidation electrodes with hydrogenase supported on metallic single-wall carbon nanotube networks.

We studied the electrocatalytic activity of an [FeFe]-hydrogenase from Clostridium acetobutylicum (CaH2ase) immobilized on single-wall carbon nanotube (SWNT) networks. SWNT networks were prepared on carbon cloth by ultrasonic spraying of suspensions with predetermined ratios of metallic and semiconducting nanotubes. Current densities for both proton reduction and hydrogen oxidation electrocatalytic activities were at least 1 order of magnitude higher when hydrogenase was immobilized onto SWNT networks with high metallic tube (m-SWNT) content in comparison to hydrogenase supported on networks with low metallic tube content or when SWNTs were absent.

Controlling the optical properties of plasmonic disordered nanohole silver films.

Disordered nanohole arrays were formed in silver films by colloidal lithography techniques and characterized for their surface-plasmon activity. Careful control of the reagent concentration, deposition solution ionic strength, and assembly time allowed generation of a wide variety of nanohole densities. The fractional coverage of the nanospheres across the surface was varied from 0.

Transparent conductive single-walled carbon nanotube networks with precisely tunable ratios of semiconducting and metallic nanotubes.

We present a comprehensive study of the optical and electrical properties of transparent conductive films made from precisely tuned ratios of metallic and semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes. The conductivity and transparency of the SWNT films are controlled by an interplay between localized and delocalized carriers, as determined by the SWNT electronic structure, tube-tube junctions, and intentional and unintentional redox dopants. The results suggest that the main resistance in the SWNT thin films is the resistance associated with tube-tube junctions.

Characterization of single- and double-stranded DNA on gold surfaces.

Single- and double-stranded deoxy ribonucleic acid (DNA) molecules attached to self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold surfaces were characterized by a number of optical and electronic spectroscopic techniques. The DNA-modified gold surfaces were prepared through the self-assembly of 6-mercapto-1-hexanol and 5'-C(6)H(12)SH -modified single-stranded DNA (ssDNA). Upon hybridization of the surface-bound probe ssDNA with its complimentary target, formation of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) on the gold surface is observed and in a competing process, probe ssDNA is desorbed from the gold surface.