Dual-Component Interlayer Enables Uniform Lithium Deposition and Dendrite Suppression for Solid-State Batteries.

β-Lithium thiophosphate (LPS) exhibits high Li conductivity and has been identified as a promising ceramic electrolyte for safe and high-energy-density all-solid-state batteries. Integrating LPS into solid-state lithium (Li) batteries would enable the use of a Li electrode with the highest deliverable capacity. However, LPS-based batteries operate at a limited current density before short-circuiting, posing a major challenge for the development of application-relevant batteries.

Boosted formic acid electro-oxidation on platinum nanoparticles and "mixed-valence" iron and nickel oxides.

The modification of Pt nanoparticles (nano-Pt, assembled electrochemically onto a glassy carbon (GC) substrate) with hybrid multivalent nickel (nano-NiO) and iron (nano-FeO) oxide nanostructures was intended to steer the mechanism of the formic acid electro-oxidation (FAO) in the desirable dehydrogenation pathway. This binary modification with inexpensive oxides succeeded in mediating the reaction mechanism of FAO by boosting reaction kinetics "electron transfer" and amending the surface geometry of the catalyst against poisoning. The sequence of deposition was optimized where the a-FeO/NiO/Pt/GC catalyst (where "a" denotes a post-activation step for the catalyst at -0.

Tailor-designed nanowire-structured iron and nickel oxides on platinum catalyst for formic acid electro-oxidation.

This investigation is concerned with designing efficient catalysts for direct formic acid fuel cells. A ternary catalyst containing iron (nano-FeO) and nickel (nano-NiO) nanowire oxides assembled sequentially onto a bare platinum (bare-Pt) substrate was recommended for the formic acid electro-oxidation reaction (FAOR). While nano-NiO appeared as fibrillar nanowire bundles ( 82 nm and 4.

Beyond Thin Films: Clarifying the Impact of -LiSi Formation in Thin Film, Nanoparticle, and Porous Si Electrodes.

The formation of the -LiSi phase has well-established detrimental effects on the capacity retention of thin film silicon electrodes. However, the role of this crystalline phase with respect to the loss of capacity is somewhat ambiguous in nanoscale morphologies. In this work, three silicon-based morphologies are examined, including planar films, porous planar films, and silicon nanoparticle composite powder electrodes.

Bipolar Resistive Switching in Junctions of Gallium Oxide and p-type Silicon.

In this work, native GaO is positioned between bulk gallium and degenerately doped p-type silicon (p-Si) to form Ga/GaO/SiO/p-Si junctions. These junctions show memristive behavior, exhibiting large current-voltage hysteresis. When cycled between -2.

Submicron Emitters Enable Reliable Quantification of Weak Protein-Glycan Interactions by ESI-MS.

Interactions between carbohydrates (glycans) and glycan-binding proteins (GBPs) regulate a wide variety of important biological processes. However, the affinities of most monovalent glycan-GBP complexes are typically weak (dissociation constant () > μM) and difficult to reliably measure with conventional assays; consequently, the glycan specificities of most GBPs are not well established. Here, we demonstrate how electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS), implemented with nanoflow ESI emitters with inner diameters of ∼50 nm, allows for the facile quantification of low-affinity glycan-GBP interactions.

Water-soluble pH-switchable cobalt complexes for aqueous symmetric redox flow batteries.

A water soluble octahedral Co(ii) complex, BCPIP-Co(ii), with 4 appended carboxylic groups on the ligand periphery is utilized as both posolyte and negolyte in an aqueous, symmetric redox flow battery (RFB). The full RFB demonstrates coulombic efficiencies >99% for up to 100 cycles.

Redox Flow Batteries: How to Determine Electrochemical Kinetic Parameters.

Redox flow batteries (RFBs) are promising energy storage candidates for grid deployment of intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar energy. Various new redox-active materials have been introduced to develop cost-effective and high-power-density next-generation RFBs. Electrochemical kinetics play critical roles in influencing RFB performance, notably the overpotential and cell power density.

Correction: Revealing instability and irreversibility in nonaqueous sodium-O battery chemistry.

Correction for 'Revealing instability and irreversibility in nonaqueous sodium-O battery chemistry' by Sayed Youssef Sayed et al., Chem. Commun.

Quantitative analyses of enhanced thermoelectric properties of modulation-doped PEDOT:PSS/undoped Si (001) nanoscale heterostructures.

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has high electrical conductivity (∼10 S cm) but it exhibits a low Seebeck coefficient (<15 μV K), resulting in a low power factor. Mixing PEDOT:PSS with nanostructured semiconductors can enhance the Seebeck coefficient and achieve an improved thermoelectric power factor. However, underlying mechanisms for those composite thermoelectric systems are scarcely understood so far.

Revealing instability and irreversibility in nonaqueous sodium-O2 battery chemistry.

Charging kinetics and reversibility of Na-O2 batteries can be influenced greatly by the particle size of NaO2 formed upon discharge, and exposure time (reactivity) of NaO2 to the electrolyte. Micrometer-sized NaO2 cubes formed at high discharge rates were charged at smaller overpotentials compared to nanometer-sized counterparts formed at low rates.

Electron transport in all-carbon molecular electronic devices.

Carbon has always been an important electrode material for electrochemical applications, and the relatively recent development of carbon nanotubes and graphene as electrodes has significantly increased interest in the field. Carbon solids, both sp(2) and sp(3) hybridized, are unique in their combination of electronic conductivity and the ability to form strong bonds to a variety of other elements and molecules. The Faraday Discussion included broad concepts and applications of carbon materials in electrochemistry, including analysis, energy storage, materials science, and solid-state electronics.

Bilayer molecular electronics: all-carbon electronic junctions containing molecular bilayers made with "click" chemistry.

Bilayer molecular junctions were fabricated by using the alkyne/azide "click" reaction on a carbon substrate, followed by deposition of a carbon top contact in a crossbar configuration. The click reaction on an alkyne layer formed by diazonium reduction permitted incorporation of a range of molecules into the resulting bilayer, including alkane, aromatic, and redox-active molecules, with high yield (>90%) and good reproducibility. Detailed characterization of the current-voltage behavior of bilayer molecular junctions indicated that charge transport is consistent with tunneling, but that the effective barrier does not strongly vary with molecular structure for the series of molecules studied.