Anti-Swelling Microporous Membrane for High-Capacity and Long-Life Zn-I Batteries.

Zinc-iodine (Zn-I) batteries are gaining popularity due to cost-effectiveness and ease of manufacturing. However, challenges like polyiodide shuttle effect and Zn dendrite growth hinder their practical application. Here, we report a cation exchange membrane to simultaneously prevent the polyiodide shuttle effect and regulate Zn deposition.

Protein Interfacial Gelation toward Shuttle-Free and Dendrite-Free Zn-Iodine Batteries.

Aqueous zinc-iodine (Zn-I) batteries hold potential for large-scale energy storage but struggle with shuttle effects of I cathodes and poor reversibility of Zn anodes. Here, an interfacial gelation strategy is proposed to suppress the shuttle effects and improve the Zn reversibility simultaneously by introducing silk protein (SP) additive. The SP can migrate bidirectionally toward cathode and anode interfaces driven by the periodically switched electric field direction during charging/discharging.

Aqueous Zinc-Iodine Pouch Cells with Long Cycling Life and Low Self-Discharge.

Aqueous zinc batteries are practically promising for large-scale energy storage because of cost-effectiveness and safety. However, application is limited because of an absence of economical electrolytes to stabilize both the cathode and anode. Here, we report a facile method for advanced zinc-iodine batteries via addition of a trace imidazolium-based additive to a cost-effective zinc sulfate electrolyte, which bonds with polyiodides to boost anti-self-discharge performance and cycling stability.

Advanced cathodes for aqueous Zn batteries beyond Zn intercalation.

Aqueous zinc (Zn) batteries have attracted global attention for energy storage. Despite significant progress in advancing Zn anode materials, there has been little progress in cathodes. The predominant cathodes working with Zn/H intercalation, however, exhibit drawbacks, including a high Zn diffusion energy barrier, pH fluctuation(s) and limited reproducibility.

Impact of redox fluctuations on microbe-mediated elemental sulfur disproportionation and coupled redox cycling of iron.

Elemental sulfur (S) plays a vital role in the coupled cycling of sulfur and iron, which in turn affects the transformation of carbon and various pollutants. These processes have been well characterized under static anoxic or oxic conditions, however, how the natural redox fluctuations affect the bio-mediated sulfur cycling and coupled iron cycling remain enigmatic. The present work examined S disproportionation as driven by natural microbial communities under fluctuating redox conditions and the contribution of S disproportionation to ferrihydrite transformation.

LiMgPO -Coating-Induced Phosphate Shell and Bulk Mg-Doping Enables Stable Ultra-High-Voltage Cycling of LiCoO Cathode.

Stable cycling of LiCoO (LCO) cathode at high voltage is extremely challenging due to the notable structural instability in deeply delithiated states. Here, using the sol-gel coating method, LCO materials (LMP-LCO) are obtained with bulk Mg-doping and surface LiMgPO /Li PO (LMP/LPO) coating. The experimental results suggest that the simultaneous modification in the bulk and at the surface is demonstrated to be highly effective in improving the high-voltage performance of LCO.

pH-Triggered Molecular Switch Toward Texture-Regulated Zn Anode.

Zn electrodes in aqueous media exhibit an unstable Zn/electrolyte interface due to severe parasitic reactions and dendrite formation. Here, a dynamic Zn interface modulation based on the molecular switch strategy is reported by hiring γ-butyrolactone (GBL) in ZnCl /H O electrolyte. During Zn plating, the increased interfacial alkalinity triggers molecular switch from GBL to γ-hydroxybutyrate (GHB).

Cyclohexanedodecol-Assisted Interfacial Engineering for Robust and High-Performance Zinc Metal Anode.

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) can be one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage devices for being non-flammable, low-cost, and sustainable. However, the challenges of AZIBs, including dendrite growth, hydrogen evolution, corrosion, and passivation of zinc anode during charging and discharging processes, must be overcome to achieve high cycling performance and stability in practical applications. In this work, we utilize a dual-functional organic additive cyclohexanedodecol (CHD) to firstly establish [Zn(HO)(CHD)] complex ion in an aqueous Zn electrolyte and secondly build a robust protection layer on the Zn surface to overcome these dilemmas.

Polyiodide Confinement by Starch Enables Shuttle-Free Zn-Iodine Batteries.

Aqueous Zn-iodine (Zn-I ) batteries have been regarded as a promising energy-storage system owing to their high energy/power density, safety, and cost-effectiveness. However, the polyiodide shuttling results in serious active mass loss and Zn corrosion, which limits the cycling life of Zn-I batteries. Inspired by the chromogenic reaction between starch and iodine, a structure confinement strategy is proposed to suppress polyiodide shuttling in Zn-I batteries by hiring starch, due to its unique double-helix structure.

Sulfidation of ferric (hydr)oxides and its implication on contaminants transformation: a review.

Rapid industrialization and urbanization have resulted in elevated concentrations of contaminants in the groundwaters and subsurface soils, posing a growing hazard to humans and ecosystems. The transformation of most contaminants is closely linked to the mineralogy of ferric (hydr)oxides. Sulfidation of ferric (hydr)oxides is one of the most significant biogeochemical reactions in the anoxic environments, causing reductive dissolution and recrystallization of ferric (hydr)oxides and further affecting the transformation of iron-associated contaminants.

Mechanisms of Upconversion Luminescence of Er-Doped NaYF via 980 and 1530 nm Excitation.

To date, the mechanisms of Er upconversion luminescence via 980 and 1530 nm excitation have been extensively investigated; however, based on discussions, they either suffer from the lack of convincing evidence or require elaborated and time-consuming numerical simulations. In this work, the steady-state and time-resolved upconversion luminescence data of Er-doped NaYF were measured; we therefore investigated the upconversion mechanisms of Er on the basis of the spectroscopic observations and the simplified rate equation modeling. This work provides a relatively simple strategy to reveal the UCL mechanisms of Er upon excitation with various wavelengths, which may also be used in other lanthanide ion-doped systems.

Constructing multifunctional solid electrolyte interface via in-situ polymerization for dendrite-free and low N/P ratio lithium metal batteries.

Stable solid electrolyte interface (SEI) is highly sought after for lithium metal batteries (LMB) owing to its efficient electrolyte consumption suppression and Li dendrite growth inhibition. However, current design strategies can hardly endow a multifunctional SEI formation due to the non-uniform, low flexible film formation and limited capability to alter Li nucleation/growth orientation, which results in unconstrained dendrite growth and short cycling stability. Herein, we present a novel strategy to employ electrolyte additives containing catechol and acrylic groups to construct a stable multifunctional SEI by in-situ anionic polymerization.

Cubic MnS-FeS Composites Derived from a Prussian Blue Analogue as Anode Materials for Sodium-Ion Batteries with Long-Term Cycle Stability.

Cubic N,S codoped carbon coating MnS-FeS composites (MnS-FeS@NSC) with a hollow structure were prepared and used as anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. MnS-FeS@NSC exhibits excellent cycle performance and high rate capability and delivered a reversible capacity of 501.0 mAh g after 800 cycles at a current density of 0.

Dynamic electrocatalyst with current-driven oxyhydroxide shell for rechargeable zinc-air battery.

Recent fruitful studies on rechargeable zinc-air battery have led to emergence of various bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts, especially metal-based materials. However, their electrocatalytic configuration and evolution pathway during battery operation are rarely spotlighted. Herein, to depict the underlying behaviors, a concept named dynamic electrocatalyst is proposed.

Aluminum-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks Derived AlO-Loading Mesoporous Carbon as a Host Matrix for Lithium-Metal Anodes.

Li-metal anode attracts great focus owing to its ultra-high specific capacity and the lowest redox potential. However, the uncontrolled growth of Li dendrite leads to severe security issues and limited cycle life. Herein, AlO loading mesoporous carbon (AlO@MOF-C) derived from Al-based metal-organic frameworks (Al-MOFs) was investigated as the stable host matrix for Li metal, in which, AlO was served as nano seeds for the Li deposition and decrease the Li nucleation overpotential.

Flexible fabrication of micro-optics arrays with high-aspect-ratio by an offset-tool-servo diamond machining system.

Micro-optics arrays (MOAs) with high aspect ratio (AR) have unique advantages in realizing the minimization of optical systems by reducing the focal distance. Fast or slow tool servo (F/STS) is widely regarded as an outperforming technique for the fabrication of MOAs featuring high form accuracy. However, in the machining of MOAs with high AR, the non-smooth cutting trajectory of F/STS inevitably leads to intensive tool vibrations and the interference between the tool flank face and the finished surface, thereby deteriorating surface roughness.

Enabling Lithium-Metal Anode Encapsulated in a 3D Carbon Skeleton with a Superior Rate Performance and Capacity Retention in Full Cells.

Suppressing the formation of lithium (Li) dendrites is central to implementing Li-metal anode, which has gained growing attention due to its ultrahigh specific capacity and low redox potential. Here, a novel approach is adopted to deposit Li-metal within a rigid three-dimensional (3D) carbon paper (3DCP) network, which consists of a cross-link framework of carbon fibers and graphene nanosheets (GNs). This unique structure yields a uniform distribution of Li-nuclei during the preliminary stage of Li-plating and the formation of a stable solid-electrolyte interface.

A Natural Biopolymer Film as a Robust Protective Layer to Effectively Stabilize Lithium-Metal Anodes.

Li metal is considered as an ideal anode for Li-based batteries. Unfortunately, the growth of Li dendrites during cycling leads to an unstable interface, a low coulombic efficiency, and a limited cycling life. Here, a novel approach is proposed to protect the Li-metal anode by using a uniform agarose film.

Novel Sulfur Host Composed of Cobalt and Porous Graphitic Carbon Derived from MOFs for the High-Performance Li-S Battery.

A composite consisting of cobalt and graphitic porous carbon (Co@GC-PC) is synthesized from bimetallic metal-organic frameworks and employed as the sulfur host for high-performance Li-S batteries. Because of the presence of a large surface area (724 m g) and an abundance of macro-/mesopores, the Co@GC-PC electrode is able to alleviate the debilitating effect originating from the volume expansion/contraction of sulfur species during the cycling process. Our in situ UV/vis analysis indicates that the existence of Co@GC-PC promotes the adsorption of polysulfides during the discharge process.

Layered/Spinel Heterostructured and Hierarchical Micro/Nanostructured Li-Rich Cathode Materials with Enhanced Electrochemical Properties for Li-Ion Batteries.

Although holding a high capacity, Li-rich materials are far from the demand of practical market because of their inherent drawbacks, such as poor initial efficiency and rate capability. Herein, Li-rich materials of LiMnNiCoO have been prepared via a one-step solvothermal strategy. The detail characterizations demonstrate that the as-prepared materials present morphology of nanoparticle-aggregated hierarchical microspheres and a heterostructure of layered and LiMnO-type spinel components.

A promising structure for fabricating high strength and high electrical conductivity copper alloys.

To address the trade-off between strength and electrical conductivity, we propose a strategy: introducing precipitated particles into a structure composed of deformation twins. A Cu-0.3%Zr alloy was designed to verify our strategy.

Active control of residual tool marks for freeform optics functionalization by novel biaxial servo assisted fly cutting.

The inherent residual tool marks (RTM) with particular patterns highly affect optical functions of the generated freeform optics in fast tool servo or slow tool servo (FTS/STS) diamond turning. In the present study, a novel biaxial servo assisted fly cutting (BSFC) method is developed for flexible control of the RTM to be a functional micro/nanotexture in freeform optics generation, which is generally hard to achieve in FTS/STS diamond turning. In the BSFC system, biaxial servo motions along the z-axis and side-feeding directions are mainly adopted for primary surface generation and RTM control, respectively.