Mechanochemically accelerated deconstruction of chemically recyclable plastics.

Plastics redesign for circularity has primarily focused on monomer chemistries enabling faster deconstruction rates concomitant with high monomer yields. Yet, during deconstruction, polymer chains interact with their reaction medium, which remains underexplored in polymer reactivity. Here, we show that, when plastics are deconstructed in reaction media that promote swelling, initial rates are accelerated by over sixfold beyond those in small-molecule analogs.

Magnetic resonance insights into the heterogeneous, fractal-like kinetics of chemically recyclable polymers.

Moving toward a circular plastics economy is a vital aspect of global resource management. Chemical recycling of plastics ensures that high-value monomers can be recovered from depolymerized plastic waste, thus enabling circular manufacturing. However, to increase chemical recycling throughput in materials recovery facilities, the present understanding of polymer transport, diffusion, swelling, and heterogeneous deconstruction kinetics must be systematized to allow industrial-scale process design, spanning molecular to macroscopic regimes.

Direct Detection of Lithium Exchange across the Solid Electrolyte Interphase by Li Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer.

Lithium metal anodes offer a huge leap in the energy density of batteries, yet their implementation is limited by solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation and dendrite deposition. A key challenge in developing electrolytes leading to the SEI with beneficial properties is the lack of experimental approaches for directly probing the ionic permeability of the SEI. Here, we introduce lithium chemical exchange saturation transfer (Li-CEST) as an efficient nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) approach for detecting the otherwise invisible process of Li exchange across the metal-SEI interface.

Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in battery materials.

The increasing need for portable and large-scale energy storage systems requires development of new, long lasting and highly efficient battery systems. Solid state NMR spectroscopy has emerged as an excellent method for characterizing battery materials. Yet, it is limited when it comes to probing thin interfacial layers which play a central role in the performance and lifetime of battery cells.

Structure and Functionality of an Alkylated LiSiO Interphase for High-Energy Cathodes from DNP-ssNMR Spectroscopy.

Degradation processes at the cathode-electrolyte interface are a major limitation in the development of high-energy lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. Deposition of protective thin coating layers on the surface of high-energy cathodes is a promising approach to control interfacial reactions. However, rational design of effective protection layers is limited by the scarcity of analytical tools that can probe thin, disordered, and heterogeneous phases.

What Can We Learn from Solid State NMR on the Electrode-Electrolyte Interface?

Rechargeable battery cells are composed of two electrodes separated by an ion-conducting electrolyte. While the energy density of the cell is mostly determined by the redox potential of the electrodes and amount of charge they can store, the processes at the electrode-electrolyte interface govern the battery's lifetime and performance. Viable battery cells rely on unimpeded ion transport across this interface, which depends on its composition and structure.