High-Strength MOF-Based Polymer Electrolytes with Uniform Ionic Flow for Lithium Dendrite Suppression.

The uneven formation of lithium dendrites during electroplating/stripping leads to a decrease in the utilization of active lithium, resulting in poor cycling stability and posing safety hazards to the battery. Herein, introducing a 3D continuously interconnected zirconium-based metal-organic framework (MOF808) network into a polyethylene oxide polymer matrix establishes a synergistic mechanism for lithium dendrite inhibition. The 3D MOF808 network maintains its large pore structure, facilitating increased lithium salt accommodation, and expands anion adsorption at unsaturated metal sites through its diverse large-space cage structure, thereby promoting the flow of Li.

Ion/Electron Co-Conductive Triple-Phase Interface Enabling Fast Redox Reaction Kinetics in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) are promising next-generation energy storage systems because of their high energy densities and high theoretical specific capacities. However, most catalysts in the LSBs are based on carbon materials, which can only improve the conductivity and are unable to accelerate lithium-ion transport. Therefore, it would be worthwhile to develop a catalytic electrode exhibiting both ion and electron conductivity.

Oxygen Vacancy and Bandgap Simultaneous Modulation to Achieve High Lithiophilicity and Mechanical Strength of Lithium Metal Anodes.

Metal oxides with conversion and alloying mechanisms are more competitive in suppressing lithium dendrites. However, it is difficult to simultaneously regulate the conversion and alloying reactions. Herein, conversion and alloying reactions are regulated by modulation of the zinc oxide bandgap and oxygen vacancies.

FeO for stable K-ion storage: mechanism insight into dimensional construction from stress distribution and micro-tomography.

FeO is considered a potential electrode material owing to its high theoretical capacity, low cost, and non-toxic characteristics. However, the significant volume expansion and structural degradation during charging and discharging hinder its application in potassium ion batteries. The electrochemical properties of the electrode material are primarily influenced by the diffusion efficiency of ions and the mechanics of the object.

Boosting Potassium Storage via Multifunctional Interface with High Lattice-Matching.

Atomic-scale interface engineering is a prominent strategy to address the large volume expansions and sluggish redox kinetics for reinforcing K-storage. Here, to accelerate charge transport and lower the activation energy, dual carbon-modified interfacial regions are synthesized with high lattice-matching degree, which is formed from a CoSe /FeSe heterostructure coated onto hollow carbon fibers. State-of-the-art characterization techniques and theoretical analysis, including ex-situ soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy, synchrotron X-ray tomography, ultrasonic transmission mapping, and density functional theory, are conducted to probe local atomic structure evolution, mechanical degradation mechanisms, and ion/electron migration pathways.

Biomass Separators as a "Lifesaver" for Safe and Long-Life Lithium Metal Batteries.

The growth of lithium dendrites and the shuttle of polysulfides in lithium metal batteries (LMBs) have hindered their development. In LMBs, the cathode and anode are separated by a separator, although this does not solve the battery's issues. The use of biomass materials is widespread for modifying the separator due to their porous structure and abundant functional groups.

Tuning Interface Mechanics Via β-Configuration Dominant Amyloid Aggregates for Lithium Metal Batteries.

Owing to abundant polar groups and good lithiophilicity, protein materials regain interest for application in lithium metal batteries (LMBs). Current proteins with an -conformation for modifying lithium (Li) anodes possess typically poor mechanical properties, and there is therefore a significant need for advanced protein materials. Herein, a lysozyme-modified layer is coated onto the poly(vinylidene fluoride) electrospun mat for high mechanical strength and uniform Li-ion flux.

MXene/TiO Heterostructure-Decorated Hard Carbon with Stable Ti-O-C Bonding for Enhanced Sodium-Ion Storage.

Hard carbon (HC) has attracted considerable attention in the application of sodium-ion battery (SIB) anodes, but the poor realistic capacity and low rate performance severely hinder their practical application. Herein we report a solvent mechanochemical protocol for the in situ fabrication of the HC-MXene/TiO electrode by functionalizing MXene to improve the electrochemical performance of the batteries. MXene (TiCT) with abundant oxygen-containing functional groups reacts with HC particles in the ball milling process to form a Ti-O-C covalent cross-linked HC-MXene composite, in which the edge of the MXene nanosheets is in situ oxidized by air to form TiO nanorods, forming a regular 1D/2D MXene/TiO heterojunction structure.

Mechanistic Insights into the Structural Modulation of Transition Metal Selenides to Boost Potassium Ion Storage Stability.

Atomic-level structure engineering is an effective strategy to reduce mechanical degradation and boost ion transport kinetics for battery anodes. To address the electrode failure induced by large ionic radius of K ions, herein we synthesized Mn-doped ZnSe with modulated electronic structure for potassium ion batteries (PIBs). State-of-the-art analytical techniques and theoretical calculations were conducted to probe crystalline structure changes, ion/electron migration pathways, and micromechanical stresses evolution mechanisms.

Construction of MoS/Mxene heterostructure on stress-modulated kapok fiber for high-rate sodium-ion batteries.

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS) has possession of a layered structure and high theoretical capacity, which is a candidate anode material for sodium ion batteries. However, unmodified MoS are inflicted with a poor cycling stability and an inferior rate capability upon charge/discharge processes. Considering that the shape and size of anode materials play a key role in the performance of anode materials, this paper proposes a multi-level composite structure formed by the micro-nano materials based on self-assembled molybdenum disulfide (MoS) nanoflowers, Mxene and hollow carbonized kapok fiber (CKF).

"Self-doping" defect engineering in SnP@gamma-irradiated hard carbon anode for rechargeable sodium storage.

Reasonable design of defect engineering in the electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) can significantly optimize battery performance. Here, compared with the traditional "foreign-doping" defects method, we report an innovative gamma-irradiation technique to introduce the "self-doping" defects in the popcorn hard carbon (HC). Considering the advantages of adsorption-intercalation-alloying sodium storage mechanism, the defect-rich HC-coated alloy structure (SnP@HC-γ) was integrated.

Nitrogen-enriched carbon nanofibers with tunable semi-ionic CF bonds as a stable long cycle anode for sodium-ion batteries.

The quest for getting more efficient carbonous anodes for sodium ion batteries (NIBs) prepared by simple and economical methods continues to be an important endeavor. Herein, a plasma-controlled method is developed for preparing semi-ionic CF bonds decorating nitrogen-enriched electrospinning carbon nanofibers (NCNFs) as a free-standing anode for NIBs. The semi-ionic CF bonds are beneficial to the fast ion and electron transfer for a free-standing electrode, which remarkably improves the rate performances of NCNFs as the NIBs anodes.