Atomic reconstruction for realizing stable solar-driven reversible hydrogen storage of magnesium hydride.

Reversible solid-state hydrogen storage of magnesium hydride, traditionally driven by external heating, is constrained by massive energy input and low systematic energy density. Herein, a single phase of MgNi(Cu) alloy is designed via atomic reconstruction to achieve the ideal integration of photothermal and catalytic effects for stable solar-driven hydrogen storage of MgH. With the intra/inter-band transitions of MgNi(Cu) and its hydrogenated state, over 85% absorption in the entire spectrum is achieved, resulting in the temperature up to 261.

MXene-Based Mixed Conductor Interphase for Dendrite-Free Flexible Al Organic Battery.

Al batteries are promising post-Li battery technologies for large-scale energy storage applications owing to their low cost and high theoretical capacity. However, one of the challenges that hinder their development is the unsatisfactory plating/stripping of the Al metal anode. To circumvent this issue, an ultrathin MXene layer is constructed on the surface of Al by in situ chemical reactions at room temperature.

Stable Aluminum Metal Anode Enabled by Dual-Functional Molybdenum Nanoparticles.

Constructing robust anode with strong aluminophilicity and rapid desolvation kinetics is essential for achieving high utilization, long-term durability, and superior rate performance in Al metal-based energy storage, yet remains largely unexplored. Herein, molybdenum nanoparticles embedded onto nitrogen-doped graphene (Mo@NG) are designed and prepared as Al host to regulate the deposition behavior and achieve homogeneous Al plating/stripping. The monodispersed Mo nanoparticles reduce the desolvation energy barrier and promote the deposition kinetics of Al.

Solar-Driven Reversible Hydrogen Storage.

The lack of safe and efficient hydrogen storage is a major bottleneck for large-scale application of hydrogen energy. Reversible hydrogen storage of light-weight metal hydrides with high theoretical gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen density is one ideal solution but requires extremely high operating temperature with large energy input. Herein, taking MgH as an example, a concept is demonstrated to achieve solar-driven reversible hydrogen storage of metal hydrides via coupling the photothermal effect and catalytic role of Cu nanoparticles uniformly distributed on the surface of MXene nanosheets (Cu@MXene).

Light-Driven Reversible Hydrogen Storage in Light-Weight Metal Hydrides Enabled by Photothermal Effect.

Requiring high temperature for hydrogen storage is the main feature impeding practical application of light metal hydrides. Herein, to lift the restrictions associated with traditional electric heating, light is used as an alternative energy input, and a light-mediated catalytic strategy coupling photothermal and catalytic effects is proposed. With NaAlH as the initial target material, TiO nanoparticles uniformly distribute on carbon nanosheets (TiO @C), which couples the catalytic effect of TiO and photothermal property of C, is constructed to drive reversible hydrogen storage in NaAlH under light irradiation.

Metal Hydrides with In Situ Built Electron/Ion Dual-Conductive Framework for Stable All-Solid-State Li-Ion Batteries.

Due to their high theoretical specific capacity, metal hydrides are considered to be one of the most promising anode material for all-solid-state Li-ion batteries. Their practical application suffers, however, from the poor cycling stability and sluggish kinetics. Herein, we report the in situ fabrication of MgH and MgNiH that are uniformly space-confined by inactive NdH frameworks with high Li-ion and electron conductivity through facile hydrogenation of single-phase NdMgNi alloys.

Co-Construction of Solid Solution Phase and Void Space in Yolk-Shell FeCoS@N-Doped Carbon to Enhance Cycling Capacity and Rate Capability for Aluminum-Ion Batteries.

Rechargeable aluminum-ion batteries (AIBs), using low-cost and inherent safety Al metal anodes, are regarded as promising energy storage devices next to lithium-ion batteries. Currently, one of the greatest challenges for AIBs is to explore cathodes suitable for feasible Al insertion/extraction with high structure stability. Herein, a facile co-engineering on solid solution phase and cavity structure is developed via Prussian blue analogues by a simple and facile sulfidation strategy.

Identifying the positive role of lithium hydride in stabilizing Li metal anodes.

Lithium hydride has been widely identified as the major component of the solid-electrolyte interphase of Li metal batteries (LMBs), but is often regarded as being detrimental to the stabilization of LMBs. Here, we identify the positive and important role of LiH in promoting fast diffusion of Li ions by building a unique three-dimensional (3D) Li metal anode composed of LiMg alloys uniformly confined into graphene-supported LiH nanoparticles. The built-in electric field at the interface between LiH with high Li ion conductivity and LiMg alloys effectively boosts Li diffusion kinetics toward favorable Li plating into lithiophilic LiMg alloys through the surface of LiH.

Spatial Isolation-Inspired Ultrafine CoSe for High-Energy Aluminum Batteries with Improved Rate Cyclability.

Transition-metal selenides are attractive cathode materials for rechargeable aluminum batteries (RABs) because of their high specific capacity, superior electrical properties, and low cost. To overcome the associated challenges of low structural stability and poor reaction kinetics, a spatial isolation strategy was applied to develop RAB cathodes comprising ultrafine CoSe particles embedded in nitrogen-doped porous carbon nanosheet (NPCS)/MXene hybrid materials; the two-dimensional NPCS structures were derived from the self-assembly of metal frameworks on MXene surfaces. This synthetic strategy enabled control over the particle size of the active materials, even at high pyrolysis temperature, thereby allowing investigations into the effect of size on the electrochemical behavior.

Encapsulation of Red Phosphorus in Carbon Nanocages with Ultrahigh Content for High-Capacity and Long Cycle Life Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Red phosphorus (RP) has attracted great attention as a potential candidate for anode materials of high-energy density sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity, appropriate working voltage, and natural abundance. However, the low electrical conductance and huge volumetric variation during the sodiation-desodiation process, causing poor rate performance and cyclability, have limited the practical application of RP in NIBs. Herein, we report a rational strategy to resolve these issues by encapsulating nanoscaled RP into conductive and networked carbon nanocages (denoted as RP@CNCs) using a combination of a phosphorus-amine based method and evacuation-filling process.

Phosphorus-Amine-Based Synthesis of Nanoscale Red Phosphorus for Application to Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Current methods for synthesizing nanoscale red phosphorus (NRP), including ball-milling and vaporization-condensation, have various limitations. More effective engineering of the properties of these materials would promote their application in sodium-ion batteries. Herein, we report a simple phosphorus-amine-based method for the scalable preparation of NRP with high yield.