Rational design of N-doped CNTs@CN network for dual-capture of biocatalysts in enzymatic glucose/O biofuel cells.

Carbonaceous materials are promising electrode materials for enzymatic biofuel cells (EBFCs) due to their excellent electrical conductivity, chemical and physical stability and biocompatibility. Design and preparation of carbon materials with a hollow structure and a rough surface are of great significance for immobilization of enzymes both inside and outside the carbon materials for EBFC applications. We report herein the synthesis of novel carbonaceous materials consisting of bamboo-shaped hollow N-doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) and C3N4 nanosheets (denoted as N-CNTs@C3N4) as electrode materials for dual-capture of enzymes in glucose/O2 EBFCs.

Confining Pyrrhotite Fe S in Carbon Nanotubes Covalently Bonded onto 3D Few-Layer Graphene Boosts Potassium-Ion Storage and Full-Cell Applications.

The pyrrhotite Fe S with mixed Fe-valence possesses high theoretical capacity, high conductivity, low discharge/charge voltage plateaus, and superior redox reversibility but suffers from structural degradation upon (de)potassiation process due to severe volume variations. Herein, to conquer this issue, a novel hierarchical architecture of confining nano-Fe S in carbon nanotubes covalently bonded onto 3D few-layer graphene (Fe S @CNT@3DFG) is designed for potassium storage. Notably, CNTs could successfully grow on the surface of 3DFG via a tip-growth model under the catalytic effect of Fe C.

Iron Selenide Microcapsules as Universal Conversion-Typed Anodes for Alkali Metal-Ion Batteries.

Rechargeable alkali metal-ion batteries (AMIBs) are receiving significant attention owing to their high energy density and low weight. The performance of AMIBs is highly dependent on the electrode materials. It is, therefore, quite crucial to explore suitable electrode materials that can fulfil the future requirements of AMIBs.

Blowing Iron Chalcogenides into Two-Dimensional Flaky Hybrids with Superior Cyclability and Rate Capability for Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Chalcogenide-based anodes are receiving increasing attention for rechargeable potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities. However, they usually exhibit poor electrochemical performance due to poor structural stability, low conductivity, and severe electrolyte decomposition on the reactive surface. Herein, a method analogous to "blowing bubbles with gum" is used to confine FeS and FeSe in N-doped carbon for PIB anodes with ultrahigh cyclic stability and enhanced rate capability (over 5000 cycles at 2 A g).

CoSe/N-doped carbon porous nanoframe as an anode material for potassium-ion storage.

Transition metal selenides (TMS), on account of their relatively high theoretical capacity, unique electrical properties, easy compositing and low cost, are considered to be a candidate anode material for potassium-ion batteries. However, the cycling stability of TMS is unsatisfactory owing to the large intercalation/deintercalation of K ions. Herein, a CoSe/N-doped carbon porous frame (CoSe@NC) is successfully synthesized through a simple mixing and sintering approach and displays excellent potassium storage performance.

Amorphous carbon coated SnO nanohseets on hard carbon hollow spheres to boost potassium storage with high surface capacitive contributions.

Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) have becoming a prospective energy storage technique, due to the abundant potassium resources in the earth crust, approximate redox potential and similar electrochemical behavior of potassium and lithium. However, the insufficient capacity, poor stability and volume expansion of electrode materials during charge and discharge are main factors restricting the further development of KIBs. This work reports an amorphous carbon coated SnO nanohseets on hard carbon hollow spheres (AC/SnO@HCHS) anode with enhanced potassium storage performance.

Flexible N doped carbon/bubble-like MoS core/sheath framework: Buffering volume expansion for potassium ion batteries.

Suitable anode materials for potassium ion batteries (KIBs) with high capacity, good reversibility and stable cycling performances are still in large demand. Here, flexible N doped carbon/bubble-like MoS core/sheath framework (MoS/NCS) is prepared as an anode material for potassium ion batteries. The N doped carbon sponge (NCS) skeleton with good conductivity and high surface area guarantees superior rate capability and high stability of MoS/NCS anode.

Collaborative Design of Hollow Nanocubes, In Situ Cross-Linked Binder, and Amorphous Void@SiO @C as a Three-Pronged Strategy for Ultrastable Lithium Storage.

Although silicon-based materials are ideal candidate anodes for high energy density lithium-ion batteries, the large volumetric expansion seriously damages the integrity of the electrodes and impedes commercial processes. Reasonable electrode design based on adjustable structures of silicon and strong binders prepared by a facile method is still a great challenge. Herein, a three-pronged collaborative strategy via hollow nanocubes, amorphous Void@SiO @C, and in situ cross-linked polyacrylic acid and d-sorbitol 3D network binder (c-PAA-DS) is adopted to maintain structural/electrode integrality and stability.

A new dual-ion battery based on amorphous carbon.

The Na-based dual-ion batteries (NDIBs), combining the advantages of Na-ion batteries and dual-ion batteries, are attracting more attention due to their merits of abundant source, low cost and high energy density. However, the main challenges faced by NDIBs are their low capacity and poor cycling. Herein, we report a new ion storage mechanism for high-performance NDIBs using amorphous carbon (AOMC) as cathode.

Hollow Multihole Carbon Bowls: A Stress-Release Structure Design for High-Stability and High-Volumetric-Capacity Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Potassium-ion batteries are potential alternatives to lithium-ion batteries for large-scale energy storage considering the low cost and high abundance of potassium. However, it is challenging to obtain stable electrode materials capable of undergoing long-term potassiation/depotassiation due to the high accumulated stress associated with the huge volume variation of the electrode. Here, we simulate the von Mises stress distributions of four different carbon three-dimensional models under an isotropic initial stress by the finite element method and reveal the critical role of the structure of a hollow multihole bowl on the strain-relaxation behavior.

High-Throughput Production of Zr-Doped Li Ti O Modified by Mesoporous Libaf Nanoparticles for Superior Lithium and Potassium Storage.

Li Ti O is a promising anode for lithium-ion batteries due to its zero-strain properties. However, its low conductivity has greatly affected its rate performance. At the same time, the electrolyte decomposition during cycling also needs to be solved, especially at low cut-off voltage.

Deeply Nesting Zinc Sulfide Dendrites in Tertiary Hierarchical Structure for Potassium Ion Batteries: Enhanced Conductivity from Interior to Exterior.

Transition metal sulfides are deemed as attractive anode materials for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities based on conversion and alloying reaction. However, the main challenges are the low electronic conductivity, huge volume expansion, and consequent formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) upon potassiation/depotassiation. Herein, zinc sulfide dendrites deeply nested in the tertiary hierarchical structure through a solvothermal-pyrolysis process are designed as an anode material for KIBs.

Metallic Octahedral CoSe Threaded by N-Doped Carbon Nanotubes: A Flexible Framework for High-Performance Potassium-Ion Batteries.

Due to the abundant and low-cost K resources, the exploration of suitable materials for potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) is advancing as a promising alternative to lithium-ion batteries. However, the large-sized and sluggish-kinetic K ions cause poor battery behavior. This work reports a metallic octahedral CoSe threaded by N-doped carbon nanotubes as a flexible framework for a high-performance KIBs anode.