Insight into the effects of dislocations in nanoscale titanium niobium oxide (TiNbO) anode for boosting lithium-ion storage.

Defect engineering through induction of dislocations is an efficient strategy to design and develop an electrode material with enhanced electrochemical performance in energy storage technology. Yet, synthesis, comprehension, identification, and effect of dislocation in electrode materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are still elusive. Herein, we propose an ethanol-thermal method mediated with surfactant-template and subsequent annealing under air atmosphere to induce dislocation into titanium niobium oxide (TiNbO), resultant nanoscale-dislocated-TiNbO (Nano-dl-TNO).

Mesoscopic TiNbO cages comprised of nanorod units as high-rate lithium-ion battery anode.

Benefiting from large tunnel structure, zero strain feature, and excellent pseudocapacitive performance, TiNbO was considered as a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, TiNbO cages comprised of nanorod units were elaborately designed. The mesoscopic structure could effectively shorten the ion diffusion pathway, and the big central electrolyte reservoir relieves the concentration polarization of electrolyte.

Revealing of Active Sites and Catalytic Mechanism in N-Coordinated Fe, Ni Dual-Doped Carbon with Superior Acidic Oxygen Reduction than Single-Atom Catalyst.

Herein, we synthesized a Fe, Ni dual-metal embedded in porous nitrogen-doped carbon material to endow higher turnover frequency (TOF), lower HO yield, and thus superior durability than for the single-atom catalyst for oxygen reduction in acid media. Quantitative X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) fitting and density functional theory (DFT) calculation were implemented to explore the active sites in the catalysts. The results suggest FeNi-N with type I (each metal atom coordinated with four nitrogen atoms) instead of type II configuration (each metal atom coordinated with three nitrogen atoms) dominates the catalytic activity of the noble-metal free catalyst (NMFC).

From upcycled waste polyethylene plastic to graphene/mesoporous carbon for high-voltage supercapacitors.

We report a successful design and synthesis method for developing a graphene/mesoporous carbon (G@PE40-MC700) electrode materials from upcycled waste polyethylene (PE) plastic combined with graphene oxide (GO) and flame retardant by low-temperature carbonization at 700 °C. The G@PE40-MC700 exhibits a high surface area (1175 m g) and a considerable amount of mesopores (2.30 cm g), thus improved electrochemical performance in both symmetric and hybrid supercapacitors with wide voltage windows.

Atomic Iron Catalysis of Polysulfide Conversion in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries have been regarded as promising candidates for energy storage because of their high energy density and low cost. It is a main challenge to develop long-term cycling stability battery. Here, a catalytic strategy is presented to accelerate reversible transformation of sulfur and its discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries.