Closed-Loop Direct Upcycling of Spent Ni-Rich Layered Cathodes into High-Voltage Cathode Materials.

Facing the resource and environmental pressures brought by the retiring wave of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), direct recycling methods are considered to be the next generation's solution. However, the contradiction between limited battery life and the demand for rapidly iterating technology forces the direct recovery paradigm to shift toward "direct upcycling." Herein, a closed-loop direct upcycling strategy that converts waste current collector debris into dopants is proposed, and a highly inclusive eutectic molten salt system is utilized to repair structural defects in degraded polycrystalline LiNiCoMnO cathodes while achieving single-crystallization transformation and introducing Al/Cu dual-doping.

Layered Cathode with Ultralow Strain Empowers Rapid-Charging and Slow-Discharging Capability in Sodium Ion Battery.

The development of the electric vehicle industry has spurred demand for secondary batteries capable of rapid-charging and slow-discharging. Among them, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) with layered oxide as the cathode exhibit competitive advantages due to their comprehensive electrochemical performance. However, to meet the requirements of rapid-charging and slow-discharging scenarios, it is necessary to further enhance the rate performance of the cathode material to achieve symmetrical capacity at different rates.

Anisotropic Semicrystalline Homopolymer Dielectrics for High-Temperature Capacitive Energy Storage.

High-temperature dielectric polymers are in high demand for powering applications in extreme environments. Here, we have developed high-temperature homopolymer dielectrics with anisotropy by leveraging the hierarchical structure in semicrystalline polymers. The lamellae have been aligned parallel to the surface in the dielectric films.

Dual Modification of P3-Type Layered Cathodes to Achieve High Capacity and Long Cyclability for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have garnered extensive attentions in recent years as a low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries. However, achieving both high capacity and long cyclability in cathode materials remains a challenge for SIB commercialization. P3-type NaNiMnO cathodes exhibit high capacity and prominent Na diffusion kinetics but suffer from serious capacity decay and structural deterioration due to stress accumulation and phase transformations upon cycling.

Mitigating Jahn-Teller Effect in Layered Cathode Material Via Interstitial Doping for High-Performance Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Layered transition metal oxides are promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries due to their high energy density and appropriate operating potential. However, the poor structural stability is a major drawback to their widespread application. To address this issue, B is successfully introduced into the tetrahedral site of Na Fe Mn O , demonstrating the effectiveness of small-radius ion doping in improving electrochemical performance.

Synergistic activation of anionic redox via cosubstitution to construct high-capacity layered oxide cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries.

As a potential substitute for lithium-ion battery, sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) have attracted a tremendous amount of attention due to their advantages in terms of cost, safety and sustainability. Nevertheless, further improvement of the energy density of cathode materials in SIBs remains challenging and requires the activation of anion redox reaction (ARR) activity to provide additional capacity. Herein, we report a high-performance Mn-based sodium oxide cathode material, NaMgZnMnO (NMZMO), with synergistic activation of ARR by cosubstitution.

Nanoparticle-induced morphological transformation in block copolymer-based nanocomposites.

By controlling the chemical composition and the spatial organization of nanoparticles, hybrid nanocomposites incorporating ordered arrangements of nanoparticles could be endowed with exotic physical and chemical properties to fulfill demands in advanced electronics or energy-harvesting devices. However, a simple method to fabricate hybrid nanocomposites with precise control of nanoparticle distribution is still challenging. We demonstrate that block copolymer-based nanocomposites containing well-ordered nanoparticles with various morphologies can be readily obtained by adjusting the nanoparticle concentration.

Understanding the Drying Behavior of Regenerated Cellulose Gel Beads: The Effects of Concentration and Nonsolvents.

The drying behavior of regenerated cellulose gel beads swollen with different nonsolvents (., water, ethanol, water/ethanol mixtures) is studied on the macroscopic scale with an optical microscope as well as on nanoscale using small-angle/wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) techniques. Depending on the cellulose concentration, the structural evolution of beads during drying follows one of three distinct regimes.

Macro- and Microstructural Evolution during Drying of Regenerated Cellulose Beads.

The macro- and microstructural evolution of water swollen and ethanol swollen regenerated cellulose gel beads have been determined during drying by optical microscopy combined with analytical balance measurements, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS). Two characteristic length scales, which are related to the molecular dimension of cellulose monomer and elongated aggregates of these monomers, could be identified for both types of beads by SAXS. For ethanol swollen beads, only small changes to the structures were detected in both the SAXS and WAXS measurements during the entire drying process.

Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ultrasmall Pt Nanoparticles as Highly Active Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation.

Ultrasmall nanoparticles, with sizes in the 1-3 nm range, exhibit unique properties distinct from those of free molecules and larger-sized nanoparticles. Demonstrating that the hydrothermal method can serve as a facile method for the synthesis of platinum nanoparticles, we successfully synthesized ultrasmall Pt nanoparticles with an average size of 2.45 nm, with the aid of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) as reducing agents and capping agents.