Electronic structure formed by YO-doping in lithium position assists improvement of charging-voltage for high-nickel cathodes.

High-capacity power battery can be attained through the elevation of the cut-off voltage for LiNiCoMnO high-nickel material. Nevertheless, unstable lattice oxygen would be released during the lithium deep extraction. To solve the above issues, the electronic structure is reconstructed by substituting Li ions with Y ions.

An In Situ Polymerization Gel Polymer Electrolyte Based on Pentaerythritol Tetracrylate for High-Performance Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Problems occur frequently during the application of traditional liquid electrolyte batteries, such as fluid leakage and low energy density. As a product of liquid electrolyte transition to solid electrolyte, gel polymer electrolyte has its own advantages for achieving high conductivity and good thermal stability. In this study, pentaerythritol tetracrylate (PETEA) was used as the precursor to prepare polymer-based materials with the assistance of azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) as the initiator.

Cold-plasma activation converting conductive agent in spent Li-ion batteries to bifunctional oxygen reduction/evolution electrocatalyst for zinc-air batteries.

Considerable amount of high-value transition metals components can be recycled in spent ternary lithium-ion batteries. In this study, we utilized the conductive agent carbon black, obtained from the leaching waste resulting from the chemical recovery of spent lithium-nickel-manganese-cobalt (NCM) oxide cathode materials. This process allows us to create valuable bifunctional catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction (ORR/OER), facilitated by a facile cold plasma activation method, as a part of lithium batteries circular economy.

A green aqueous binder to enhance the electrochemical performance of Li-rich disordered rock salt cathode material.

Li-rich disordered rock-salt oxides (DRX) are considered an attractive cathode material in the future battery field due to their excellent energy density and specific capacity. Nevertheless, anionic redox provides high capacity while causing O over-oxidation to O, resulting in voltage hysteresis and capacity decay. Herein, the crystal structure of LiMnTiOF (LMTOF) cathode is stabilized by using sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) binders replacing traditional polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) binders.

Interface Engineering Overall Seawater Splitting of Self-Supporting CeO@NiCoO Arrays.

Exploring advanced electrocatalysts for overall seawater splitting is of great significance for large-scale green hydrogen production in which interface engineering has been considered as an effective strategy to enhance the intrinsic activities of the electrocatalysts. In this work, CeO-modified NiCoO nanoneedle arrays are designed and constructed in situ grown on Ni foam (NF) through a facile two-step synthesis method. Density functional theory calculations reveal that the strong interaction between CeO and NiCoO can regulate the electronic states of metal surfaces and optimize the electronic structures of the materials, essentially improving the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) properties.

Interface engineering and nanoconfinement strategies to synergistically enhance hydrogen evolution in acidic and basic media.

As a potential catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), tungsten nitride (WN) has attracted extensive attention, due to its Pt-like characteristic. Nevertheless, insufficient active sites, slow electron transfer, and lack of scale-up nano-synthesis methods significantly limit its practical application. Constructing multi-component active centers and interface-rich heterojunctions to increase exposed active sites and modulate interface electrons is a very effective modification strategy.

InSb/InP Core-Shell Colloidal Quantum Dots for Sensitive and Fast Short-Wave Infrared Photodetectors.

Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) technology is considered the main contender toward a low-cost high-performance optoelectronic technology platform for applications in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) to enable 3D imaging, LIDAR night vision, etc. in the consumer electronics and automotive markets. In order to unleash the full potential of this technology, there is a need for a material that is environmentally friendly, thus RoHS compliant, and possesses adequate optoelectronic properties to deliver high-performance devices.

Conductive Robust Interfaces with Fluoro-Borate Based Electrolyte Additive for 4.6 V Well-Cycled LiNiCoMnO||Li Batteries.

Owing to the outstanding comprehensive properties of high energy density, excellent cycling ability, and reasonable cost, Ni-rich layered oxides (NCM) are the most promising cathode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To further enhance the specific capacity of Ni-rich layered oxides, it is necessary to increase the cut-off voltage to a higher level. However, a higher cut-off voltage can lead to substantial structural changes and trigger interface side reactions, presenting significant challenges for practical applications (cycle life and safety).

Enhancing Electrochemical Performance of Aluminum-Oxygen Batteries with Graphene Aerogel Cathode.

Aluminum-oxygen batteries (AOBs) own the benefits of high energy density (8.14 kWh kg), low cost, and high safety. However, the design of a cathode with high surface area, structure integrity, and good catalytic performance is still challenging for rechargeable AOBs.

A Stress Self-Adaptive Silicon/Carbon "Ordered Structures" to Suppress the Electro-Chemo-Mechanical Failure: Piezo-Electrochemistry and Piezo-Ionic Dynamics.

Construction of ordered structures that respond rapidly to environmental stimuli has fascinating possibilities for utilization in energy storage, wearable electronics, and biotechnology. Silicon/carbon (Si/C) anodes with extremely high energy densities have sparked widespread interest for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), while their implementation is constrained via mechanical structure deterioration, continued growth of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI), and cycling instability. In this study, a piezoelectric Bi Na TiO (BNT) layer is facilely deposited onto Si/C@CNTs anodes to drive piezoelectric fields upon large volume expansion of Si/C@CNTs electrode materials, resulting in the modulation of interfacial Li kinetics during cycling and providing an electrochemical reaction with a mechanically robust and chemically stable substrate.

Engineering Crystal Growth and Surface Modification of Na V (PO ) F Cathode for High-Energy-Density Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Na V (PO ) F (NVPF) is a suitable cathode for sodium-ion batteries owing to its stable structure. However, the large radius of Na restricts diffusion kinetics during charging and discharging. Thus, in this study, a phosphomolybdic acid (PMA)-assisted hydrothermal method is proposed.

Mn Substitution to Improve NaV(PO)F-Based Electrodes for Sodium-Ion Battery Cathode.

NaV(PO)F (NVPF) is an extremely promising sodium storage cathode material for sodium-ion batteries because of its stable structure, wide electrochemical window, and excellent electrochemical properties. Nevertheless, the low ionic and electronic conductivity resulting from the insulated PO structure limits its further development. In this work, the different valence states of Mn ions (x = 2, 3, 4) doped NVPF were synthesized by the hydrothermal method.

Interfacial Reviving of the Degraded LiNi Co Mn O Cathode by LiPO Repair Strategy.

Nickel-rich cathode materials, owing to their high energy density and low cost, are considered to be one of the cathodes with the most potential in next-generation lithium-ion batteries. Unfortunately, this kind of cathode with highly active surface is easy to react with H O and CO when exposed to ambient air, resulting in the formation of lithium impurities and interfacial phase transition as well as deterioration of the electrochemical properties. In this work, the evolution mechanism of the structure and interface of LiNi Co Mn O during air-exposure is systematically investigated.

Novel PETEA-based grafted gel polymer electrolyte with excellent high-rate cycling performance for LiNiCoMnO lithium-ion batteries.

Due to the higher specific capacity and operating voltage platform of the ternary cathode material (LiCoNiMnO), it has a specific market application in the electric vehicle (EV) industry. Gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) have proven to be an effective method of resolving this issue. As a result of its high conductivity and safety performance, pentaerythritol tetraacrylate (PETEA) is a promising gel polymer electrolyte.

Cross-Linked Sodium Alginate-Sodium Borate Hybrid Binders for High-Capacity Silicon Anodes in Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Silicon is considered one of the most promising next-generation anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. It has the advantages of high theoretical specific capacity (4200 mAh·g), which is 10 times larger than that of a commercial graphite anode (372 mAh·g). However, there are some problems such as the pulverization of the electrode and an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer aroused by the huge bulk effect (>300%) of Si during the repeated lithiation/delithiation process.

Dual-Element-Modified Single-Crystal LiNiCoMnO as a Highly Stable Cathode for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Single-crystalline LiNiCoMnO cathodes have received great attention due to their high discharge capacity and better electrochemical performance. However, the single-crystal materials are suffering from severe lattice distortion and electrode/electrolyte interface side reactions when cycling at high voltage. Herein, a unique single-crystal LiNiCoMnO with Al and Zr doping in the bulk and a self-formed coating layer of LiZrO in the surface has been constructed by a facile strategy.

NaOH-Intercalated Iron Chalcogenides (NaOH)FeX (X = Se, S): Ion-Exchange Synthesis and Physical Properties.

The discovery of the (LiFeOH)FeSe superconductor has aroused significant interest in metal hydroxide-intercalated iron chalcogenides. However, all efforts made to intercalate NaOH between FeSe and FeS layers have failed so far. Here we report two NaOH-intercalated iron chalcogenides (NaOH)FeX (X = Se, S) that were synthesized by a low-temperature hydrothermal ion-exchange method.

Blue-AsP monolayer as a promising anode material for lithium- and sodium-ion batteries: a DFT study.

Based on first-principle calculations, we proposed a one two-dimensional (2D) blue AsP (b-AsP) monolayer as an ideal anode material for lithium/sodium-ion (Li/Na-ion) batteries for the first time. The b-AsP monolayer possesses thermal and dynamic stabilities. The system undergoes the transition from semiconductor to metal after Li/Na atoms are embedded, which ensures good electric transportation.

Pomegranate-Like Structured Si@SiO Composites With High-Capacity for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Silicon anodes with an extremely high theoretical specific capacity of 4,200 mAh g have been considered as one of the most promising anode materials for next-generation lithium-ion batteries. However, the large volume expansion during lithiation hinders its practical application. In this work, pomegranate-like Si@SiO composites were prepared using a simple spray drying process, during which silicon nanoparticles reacted with oxygen and generated SiO on the surface.

Measuring Film-Depth-Dependent Light Absorption Spectra for Organic Photovoltaics.

Organic donor-acceptor bulk heterojunction are attracting wide interests for solar cell applications due to solution processability, mechanical flexibility, and low cost. The photovoltaic performance of such thin film is strongly dependent on vertical phase separation of each component. Although film-depth-dependent light absorption spectra measured by non- methods have been used to investigate the film-depth profiling of organic semiconducting thin films, the measurement is still not well-resolved.

Fabrication of SiO-G/PAA-PANi/Graphene Composite With Special Cross-Doped Conductive Hydrogels as Anode Materials for Lithium Ion Batteries.

Silicon oxides (SiO) have been considered to be the likeliest material to substitute graphite anode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity, appropriate working potential plus rich abundance. Nevertheless, the two inherent disadvantages of volume expansion and low electrical conductivity of SiO have been a main obstacle to its application. Here, SiO-G/PAA-PANi/graphene composite has been successfully synthesized by polymerization, in which SiO-G particles linked together by a graphene-doped polyacrylic acid-polyaniline conductive flexible hydrogel and SiO-G is encapsulated inside the conductive hydrogel.

Synthesis and electrochemical performances of NaV(PO)F/C composites as cathode materials for sodium ion batteries.

NaV(PO)F (NVPF) with NASCION (Na superionic conductor) is recognized as a potential cathode material owing to its high theoretical capacity. However, the electronic conductivity of NVPF is much lower than its ionic conductivity, which seriously affects the properties of this material. The carbon layer can be used as the conductive medium to enhance the conductivity of NVPF.