An Innovative Concept of Membrane-Free Redox Flow Batteries with Near-Zero Contact Distance Between Electrodes.

Given that the ion-exchange membrane takes up more than 30% of redox flow battery (RFB) cost, considerable cost reduction is anticipated with the membrane-free design. However, eliminating the membrane/separator would expose the membrane-free RFBs to a higher risk of short-circuits, and the dendrite growth may aggravate this issue. The current strategy based on expanding distances between electrodes is proposed to address short-circuit issues.

Silver Nanowires-Based Flexible Gold Electrode Overcoming Interior Impedance of Nanomaterial Electrodes.

In the development of nanomaterial electrodes for improved electrocatalytic activity, much attention is paid to the compositions, lattice, and surface morphologies. In this study, a new concept to enhance electrocatalytic activity is proposed by reducing impedance inside nanomaterial electrodes. Gold nanodendrites (AuNDs) are grown along silver nanowires (AgNWs) on flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) support.

Semi-Embedded Structured Bi Nanospheres for Boosted Self-Heating-Induced Healing of Li-Dendrites.

It is reported that self-heating-induced healing on lithium metal anodes (LMAs) provides a mitigation strategy for suppressing Li dendrites. However, how to boost the self-heating-induced healing of Li-dendrites and incorporate it into Li-host design remains an imminent problem that needs to be solved. Herein, a new bismuth nanosphere semi-buried carbon cloth (Bi-NS-CC) material with a 3D flexible host structure is proposed.

Mesoporous Gold Film with Surface Sulfur Modification to Enable Dendrite-Free Lithium Plating/Stripping for Long-Life Lithium Metal Anodes.

The formation of a lithiophilic phase is an effective method to inhibit the growth of lithium dendrites and obtain high-performance Li metal anodes (LMAs). Nonetheless, previous studies have overlooked the underlying mechanistic studies that modulate the structure of the lithiophilic phase as well as lithiophilicity. A self-supporting sulfur-modified mesoporous gold film on nickel foam (SMGF@NF) for LMAs is created with mesoporous structure, which can provide sufficient active sites for uniform lithium deposition.

Novel Flexible Ag/AgCl Quasi-Reference Electrode with Fishbone Nanowire Structure for Remarkable Potential Stability, Long-Term Reliability, and Noninvasive Electrocardiography.

The roadblocks for the planar silver/silver chloride (Ag/AgCl) quasi-reference electrode (qRE) development are the potential stability and long-term reliability as potentiometric sensors. Although there is a significant amount of work on potentiometric screen-printed and inkjet-printed sensors, none of the REs has comparable performance to that of the conventional glass RE and knowledge on reliable planar Ag/AgCl qREs is still limited. Here, a novel fishbone-structured flexible Ag/AgCl qRE (Fishbone-Ag/AgCl qRE) was developed and its stability and long-term reliability were significantly improved.

Conductive Iodine-Doped Red Phosphorus Enabled Dendrite-Free Lithium Deposition on MXene Matrix.

The highest theoretical capacity and lowest redox potential of lithium metal make lithium-based batteries the "holy grail" of the next-generation batteries. However, the uncontrollable dendrite growth and infinite volume change of lithium seriously hinder the real-world implementation of lithium-based batteries. Herein, a flexible MXene@iodine-doped red phosphorus (MXene@RP) paper with iodine-doped red phosphorous particles evenly distributed on the surface and interlayer of MXene matrix is designed by a simple vapor condensation reduction approach.

General Growth of Carbon Nanotubes for Cerium Redox Reactions in High-Efficiency Redox Flow Batteries.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess remarkable mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical properties that predestine them for numerous potential applications. The conventional chemical vapor deposition (CVD) route for the production of CNTs, however, suffers from costly and complex issues. Herein, we demonstrate a general and high-yield strategy to grow nitrogen-doped CNTs (NCNTs) on three-dimensional (3D) graphite felt (GF) substrates, through a direct thermal pyrolysis process simply using a common tube furnace, instead of the costly and complex CVD method.

Phytic Acid-Assisted Formation of Hierarchical Porous CoP/C Nanoboxes for Enhanced Lithium Storage and Hydrogen Generation.

Application of transition metal phosphides (TMPs) for electrochemical energy conversion and storage has great potential to alleviate the energy crisis. Although there are many methods to get TMPs, it is still immensely challenging to fabricate hierarchical porous TMPs with superior electrochemical performances by a simple, green, and secure approach. Herein, we report a facile method to synthesize the CoP/C nanoboxes by pyrolysis of phytic acid (PA) cross-linked Co complexes that are acquired from reaction of PA and ZIF-67.

Graphite felts modified by vertical two-dimensional WO nanowall arrays: high-performance electrode materials for cerium-based redox flow batteries.

Cerium-based redox flow batteries (RFBs) are very attractive for highly efficient energy storage applications with industrial-scale storage capacity. However, the development of active, stable, and earth-abundant catalysts for cerium redox reactions with sluggish kinetics remains a major challenge. Herein, for the first time, two-dimensional (2D) nanostructured architectures were used to design and fabricate efficient and stable electrocatalysts from earth-abundant components toward the Ce(iv)/Ce(iii) redox reaction.

A Core-Shell Fe/Fe2 O3 Nanowire as a High-Performance Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The preparation of novel one-dimensional core-shell Fe/Fe2 O3 nanowires as anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is reported. The nanowires are prepared in a facile synthetic process in aqueous solution under ambient conditions with subsequent annealing treatment that could tune the capacity for lithium storage. When this hybrid is used as an anode material for LIBs, the outer Fe2 O3 shell can act as an electrochemically active material to store and release lithium ions, whereas the highly conductive and inactive Fe core functions as nothing more than an efficient electrical conducting pathway and a remarkable buffer to tolerate volume changes of the electrode materials during the insertion and extraction of lithium ions.

Coated/Sandwiched rGO/CoSx Composites Derived from Metal-Organic Frameworks/GO as Advanced Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Rational composite materials made from transition metal sulfides and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) are highly desirable for designing high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Here, rGO-coated or sandwiched CoSx composites are fabricated through facile thermal sulfurization of metal-organic framework/GO precursors. By scrupulously changing the proportion of Co(2+) and organic ligands and the solvent of the reaction system, we can tune the forms of GO as either a coating or a supporting layer.