Three-Dimensional Metal-Organic Framework@Cellulose Skeleton-Reinforced Composite Polymer Electrolyte for All-Solid-State Lithium Metal Battery.

High-safety and high-energy-density solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) attract tremendous interest in both academia and industry. Especially, composite polymer electrolytes (CPEs) can overcome the limitations of single-component solid-state electrolytes. In this work, a strategy of combining a rigid functional skeleton with a soft polymer electrolyte to prepare reinforced CPEs was adopted.

A moderate method for growing Fe-based LDHs on Ni foam for catalyzing the oxygen evolution reaction.

Fe-based LDHs have been proven to be an excellent class of catalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). To achieve industrial applications of water splitting, it is critical to develop a cost-effective and simple strategy to achieve large-area catalytic electrodes. Herein, we present a moderate method for growing Fe-based layered double hydroxide nanosheets on a Ni foam (LDH@NF) substrate at room temperature.

NiMo solid-solution alloy porous nanofiber as outstanding hydrogen evolution electrocatalyst.

Developing a high-efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst for the large-scale production of hydrogen is essential but challenging. In this study, we used NiMo solid-solution alloy porous nanofibers to develop a robust HER electrocatalyst through electrospinning, oxidization, and high-temperature reduction treatment. In 1 M KOH electrolyte, the fabricated NiMo solid-solution alloy porous nanofibers exhibited higher HER activity than Ni nanofibers, which required a low overpotential of 69, 208, and 300 mV at 100, 500, and 1000 mA cm, respectively, and had outstanding durability at 100 mA cm over 60 h.

Integrated structure design and synthesis of a pitaya-like SnO/N-doped carbon composite for high-rate lithium storage capability.

Tin dioxide (SnO) with a high theoretical capacity of 1494 mA h g has great potential to break through the capacity limitation of the conventional graphite anode (372 mA h g) in lithium-ion batteries. However, its practical application still faces several obstacles such as high volumetric expansion and poor electrical conductivity. To solve these problems, innovative design and synthesis of SnO-based nanocomposite structures are necessary.

"Polymer-in-Ceramic" Membrane for Thermally Safe Separator Applications.

In this work, a facile casting method was utilized to prepare "polymer-in-ceramic" microporous membranes for thermally safe battery separator applications; that is, a series of composite membranes composed of silicon dioxide (SiO) as a matrix and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as a binder were prepared. The effects of different SiO contents on various physical properties of membranes such as the porosity, electrolyte absorption rate, electrochemical stability, and especially thermal stability of the SiO/PVDF composite membranes were systematically studied. Compared with a commercial polypropylene separator, the SiO/PVDF membrane has a higher porosity (66.

Carbon nanofiber frameworks for Li metal batteries: the synergistic effect of conductivity and lithiophilic-sites.

The utilization of carbon framework to guide the growth of the Li dendrites is an important theme for Li metal batteries. The conductivity and electronegative sites of carbon materials will greatly affect the nucleation of Li metal. However, how much these two contributing factors affect the Li plating/stripping stability should be considered.

Direct Z-scheme MgInS/TiOheterojunction for enhanced photocathodic protection of metals under visible light.

To improve the photocathodic protection performance of traditional TiOphotoanodes for metals, constructing a Z-scheme heterojunction is one of the most promising and creative strategies. Herein, we fabricated a novel Z-scheme MgInSnanosheets/TiOnanotube nanocomposite through anodization and hydrothermal method. The optimized Z-scheme MgInS/TiOnanocomposites exhibited stronger visible light absorption, higher separation efficiency of photoelectrons and photocathodic protection performances in comparison to pure TiO.

A novel CaInS/TiONTAs heterojunction photoanode for highly efficient photocathodic protection performance of 316 SS under visible light.

Designing heterojunction photocatalysts with matched band structure and good interface contact is an effective method to improve the photoelectrochemical activity. Herein, novel CaInS/TiOnanotube arrays (NTAs) heterojunction photoanodes were successfully prepared by electrochemical anodization and hydrothermal method. The microstructures, compositions, crystal structures, chemical valence states and light absorption performances of the composites were evaluated by field emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy transmission electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, x-ray diffractometer, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), respectively.

Cellulose-Derived Highly Porous Three-Dimensional Activated Carbons for Supercapacitors.

A novel "selective surface dissolution" (SSD) method was successfully utilized in previous research to prepare "all-polymer composites" aiming to structural applications. In the current study, this simple, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly method was employed for the first time to synthesize cellulose-derived highly porous three-dimensional (3D) activated carbon materials to assemble superior electrodes for supercapacitors. ZnCl aqueous solution was used to partially dissolve the surface of cellulose fibers.

Economizing Production of Diverse 2D Layered Metal Hydroxides for Efficient Overall Water Splitting.

2D layered metal hydroxides (LMH) are promising materials for electrochemical energy conversion and storage. Compared with exfoliation of bulk layered materials, wet chemistry synthesis of 2D LMH materials under mild conditions still remains a big challenge. Here, an "MgO-mediated strategy" for mass production of various 2D LMH nanosheets is presented by hydrolyzing MgO in metal salt aqueous solutions at room temperature.

Defect-enhanced performance of a 3D graphene anode in a lithium-ion battery.

Morphological defects were generated in an undoped 3D graphene structure via the involvement of a ZnO and Mg(OH) intermediate nanostructure layer placed between two layers of vapor-deposited graphene. Once the intermediate layer was etched, the 3D graphene lost support and shrank; during this process many morphological defects were formed. The electrochemical performance of the derived defective graphene utilized as the anode of a lithium (Li)-ion battery was significantly improved from ∼382 mAh g to ∼2204 mAh g at 0.

Self-supporting sulfur cathodes enabled by two-dimensional carbon yolk-shell nanosheets for high-energy-density lithium-sulfur batteries.

How to exert the energy density advantage is a key link in the development of lithium-sulfur batteries. Therefore, the performance degradation of high-sulfur-loading cathodes becomes an urgent problem to be solved at present. In addition, the volumetric capacities of high-sulfur-loading cathodes are still at a low level compared with their areal capacities.

Facile preparation of one-dimensional wrapping structure: graphene nanoscroll-wrapped of Fe3O4 nanoparticles and its application for lithium-ion battery.

Graphene nanoscroll (GNS) is a spirally wrapped two-dimensional (2D) graphene sheet (GS) with a 1D tubular structure resembling that of a multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT). GNS provide open structure at both ends and interlayer galleries that can be easily intercalated and adjusted, which show great potential applications in energy storage. Here we demonstrate a novel and simple strategy for the large-scale preparation of GNSs wrapping Fe3O4 nanoparticles (denoted as Fe3O4@GNSs) from graphene oxide (GO) sheets by cold quenching in liquid nitrogen.