Tailoring superstructure units for improved oxygen redox activity in Li-rich layered oxide battery's positive electrodes.

The high-voltage oxygen redox activity of Li-rich layered oxides enables additional capacity beyond conventional transition metal (TM) redox contributions and drives the development of positive electrode active materials in secondary Li-based batteries. However, Li-rich layered oxides often face voltage decay during battery operation. In particular, although Li-rich positive electrode active materials with a high nickel content demonstrate improved voltage stability, they suffer from poor discharge capacity.

A Carbon Capture and Utilization Process for the Production of Solid Carbon Materials from Atmospheric CO - Part 2: Carbon Characterization.

This article is the second part of a study reporting the results of a novel carbon capture and utilization (CCU) process, which converts atmospheric CO into solid carbon materials. The CCU process combines direct air capture (DAC) with catalytic methanation, which is then followed by methane pyrolysis in a reactor filled with liquid tin. While Part 1 discussed the performance of the overall process and individual process steps regarding conversions and yields, Part 2 characterizes the solid carbon products obtained under various synthesis conditions.

Selective Synthesis of 3D Aligned VO and VO Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Materials by Chemical Vapor Deposition.

3D carbon nanotube hybrid materials containing VO and VO evenly distributed onto vertically aligned carbon nanotubes (VACNTs) is reported. Adjustable loading of particles in controllable sizes and shapes onto the VACNTs was developed via a stepwise chemical vapour deposition (CVD) approach. Solid VO(acac) is chosen as vanadium source.

Structural Engineering of Prussian Blue Analogues Enabling All-Climate and Ultralong Cycling Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The development of cost-efficient, long-lifespan, and all-climate sodium-ion batteries is of great importance for advancing large-scale energy storage but is plagued by the lack of suitable cathode materials. Here, we report low-cost Na-rich Mn-based Prussian blue analogues with superior rate capability and ultralong cycling stability over 10,000 cycles via structural optimization with electrochemically inert Ni atoms. Their thermal stability, all-climate properties, and potential in full cells are investigated in detail.

Exciton Dissociation into Charge Carriers in Porphyrinic Metal-Organic Frameworks for Light-Assisted Li-O Batteries.

Light-assisted Li-O batteries exhibit a high round-trip efficiency attributable to the assistance of light-generated electrons and holes in oxygen reduction and evolution reactions. Nonetheless, the excitonic effect arising from Coulomb interaction between electrons and holes impedes carrier separation, thus hindering efficient utilization of photo-energy. Herein, porphyrinic metal-organic frameworks with (FeNi)O(COO) clusters are used as photocathodes to accelerate exciton dissociation into charge carriers for light-assisted Li-O batteries.

Understanding the Correlation between Electrochemical Performance and Operating Mechanism of a Co-free Layered-Spinel Composite Cathode for Na-Ion Batteries.

Compositing different crystal structures of layered transition metal oxides (LTMOs) is an emerging strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of LTMOs in sodium-ion batteries. Herein, a cobalt-free P2/P3-layered spinel composite, P2/P3-LS-NaMnNiFeO (LS-NMNF), is synthesized, and the synergistic effects from the P2/P3 and spinel phases were investigated. The material delivers an initial discharge capacity of 143 mAh g in the voltage range of 1.

Probing Particle-Carbon/Binder Degradation Behavior in Fatigued Layered Cathode Materials through Machine Learning Aided Diffraction Tomography.

Understanding how reaction heterogeneity impacts cathode materials during Li-ion battery (LIB) electrochemical cycling is pivotal for unraveling their electrochemical performance. Yet, experimentally verifying these reactions has proven to be a challenge. To address this, we employed scanning μ-XRD computed tomography to scrutinize Ni-rich layered LiNiCoMnO (NCM622) and Li-rich layered Li[LiNiMn]O (LLNMO).

Sustainable design of high-performance multifunctional carbon electrodes by one-step laser carbonization for supercapacitors and dopamine sensors.

Laser carbonization is a rapid method to produce functional carbon materials for electronic devices, but many typical carbon precursors are not sustainable and/or require extensive processing for electrochemical applications. Here, a sustainable concept to fabricate laser patterned carbon (LP-C) electrodes from biomass-derived sodium lignosulfonate, an abundant waste product from the paper industry is presented. By introducing an adhesive polymer interlayer between the sodium lignosulfonate and a graphite foil current collector, stable, abrasion-resistant LP-C electrodes can be fabricated in a single laser irradiation step.

Boosting Multielectron Reaction Stability of Sodium Vanadium Phosphate by High-Entropy Substitution.

NaV(PO) (NVP) based on the multielectron reactions between V and V has been considered a promising cathode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, it still suffers from unsatisfactory stability, caused by the poor reversibility of the V/V redox couple and structure evolution. Herein, we propos a strategy that combines high-entropy substitution and electrolyte optimization to boost the reversible multielectron reactions of NVP.

Two-Photon Polymerization of Nanocomposites for Additive Manufacturing of Transparent Magnesium Aluminate Spinel Ceramics.

Transparent polycrystalline magnesium aluminate (MAS) spinel ceramics are of great interest for industry and academia due to their excellent optical and mechanical properties. However, shaping of MAS is notoriously challenging especially on the microscale requiring hazardous etching methods. Therefore, a photochemically curable nanocomposite is demonstrated that can be structured using high-resolution two-photon lithography.

Residual Stress Engineering for Wire Drawing of Austenitic Stainless Steel X5CrNi18-10 by Variation in Die Geometries-Effect of Drawing Speed and Process Temperature.

As a result of conventional wire-forming processes, the residual stress distribution in wires is frequently unfavorable for subsequent forming processes such as bending operations. High tensile residual stresses typically occur in the near-surface region of the wires and can limit further application and processability of the semi-finished products. This paper presents an approach for tailoring the residual stress distribution by modifying the forming process, especially with regard to the die geometry and the influence of the drawing velocity as well as the wire temperature.

Constructing Hollow Microcubes SnS as Negative Electrode for Sodium-ion and Potassium-ion Batteries.

Sodium/potassium-ion batteries (NIBs and KIBs) are considered the most promising candidates for lithium-ion batteries in energy storage fields. Tin sulfide (SnS) is regarded as an attractive negative candidate for NIBs and KIBs thanks to its superior power density, high-rate performance and natural richness. Nevertheless, the slow dynamics, the enormous volume change and the decomposition of polysulfide intermediates limit its practical application.

Small-pore hydridic frameworks store densely packed hydrogen.

Nanoporous materials have attracted great attention for gas storage, but achieving high volumetric storage capacity remains a challenge. Here, by using neutron powder diffraction, volumetric gas adsorption, inelastic neutron scattering and first-principles calculations, we investigate a magnesium borohydride framework that has small pores and a partially negatively charged non-flat interior for hydrogen and nitrogen uptake. Hydrogen and nitrogen occupy distinctly different adsorption sites in the pores, with very different limiting capacities of 2.

Using Hierarchically Structured, Nanoporous Particles as Building Blocks for NCM111 Cathodes.

Nanoparticles have many advantages as active materials, such as a short diffusion length, low charge transfer resistance, or a reduced probability of cracking. However, their low packing density makes them unsuitable for commercial battery applications. Hierarchically structured microparticles are synthesized from nanoscale primary particles by targeted aggregation.

Negative Lattice Expansion in an O3-Type Transition-Metal Oxide Cathode for Highly Stable Sodium-Ion Batteries.

The sodium extraction/insertion in layered transition-metal oxide (TMO) cathode materials are typically accompanied by slab sliding and lattice changes, leading to microstructure destruction and capacity decay. Herein, negative lattice expansion is observed in an O3 type Ni-based layered cathode of Na Ni Zn Fe Mn Ti O upon Na extraction. It is attributed to the weak Zn -O orbital hybridization and increased electron density of the surrounding oxygen for reinforced interlayer O-O repulsive force.

Electrochemical Investigations of Sulfur-Decorated Organic Materials as Cathodes for Alkali Batteries.

Alkali metal-sulfur batteries (particularly, lithium/sodium- sulfur (Li/Na-S)) have attracted much attention because of their high energy density, the natural abundance of sulfur, and environmental friendliness. However, Li/Na-S batteries still face big challenges, such as limited cycle life, poor conductivity, large volume changes, and the "shuttle effect" caused by the high solubility of Li/Na-polysulfides. Herein, novel organosulfur-containing materials, i.

Image quality evaluation for FIB-SEM images.

Focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) tomography is a serial sectioning technique where an FIB mills off slices from the material sample that is being analysed. After every slicing, an SEM image is taken showing the newly exposed layer of the sample. By combining all slices in a stack, a 3D image of the material is generated.

Metal-free photoanodes for C-H functionalization.

Organic semiconductors, such as carbon nitride, when employed as powders, show attractive photocatalytic properties, but their photoelectrochemical performance suffers from low charge transport capability, charge carrier recombination, and self-oxidation. High film-substrate affinity and well-designed heterojunction structures may address these issues, achieved through advanced film generation techniques. Here, we introduce a spin coating pretreatment of a conductive substrate with a multipurpose polymer and a supramolecular precursor, followed by chemical vapor deposition for the synthesis of dual-layer carbon nitride photoelectrodes.

Challenging Prevalent Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) Models: An Atom Probe Tomography Study on a Commercial Graphite Electrode.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the dominating energy storage technology for electric vehicles and portable electronic devices. Since the resources of raw materials for LIBs are limited and recycling technologies for LIBs are still under development, improvements in the long-term stability of LIBs are of paramount importance and, in addition, would lead to a reduction in the levelized cost of storage (LCOS). A crucial limiting factor is the aging of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the active material particles in the anode.

Modification of Al Surface via Acidic Treatment and its Impact on Plating and Stripping.

Amorphous Al O film that naturally exists on any Al substrate is a critical bottleneck for the cyclic performance of metallic Al in rechargeable Al batteries. The so-called electron/ion insulator Al oxide slows down the anode's activation and hinders Al plating/stripping. The Al O film induces different surface properties (roughness and microstructure) on the metal.

Improving Low-temperature Performance and Stability of Na Ti O Anodes by the Ti-O Spring Effect through Nb-doping.

Na Ti O (NTO) with high safety has been regarded as a promising anode candidate for sodium-ion batteries. In the present study, integrated modification of migration channels broadening, charge density re-distribution, and oxygen vacancies regulation are realized in case of Nb-doping and have obtained significantly enhanced cycling performance with 92 % reversible capacity retained after 3000 cycles at 3000 mA g . Moreover, unexpected low-temperature performance with a high discharge capacity of 143 mAh g at 100 mA g under -15 °C is also achieved in the full cell.

Development and Production of Artificial Test Swarf to Examine Wear Behavior of Running Engine Components-Part 2: Experimentally Derived Designs.

In subtractive manufacturing processes, swarf, burrs or other residues are produced, which can impair the function of a tribological system (e.g., journal bearings).