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Heterostructure NaMnO2–Li0.5Mn2O4 cathode materials were prepared by adjusting the molar ratio of sodium in the materials by a solid phase method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the prepared samples were a layered-spinel heterostructure NaMnO2–Li0.5Mn2O4. The lattice fingerprint region of NaMnO2–Li0.5Mn2O4 was studied by electron microscopy, and the results showed the (111) plane of Li0.5Mn2O4 and the (001) plane of NaMnO2. The heterostructure 0.5NaMnO2–0.5Li0.5Mn2O4 exhibits superior high-rate capability and excellent cycling performance. The proposed heterostructure 0.5NaMnO2–0.5Li0.5Mn2O4 cathode is investigated by in situ XRD and impedance analysis. The rate of discharge of heterostructure 0.5NaMnO2–0.5Li0.5Mn2O4 was 108.8 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1. The initial discharge of 0.5NaMnO2–0.5Li0.5Mn2O4 was 61.69 mA h g−1, and after 1000 cycles the discharge capacity remained 51.13 mA h g−1 at a current of 2 A g−1. The heterogeneous structure combines the advantages of high capacity of the layered structure NaMnO2 and the structural stability of the spinel Li0.5Mn2O4, which exert a synergistic effect and improve the electrochemical performance of the lithium-free layered NaMnO2 cathode material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, polyacrylonitrile and boric acid are used as the nitrogen source and boron source, respectively. The Na3V2(PO4)2F3 cathode material with a carbon layer coated by nitrogen and boron was successfully synthesized by using a mechanical ball milling assisted sol–gel method (represented as NVPF@NBC). Simultaneously, Na3V2(PO4)2F3 materials with single-atom-doped carbon have been successfully prepared in this study by using the same method. Among the above materials, NVPF@NBC exhibits appreciable electrochemical performance because of the synergistic effect of diatoms in carbon. NVPF@NBC shows an outstanding specific discharge capacity of 127.2 mA h g−1 at 0.2C, and the capacity retention after 100 cycles is 97.6%. In particular, NVPF@NBC exhibits a discharge specific capacity of 106.3 mA h g−1 at 5C, and the capacity retention after 500 cycles is 90.59%. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the synthesized materials shows that the NVPF@NBC material has good crystallinity, indicating that the diatoms of N and B do not change the crystal structure of the material. TEM shows that the NVPF@NBC material exhibits uniform distribution of particles and a uniform carbon coating of about 4 nm. Nitrogen–boron co-doping does not influence the valence state of V3+ in the material. The results indicate that the co-doping of nitrogen and boron reinforces the crystallinity of the material and strengthens the sodium storage performance of the material, thereby greatly ameliorating the electrochemical performance of the material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The heterostructures, xNa0.7MnO2–yLi4Mn5O12(0 < x < 1, 0 < y ≤ 1), were synthesized by a solid-phase method. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analyses revealed that the as-prepared samples were heterostructures Na0.7MnO2 and Li4Mn5O12. Electron microscopy was used to study the lattice fingerprint area of 0.6Na0.7MnO2–0.4Li4Mn5O12 that showed (111) crystal surface of Li4Mn5O12 and (002) crystal surface of Na0.7MnO2. With different molar ratios of lithium and sodium, Li4Mn5O12 and Na0.7MnO2 in the formed heterostructure will change accordingly, during the synthesis process. The XPS data also showed that Mn3+/Mn4+ in the materials presented different ratios. The heterostructure, 0.6Na0.7MnO2–0.4Li4Mn5O12, exhibits superior high-rate capability and excellent cycle performance. The rate discharge capacity of 0.6Na0.7MnO2–0.4Li4Mn5O12 was maintained at 163.25 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1. When cycled at 100 mA g−1, the discharge capacity was maintained at 189.80 mA h g−1 after 50 cycles. The construction of heterostructure can take the advantage of the high capacity of the layered structure of Na0.7MnO2 and the stable spinel structure of Li4Mn5O12, which can form a synergistic effect and improve the electrochemical performance of cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recycling of cathode materials from batteries has an impact on reducing energy consumption. In this study, a green recycling method without secondary pollution was adopted to directly reutilize spent lithium manganate materials. The stripping rate achieved for these spent materials reached 91.1%. This excellent stripping rate was attributed to the synergistic effects of stirring and sonication. The molecular formula of the stripped cathode materials was determined to be LiMn1.85O4. Infrared spectroscopy was used to demonstrate that the organic adhesive in the cathode materials was completely removed after calcination and that the asymmetric stretching peak of the MO6 groups was enhanced. Comparative experiments showed that the electrochemical properties of the re-utilized materials were dramatically improved. The discharge capacity of the sample calcined at 800 °C for 12 h was 131.7 mAh g−1 at the first cycle, and 91.7% of the capacity was maintained after 200 cycles at 0.2C (1C = 148 mAh g−1). Importantly, this recycling strategy not only requires no toxic or hazardous solvents but also has no harmful effects on the environment and reduces waste accumulation effectively, thus providing a new possibility for the recycling of similar batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Europium-modified TiO2 with different valence states was prepared by a hydrothermal method and calcined in air. Microscopic analyses revealed that the average particle size of europium-modified TiO2 nanoparticles is approximately 11.03 nm, and the particle size distribution is narrow. In addition, defects were introduced into TiO2 by doping with europium. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed different valence states of Eu3+/Eu2+ in Ti1−xEuxO2 (x = 0.04). A mechanism for europium-modified TiO2 with different valence states is proposed. Europium-modified TiO2 features excellent rate performance and long-term stability. The discharge capacity of Ti1−xEuxO2 (x = 0.04) reached 417.5 mA h g−1 at the initial cycle and retained 219.1 mA h g−1 at 5C after 600 cycles. When it is cycled at 50C, the rate discharge capacity is maintained at 134.9 mA h g−1. The electronic conductivity of TiO2 was significantly improved by doping with different valence states of europium (Eu3+/Eu2+) due to the existence of mixed valence states of Ti4+/Ti3+. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium ion batteries (SIBs) are promising energy storage systems because sodium is a low cost and abundant resource. Appropriate electrode materials with high performance are a prerequisite to satisfy demand for efficient SIBs. Heterostructured electrodes show high specific capacity and rate capacity for SIBs owing to the synergistic effect of multiple components compared with a single component. Here, heterostructured binary metal-sulfide CoS2/NiS2 compounds encapsulated in bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (CoS2/NiS2@B-CNT), were prepared by pyrolysis and sulfidation procedures. The heterostructured anode material demonstrates a high capacity of 625.8 mA h g−1 at 0.1 A g−1, a distinguished rate capacity (491.6 mA h g−1 at 10 A g−1), and stable cyclic property (497.6 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 after 1000 cycles, 93.0% capacity retention). This design of a heterostructure offers a new avenue to develop anode materials with high performance for SIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrated the preparation of Co0.85Se bundle-like nanostructures (BNs) by a template-directed approach under solvothermal conditions. The Co0.85Se BNs were utilized as catalysts in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH4. The kinetics of the reduction of 4-nitrophenol at three different reaction temperatures were investigated to evaluate the catalytic activity of the Co0.85Se BNs. The activation energy (Ea), activation enthalpy (ΔH‡), and activation entropy (ΔS‡) of the Co0.85Se BNs and Co0.85Se nanoparticles (NPs) are 14.66 kJ mol−1, 12.15 kJ mol−1, 42.51 J mol−1 K−1, and 17.78 kJ mol−1, 16.55 kJ mol−1, 50.66 J mol−1 K−1, respectively. The above results revealed that the Co0.85Se BNs exhibited a higher catalytic performance for the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol by NaBH4 than that of the Co0.85Se NPs at room temperature. It is believed that the prepared Co0.85Se BNs have potential applications in catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]