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A hierarchical Cu2+1O nanowire covered ultrathin Sn/Cu6Sn5 alloy composite on copper foam is produced in 90 minutes by a fully electrochemical wet process for use as a stable Li metal anode to prevent the formation of Li dendrite.

The electrolysis of water using renewable energy inputs is a promising sustainable approach to produce clean hydrogen fuel. The conventional water electrolysis, where the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) are tightly coupled to satisfy the thermodynamic potential of at least 1.23 V, occasionally encounters gas crossover through the membrane, resulting in the formation of explosive gas mixtures and reactive oxygen species. In this study, an asymmetric cell design of 3 M H2SO4|V(II)/V(III)|1 M KOH equipped with nickel foam electrodes is used for achieving decoupled HER and OER under kinetically favorable conditions by dividing the process into two steps using vanadium ions as redox mediators. The actual overall water splitting at an average cell voltage of 1.3 V and a current density of 10 mA cm−2 is accomplished even in the presence of membranes with outstanding cycling stability. The well-designed system for decoupled water electrolysis can allow the production of clean energy fuel using a low-power input in renewables–to–hydrogen conversion.

Herein, incremental capacity-differential voltage (IC-DV) at a high C-rate (HC) is used as a non-invasive diagnostic tool in lithium-ion batteries, which inevitably exhibit capacity fading caused by multiple mechanisms during charge/discharge cycling. Because battery degradation modes are complex, the simple output of capacity fading does not yield any useful data in that respect. Although IC and DV curves obtained under restricted conditions (

As the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) imposes a high energy barrier during electrochemical water splitting, designing highly efficient, stable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for OERs is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we present a facile approach to prepare villi-shaped Ni-Fe hydroxides incorporated with oxalate derived from Ni-Fe oxalate through the in situ precipitation growth and subsequent immersion in an alkaline solution. The electrode with an optimized Ni-Fe ratio improves the OER kinetics, on which the electronic structure of the active site is adjusted based on a mutual effect between the adjacent nickel and iron atoms. The OER performance was significantly better than that of monometallic Ni(OH)2 and pristine Ni foam, with a low overpotential of 277 mV at 100 mA cm-2 and excellent stability. The enhanced OER performance is ascribed to the advanced intrinsic electrocatalytic activity of the electrode as a result of the synergetic effect of optimized Ni-Fe ratio mixing at the atomic level which leads to an increased surface area, a high number of active sites, and a reduced charge transfer resistivity.

Silicon monoxide (SiO) is regarded as a strong candidate for next-generation lithium ion battery anode materials because of its high energy density, low cost, and relatively low volume expansion compared to silicon (Si). However, the intrinsic low electrical conductivity and non-negligible volume expansion limit the practical application of SiO. Herein, dual-carbon-confined hydrangea-like SiO clusters are developed via chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth, followed by a spray drying approach as a novel anode material for high-performance and stable lithium ion batteries. The evolution of the buffer layer along with sufficient void spaces to alleviate the volume expansion, besides the increased electrical conductivity, contributes to the improved discharge capacity of 1071 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at a high current density of 0.75 A g−1 with a low expansion ratio of 9%. The distinct dual-carbon-confined hydrangea-like structure leads to synergistic improvements in battery performance, which will pave the way for promoting the commercial application of silicon-based anode materials.

Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with high energy density and safety under fast-charging conditions are highly desirable for electric vehicles. However, owing to the growth of Li dendrites, increased temperature at high charging rates, and low specific capacity in commercially available anodes, they cannot meet the market demand. In this study, a facile one-pot electrochemical self-assembly approach has been developed for constructing hybrid electrodes composed of ultrafine Fe

International audience; Herein we report a wet-chemical process to obtain binder-free anodes for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) using a straightforward and easily scalable approach. Electrochemical deposition, anodization, and electropolymerization are used to firmly attach a nanoporous and flexible SnO2 film, uniformly coated with polyaniline (PANI), onto a Cu substrate. The three-dimensional, flexible, and nanoporous SnO2@PANI electrodes exhibit good specific capacity, capacity retention, and charge transfer resistance. Its favorable electrochemical properties are attributed to the large surface area, high electrical conductivity, and effective reduction of volume expansion. These results demonstrate that the proposed approach to forming SnO2@PANI electrodes is a promising strategy for constructing high-performance binder-free anodes for emerging flexible LIBs.

As the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) imposes a high energy barrier during electrochemical water splitting, designing highly efficient, stable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts for OERs is an ongoing challenge. In this study, we present a facile approach to prepare villi-shaped Ni-Fe hydroxides incorporated with oxalate derived from Ni-Fe oxalate through the

International audience; Stainless steel, a cost-effective material comprising Fe, Ni, and Cr with other impurities, is considered a promising electrode for green electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems. However, the Cr in stainless steel and its passivating property in electrochemical systems hinder the commercial use of stainless steel in the energy conversion and storage industry. Therefore, many studies have revealed the usability of stainless steel by developing various surface treatment techniques to modify the electrode surface to take advantage of the intrinsically active elements in stainless steel. In this review, we present the recent advances and breakthroughs in surface treatment approaches to adjust surface composites and the electrochemical performance and rational design of electrodes in green energy storage and conversion systems, including (photo)electrochemical water splitting, Li-ion batteries, and supercapacitors. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.