Search

Solid‐state lithium‐sulfur batteries (SSLSBs) using polymer electrolytes are considered as one of the most promising energy storage systems due to their high specific energy, facile processability, and low cost. However, the sluggish solid‐state sulfur conversion kinetics limits their specific density and challenges the practical application. Here, to address this concern, a hollow carbon/Li1.4Al0.4Ti1.6(PO4)3 nanosphere (H‐C/LATP) structure is prepared, with high mixed electronic/ionic conductivity, as sulfur hosts for fabricating high‐performance polymer‐based solid‐state Li‐S battery. With the incorporation of the H‐C/LATP rigid shell, the localized sulfur conversion with accelerated kinetics is realized by introduced stable sulfur‐H‐C/LATP double‐phase interface and enhanced charge‐transfer behavior. In addition, H‐C/LATP shows excellent absorption ability toward lithium polysulfides, thus suppressing the shuttle effect in solid electrolytes. As a result, superior cycling stability and rate performance are achieved. The assembled SSLSB delivers a capacity of 1213.2 mAh g−1 in the first cycle and 948.3 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 0.1 C. Besides, high active material loading is also demonstrated in this configuration with stable capacity retention. This work provides a practical pathway for the sulfur cathode design in polymer‐based SSLSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium‐sulfur (Li‐S) batteries have been regarded as promising next‐generation energy storage systems due to their high energy density and low cost, but their practical application is hindered by inferior long‐cycle stability caused by the severe shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and sluggish reaction kinetics. This study reports a La2O3‐MXene heterostructure embedded in carbon nanofiber (CNF) (denoted as La2O3‐MXene@CNF) as a sulfur (S) host to address the above issues. The unique features of this heterostructure endow the sulfur host with synergistic catalysis during the charging and discharging processes. The strong adsorption ability provided by the La2O3 domain can capture sufficient LiPSs for the subsequent catalytic conversion, and the insoluble thiosulfate intermediate produced by hydroxyl terminal groups on the surface of MXene greatly promotes the rapid conversion of LiPSs to Li2S via a "Wackenroder reaction." Therefore, the S cathode with La2O3‐MXene@CNF (La2O3‐MXene@CNF/S) exhibits excellent cycling stability with a low capacity fading rate of 0.031% over 1000 cycles and a high capacity of 857.9 mAh g−1 under extremely high sulfur loadings. Furthermore, a 5 Ah‐level pouch cell is successfully assembled for stable cycling, which delivers a high specific energy of 341.6 Wh kg−1 with a low electrolyte/sulfur ratio (E/S ratio). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High energy and power density alkali‐ion (i.e., Li+, Na+, and K+) batteries (AIBs), especially lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs), are being ubiquitously used for both large‐ and small‐scale energy storage, and powering electric vehicles and electronics. However, the increasing LIB‐triggered fires due to thermal runaways have continued to cause significant injuries and casualties as well as enormous economic losses. For this reason, to date, great efforts have been made to create reliable fire‐safe AIBs through advanced materials design, thermal management, and fire safety characterization. In this review, the recent progress is highlighted in the battery design for better thermal stability and electrochemical performance, and state‐of‐the‐art fire safety evaluation methods. The key challenges are also presented associated with the existing materials design, thermal management, and fire safety evaluation of AIBs. Future research opportunities are also proposed for the creation of next‐generation fire‐safe batteries to ensure their reliability in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction of high efficiency and stable Li metal anodes is extremely vital to the breakthrough of Li metal batteries. In this study, for the first time, groundbreaking in situ plasma interphase engineering is reported to construct high‐quality lithium halides‐dominated solid electrolyte interphase layer on Li metal to stabilize & protect the anode. Typically, SF6 plasma‐induced sulfured and fluorinated interphase (SFI) is composed of LiF and Li2S, interwoven with each other to form a consecutive solid electrolyte interphase. Simultaneously, brand‐new vertical Co fibers (diameter: ≈5 µm) scaffold is designed via a facile magnetic‐field‐assisted hydrothermal method to collaborate with plasma‐enhanced Li metal anodes (SFI@Li/Co). The Co fibers scaffold accommodates active Li with mechanical integrity and decreases local current density with good lithiophilicity and low geometric tortuosity, supported by DFT calculations and COMSOL Multiphysics simulation. Consequently, the assembled symmetric cells with SFI@Li/Co anodes exhibit superior stability over 525 h with a small voltage hysteresis (125 mV at 5 mA cm−2) and improved Coulombic efficiency (99.7%), much better than the counterparts. Enhanced electrochemical performance is also demonstrated in full cells with commercial cathodes and SFI@Li/Co anode. The research offers a new route to develop advanced alkali metal anodes for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a surface modified and sulfide electrolyte-infiltrated LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 cathode to inhibit the interface side reactions and enhance the physical contact. The Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 -infiltrated electrode using LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 cathode with Li 1.5 Al 0.5 Ge 1.5 (PO 4) 3 coating exhibits outstanding rate performance, excellent capacity retention and low interface impedance. [Display omitted] Sulfide-based all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) with high-voltage Ni-rich layered cathodes have shown great potential in energy storage systems. However, the application of ASSLBs is hindered by severe interface issues and poor solid–solid contact between cathodes and sulfide electrolytes. In this work, a suitably thin Li 1.5 Al 0.5 Ge 1.5 (PO 4) 3 (LAGP) coating (0.41 mS cm−1) is introduced onto the surface of single-crystal LiNi 0.6 Co 0.2 Mn 0.2 O 2 particles to mitigate interface side reactions. Subsequently, sheet-type electrodes are fabricated by the infiltration of Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 to fill the voids and achieve highly dense solid–solid contact, thus preventing contact loss. The Li 10 GeP 2 S 12 -infiltrated ASSLBs with a LAGP buffer layer display a high initial discharge capacity of 141.5 mAh g−1 at 0.05 C and ultrastable cycling for 100 cycles at 0.1 C. An effective fabrication method for highly dense electrodes is proposed in this work, which provides a new direction for scalable industrial production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexible lithium sulfur batteries with high energy density and good mechanical flexibility are highly desirable. Here, we report a synergistic interface bonding enhancement strategy to construct flexible fiber‐shaped composite cathodes, in which polypyrrole@sulfur (PPy@S) nanospheres are homogeneously implanted into the built‐in cavity of self‐assembled reduced graphene oxide fibers (rGOFs) by a facile microfluidic assembly method. In this architecture, sulfur nanospheres and lithium polysulfides are synergistically hosted by carbon and polymer interface, which work together to provide enhanced interface chemical bonding to endow the cathode with good adsorption ability, fast reaction kinetics, and excellent mechanical flexibility. Consequently, the PPy@S/rGOFs cathode shows enhanced electrochemical performance and high‐rate capability. COMSOL Multiphysics simulations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations are conducted to elucidate the enhanced electrochemical performance. In addition, a flexible Li−S pouch cell is assembled and delivers a high areal capacity of 5.8 mAh cm−2 at 0.2 A g−1. Our work offers a new strategy for preparation of advanced cathodes for flexible batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three‐dimensional (3D) printing has gained popularity in a variety of applications, particularly in the manufacture of wearable devices. Aided by the large degree of freedom in customizable fabrication, 3D printing can cater towards the practical requirements of wearable devices in terms of light weight and flexibility. In particular, this focus review aims to cover the important aspect of wearable energy storage devices (WESDs), which is an essential component of most wearable devices. Herein, the topics discussed are the fundamentals of 3D printing inks used, the optimizing strategies in improving the mechanical and electrochemical properties of wearable devices and the recent developments and challenges of wearable electrochemical systems such as batteries and supercapacitors. It can be expected that, with the development of 3D printing technology, realization of the full potential of WESDs and seamless integration into smart devices also needs further in‐depth investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) are considered to be one of the most promising alternatives to the current lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) to meet the increasing demand for energy storage owing to their high energy density, natural abundance, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Despite great success, LSBs still suffer from several problems, including undermined capacity arising from low utilization of sulfur, unsatisfactory rate performance and poor cycling life owing to the shuttle effect of polysulfides, and poor electrical conductivity of sulfur. Under such circumstances, the design/fabrication of porous carbon–sulfur composite cathodes is regarded as an effective solution to overcome the above problems. In this review, different synthetic methods of porous carbon hosts and their corresponding integration into carbon–sulfur cathodes are summarized. The pore formation mechanism of porous carbon hosts is also addressed. The pore size effect on electrochemical performance is highlighted and compared. The enhanced mechanism of the porous carbon host on the sulfur cathode is systematically reviewed and revealed. Finally, the combination of porous carbon hosts and high‐profile solid‐state electrolytes is demonstrated, and the challenges to realize large‐scale commercial application of porous carbon–sulfur cathodes is discussed and future trends are proposed. Carbon and sulfur: Despite great success, lithium–sulfur batteries (LSBs) still suffer from several problems. The design/fabrication of porous carbon–sulfur composite cathodes is regarded as an effective solution to overcome problems such as poor capacity arising from low utilization of sulfur, unsatisfactory rate performance and poor cycling life owing to the shuttle effect of polysulfides, and poor electrical conductivity of sulfur. In this review, different synthetic methods for porous carbon hosts and their corresponding integration into carbon–sulfur cathodes are thus summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advancement of electrochemical energy storage is closely bound up with the breakthrough of controllable fabrication of energy materials. Inspired by a popcorn fabrication from corn raw, herein a unique porous macrocellular carbon composed of cross-linked nano/microsheets by a powerful puffing of rice precursor is described. The rice is directly puffed with a volume enlargement of ≈20 times when it is instantaneously released from a sealed environment with a high pressure of 1.0 MPa at 200 °C. Interestingly, when metal (e.g., Ni) nanoparticles are embedded in the puffed rice derived carbon (PRC), high-quality PRC/metal composites are achieved with attractive properties of a high electrical conductivity of ≈7.2 × 104 S m−1, a large porosity of 85.1%, and a surface area of 1492.2 m2 g−1. The PRC/Ni are employed as a host in lithium-sulfur batteries. The designed PRC/Ni/S electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity of 1257.2 mA h g−1 at 0.2 C, a prolonged cycle life (821 mA h g−1 after 500 cycles), and enhanced rate capability, much better than other counterparts (PRC/S and rGO/S). The excellent properties are attributed to the advantages of PRC/Ni network with a high electrical conductivity, strong adsorption/blocking ability for polysulfides, and interconnected porous framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart hybridization of active materials into tailored electrode structure is highly important for developing advanced electrochemical energy storage devices. With the help of sandwiched design, herein a powerful strategy is developed to fabricate three-layer sandwiched composite core/shell arrays via combined hydrothermal and polymerization approaches. In such a unique architecture, wrinkled MoSe2 nanosheets are sandwiched by vertical graphene (VG) core and N-doped carbon (N-C) shell forming sandwiched core/shell arrays. Interesting advantages including high electrical conductivity, strong mechanical stability, and large porosity are combined in the self-supported VG/MoSe2/N-C sandwiched arrays. As a preliminary test, the sodium ion storage properties of VG/MoSe2/N-C sandwiched arrays are characterized and demonstrated with high capacity (540 mA h g−1), enhanced high rate capability, and long-term cycling stability (298 mA h g−1 at 2.0 A g−1 after 1000 cycles). The sandwiched core/shell structure plays positive roles in the enhancement of electrochemical performances due to dual conductive carbon networks, good volume accommodation, and highly porous structure with fast ion diffusion. The directional electrode design protocol provides a general method for synthesis of high-performance ternary core/shell electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational design and synthesis of advanced anode materials are extremely important for high-performance lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. Herein, a simple one-step hydrothermal method is developed for fabrication of N-C@MoS2 microspheres with the help of polyurethane as carbon and nitrogen sources. The MoS2 microspheres are composed of MoS2 nanoflakes, which are wrapped by an N-doped carbon layer. Owing to its unique structural features, the N-C@MoS2 microspheres exhibit greatly enhanced lithium- and sodium-storage performances including a high specific capacity, high rate capability, and excellent capacity retention. Additionally, the developed polyurethane-assisted hydrothermal method could be useful for the construction of many other high-capacity metal oxide/sulfide composite electrode materials for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Nanomaterials and Composites for Energy Conversion and Storage: Part I, three papers discuss processing and characterization of nanomaterials and composites. In Nanomaterials and Composites for Energy Conversion and Storage: Part II, three papers discuss the use of nanomaterials in solid oxide fuel cells. Yulin Zhong, Soumendra Basu, and Ziqi Sun are Guest Editors for the Energy Committee and the Energy Conversion and Storage Committee of TMS. [Extracted from the article]

Vanadium oxide (VOx) nanomaterials are promising candidates for energy storage devices, such as lithium‐ and sodium‐ion batteries and supercapacitors, in which many complicated structural designs and composite strategies are applied to harness the high theoretical capacity of these materials. Herein, a simple yet effective method to achieve improved performance of electrodes via tungsten doping in a green hydrothermal reaction is demonstrated. The evolution of three VOx phases (V2O5, VO2, and V6O13) during the synthesis of the VOx nanostructures is revealed by the systematic investigation of the reaction products. The dopants are critical for the formation of nanocrystalline structures. The as‐fabricated VOx is tested for lithium‐ion batteries, which shows that tungsten doping significantly improves the battery performance, including initial discharge capacity of the VOx (doped VOx = 615.2 ± 41.6 mAh g–1, undoped VOx = 377.9 ± 72.8 mAh g–1, and precursor V2O5 = 393.4 ± 74.0 mAh g–1), cycle stability, and rate performance. This research provides important insights into the understanding of the dopant‐induced phase tuning of VOx nanostructures for energy storage–related applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium–sulfur batteries are considered to be one of the most promising alternatives to the current lithium‐ion batteries. In their Review on page 3710 ff., Xinhui Xia, Jiangping Tu, and colleagues discuss different synthetic methods for porous carbon hosts and their corresponding integration into carbon–sulfur cathodes for lithium–sulfur batteries to overcome shortcomings such as poor capacity arising from low utilization of sulfur, unsatisfactory rate performance and poor cycling life owing to the shuttle effect of polysulfides, and poor electrical conductivity of sulfur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural biomass-derived carbons have attracted great attention due to their interesting characteristics of naturally porous or hierarchical structured and heteroatom doping. In this review, the recent progress in the synthesis of naturally-derived carbon and their composite electrodes is summarized in detail. Advantages and disadvantages of different methods (e.g., chemical and physical activations) are discussed. In addition, we further address the pore formation mechanism on biomass-derived carbons. Furthermore, their applications for electrochemical energy storage in lithium ion batteries and sodium ion batteries are briefly reviewed and highlighted associated with their structural merits such as hierarchical porous structure, high conductivity as well as large surface area. Outlook of research trends on next-generation high-performance electrodes based on biomass-derived carbons is provided at the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prelithiated free-standing membranes as anodes for lithium-ion batteries can demonstrate significantly improved initial coulombic efficiencies and capacity utilization. [Display omitted] • A strategy to rationally prelithiate GO matrix of free-standing anodes by inorganic lithium salts is developed. • The pre-inserted lithium-containing groups can increase the electronic conductivity and suppresses further Li consumption upon cycling. • The initial coulombic efficiencies and cycling performance of prelithiated free-standing anode were significantly enhanced. The influence of carbon matrix in freestanding electrodes for flexible lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) cannot be neglected because of the strong intercalation ability of Li+ which could result in low initial columbic efficiencies (ICEs). Based on electrostatic potential, inorganic lithium salts and graphene oxide (GO) with opposite zeta potential in ethanol is utilized as chemical prelithiation reagent, which enables a successful prelithiation of GO-based SnTiS 3 anodes. By molecular dynamic calculation and experimental evaluation, the prelithiated GO matrix with enlarged layer distance enables an improved ion conductivity and suppresses Li consumption. Consequently, prelithiated free-standing membranes as anodes for LIBs can demonstrate significantly improved ICEs and capacity utilization compared with their counterparts without prelithiation. This strategy can shed new light on prelithiated free-standing electrodes with high performance for flexible wearable energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are emerging as an inexpensive and more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion batteries in the energy storage market. To advance their commercialization, one major scientific undertaking is to develop low-cost, reliable anode materials from abundant resources, like the success of graphite in the lithium-ion batteries. However, graphite is chemically inactive in storing sodium ions and, to render it viable in sodium-ion batteries, additional modification of graphite is required. Herein, we demonstrate a green and facile method to prepare cost-effective and stable graphitic SIB anodes. The modification process started with the electrochemical oxidation of expanded graphite to widen the interlayer and functionalize graphite layers, followed by a fast (20 min) thermal treatment at 150 °C to achieve controlled deoxygenation. The thermally processed electrochemical graphite oxide could provide a high reversible capacity of 268 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1 and 163 mAh g−1 at 500 mA g−1 as well as low fading in capacity (in average 0.0198% loss per cycle) over 2000 cycles. The electrochemical route eliminates the need for the harsh chemical oxidation of graphite, offering a promising approach for industrial production of low-cost anodes for sodium-ion batteries. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASSLBs) are an important milestone for the future of energy storage because of their capability of impressive energy density and outstanding safety. However, oxide and sulfide solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) suffer from either low ionic conductivity or poor chemical stability. In contrast, halide-based SSEs, are promising as candidate materials owing to high conductivity, good stability, and broad cathode compatibility. Though element doping of the SSEs is an effective and common approach to further improve their electrochemical properties, dopant exploration and optimization through solely experimental trials are both costly and time-consuming. For this aspect, computational simulations for dopant element and concentration screening are adopted in this research and zirconium is selected as a suitable dopant for Li 3 InCl 6. The synthesized Li 2.75 In 0.75 Zr 0.25 Cl 6 exhibited Li ionic conductivity of 5.82 × 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature, which is the highest among reported halide SSEs. The ASSLB formed with Li 2 CoO 2 –Li 2.75 In 0.75 Zr 0.25 Cl 6 –Li/In delivers a high initial capacity of 129.3 mAh·g−1. Conclusively, this work provides an effective approach which combines computational modeling and experimental verification for the development of halide SSEs with improved stability and conductivity. The successful design approach and compelling results provide further possibilities and capabilities in future SSE research. [Display omitted] • The combination of AIMD simulations and experimental verification can benefit the development of solid state electrolytes. • Zirconium dopant can significantly increase the ionic conductivity of Li 3 InCl 6 halide solid state electrolyte. • Li 2.75 In 0.75 Zr 0.25 Cl 6 shows the highest reported ionic conductivity for halide solid state electrolytes. • The all-solid-state lithium battery with Li 2.75 In 0.75 Zr 0.25 Cl 6 delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 129.3 mAh·g−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• W 18 O 49 NWs-rGO is used for the first time as an electrode material for supercapacitor. • Al3+ ion diffusion speed in W 18 O 49 NWs-rGO is enhanced by rGO. • W 18 O 49 NWs-rGO exhibits higher intercalation pseudocapacitance. • Asymmetric W 18 O 49 NWs-rGO//rGO supercapacitor shows energy density of 28.5 Wh kg−1. W 18 O 49 nanowires (NWs)-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite is examined as a new active material for supercapacitors electrode, which reveals its high specific capacitance and excellent rate performance in AlCl 3 aqueous electrolyte. Electrochemical studies show that the presence of rGO enhances Al3+ ions diffusion in the nanocomposite, thus provides more ions for intercalation pseudocapacitance. The fabrication of asymmetric supercapacitor W 18 O 49 NWs-rGO//rGO demonstrates high specific capacitance of 365.5 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 and excellent cycling stability with 96.7% capacitance retention at 12,000 cycles. Interestingly, it delivers high energy density of 28.5 Wh kg−1 and power density of 751 W kg−1, which is the highest energy density value for all reported W 18 O 49 -based supercapacitor device. The work explores W 18 O 49 NWs-rGO nanocomposite as a new electrode material for supercapacitors application with superior electrochemical performance, which may open up a new direction for high-performance energy storage in Al3+ electrolyte. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]