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Controllable synthesis of mesoporous conductive metal phosphide nanowire arrays is critical for developing highly-active electrodes of alkaline batteries. Herein we develop a simple combined strategy for rational synthesis of mesoporous Co 2 P nanowire arrays by hydrothermal-phosphorization method. Free-standing mesoporous Co 2 P nanowires consisting of interconnected nanoparticles of 10–20 nm grow vertically to the substrate forming arrays. High electrical conductivity and large porosity are obtained in the arrays architecture. When characterized as the cathode of high-rate alkaline batteries, the designed Co 2 P nanowire arrays are proven with good electrochemical performance with a large capacity (133 mAh g −1 at 1 A g −1 ), stable cycling life with a capacity retention of almost 100% after 5000 cycles at 10 A g −1 owing to the mesoporous nanowire structure with short ion/electron transport path. Our synthetic approach can be useful for construction of other porous metal phosphide arrays for energy storage and conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing depletion of fossil fuels and growing environmental pressure, the mankind has got known the need to vigorously develop the renewable energy and the energy-saving technology. The high Tc superconducting (HTS) power technology will be very helpful to enhance the stability, reliability, and efficiency and transmission capacity of the power grid which would be dominated by the renewable energy. In this paper, we will report the installation and operation of a 10 kV HTS power substation which includes a 75 m/1.5 kA HTS power cable, a 10 kV/1.5 kA HTS fault current limiter, a 1 MJ/0.5 MVA high Tc SMES and a 630 kVA/10 kV/0.4 kV HTS power transformer. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Developing safe and efficient hydrogen storage medium is essential for hydrogen economy since hydrogen is one of the ideal renewable energy sources. One possible way to store hydrogen can be realized by the adsorption of hydrogen molecules on the surface of low-weight material. In this paper, detailed studies for hydrogen storage on graphene with Li atoms have been carried out using the first-principles calculations based on density functional theory. With the Li coverage increasing from the (2×2) to () pattern on graphene, adsorbed Li atoms become more positively charged, which is opposite to that during the evolution of coverage from the (4×4) to (2×2) pattern. The binding energy of Li atom with the () pattern on graphene is larger than that with the (2×2) pattern. Results indicate that hydrogen storage capacity can be increased to 16wt % by adjusting the coverage of Li atoms on graphene to the () pattern at both sides. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The rapid development of wearable, highly integrated, and flexible electronics has stimulated great demand for on-chip and miniaturized energy storage devices. By virtue of their high power density and long cycle life, micro-supercapacitors (MSCs), especially those with interdigital structures, have attracted considerable attention. In recent years, tremendous theoretical and experimental explorations have been carried out on the structures and electrode materials of MSCs, aiming to obtain better mechanical and electrochemical properties. The high-performance MSCs can be used in many fields, such as energy storage and medical assistant examination. Here, this review focuses on the recent progress of advanced MSCs in fabrication strategies, structural design, electrode materials design and function, and integrated applications, where typical examples are highlighted and analyzed. Furthermore, the current challenges and future development directions of advanced MSCs are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An ultrathin nickel hydroxidenitrate nanoflake–ZnO nanowire hybrid array has been synthesized by a facile low-cost solution route and has demonstrated high-rate energy storage in pseudocapacitor application with remarkable specific capacitance and excellent cycling stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, high-temperature thermal failure hinders the development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Interfacial side reaction of electrolyte and electrode is the main cause of thermal failure at high temperature. Explicitly, suppressing interfacial side reactions at high temperatures can help the research of capacitive energy storage electrodes. While, thermo-electrochemical inert alumina can be facilitated to solve this problem. In this paper, pitaya configuration of nano-alumina islands uniformly dispersed in carbon matrix can be achieved from NOTT-300(Al). Nano-alumina contributes to the structural stability of porous carbon during carbonization and lithium deintercalation. And nano-alumina islands are effective in suppressing interfacial side reactions at high temperatures. Thus, NC-3 exhibits competitive specific capacity (717.1 mAh/g) and cycling stability (99.15% after 500 cycles). NC-3's capacity was confirmed to be mainly attributed to capacitive energy storage mechanism. This study provides a new research paradigm for nano-alumina to improve the high-temperature thermal stability management of LIBs. Nano-alumina islands enable superior capacitive lithium-ion storage of pitaya configuration porous carbon. [Display omitted] • Pitaya configuration of nano-alumina islands uniformly dispersed in carbon matrix can be achieved from NOTT-300(Al). • Nano-alumina contributes to the structural stability of porous carbon during carbonization and lithium deintercalation. • Nano-alumina islands are effective in suppressing interfacial side reactions at high temperatures. • NC-3's capacity can be mainly contributed to capacitive energy storage mechanism. • NC-3 exhibits competitive specific capacity (717.1 mAh/g) and cycling stability (99.15% after 500 cycles). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D N-doped honeycomb-like carbon nanocage@carbon nanotubes (NHCN@CNT)- based monolithic electrodes are constructed via chemical blowing for supercapacitor and lithium-ion battery. [Display omitted] • A new blowing method with extra carbon source is developed for NHCN@CNT. • The inactive Ni catalysts for the growth of CNT have been in-situ transformed into active NiS/Ni 2 P. • The NHCN@CNT@Ni 2 P exhibits superior electrochemical performance in both supercapacitor and LIB. • Good energy storage ability mainly originates from the rational composition and structure design. Three-dimensional (3D) pyrolytic carbon has risen to prominence as an effective kind of active material or substrate for energy-related applications. However, the poor electrical conductivity and relatively low capacity still remain obstacles for its further use. Herein, we report a smartly designed chemical blowing strategy towards the implantation of highly conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into 3D N-doped honeycomb-like carbon nanocage (NHCN) by introducing an extra carbon source during the Ni(NO 3) 2 -induced polymer blowing process. It is noted that Ni(NO 3) 2 has dual functions in our work: blowing the polymer and catalyzing the growth of CNTs. More importantly, the residual inactive Ni catalysts in the NHCN@CNT are in-situ converted into active NiS/Ni 2 P via a post sulfidizing/phosphating treatment rather than being removed. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the resulted NHCN@CNT (154.4F g−1 at 1 A/g) and NHCN@CNT@Ni 2 P (1416.8F g−1 at 1 A/g) both perform well as supercapacitor (SC) electrodes. Moreover, the NHCN@CNT@Ni 2 P also manifests good lithium storage ability (462.8 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A/g). Thus, it is assumed that the intelligently constructed NHCN@CNT in this work hold great potential to be an attractive carbon material for energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A one-step facile synthetic strategy for spinel/carbon composites is proposed. • Graphite nanoflakes matrix is obtained via the low-cost physical exfoliation. • The introduction of GNF significantly enhances the performance of spinels. • Good electrochemical performances are achieved in the MXO/GNF//rGO ACS devices. We put forward a facile one-pot hydrothermal strategy to synthesize the MnX 2 O 4 (X = Co, Ni) spinel/graphite nanoflakes (GNF) composites. Note that the physical exfoliation toward GNF frees the method from the complex and expensive conventional chemical treatments. The obtained MnCo 2 O 4 /GNF (MCO/GNF) and MnNi 2 O 4 /GNF (MNO/GNF) exhibit high specific capacitance (1712 F g−1 for MCO/GNF and 1622 F g−1 for MNO/GNF at 1 A g−1) and good cycling performance (almost 80 % capacitance retention after 3500 cycles at 5 A g−1 for both MCO/GNF and MNO/GNF). Furthermore, the asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) with MCO/GNF or MNO/GNF as positive electrode and rGO as the negative electrode is assembled. The optimized ASC is able to show high energy density up to 22.5 Wh kg−1. Together with the facile synthetic strategy, such good electrochemical performance may promote the spreading of the next-generation energy storage electrodes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]