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A 3D core shell nanoarchitecture with a shell of low coordinated bismuth nanosheets on a core of Cu nanowires was developed, which presents a large current density (>150 mA cm−2) with a high HCOOH selectivity (>90%).

It is a significant challenge to combine a large pseudocapacitive material with conductive honeycomb-like carbon frameworks for long-term stable supercapacitors. Herein, hierarchical composite materials are manufactured by using biomass carbon, ZIF-67, and a mild pore former (Ni(CH3COO)2) to generate alloy-type CoNi3 nanoparticles planted into conductive honeycomb-like carbon frameworks (C@ZIF-67-T). Meanwhile, the effect of carbonization temperature on the honeycomb-like pore size and the structure of composite materials is systematically investigated. As the honeycomb-like carbon skeleton structure guarantees good ionic and electronic conductivities and a large contact area, whereas the alloy nanoparticles provide a rich redox reaction for Faradaic capacitance. Therefore, the as-obtained C@ZIF-67–600 electrode presents a remarkable specific capacitance of 1044.8 F · g−1 at 1.0 A · g−1 and an ultra-long cycling stability with 30,000 cycles at 5.0 A · g−1 in a three-electrode system. In addition, the assembled C@ZIF-67–600//activated carbon asymmetrical supercapacitor exhibit a high specific capacitance of 274.4F · g−1 at 1.0 A · g−1 and a long-term stable lifespan with a capacitance retention of 87% after 20,000 cycles at 5.0 A · g−1. Besides, the asymmetrical supercapacitor also presents a maximum energy density of 85.13 Wh · kg−1 at a power density of 750 W · kg−1. Such superior electrochemical performance demonstrate that the designed electrode material provides a promising energy storage application.

A general affinity/ionic radius (EA/r) rule as the selection criteria of cation dopants for designing efficient cation doped Li–S catalysts is proposed, and a low EA/r value of doped cations greatly promotes sulfur redox in Li–S batteries.

It is a significant challenge to design a dense high-sulfur-loaded cathode and meanwhile to acquire fast sulfur redox kinetics and suppress the heavy shuttling in the lean electrolyte, thus to acquire a high volumetric energy density without sacrificing gravimetric performance for realistic Li-S batteries (LSBs). Herein, we develop a cation-doping strategy to tailor the electronic structure and catalytic activity of MoSe2 that in situ hybridized with conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene, thus obtaining a Co-MoSe2/MXene bifunctional catalyst as a high-efficient sulfur host. Combining a smart design of the dense sulfur structure, the as-fabricated highly dense S/Co-MoSe2/MXene monolith cathode (density: 1.88 g cm-3, conductivity: 230 S m-1) achieves a high reversible specific capacity of 1454 mAh g-1 and an ultrahigh volumetric energy density of 3659 Wh L-1 at a routine electrolyte and a high areal capacity of ∼8.0 mAh cm-2 under an extremely lean electrolyte of 3.5 μL mgs-1 at 0.1 C. Experimental and DFT theoretical results uncover that introducing Co element into the MoSe2 plane can form a shorter Co-Se bond, impel the Mo 3d band to approach the Fermi level, and provide strong interactions between polysulfides and Co-MoSe2, thereby enhancing its intrinsic electronic conductivity and catalytic activity for fast redox kinetics and uniform Li2S nucleation in a dense high-sulfur-loaded cathode. This deep work provides a good strategy for constructing high-volumetric-energy-density, high-areal-capacity LSBs with lean electrolytes.

Herein, we demonstrate an effective strategy to improve the catalytic stability and efficiency of inexpensive bifunctional electrocatalysts via using electrospun Prussian blue analogue derived NiCo alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon nanofibers (NiCo@NC) for neutral overall water splitting. The optimal NiCo@NC-900 exhibits the best electrocatalytic activity toward hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in 1 M phosphate-buffered saline (PBS, pH 7), respectively. More importantly, a neutral electrolyzer using NiCo@NC-900 as both HER and OER electrodes achieves high stability with over 140 h and requires a low cell voltage of 1.75 V at 10 mA cm−2. The remarkable stability and superior activity origin form the unique hierarchically porous and encapsulated structure, large surface area, abundant exposing active sites, and synergistic effect between the highly catalytic active NiCo alloy nanoparticles and high-conductivity N-doped carbon nanofibers, as demonstrated by the detailed analysis before and after HER and OER testing.

There has been an exponential increase in the rate of incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD) with aging in the global population. PD, the second most common neurodegenerative disorder, results from damaged dopamine neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc), along with the deposition of abnormal α-synuclein (α-Syn), and the progressive degeneration of neurons in striatal regions. Despite extensive investigations to understand the pathophysiology of PD to develop effective therapies to restrict its progression, there is currently no cure for PD. Puerarin (Pue) is a natural compound with remarkable anti-PD properties. However, its poor pharmacological properties, including poor water solubility, inadequate bioavailability, and incomplete penetration of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) have restricted its use for the treatment of PD. Nevertheless, advancements in nanotechnology have revealed the potential advantages of targeted drug delivery into the brain to treat PD. Here, we used Pue-loaded graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets, which have an excellent drug-loading ability, modifiable surface functional groups, and good biocompatibility. Then, Pue was transported across the BBB into the brain using lactoferrin (Lf) as the targeting ligand, which could bind to the vascular endothelial receptor on the BBB. In vivo and in vitro results indicated that this multifunctional brain targeted drug delivery system (Lf-GO-Pue) was an effective and safe therapy for PD.

Both electronic and ionic conductivities are of high importance to the performance of anode materials for Li-ion batteries. Many large capacity anode materials (such as Ge) do not have sufficiently high electronic and ionic conductivities required for high-rate cycling. Here, we report a novel ternary compound, copper germanium phosphide (CuGe2P3), as a high-rate anode. Being synthesized via a facile and scalable mechanochemistry method, CuGe2P3 has a cation-disordered sphalerite structure and offers higher ionic and electronic conductivities and better tolerance to volume change during cycling than Ge, as confirmed by first principles calculations and experimental characterization, including high-resolution synchrotron X-ray diffraction, HRTEM, SAED, XPS and Raman spectroscopy. Furthermore, the results suggest that CuGe2P3 has a reversible Li-storage mechanism of conversion reaction. When composited with graphite by virtue of a two-stage ball-milling process, the yolk–shell structure of the amorphous carbon-coated CuGe2P3 nanocomposite (CuGe2P3/C@Graphene) delivers a high initial coulombic efficiency (91%), a superior cycling stability (1312 mA h g−1 capacity after 600 cycles at 0.2 A g−1 and 876 mA h g−1 capacity after 1600 cycles at 2 A g−1), and an excellent rate capability (386 mA h g−1 capacity at 30 A g−1), surpassing most Ge-based anodes reported to date. Moreover, a series of cation-disordered new phases in the Cu(Zn)–Ge–P family with various cation ratios offer similar Li-storage properties, achieving high reversible capacities with high initial coulombic efficiencies and desirable redox chemistry with improved safety.

High-theoretical-capacity silicon anodes hold promise in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, their huge volume expansion (∼300%) and poor conductivity show the need for the simultaneous introduction of low-density conductive carbon and nanosized Si to conquer the above issues, yet they result in low volumetric performance. Herein, we develop an integration strategy of a dually encapsulated Si structure and dense structural engineering to fabricate a three-dimensional (3D) highly dense Ti

Oxyhydroxides hold promise as highly-efficient non-noble electrocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), but their poor conductivity and structural instability greatly impede their progress. Herein, the authors develop a cation-doping and oxygenvacancy engineering strategy to fabricate Ru/Rh-doped FeOOH nanoarrays with abundant oxygen-vacancies in situ grown on Ti

Constructing cost-efficient and robust bifunctional electrocatalysts for both neutral and alkaline water splitting is highly desired, but still affords a great challenge, due to sluggish hydrogen/oxygen evolution reaction (HER/OER) kinetics. Herein, an in situ integration engineering strategy of oxygen-vacancy and core-shell heterojunction to fabricate an anemone-like CoP@CoOOH core-shell heterojunction with rich oxygen-vacancies supported on carbon paper (CoP@CoOOH/CP), is described. Benefiting from the synergy of CoP core and oxygen-vacancy-rich CoOOH shell, the as-obtained CoP@CoOOH/CP catalyst displays low overpotentials at 10 mA cm

The tremendous volume change and severe pulverization of micro-sized Sb anode generate no stable capacity in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). The honeycomb-like porous structure provides free spaces to accommodate its volume expansion and offers efficient ion transport, yet complex synthesis and low yield limits its large-scale application. Here, a green, scalable template-free method for designing a 3D honeycomb-like interconnected porous micro-sized Sb (porous-Sb) is proposed. Its honeycomb-like porous formation mechanism is also verified. Under hydrothermal conditions, Sb reacts with water and dissolved oxygen in water, undergoing non-homogeneous and continuous corrosion at grain boundaries, and producing soluble H

It is a significant challenge to combine a large pseudocapacitive material with conductive honeycomb-like carbon frameworks for long-term stable supercapacitors. Herein, hierarchical composite materials are manufactured by using biomass carbon, ZIF-67, and a mild pore former (Ni(CH

It is a significant challenge to design a dense high-sulfur-loaded cathode and meanwhile to acquire fast sulfur redox kinetics and suppress the heavy shuttling in the lean electrolyte, thus to acquire a high volumetric energy density without sacrificing gravimetric performance for realistic Li-S batteries (LSBs). Herein, we develop a cation-doping strategy to tailor the electronic structure and catalytic activity of MoSe

Purpose The structure stiffness is greatly affected by the fixture constraints during assembly due to the flexibility of large-scale thin-walled structures. The compliant deformation of structures is usually not consistent for the non-uniform stiffness in various clamping schemes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the correlation between the assembly quality and the clamping schemes of structures with various initial deviations and geometrical parameters, which is based on the proposed irregular quadrilateral plate element via absolute nodal coordinate formulation (ANCF). Design/methodology/approach Two typical clamping schemes are specified for the large-scale thin-walled structures. Two typical deviation modes are defined in both free and clamping states in the corresponding clamping schemes. The new irregular quadrilateral plate element via ANCF is validated to analyze the compliant deformation of assembled structures. The quasi-static force equilibrium equations are extended considering the factors of clamping constraints and geometric deviations. Findings The initial deviations and geometrical parameters strongly affect the assembly deviations of structures in two clamping schemes. The variation tendencies of assembly deviations are demonstrated in details with the circumferential clamping position and axial clamping position in two clamping schemes, providing guidance to optimize the fixture configuration. The assembly quality of structures with deviations can be improved by configuration synthesis of the clamping schemes. Originality/value Typical over-constraint clamping schemes and deviation modes in clamping states are defined for large-scale thin-walled structures. The plate element via ANCF is extended to analyze the assembly deviations of thin-walled structures in various clamping schemes. Based on the proposed theoretical model, the effects of clamping schemes and initial deviations on the deformation and assembly deviation propagation of structures are investigated.

Cu2P7-black P-MWCNT (CuP5/MWCNT) is prepared by a facile mechanical milling method. When used as anodes for Li/Na-ion batteries, the composite delivers high comprehensive performances: initial Coulombic efficiency up to 90/84%, 1455/1170 mA h g−1 after 200 cycles, and 960/580 mA h g−1 at 5 A g−1 for Li/Na-ion batteries, respectively. The performances can be attributed to the hybridized strategy of two-dimension layered structure of Cu2P7, black P, and one-dimension multiwall carbon nanotubes. The former offers a fast transport channel for Li/Na-ions and the latter provides for fast transport of electrons and accommodates the volume variation during cycling. In addition, the synergistic effect among different phases also leads to enhanced performance. The integrated strategy of one-dimensional and two-dimensional advantages can excite more research interest in the energy-storage field.

Phosphides are promising anode candidates profiting from their relatively smaller voltage hysteresis which thus are promising to be high energy efficiency and power capabilities for secondary batteries, compared with the corresponding fluorides, oxides and sulfides. Herein we for the first time synthesized ternary Cu 2 P 7 /CuP 2 /graphite composite by a facile ball milling method. When initiated as anodes for Li-ion batteries, the as-synthesized ternary composite provides 1415 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles and 684 mA h g −1 at a high current density of 10 A g −1 . When initiated as anodes for Na-ion batteries, the as-synthesized ternary composite provides 1254 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles and 200 mA h g −1 at a high current density of 5 A g −1 . These electrochemical performances are comparable or even surpass the P/C, CuP 2 /C and other transition metal phosphides reported before. The enhanced performances can be attributed to the high P concentration, layered structure and small band gap of the Cu 2 P 7 phase and the heterointerface between these phases, which not only assists electron and Li-ion transportation and but also creates more active sites endowed by interfacial coupling and positive electrochemical synergistic effect. The multiphase design strategy can further excite more research interest in the energy-storage field.

Various P-Ge compounds including GeP5 and GeP3 can be easily synthesized by a direct ball milling method while GeP can not. Herein, we successfully synthesize binary-phase Ge2P3 composite which derived from layered GeP and black P. When applied as anodes for Li-ion batteries, the as-synthesized binary-phase composite delivers a large reversible capacity of 1605 mA h g−1 with a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 89%, retains 1380 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles and even achieves 920 mA h g−1 at a current density of at 5 A g−1. Also, for sodium-storage it shows a reversible capacity of 970 mA h g−1 with an initial Coulombic efficiency of 88% and retains 890 mA h g−1 after 100 cycles. The performance can be attributed to the following merits: the binary Li/Na-storage components host more Li/Na ions, the layered structure favors Li/Na-ion transportation and the abundant heterointerfaces increase the amount of active sites.

Ge-based anodes for Na-ion batteries (NIB) usually suffer from sluggish reaction kinetics, low initial Coulombic efficiency, poor reversible capacity, and short cycling life due mainly to its rigid diamond-like structure. Here we report our findings in characterization and application of a GeP anode with a flexible layered structure, synthesized by a simple mechanochemical method. When tested as the anode for NIBs, the GeP undergoes a self-healing Na-storage process that involves intercalation, conversion, and alloying, as co-revealed by ex-situ X-ray diffraction, HRTEM, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The peculiar self-healing phenomenon derives from its ultra-low formation energy (−0.19 eV) for reconstruction of the original layered structure, as confirmed by first-principle calculations. The low formation energy also enables the formation of chemical bonding between layered GeP and graphite, thus achieving unprecedented performances among all reported anode materials based on Group IVA- and Group VA elements. The structural design strategy guided by formation energy of desirable phases is also applicable to the development of other energy-storage materials.

Developing earth-abundant and low-cost transition metal electrocatalysts for overall water splitting is crucial for renewable and sustainable energy technologies. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are one of the most promising precursors for developing efficient and inexpensive catalysts with the large surface area and the abundant porosity. Herein, a new type of hierarchical CoP hollow nanoboxes (CoP NB) is fabricated for overall water splitting. Benefiting from the unique structural features including large specific surface area which can provides numerous active sites, abundant mass diffusion pathways, and the hierarchical and hollow structures, the as-synthesized CoP NB exhibit high activity and superior stability in alkaline media toward hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions with low overpotentials of 101 mV and 240 mV, respectively, when the current density reaches 10 mA cm −2. Remarkably, when a two-electrode water electrolyzer used CoP NB as both the anode and cathode, a low cell voltage of 1.58 V is sufficiently to afford 10 mA cm−2. Moreover, this electrolyzer can be powered by a single AA battery, making the CoP NB an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. Such good performance is attributed to the high intrinsic activity and superior structural stability. This work offers new prospects for the rational design and synthesis of efficient bifunctional electrocatalysts for application in electrochemical energy devices.

A numerical method is developed to predict the out-of-plane distortion for large thin-walled structures induced by friction stir welding. Considering the constraint of non-welded region in a large ...

Volumetric performance of a material is more attractive than gravimetric performance in consumer electronics and electric vehicles but rarely emphasized in earlier studies of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), especially current sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). Herein, we report a simple and general strategy with the assistance of a small amount of graphene oxide (∼10 wt %) as an “assembled binder” to design porous yet highly dense metal oxide quantum dots-anchored nitrogen-rich reduced graphene oxide (denoted as HD-MOx-N-RGO) compact monoliths. By taking TiO2 as a representative, the as-fabricated HD-TiO2-N-RGO compact monolith, consisting of well-dispersed and ultrasmall-sized TiO2 quantum dots (∼4.0 nm) anchored on N-RGO, exhibits a high electrical conductivity of 343.7 S m–1, high density of 1.8 g cm–3, and porosity, thus both leading to high gravimetric and volumetric capacities without degradation after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g–1 and superior rate capability at 10 or 5 A g–1 as anode in LIBs and SIBs, respectiv...

Purpose A new deviation propagation model considering the form defects in compliant assembly process is proposed. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the deviation propagation by using the basic deviation fields. In particular, each basic deviation field is defined with a generalized compliance matrix of part. Design/methodology/approach First, the form defects of parts may be decomposed into a linear combination of basic deviation fields, which are constructed by the eigen-decomposition of the structure stiffness of parts with ideal dimensions. Each basic deviation field is defined with a generalized compliance of part. Moreover, by analyzing the relationship between the basic deviation fields before and after assembling process, a new sensitive matrix is obtained in which each value expresses the correlation of a basic deviation field between the parts and the assembly. Findings This model may solve the deviation propagation problems of compliant assembly with considering form defects. Here, one case is used to illustrate the deviation propagation in the assembly process. The results indicate that the proposed method has higher accuracy than the method of influence coefficient when the entire deviation fields of parts are considered. Moreover, the numerical results with the proposed method basically agree with the experimental measurements. Research limitations/implications Owing to the hypothesis of linear superposition of basic deviation fields, the research in this paper is limited to the parts with linear elastic deformation. However, the entire form defects of parts are considered rather than the deviations of the local feature points. It may be extended to analyze the three-dimensional deviations of complex thin-walled parts. Originality/value A deviation propagation model considering parts form defects is developed to achieve more accurate predictions of assembly deviation by using the basic deviation fields.

Exploring highly efficient and cost-effective electrocatalysts has become imperative for neutral-pH water splitting, which is environmentally friendly and can reduce the cost of electrolysis systems. Here, we report an effective strategy to design a novel type of callistemon-like Zn and S codoped CoP nanorod clusters by introducing both Zn and S into cobalt phosphide, thereby creating electrocatalysts for highly efficient and stable neutral water splitting. The best Zn and S codoped CoP nanorod clusters on carbon paper (Zn,S–CoP NRCs/CP) require overpotential values of 67 and 391 mV for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at 10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M phosphate-buffered solution, respectively. Remarkably, this enables a neutral electrolyzer to deliver 10 mA cm−2 at a low cell voltage of 1.70 V, which is superior to those afforded by the Pt/C/CP‖IrO2/CP couple and most of the state-of-the-art electrocatalysts. Impressively, this electrolyzer can be powered by an AA battery (∼1.5 V). Density functional theory computations and systematic experiments have verified that the improved HER and OER activities originate from the optimized electronic structures that can facilitate the adsorption and desorption of hydrogen intermediates after introducing Zn and S and accelerating the formation of oxygenated intermediates on CoOOH, respectively. This work provides a new strategy to boost the performance of transition metal phosphides for neutral water or seawater splitting.

A novel type of chestnut-like copper cobalt phosphide (CuxCo1−xP) nanoarray on carbon fiber paper (CP) for the splitting of water was synthesized through a simple hydrothermal reaction followed by in situ phosphorization treatment. As a hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalyst, CuxCo1−xP/CP showed high HER activity at all pH values. To drive a current density of 10 mA cm−2, the optimized Cu0.075Co0.925P/CP required an overpotential of 47, 120, and 70 mV in acidic, neutral, and alkaline media, respectively. In addition, Cu0.075Co0.925P/CP exhibited excellent activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with a small overpotential of 221 mV to reach 10 mA cm−2. Furthermore, when Cu0.075Co0.925P/CP was used as both the cathode and anode for overall water splitting in 1.0 M KOH, the two-electrode electrolyzer only needed a cell voltage of 1.55 V to achieve 10 mA cm−2, which is superior to that of the noble metal-based Pt/C‖IrO2 cell and most previously reported electrocatalysts. Moreover, this electrolyzer could be powered by a single AA battery with a voltage of 1.5 V. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further proved that the good catalytic activity of CuxCo1−xP/CP resulted from its smaller hydrogen adsorption free energy (ΔGH*) and overpotential. This work provides a promising strategy to design high-performance and low-cost electrocatalysts for overall water splitting and other energy-related applications.

Large-volume-expansion-induced material pulverization severely limits the electrochemical performance of high-capacity red phosphorus (RP) in alkali-ion batteries. Honeycomb-like porous materials can effectively solve the issues due to their abundant interconnected pore structures. Nevertheless, it is difficult and greatly challenging to fabricate a honeycomb-like porous RP that has not yet been fabricated via chemical synthesis. Herein, we successfully fabricate a honeycomb-like porous micron-sized red phosphorus (HPRP) with a controlled pore structure via a large-scale green and template-less hydrothermal strategy. It is demonstrated that dissolved oxygen in the solution can accelerate the destruction of P9 cages of RP, thus forming abundant active defects with a faster reaction rate, so the fast corrosion forms the honeycomb-like porous structure. Owing to the free volume, interconnected porous structure, and strong robustness, the optimized HPRP-36 can mitigate drastic volume variation and prevent pulverization during cycling resulting in tiny particle-level outward expansion, demonstrated by in situ TEM and ex situ SEM analysis. Thus, the HPRP-36 anode delivers a large reversible capacity (2587.4 mAh g-1 at 0.05 A g-1) and long-cycling stability with over 500 cycles (∼81.9% capacity retention at 0.5 A g-1) in lithium-ion batteries. This generally scalable, green strategy and deep insights provide a good entry point in designing honeycomb-like porous micron-sized materials for high-performance electrochemical energy storage and conversion.

In order to prepare an oxygen reduction electrocatalyst with high catalytic performance, the catalyst is usually loaded on a carrier material with high specific area during the preparation process, this is because the catalyst carrier material can perform the functions of supporting and dispersing of active components, mass transfer, electricity, and heat conduction, and even some catalyst carrier materials also have the function of cocatalyst.

Tin-based composites hold promise as anodes for high-capacity lithium/sodium-ion batteries (LIBs/SIBs); however, it is necessary to use carbon coated nanosized tin to solve the issues related to large volume changes during electrochemical cycling, thus leading to the low volumetric capacity for tin-based composites due to their low packing density. Herein, we design a highly dense graphene-encapsulated nitrogen-doped carbon@Sn (HD N-C@Sn/G) compact monolith with Sn nanoparticles double-encapsulated by N-C and graphene, which exhibits a high density of 2.6 g cm

Metal oxide nanoparticles as the electrochemically active second phase were incorporated into the paper-like flexible graphene-based hybrid electrodes. Its size and dispersion are crucial factors for determining the rate capability and cycling stability of the flexible hybrid paper electrode. Herein, we employ in-situ formed ultrafine monodisperse TiO 2 quantum dots (QDs, ∼4.0 nm) as the electrochemically active second phase, which are uniformly incorporated into the flexible hybrid paper via a simple mixed solvothermal reaction together with a vacuum filtration, aiming at achieving a high-rate and long-cycle flexible TiO 2 -based anode in lithium ion batteries (LIBs). By combining the advantages of both ultrafine TiO 2 -QDs and three-dimensional (3D) conductive networks, the as-fabricated TiO 2 -QDs-reduced graphene oxide (TiO 2 -QDs-RGO) hybrid paper electrode shows high reversible capacity of 201 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g −1 and superior rate capability as well as long cycle life of 1500 cycles with ∼80.6% capacity retention at 2.0 A g −1 . Detailed electrochemical analysis shows that the improved capability and cyclability of the hybrid paper electrode results from the integrated intercalation-based and interfacial lithium storage behaviors as well as the 3D fast electron/ion transfer of materials, which is ascribed to the ultra-small size of TiO 2 -QDs and the 3D self-standing conductive networks of the hybrid paper electrode. The results demonstrate the distinct advantages of our material design strategy, and also might pave the way for further studies of other flexible metal oxide/graphene hybrid paper electrodes for fast and long-life flexible anodes in LIBs.

Zero-dimensional quantum dots (QDs) are desired to enhance electrochemical response in energy storage. Here, we successfully synthesize well-dispersed and ultrafine TiO 2 -QDs, which are in situ embedded into the three-dimensional porous graphene-like networks (denoted as TiO 2 -QDs-3D GNs) via a simple low-temperature mixed solvothermal method, aiming at a fast electrochemistry with high-efficient electron and ion transport for lithium ion battery (LIB) anodes. By combining the advantages of the porous 3D GNs and ultrafine TiO 2 -QDs, the as-prepared TiO 2 -QDs-3D GNs hybrid electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity of 219 mA h g −1 after 100 cycles at 0.1 A g −1 , accompanied with an ultrahigh-rate capability of 121 mA h g −1 and a super-long lifespan of 3000 cycles with ∼82.0% capacity retention at 10 A g −1 . Detailed electrochemical analysis reveals that the superior rate capability and cycle performance are the main results of the integrated intercalation-based and interfacial lithium storage as well as the 3D fast electron/ion transfer of materials, which is attributed to the ultra-small size and high surface-to-volume ratio of TiO 2 -QDs as well as the 3D conducting networks of the integrated hybrid electrode. This study demonstrates the distinct advantages of our material design strategy, making it promising for the fast and ultralong-life anodes in LIBs.