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BackgroundUnder the guidance of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, the demand for lithium-ion batteries has increased significantly. However, during the production, use, and maintenance of lithium-ion batteries, workers are inevitably exposed to various occupational hazards, and some chemicals are nephrotoxic. ObjectiveTo evaluate the kidney function and potential determinants among male workers in a lithium-ion battery-related enterprise in Shanghai. MethodsThe data of occupational health examination carried out by an occupational disease prevention and control institution for workers in a lithium-ion battery-related enterprise in Shanghai were collected. The workers participating pre-employment occupational health examination were treated as a control group, and the other group was recruited from those participating periodic health examination. Serum creatinine, urea nitrogen, uric acid, and renal ultrasound were used to assess the kidney function of workers. Kidney function was classified according to the reference range of kidney function indicators in Diagnostics (9th Edition, national planning textbook for high education in medicine). Binary logistic regression and generalized linear regression were used to identify potential determinants of abnormal values in kidney function indicators in workers. ResultsThere were 6184 workers in the control group (pre-employment) with a mean age of (27.40±4.50) years. There were 3526 workers on the job with a mean age of (29.40±4.99) years and the median time of service was 2.00 (1.00, 3.42) years. The prevalence rates of high serum creatinine, high urea nitrogen, and high uric acid, and abnormal kidney ultrasound among the control group were 0.66%, 2.47%, 30.32%, and 10.12%, respectively; the indicators in the on-the-job workers were 0.96%, 3.35%, 38.25%, and 12.68%, respectively, significantly higher than those in the control group (P1-3 years, OR=1.747, 95%CI: 1.494, 2.042; >3 years, OR=1.866, 95%CI: 1.511, 2.304), hypertension (OR=1.400, 95%CI: 1.055, 1.859), and hyperglycemia (OR=1.565, 95%CI: 1.221, 2.006). Workers who were older (OR=1.038, 95%CI: 1.022, 1.054) and had longer working years (>1-3 years, OR=1.518, 95%CI: 1.201, 1.920), occasional smoking habits (OR=1.239, 95%CI: 1.039, 1.478), regular drinking habits (OR=1.875, 95%CI: 1.139, 3.087), and hypertension (OR=1.465, 95%CI: 1.075, 1.998) were at a higher risk of renal ultrasound abnormalities. The generalized linear models showed that length of service (>1-3 years, β=1.120, 95%CI: 0.360, 1.880; >3 years, β=1.451, 95%CI: 0.543, 2.358), smoking status (occasional, β=0.818, 95%CI: 0.156, 1.479; regular, β=0.841, 95%CI: 0.066, 1.616), and hypertension (β=2.742, 95%CI: 1.390, 4.094) were the influencing factors of serum creatinine concentration in the workers. Age (β=0.014, 95%CI: 0.009, 0.019) and length of service (>1-3 years, β=0.079, 95%CI: 0.012, 0.146) were the influencing factors of urea nitrogen. Age (β=−1.759, 95%CI: −2.288, −1.231), length of service (≤1 year, β=10.676, 95%CI: 4.035, 17.316; >1-3 years, β=26.117, 95%CI: 19.962, 32.272; >3 years, β=34.558, 95%CI: 26.116, 43.001), hypertension (β=23.162, 95%CI: 11.617, 34.707), and hyperglycemia (β=15.017, 95%CI: 4.853, 25.180) were the influencing factors of uric acid. ConclusionThe prevalence of abnormal kidney function of workers in selected lithium-ion battery-related enterprise is varied by age, length of service, smoking status, drinking status, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. There may be a trend that the longer the time working in a lithium-ion battery-related enterprise, the worse the workers' kidney function. Therefore, the enterprise should pay attention to the possible reasons for their changes and take targeted interventions.

In this paper, a series of iron oxide/reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube composites (K3‐Fe2O3‐rGO/CNT) with well‐dispersedFe2O3 particles are prepared by in situ reaction and then heat‐treatment, and its electrochemical and battery performancesare studied as the anode material of lithium‐ion batteries. The results show that the introduction of reduced graphene oxide/carbon nanotube (rGO/CNT) improves the electrochemical and battery performances of the prepared electrode material. In particular, the K3‐Fe2O3‐rGO/CNT (30 %) composite material has a reversible capacity of 1559 mAh g−1 after 100 charge/discharge cycles at 100 mA g−1. And its specific discharge capacityis 641.1, 639.7, 609.5, 578.6 and 543 mAh g−1at the current density of 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000 mA g−1, respectively,with 84.7 % of capacity retention even with a 10 times increase in current density. The research of charge storage indicates that the electrochemical process is a mixed control process of diffusion and capacitance. The improved electrochemical and battery performancesfor the composite electrode material can be attributed to the enhanced dispersion of the Fe2O3 and the enhanced conductive network provided by rGO/CNT composite carbon. It makes a promising way to prepare high performance of anode material for lithium‐ion battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion batteries are becoming more popular due to their superior performance like high power density, long lifespan, broad operating range of temperatures, quick charging capabilities, and low self-discharge. The implementation of a Battery Management System (BMS) is crucial in order to guarantee the secure and optimal functioning of electric vehicle batteries. BMS monitors, controls, and maintains the health and performance of rechargeable batteries by monitoring the State of Charge (SoC), State of Health (SoH), and State of Temperature (SoT). SoC quantifies the amount of energy stored in a battery at a certain moment, and it is employed to approximate the remaining distance that may be covered. SoH describe the overall health or state of a rechargeable battery. It reveals how well a battery performs in comparison to its original state. SoT estimation keeps the battery temperature within a safe range, allowing it to reach a higher age and safety, which is critical for battery reliability. In this paper SoC, SoH, SoT estimation models for a lithium-ion battery have been developed using an improved EP-based R110-BLSTM approach. The Emperor Penguin based Residual Network-110 incorporated Bidirectional Long-Short Term Memory (EP-based R110-BLSTM) is ideal for estimating SoC, SoH, and SoT and features great accuracy, a quick estimation speed, and strong generalization capabilities. However, Extreme Learning Machine performance is heavily reliant on proper feature extraction. In order to enhance estimate performance by extracting the best features, Simulated-Annealing-based Golden Eagle optimization is utilized. Electric vehicle drive cycles are used to test the model's resilience to temperature changes. MATLAB 2018b software is used in the execution of this research. The results demonstrate that the proposed model performs better in terms of accuracy and has lower SoC, SoH, and SoT error rates than existing models. A thorough comparison between the recommended model and existing methods is also made, further demonstrating the proposed model's superiority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimony（Sb） has high theoretical specific capacity and moderate reaction potential, but poor cycling stability and rate performance caused by large volume expansion and sluggish reaction kinetics limit its development in alkali‐ion batteries. The construction of carbon/Sb composites can solve this problem, but the traditional single carbon composite and poor Sb/carbon interface have limited promotion. Here, under the guidance of theoretical calculations, a strategy of hierarchical double carbon composite is proposed to enhance the performance of Sb anode, and systematically reveal the lithium/sodium ions (Li+/Na+) storage mechanism of Sb in complex composite system. Sb nanoparticles (Sb NPs) are encapsulated in carbon sphere matrix with strong interfacial chemical bond to form the first level composite material, and then the highly conductive and mechanically strong graphene is used as a three‐dimensional skeleton network to connect the first level composite to form the second level composite material. The hierarchical double carbon/Sb composite exhibits excellent rate (228 mAh g−1 @ 20 A g−1) and long cycling performance (373.7 mAh g−1 @ 2 A g−1 after 2200 cycles, capacity retention of 93.1%). This work may expand structural design and interface regulation of Sb/C composites and providing theoretical guidance for metal anodes development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is an article in the field of mineral materials. The effect of pitch softening point on the structure and electrochemical performance of pitch carbonized spherical crystalline graphite anode materials were systematically investigated. The results show that a layer of amorphous carbon is formed on the surface of graphite after carbonization of pitch, which improves the surface morphology of spherical crystalline graphite, but does not change its crystal structure; The composites with high pitch softening point have better electrochemical performance and cycling stability. After 280 cycles of temperature, the capacity of the composites is not significantly reduced after 30 cycles of charge discharge, and the capacity retention rate is 85.07%, which is 4.74% higher than that of the untreated ones.

In this paper, we design a binder GG-CA-GLY (abbreviation: GGC) for silicon negative electrode by guar gum as the backbone chain with self-healing function, combing and straightening the guar molecular chain of guar gum through the plasticizing effect of glycerol. The condensation reactions between the exposed hydroxyl sites of guar gum and the carboxyl groups of citric acid create a stronger hydrogen bond, so as to achieve the effect of self-healing and cope with the serious volume expansion effect of silicone-based materials. [Display omitted] • A easy polycondensation reaction is used to create a mechanically strong self-healing polymer (GGC). • GGC adhesives have excellent mechanical properties and facilitate rapid self-healing. • GGC@Si electrodes were prepared with excellent rate capability and higher cycling stability. • GGC adhesives have the ability to repair cracks and other damage on prepared silicon anodes, returning them to their original state. Silicon is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries with its superior capacity. However, the volume change of the silicon anode seriously affects the electrode integrity and cycle stability. The waterborne guar gum (GG) binder has been regarded as one of the most promising binders for Si anodes. Here, a unique steric molecular combing approach based on guar gum, glycerol, and citric acid is proposed to develop a self-healing binder GGC, which would boost the structural stability of electrode materials. The GGC binder is mainly designed to weaken van der Waals' forces between polymers through the plasticizing effect of glycerol, combing and straightening the guar molecular chain of GG, and exposing the guar hydroxyl sites of GG and the carboxyl groups of citric acid. The condensation reaction between the hydroxyl sites of GG and the carboxyl groups of citric acid forms stronger hydrogen bonds, which can help achieve self-healing effect to cope with the severe volume expansion effect of silicone-based materials. Silicon electrode lithium-ion batteries prepared with GGC binders exhibit outstanding electrochemical performance, with a discharge capacity of up to 1579 mAh/g for 1200 cycles at 1 A/g, providing a high capacity retention rate of 96%. This paper demostrates the great potential of GGC binders in realizing electrochemical performance enhancement of silicon anode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene has been employed in the methodological energy maneuvers due to remarkable structure and features, however the use is limited due to nanosheet aggregation issues. Metal-organic framework has also been used for energy systems, nevertheless possess low conductivity and stability issues towards application. This state-of-the-art review is designed to present essential aspects of graphene and metal-organic framework (MOF) hybrids and utilization towards the modern energy devices and systems. Amid energy storage devices, graphene-MOF hybrids have been found functional for lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. Graphene-MOF hybrids have been searched for surface area, structural, microstructural, and physical features. For the formation of hybrids related to energy systems, techniques such as template, heating, solution, in situ, hydrothermal, freeze-drying, chemical vapor deposition, and related facile methods have been used. Consequently, the electron conduction, electrochemical features, charge/energy density, charge-discharge, reversible capacity, cyclic stability, specific capacitance, electrocatalytic activity, oxygen reduction reactions, and other factors related to lithium ion batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells have been reported. For these systems, graphene-MOF hybrids have been developed towards electrode and electrolyte formation. Future progress on designing efficient three dimensional graphene-MOF hybrids materials may overawe the synthesis, conductivity, and stability challenges towards high performance energy device materials.

Smart multi-layer architectures were developed using spray coating of carbon nanotube-rich layers and carbon nanotube-free layers, layer-by-layer, boosting electrochemical charge/discharge kinetics of high mass loading lithium ion battery electrodes. [Display omitted] The ability of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) to provide rapid charging characteristics while retaining a substantial energy storage capacity is of paramount significance for their applicability in portable smart electronic devices. In this research, an effective approach to enhance re-charging rates of LIB cells was developed through incorporating carbon nanotube (CNT) conductivity boosters strategically into Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 (LTO) electrodes. A layer-by-layer spray coating was exploited to manufacture multi-layer architectures that comprise sequential, discrete electrode layers of CNT-rich LTO and CNT-free LTO, aiming at promoting charge transfer kinetics of high mass loading electrodes. Initially, the optimal proportion of a CNT-rich layer and its best location within multi-layer electrode structures were investigated in half-cell configurations. The best performing multi-layer was then paired with a spray-coated LiFePO 4 (LFP) positive electrode in full-cell LIBs, offering attractive power performance of ∼ 1500 W/kg that outperformed conventional LTO || LFP combinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The driving and charging behaviours of Electric Vehicle (EV) users exhibit considerable variation, which substantially impacts the battery degradation rate and its root causes. EV battery packs undergo second-life application after first-life retirement, with SoH measurements taken before redeployment. However, the impact of the root cause of degradation on second-life performance remains unknown. Hence, the question remains whether it is necessary to have more than a simple measure of state of health (SoH) before redeployment. This article presents experimental data to investigate this. As part of the experiment, a group of cells at around 80% SoH, representing retired EV batteries, were cycled using a representative second-life duty cycle. Cells with a similar root cause of degradation in the first life (100–80% SoH) exhibited the same degradation rate in second life after being cycled with the same duty cycle during the second life. When the root cause of degradation in the first life is different, the degradation rate in the second life may not be the same. These findings suggest that the root cause of a cell's first-life degradation impacts how it degrades in its second life. Postmortem analysis (photographic and SEM images) reveals the similar physical condition of negative electrodes which have similar degradation rates in their second life cycle. This demonstrates that cells with a similar first life SoH and root cause of degradation indeed experience a similar life during their second life. The experimental results, along with the subsequent postmortem analysis, suggest that relying solely on SoH assessment is insufficient. It is crucial to take into account the root causes of cell degradation before redeployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we propose a comprehensive chemical experiment that include the preparation, characterization and lithium storage performance evaluation of mesoporous carbon-coated iron oxide nanoparticles. Students are guided to acquaint themselves with the characterization methods of material structure, the operation of battery assembly and battery testing technique. This experiment will disclose the interrelationship between material structure and performance to students, and cultivate their experiment skills, scientific literacy, and practical innovation ability. Furthermore, this experiment serves as a gateway for students to explore the frontier in new energy, and stimulate their scientific interest. Therefore, this experiment is recommended as a comprehensive chemical experiment course for senior undergraduates majoring in materials chemistry or applied chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Definition: Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a type of scanning probe microscopy (SPM) where an electrochemical reaction at a microelectrode is used to generate information about an electrochemically (in)active surface in its immediate vicinity. Careful preparation and knowledge of the microelectrode response as well as the application of a suitable method enable the study of spatially resolved electrochemical kinetics or the electrocatalytic activity of any structure or material. In addition to a wide range of other applications, the method has become particularly well established in the research field of electrochemical energy storage and conversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Separator plays a key role in the safety and performances of lithium-ion batteries with the needs of good thermal stability and wettability. Compared with the commercial separator mainly made by polyolefins in organic solvents, the electrospinning of lignin/polyvinyl alcohol in an aqueous solution has been investigated as a green and economically viable method to produce high-performance separators without any other chemical additives. Lignin/polyvinyl alcohol (mass ratio: 3:7) nanofiber separators outperform commercial polypropylene separators in terms of porosity (71 %), liquid absorption (373 %), and outstanding thermal stability at 200 °C. Additionally, Li-ion battery cells that were constructed using different separators were assessed to demonstrate favorable electrochemical performance. The results showed that fabricated Li-ion battery with Lignin/polyvinyl alcohol (mass ratio: 3:7) nanofiber separators possesses a superior capacitance of 154.1 mA h g−1 at 0.5 C, and maintained outstanding cycle stability after 50 times of charging and discharging process at 0.5 C with the capacitance retention rate up to 98.7 %. The facile and sustainable synthesis strategy of lignin-based separator materials for Li-ion batteries developed in this work provides new perspectives for related research, especially based on environmentally friendly aqueous systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to advancements in e-mobility technology, more and more people are opting to use electric vehicles. As there is a lack of a backup power supply, energy storage device is especially important for onboard systems. So, battery management systems become an important aspect for these energy storage devices. State-of-charge (SoC) estimation is a vitally significant assessment index in BMS because it is one of the most critical attributes that represents the working state of power batteries in EVs. In addition to the quick display of the remaining battery capacity to the user, accurate knowledge of SoC exerts further control over the charging/discharging process, which may be used to enhance battery life. This can be done in order to increase the longevity of the battery. According to the findings of this study, the error while estimating the SoC has been reduced to near about zero. The effect of resistance, temperature and C-rate on SoC has been also considered in this study. These findings show that the resistance is proportional to SoC below 80%, and after that, it becomes nonlinear. The SoC calculation using optimized deep learning strategy is proposed in this study. This approach helps to limit the margin of error in the calculation of SoC. It has also taken into account the occurrence of changes in SoC as a result of the changing C-rate, temperature, and resistance. Hence, this study helps to offset the negative effects of inaccurate SoC prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesizing high-performance of gel polymer electrolytes (GPEs) with simple methods and common materials has long been a crucial concern for lithiumion batteries. Here, the poor mechanical properties of polyethylene oxide (PEO) based GPEs were overcome by introducing strong hydrogen bond between PEO and polyacrylic acid (PAA). Easy-available PEO/PAA membranes were prepared though hot processing approach without use of organic solvent during all processes. The mechanical properties and crystalline of dry composites could be tuned by the addition content of PAA. After quick absorbing electrolyte in 30 min, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the GPEs composites are ranged from 0.07 to 0.63 MPa, and 525% to 722%. Moreover, the lithium-ion conductivity and transference number with 30 wt% addition of PAA reach up to 1.66 and 0.58 mS/cm, respectively. After 500 cycling at 0.5 C, the discharge specific capacity and the capacity retention rate are still up to 134.1 mAh/g and 88.7%, respectively. This research proves the great possibility of applying environmentally friendly method, low cost, and high electrochemical performances of PEO/PAA based GPEs in the lithium batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mining & Metallurgy (10057854) is the property of Beijing Research Institute of Mining & Metallurgy Technology Group and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Przeglad Elektrotechniczny is the property of Przeglad Elektrotechniczny and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Biomass-derived carbon has received widespread attention as an environment-friendly lithium-ion anode material. Simultaneously, SnO2-based electrodes have inherent limitations and urgently need to be optimized. This article proposes a facile hydrothermal carbonization method to encapsulate SnO2 particles into biomass-derived carbon. As the anode electrode of a lithium-ion battery, the composite exhibits high reversible capacities of 1439 mAh g−1 and 1160 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at 0.2 C and 1 C, respectively. In addition, it also has excellent rate performance (567 mAh g−1 at 5 C). The improvement in electrochemical performance can be attributed to the fact that SnO2 nanoparticles are embedded in the conductive carbon layer, shortening the diffusion length of Li+ and maintaining structural integrity. This presents an effective way to design high-performance electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the wide application of lithium ion batteries, the importance of life prediction is also highlighted. The prediction of the remaining life of lithium ion battery is an important part of its health management, and accurate prediction can improve the safety of equipment. In this paper, a method for predicting the residual life of lithium ion batteries based on Complete Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition with Adaptive Noise (CEEMDAN), One-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D CNN) and Bi-directional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM) neural network is proposed. The capacity is selected as the health factor, and then CEEMDAN is used to decompose the complex and unstable data to obtain stable components. One-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network (1D CNN) is used to deeply mine the capacity data of lithium-ion batteries. Finally, BiLSTM neural network modeling is used to predict the remaining useful life (RUL) of lithium-ion batteries. The NASA data set is used for testing and prediction comparison with BiLSTM model and CNN-BiLSTM model. The prediction results show that CEEMDAN-CNN BiLSTM model has higher prediction accuracy.

Considering that a personal car spends about 95% of its life in parking mode, calendar aging can have a significant impact on battery life. High temperature storage is a common method for rapid evaluation of battery calendar life. In order to obtain reliable results of high temperature accelerated aging test, it is necessary to study the aging mechanism of battery stored at different temperature conditions. In this paper, the calendar aging experiment of graphite-SiOx/NCM811 pouch cells were carried out within the temperature range of 25-55℃. The differential curve analysis and post-mortem analysis were used to explore the aging mechanism. The results show that the calendar aging of pouch cells is mainly caused by the loss of lithium inventory and the loss of cathode active materials. When cells store at higher temperature, the loss of lithium inventory and the loss of cathode active materials increase, while the loss of anode active materials remains relatively unchanged. Based on various test results, it can be inferred that the parasitic reactions on the surface of electrode lead to the loss of lithium inventory and the increase of SEI. With the increase of storage temperature, this side reaction continues and consumes more lithium inventory. It is worth mentioning that when storage at 55℃, the microcracking develops and even breaks some of the secondary particles of cathode materials. Therefore, the pouch cells suffer severe loss of cathode active materials, which makes it inappropriate to accelerate the aging of batteries at such high temperature.

With the increasing demand for electric vehicles, further development of Li+ batteries require more comprehensive studies and advanced techniques to analyze various battery material and mechanisms. Determining the concentration of Li+ and electric potential inside batteries can effectively reveal and predict the electrochemical performance, understanding the charge/discharge processes and failure mechanisms. Recently, in situ observation of Li+ movement have been reported by utilizing optical microscopy, neutron imaging (NI), neutron depth profiling (NDP), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS). These extensive works suggest their broad potential applications, including revealing the spatial distribution of Li+, mapping electrode elements, and indicating degradation mechanisms. Moreover, direct visualization of potential changes through TEM-based electron holography (EH) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) can discover and validate more valuable information. This perspective paper summarizes the current development of advanced in situ techniques for observing Li+ and potential distribution inside batteries for the first time. Additionally, we address the key challenges faced by these techniques along with their possible solutions. The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive discussion of in situ methods for analyzing reaction mechanisms, optimizing electrochemical performance, and potentially supporting the further development of battery simulation.

Accurate prediction of lithium ion (li-ion) battery capacity is of great significance to battery health status management. In this paper, the different discharge time corresponding to the equal voltage interval is taken as the health factor. Three highly correlated health factors are extracted from the battery discharge curve, and the Back Propagation neural network (BPNN) optimized by a genetic algorithm (GA) is used to estimate the battery capacity accurately and quickly. Firstly, health factors related highly to battery capacity from the battery cycle life test are extracted, and the selected health factors are analyzed using the Spearman correlation coefficient and Pearson correlation coefficient. Secondly, this paper analyzes the prediction effect of different combinations of selected health factors using BPNN optimized by a genetic algorithm. Then, to verify the superiority of the proposed optimization algorithm, different optimization algorithms are used to adjust and optimize the parameters of BPNN automatically, and the experimental data are used for comparative analysis. Finally, the GA-BP is compared with other common battery capacity prediction methods. The results show that the GA-BP neural network prediction model can accurately and effectively predict the capacity of li-ion battery when using selected health factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, manganese is used as a medium to connect pyrolusite with lithium-ion batteries, which not only meets the needs of comprehensive utilization of global strategic mineral resources, but also maximizes the performance of lithium-ion batteries under the goal of global carbon neutralization and carbon peak. Firstly, the optimum experimental conditions for sulfuric acid roasting of pyrolusite were investigated by single factor experiment and orthogonal experiment: the roasting temperature was 650 °C, the roasting time was 4 h, the acid-to-ore ratio was 2:1, and the water-to-ore ratio was 0.6:1. The roasting temperature plays a major role. Then, LMF x P-C (x = 0, 1/4, 1/8, 1/12, 1/24) cathode materials were prepared by adding different mass Fe elements with manganese element purified from pyrolusite as manganese source. Its electrochemical analysis was carried out: the capacity retention rate of LMF 1/4 P–C cathode material is 92.54% after 500 cycles. After a total of 150 times of rate tests at different rates, the discharge specific capacity of LMF 1/4 P–C can still reach 148.5 mAh g−1. At the same time, the EIS results show that the values of R e and R ct of LMF 1/4 P–C cathode material are the smallest compared with other materials. Finally, the LMF x P-C cathode material was analyzed by first-principles, and the optimal Fe doping amount was theoretically predicted. The crystal structure, bonding and density of states of the LMF x P-C cathode material were calculated and discussed. The results show that when the Fe doping amount is 1/4, the LMF x P-C system has the highest conductivity and the best electrochemical performance. The calculation results are consistent with the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Low-cost melamine-boric acid (MBA) supramolecular hydrogels are self-assembled with a superfast speed in dozens of seconds under room temperature. • In-situ real-time observation of the nucleation and growth of MBA supramolecules is constructed by using polarizing microscope. • The boron nitride and bacterial cellulose (BN/BC) composite aerogel shows excellent flame-retardant performance, electrolyte-wetting ability and high mechanical property. • The BN/BC composite aerogel as the separator enable the derived lithium ion battery with excellent electrochemical property and high safty. Traditional polyolefin separators for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) often experience limited thermal stability and intrinsic flammability, resulting in great safety risks during their usage. Therefore, it is highly important to develop novel flame-retardant separators for safe LIBs with high performance. In this work, we report a flame-retardant separator derived from boron nitride (BN) aerogel with a high BET surface area of 1127.3 m2 g−1. The aerogel was pyrolyzed from a melamine-boric acid (MBA) supramolecular hydrogel, which was self-assembled at an ultrafast speed. The in-situ evolution details of the nucleation-growth process of the supramolecules could be observed in real-time using a polarizing microscope under ambient conditions. The BN aerogel was further composited with bacterial cellulose (BC) to form a BN/BC composite aerogel with excellent flame-retardant performance, electrolyte-wetting ability and high mechanical property. By using the BN/BC composite aerogel as the separator, the developed LIBs exhibited high specific discharge capacity of 146.5 mAh g−1 and excellent cyclic performance, maintaining 500 cycles with a capacity degradation of only 0.012% per cycle. The high-performance flame-retardant BN/BC composite aerogel represents a promising candidate for separators not only in LIBs but also in other flexible electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To realize the high value–added utilization of acid-washed iron red, in this paper, acid-washed iron red is used as raw material. Aiming at the problem of low conductivity of iron-based lithium ion batteries (LIBs) LiFePO4/C materials, different metal ions are doped in the iron position, and the microstructure and electrochemical properties of the obtained material are systematically studied. Here, LiFePO4/C is synthesized through simple carbothermal reduction method using acid-washed iron red as the iron source. On this basis, La (1%, 2%, 3%) doping modification is carried out. Then doped modification is performed on this basis, preferably 2% La-doped LiFePO4/C materials. The XRD patterns show that the diffraction peaks of the samples prepared at all doping amounts can be perfectly matched with the standard card (PDF # 40–1499), and there is no impurity peak, all of which are pure phases. According to the refined data, it is clear that minor amount of La has successfully replaced the position of Fe and incorporated into the lattice. Electrochemical tests show that LiFe0.98La0.02PO4/C has the highest charge and discharge capacity of 146.5/138.2 mAh·g−1 in the first cycle at 0.5C, and the reversible specific capacity of 136.5 mAh·g−1 remains after 50 cycles. Furthermore, the first-principles calculations more strongly confirm that La doping can significantly improve the defects of low electronic conductivity of LiFePO4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Multipurpose Utilization of Mineral Resources / Kuangchan Zonghe Liyong is the property of Multipurpose Utilization of Mineral Resources Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Two strategies to increase battery energy density at the cell level are to increase electrode thickness and to reduce the amount of inactive electrode constituents. All active material (AAM) electrodes provide a route to achieve both of those aims toward high areal capacity electrodes. AAM electrodes are often fabricated using hydraulic compression processes followed by thermal treatment; however, additive manufacturing routes could provide opportunities for more time-efficient and geometry-flexible electrode fabrication. One possible route for additive manufacturing of AAM electrodes would be to employ plasma spray as a direct additive manufacturing technology, and AAM electrode fabrication using plasma spray will be the focus of the work herein. TiO2 and Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) powders were deposited onto stainless steel substrates via plasma spray processing to produce AAM battery electrodes, and evaluated with regards to material and electrochemical properties. The TiO2 electrodes delivered low electrochemical capacity, <12 mAh g−1, which was attributed to limitations of the initial feed powder. LTO plasma sprayed AAM electrodes had much higher capacity and were comparable in total capacity at a low rate of discharge to composite electrodes fabricated using the same raw powder feed material. LTO material and electrochemical properties were sensitive to the plasma spray conditions, suggesting that tuning the material microstructure and electrochemical properties is possible by controlling the plasma spray deposition parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quest for better cathode materials for lithium-ion batteries continues due to its burgeoning application in electric vehicles. In this context, an effort has been made to improve the electrochemical performance of tavorite-structured LiFePO4F with co-doping of vanadium and sodium ion. A solid-state reaction with FePO4 and LiF as precursors has been used for the synthesis. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron microscopy techniques have been used for product characterization. Addition of dopants leads to a reduction in the particle size of doped LiFePO4F. The aliovalent substitution of vanadium ion has been ascertained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The electrochemical properties have been investigated using charge-discharge testing and electron impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The vanadium- and sodium-doped LiFePO4F cathodes delivered improved reversible capacities, more stable cycle performance, better rate capability and decreased charge transfer resistance along with enhanced ionic conductivity compared to the pristine sample. The Li0.95Na0.05Fe0.9V0.1PO4F cathode delivers a specific capacity of ~100.7 mAh g−1 at a moderate current rate of 1C after an extended run of 2000 cycles with ~94% retention of the initial specific capacity. Sodium addition proves to be beneficial for improving the charge transfer kinetics in the lithium vanadium fluorophosphate–based cathodes for lithium-ion battery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the requirements of Al foil surface modification, the surface of Al foil is baked, corona and coated with carbon, and 6 Ah pouch type lithium iron batteries is made. The effects of surface modification methods on the performance of Al foil, electrode plate and battery are evaluated through the tests of Al foil surface roughness, electrode plate rolling adhesion, electrochemical impedance, storage, cycle, etc. The results show that the surface roughness of Al foil is increased by 41% after corona, and the adhesion of the electrode sheet is thus increased by 3.166 times as much as that of the base foil. After corona and carbon coating treatment, the impedance of the battery is reduced by one capacitance arc between the aluminum foil and the active substance. The alter-nating current resistance(ACR) of the battery is reduced to 5.59 mΩ, and the consistency of the internal resistance of the battery is improved. Corona and carbon coating can improve the high current discharge performance of the battery, reduce polarization, and improve the discharge platform, but carbon coating is more significant than corona. At the same time, the coated carbon significantly improves the high temperature cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Looking back on the short and yet very rewarding history that has shaped the game-changing lithium-ion batteries over the past three decades, among the main technical milestones and on-going challenges are the energy density, cycling-ability and yet poor safety, which are largely related to the use of organic liquid electrolytes. While the holey grail for energy storage is all-solid-state batteries, there is the inevitable transition from liquid electrolytes to solid ones, in the long term. Nevertheless, currently known solid-state electrolytes face problems of their own and also the largely incompatible interfaces with the solid electrodes. Then an interesting question arises: At least in the near-future term, what would be the electrolytes that can replace the organic liquid electrolytes? In this short Comment, we examine the transition from liquid electrolytes to solid states, where a potential newcomer is the frameworked, which is expected to address the sluggish kinetics of ion transport and poor interfaces with solid electrodes.

Abstract Reference electrodes (REs) play a crucial role in the accurate assessment and control of battery potentials, but their confidence is overestimated. Researchers have tracked the source of the error to the RE design that blocks the lithium‐ion path between anode and cathode. These errors or potential deviations are mostly modeled or less‐frequently estimated after observing Li plating post‐mortem. This is the first study to showcase an experimental method that allows a more precise error quantification in‐operando of a RE. The key idea is to relate the error‐affected reference potential to an unaffected quantity, such as the cell dilatation. Although our experimental setups are special, this approach can also be applied to different setups and REs. Using the presented method, we provoked Li plating in NMC811/graphite pouch cells and determined the potential deviation of our perforated RE to be 12 mV under fast charging conditions. In contrast to previous studies, we found the error to be positive, offering a new explanation of the error mechanism of REs.

In order to develop lithium-ion batteries with high energy density, prelithium technology has attracted extensive attention. Li5FeO4was successfully prepared by molten salt method with LiNO3-LiOH mixed lithium salt as reaction medium and lithium source, and nano Fe2O3 as iron source in this work. Li5FeO4 as cathode prelithiation additive is applied to lithium-ion batteries. The synthesis conditions of Li5FeO4 were optimized by orthogonal experiment, and the effect of synthesis conditions on the electrochemical properties of the material was discussed. Li5FeO4 was added to the surface of LiFePO4 positive electrode and assembled with graphite negative electrode to form a full cell. Its effect on the electrochemical performance of the full cells and the mechanism of reducing the initial capacity loss of lithium-ion batteries were studied. The results show that Li5FeO4 cathode prelithiation additives with high purity, small particle size and outstanding electrochemical performance can be prepared by molten salt method. When Li5FeO4 with a mass fraction of 2.8%(based on the percentage of active materials mass) was added, the discharge specific capacity of first cycle for the LiFePO4/graphite full cell was 150 mAh·g-1 at 0.05 C, which was 8.5% higher than that without adding, after 100 cycles at 0.2 C. the capacity still increased by 7.1%, and the irreversible capacity of the svstem was restored.

The driving and charging behaviours of Electric Vehicle (EV) users exhibit considerable variation, which substantially impacts the battery degradation rate and its root causes. EV battery packs undergo second-life application after first-life retirement, with SoH measurements taken before redeployment. However, the impact of the root cause of degradation on second-life performance remains unknown. Hence, the question remains whether it is necessary to have more than a simple measure of state of health (SoH) before redeployment. This article presents experimental data to investigate this. As part of the experiment, a group of cells at around 80% SoH, representing retired EV batteries, were cycled using a representative second-life duty cycle. Cells with a similar root cause of degradation in the first life (100–80% SoH) exhibited the same degradation rate in second life after being cycled with the same duty cycle during the second life. When the root cause of degradation in the first life is different, the degradation rate in the second life may not be the same. These findings suggest that the root cause of a cell’s first-life degradation impacts how it degrades in its second life. Postmortem analysis (photographic and SEM images) reveals the similar physical condition of negative electrodes which have similar degradation rates in their second life cycle. This demonstrates that cells with a similar first life SoH and root cause of degradation indeed experience a similar life during their second life. The experimental results, along with the subsequent postmortem analysis, suggest that relying solely on SoH assessment is insufficient. It is crucial to take into account the root causes of cell degradation before redeployment.

Lithium iron silicate (Li 2 FeSiO 4) has high theoretical capacity of 332 mAh∙g-1 upon full extraction of two lithium ions, which is accompanied by high delithiation potential and large volume change. Sulfur modification could be an effective approach for stabilizing Li 2 FeSiO 4 cathodes. A series of carbon-coated Li 2 FeSiO 4 samples were prepared through a hydrothermal and solid-state reaction route at a fixed sucrose content (14 wt% carbon) with varying amounts of sublimed sulfur at 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 at%. The crystal structures, chemical compositions, microstructures and electrochemical performances of the differently sulfur-modified Li 2 FeSiO 4 /C were systematically investigated. The sulfur-carbon co-modifications and possible existing chemical states of sulfur are discussed in terms of the surface and near-bulk modifications. It was found that all the samples exhibited a monoclinic P 2 1 structural Li 2 FeSiO 4 , while the sulfur contents over 10 at% formed impure phases such as iron sulfides (Fe 1-x S) and lithium metasilicate (Li 2 SiO 3). Furthermore, three types of sulfur states could be found when sulfur and carbon were added simultaneously into Li 2 FeSiO 4. The surfaces were predominated by S–C and S–O–C, indicating the sulfur-carbon co-modification, which would reduce the resistance at the solid/electrode interface (SEI) but increase the charge transfer resistance. Near the bulk, the enhanced interactions between sulfur and iron S–Fe(−S) or sulfur and silicon S–Si(−O) may lead to the formation of possible impurities or oxygen substitution by sulfur. The former is detrimental as the effective sulfur amount is reduced, while the latter is beneficial to improve specific capacity and cycle stability. The overall performance of sulfur-carbon co-modified sample is influenced complicatedly by the sulfur content. The best initial discharge capacity of 152.3 mAh∙g-1 was obtained with 5 at% sulfur modification, while the best overall performance, showing a typical warm-up response and good cycle stability, was observed with 15 at% sulfur modification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing demand for cheap, safe, recyclable, and environmentally friendly batteries highlights the importance of the development of organic electrode materials. Here, we present a novel redox-active polymer comprising a polyaniline-type conjugated backbone and quinizarin and anthraquinone units. The synthesized polymer was explored as a cathode material for batteries, and it delivered promising performance characteristics in both lithium and potassium cells. Excellent lithiation efficiency enabled high discharge capacity values of >400 mA g−1 in combination with good stability upon charge–discharge cycling. Similarly, the potassium cells with the polymer-based cathodes demonstrated a high discharge capacity of >200 mAh g−1 at 50 mA g−1 and impressive stability: no capacity deterioration was observed for over 3000 cycles at 11 A g−1, which was among the best results reported for K ion battery cathodes to date. The synthetic availability and low projected cost of the designed material paves a way to its practical implementation in scalable and inexpensive organic batteries, which are emerging as a sustainable energy storage technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent years, MXenes (2D transition metal carbides, carbon nitrides and nitrides) and its precursor MAX phases have been widely investigated in electrochemical research. In this research, we successfully prepared a core-shell structured compound——Ti 3 C 2 @Ti 2 SnC/CNFs (MXene@TSC/C) as an anode material for lithium ion battery via electrospinning method. Results showed that this type of compound has a specific capacity of 288.9 mAh·g−1 at the current density of 0.4 A g−1 after 300 cycles, accompany with a retention rate of capacity of 105.4% in the rate performance test. These performances were benefit from the core-shell structured CNFs and Ti 3 C 2 MXenes. This work supported a novel way to improve the electrochemical property of MXene and MAX phases, which was expected to further explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MoO 3 is a kind of promising cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), owing to its high specific capacity (279 mA h g−1) and layered structure. However, low electrical conductivity and sluggish reaction kinetics results in poor rate and Li-ions storage capability. The introduction of oxygen vacancies (OVs) can promote Li+ diffusion, and produce great electrical conductivity. Here, we report a strategy to synergize the merits of OVs by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) by adjusting oxygen partial pressures (2～20 Pa). The appropriate OVs concentration not only significantly approves electrochemical performance but also increases pseudocapacitance contribution. The Li-ion diffusion coefficient of MoO 3−x is remarkably improved by one or two orders of magnitude compared with that of MoO 3. Therefore, this facile and efficient strategy on OVs could afford a reference for other metal oxides for high-performance electrode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow Ni 0.75 Zn 0.25 Fe 2 O 4 nanospheres with a diameter of about 250–300 nm and thickness of 30–40 nm have been successfully fabricated through a PVP (polyvinylpyrrolidone)-assisted hydrothermal strategy. PVP plays an important role in the formation of hollow structure and a plausible formation mechanism of hollow Ni 0.75 Zn 0.25 Fe 2 O 4 nanospheres is also proposed in this paper. The as-fabricated hollow Ni 0.75 Zn 0.25 Fe 2 O 4 nanospheres display a good dispersibility and high specific surface area of 34.7 m2 g−1. Hollow Ni 0.75 Zn 0.25 Fe 2 O 4 nanospheres also demonstrate satisfactory cycle life and rate performance when evaluated as a lithium ion battery negative electrode. Namely, after 120 cycles, the discharge specific capacity is 1321.3 mAh g−1 at 200 mA g−1, and the capacity retention rate is as high as 99.2%. Furthermore, the average discharge capacities are 1482.5, 1451.5, 1330.9, 1232.3, 1031.2 and 944.8 mAh g−1 under the current densities of 100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 mA g−1, respectively. The promising electrochemical performance of the hollow Ni 0.75 Zn 0.25 Fe 2 O 4 nanosphere could be attributed to the unique hollow structure of nanospheres, which offers a higher specific surface area and shorten transmission pathways of electrons and ions, buffering the volume expansion during the Li+ insertion/desorption process. • Hollow Ni 0.75 Zn 0.25 Fe 2 O 4 have been fabricated by a hydrothermal strategy. • PVP plays an important role in the formation of hollow structure. • Hollow Ni 0.75 Zn 0.25 Fe 2 O 4 present enhanced electrochemical performance in LIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Addressing the oxidation state of functional materials such as transition metal oxides is a current critical challenge and requires new methodologies to characterize their electronic structure within surface to bulk resolution at the nanometer scale. One approach to this issue is the combination of co‐localized soft and hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies for a non‐destructive depth profiling. In this work, we demonstrate the capability to characterize the oxidation state of cobalt in LiCoO2 thin films, a model electrode material in the Li‐ion battery field, within the first 15 nm. The capability of the methodology to address the surface evolution of the cobalt oxidation state is tested through a proof of concept surface modification introduced by Ar‐ion sputtering. To address the cobalt local electronic structure at different depths from the extreme surface, we exploited Auger‐free Hard X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) spectra to fit the Co 2p core‐level features in the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra. This approach may pave the way for a better understanding of the surface electronic structure changes in transition metal oxides driven by their applications in a broad range of technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Li3VO4 (LVO) is a highly promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries, owing to its high capacity and stable discharge plateau. However, LVO faces a significant challenge due to its poor rate capability, which is mainly attributed to its low electronic conductivity. To enhance the kinetics of lithium ion insertion and extraction in LVO anode materials, a conductive polymer called poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) is applied to coat the surface of LVO. This uniform coating of PEDOT:PSS improves the electronic conductivity of LVO, thereby enhancing the corresponding electrochemical properties of the resulting PEDOT:PSS-decorated LVO (P-LVO) half-cell. The charge/discharge curves between 0.2 and 3.0 V (vs. Li+/Li) indicate that the P-LVO electrode displays a capacity of 191.9 mAh/g at 8 C, while the LVO only delivers a capacity of 111.3 mAh/g at the same current density. To evaluate the practical application of P-LVO, lithium-ion capacitors (LICs) are constructed with P-LVO composite as the negative electrode and active carbon (AC) as the positive electrode. The P-LVO//AC LIC demonstrates an energy density of 107.0 Wh/kg at a power density of 125 W/kg, along with superior cycling stability and 97.4% retention after 2000 cycles. These results highlight the great potential of P-LVO for energy storage applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ni-rich layered cathode materials LiNixCoyMn(1-x–y)O2 (x ≥ 0.8) suffer from capacity decay due to structural deterioration during electrochemical cycling. To overcome these problems, the fast-ion conductor Li0.33La0.56TiO3 (LLTO) is coated on the surface of LiNi0.83Co0.12Mn0.05O2 (NCM83) cathodes through the sol–gel method, which can stabilize the electrode/electrolyte interface of cathode materials and facilitate Li+ transport and charge transfer. As a result, the LLTO-coated NCM83 exhibits better cycle stability and higher rate performance. The NCM83 modified by 5 wt% LLTO has the discharge capacity of 185.9 mAh g−1 at 1C rate after 100 cycles and with higher capacity retention of 92.9% than the pristine NCM83 of 86.2%, and as well as the 5 wt% LLTO-coated NCM83 has a higher Li+-insert diffusion coefficient of 1.143 × 10−11 cm2 s−1 than the pristine NCM83 of 8.757 × 10−12 cm2 s−1. Therefore, the fast-ion conductor LLTO coating strategy shows great potential in improving the performance of Ni-rich layered cathode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]