Lignin-derived hard carbon anode with a robust solid electrolyte interphase for boosted sodium storage performance

Hard carbon is regarded as a promising anode candidate for sodium-ion batteries due to its low cost,relatively low working voltage,and satisfactory specific capacity.However,it still remains a challenge to obtain a high-performance hard carbon anode from cost-effective carbon sources.In addition,the solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)is subjected to continuous rupture during battery cycling,leading to fast capacity decay.Herein,a lignin-based hard carbon with robust SEI is developed to address these issues,effectively killing two birds with one stone.An innovative gas-phase removal-assisted aqueous washing strategy is developed to remove excessive sodium in the precursor to upcycle industrial lignin into high-value hard carbon,which demonstrated an ultrahigh sodium storage capacity of 359 mAh g^(-1).It is found that the residual sodium components from lignin on hard carbon act as active sites that controllably regulate the composition and morphology of SEI and guide homogeneous SEI growth by a near-shore aggregation mechanism to form thin,dense,and organic-rich SEI.Benefiting from these merits,the as-developed SEI shows fast Na+transfer at the interphases and enhanced structural stability,thus preventing SEI rupture and reformation,and ultimately leading to a comprehensive improvement in sodium storage performance.

Unraveling the morphological evolution mechanism of solid sulfur species in lithium-sulfur batteries with operando light microscopy

Solid-liquid phase conversion between various sulfur species in lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries is a fundamental reaction of the sulfur cathode.Disclosing the morphological evolution of solid sulfur species upon cycling is of great significance to achieving high energy densities.However,an in-depth investigation of the internal reaction is still lacking.In this work,the evolution process of solid sulfur species on carbon substrates is systematically studied by using an operando light microscope combined with in situ electrochemical impedance spectra technology.The observation of phenomena such as bulk solid sulfur species can form and dissolve independently of the conductive substrates and the transformation of supercooled liquid sulfur to crystalline sulfur.Based on the phenomena mentioned above,a possible mechanism was proposed in which the dissolution reaction of solid sulfur species is a spatially free reaction that involves isotropic physical dissolution,diffusion of molecules,and finally the electrochemical reaction.Correspondingly,the formation of solid sulfur species tends to be a form of crystallization in a saturated solution rather than electrodeposition,as is commonly believed.Our findings offer new insights into the reaction of sulfur cathodes and provide new opportunities to design advanced sulfur cathodes for Li-S batteries.

可逆阴离子氧化还原反应和结构演变的共生P2/O3双相钠离子电池层状氧化物正极设计和开发

层状氧化物因在钠离子电池正极中表现出的优异性能而引起了前所未有的关注,其中两种典型的P2和03型材料各具优势.因此,设计和开发包含P2和03材料的复合材料成为一种新的选择.但对这种具有多相结构的复杂正极材料的阴离子/阳离子的行为和结构演变过程的研究仍缺乏全面且深入的研究.本文基于两种典型的具有相同元素组成但不同的晶体结构的正极材料:P2型Na0.67Ni0.33Mn0.67O2和O3型NaNi0.5Mn0.5O2,开发了一种成分为Na0.732Ni0.273Mg0.096Mn0.63O2的双相材料,其中包含78.39 wt%的P2相和21.61 wt%的O3相.晶体结构分析和密度泛函理论(DFT)计算结果表明,该复合材料倾向于形成原子水平上的共生结构,且形成的双相结构的复杂晶格条纹可以阻止电极过程中过渡金属和氧原子迁移.相对于单相结构,双相结构提高了正极材料的储钠容量和稳定性,并增强了阴离子O2-/n-氧化还原的可逆性.此外,P2和O3结构共生的类异质结结构具有共享相边界,其形成的互锁效应可有效缓解P2和03结构在电极过程产生的晶格滑移和Na+离子脱出/嵌入的晶格应力.因此,共生的P2/03复合材料表现出较高的容量、较好的循环性能(0.1 C倍率下约有130 mAh g-1容量,循环200次后容量保持率为73.1%)和可逆的晶体结构转变.本文研究证实合理设计的双/多相正极可用于高能钠离子电池的应用.

NaF-rich protective layer on PTFE coating microcrystalline graphite for highly stable Na metal anodes

The practical application of Na metal anode is plagued by the dendrite growth,unstable solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)formation and volume change during the cycling process.Herein,poly(tetrafluoroethylene)(noted as PTFE)coating microcrystalline graphite is designed as the sodium metal anode host by a facile and cost-effective strategy.The isotropous microcrystalline graphite(MG)is conducive to guiding Na+to form a co-intercalation structure into MG.And the PTFE coating layer can form NaF as artificial SEI film for uniform ion transport and deposition.As a result,the gained PTFE coating MG electrode can deliver a long-life span over 1,200 cycles with an average Coulombic efficiency(CE)of 99.88%.To note,almost the CE in each cycle is around 99.8%–100%.When assembled with Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)F_(3)cathode as full cells,the full cell paired with PTFE coating MG electrode can operate much stable than that of MG electrode for the existence of PTFE coating layer.Even utilized as sodium-free Na metal anode paired with Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(2)F_(3)cathode,it can also deliver a high initial CE of 76.27%at 0.5 C.After 100 cycles,it still has a high discharge capacity of 83.5 mAh·g^(−1).

Unveiling nanoplates-assembled Bi2MoO6 microsphere as a novel anode material for high performance potassium-ion batteries

Bismuth (Bi)-based electrode has aroused tremendous interest in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs) on account of its low cost, high electronic conductivity, low charge voltage and high theoretical capacity. However, the rapid capacity fading and poor lifespan induced by the normalized volume expansion (up to ~ 406%) and serious aggregation of Bi during cycling process hinder its application. Herein, bismuth molybdate (Bi2MoO6) microsphere assembled by 2D nanoplate units is successfully prepared by a facile solvothermal method and demonstrated as a promising anode for PIBs. The unique microsphere structure and the self-generated potassium molybdate (K-Mo-O species) during the electrochemical reactions can effectively suppress mechanical fracture of Bi-based anode originated from the volume variation during charge/discharge of the battery. As a result, the Bi2MoO6 microsphere without hybridizing with any other conductive carbon matrix shows superior electrochemical performance, which delivers a high reversible capacity of 121.7 mAh·g^−1 at 100 mA·g^−1 over 600 cycles. In addition, the assembled perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA)//Bi2MoO6 full-cell coupled with PTCDA cathode demonstrates the potential application of Bi2MoO6 microsphere. Most importantly, the phase evolution of Bi2MoO6 microsphere during potassiation/depotassiation process is successfully deciphered by ex situ X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technologies, which reveals a combination mechanism of conversion reaction and alloying/dealloying reaction for Bi2MoO6 anode. Our findings not only open a new way to enhance the performance of Bi-based anode in PIBs, but also provide useful implications to other alloy-type anodes for secondary alkali-metal ion batteries.