Sabatier principle guiding the design of cathode catalysts for Li-CO_(2) batteries

The Sabatier principle has been widely used for designing electrocatalysts for energy conversion applications,but it is rarely mentioned in the research of cathode catalyst of Li-CO_(2) batteries.In our work,the"volcanic"relationship between the catalytic activity and the adsorption energy of the catalyst to the intermediates is first demonstrated based on the first-principles calculation,which meets the Sabatier principle and can be used to design the cathode catalysts.The increases in the number of nitrogenvacancy in WN shift the d-band center and increase the interaction with the reactants.The catalytic activity increases first and then decreases with the increase of adsorption energy,which was proved in the experiment.The optimal catalyst for moderate adsorption of intermediate makes the thin LiaCO_(3) distribute evenly.It exhibits a median voltage difference of 0.68 V and an energy efficiency of 84.33%at20μA cm^(-2)with a limited capacity of 200μA h cm^(-2).

Armoring lithium metal anode with soft–rigid gradient interphase toward high-capacity and long-life all-solid-state battery

Solid polymer electrolytes(SPEs)are highly promising for realizing high-capacity,low-cost,and safe Li metal batteries.However,the Li dendritic growth and side reactions between Li and SPEs also plague these systems.Herein,a fluorinated lithium salt coating(FC)with organic-inorganic gradient and soft–rigid feature is introduced on Li surface as an artificial protective layer by the in-situ reaction between Li metal and fluorinated carboxylic acid.The FC layer can improve the interface stability and wettability between Li and SPEs,assist the transport of Li ions,and guide Li nucleation,contributing to a dendrite-free Li deposition and long-lifespan Li metal batteries.The symmetric cell with FC-Li anodes exhibits a high areal capacity of 1 mAh cm^(-2)at 0.5 mA cm^(-2),and an ultra-long lifespan of 2000 h at a current density of 0.1 mA cm^(-2).Moreover,the full cell paired with the LiFePO4 cathode exhibits improved cycling stability,remaining 83.7%capacity after 500 cycles at 1 C.When matching with the S cathode,the FC layer can prevent the shuttle effect,contributing to stable and high-capacity Li–S battery.This work provided a promising way for the construction of stable all-solid-state lithium metal batteries with prolonged lifespan.

Thermal Shock-Activated Spontaneous Growing of Nanosheets for Overall Water Splitting

Nanomaterials based on nickel foam(NF) have been widely applied in energy conversion and storage field.Traditional synthesis methods such as hydrothermal method which is dangerous and high cost limited the scalable developments.Herein,we report a fast,simple,and low-cost synthesis method of nanomaterials based on NF by Joule-heating and water soaking treatment.Thin carbon-coated CoS on NF(NF-C/CoS) was synthesized by Joule-heating for a few seconds with rapid cooling.And then,NF-C/CoS/NiOOH with core-shell heterostructure was fabricated by soaking treatment of NF-C/CoS in water on which NiOOH nanosheets grew spontaneously.The formation mechanism is proposed that the coordination complex precursor converts into C/CoS on NF driven by Joule-heating,and the nickel on the surface of NF is activated to form metastable nickel simultaneously.The metastable nickel reacting with water leads to the formation of NiOOH,and the induction of CoS makes NiOOH grow continuously.This synthesis technology provides a new route to manufacture NF-based nanostructures,and the as-fabricated NF-C/CoS/NiOOH exhibits great potential as electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction and hydrogen evolution reaction.

Effect of Ni,Fe and Fe-Ni alloy catalysts on the synthesis of metal contained carbon nano-onions and studies of their electrochemical hydrogen storage properties

Three types of carbon nano-onions（CNOs） including Ni@CNOs.Fe3C@CNOs and Fe0.64Ni0.36@CNOs nanoparticles have been synthesized by catalytic decomposition of methane at 850 ℃ using nickel,iron and iron-nickel alloy catalysts.Comparative and systematic studies have been carried out on the morphology,structural characteristics and graphitic crystallinity of these CNOs products.Furthermore,the electrochemical hydrogen storage properties of three types of CNOs have been investigated.Measurements show that the Ni@CNOs have the highest discharge capacity of 387.2 mAh/g,coiTesponding to a hydrogen storage of 1.42%.This comparison study shows the advantages of each catalyst in the growth of CNOs.enabling the controllable synthesis and tuning the properties of CNOs by mediating different metals and their alloy for using in the fuel cell system.

Recent Developments of Antimony-Based Anodes for Sodiumand Potassium-Ion Batteries

The development of sodium-ion(SIBs)and potassium-ion batteries(PIBs)has increased rapidly because of the abundant resources and cost-effectiveness of Na and K.Antimony(Sb)plays an important role in SIBs and PIBs because of its high theoretical capacity,proper working voltage,and low cost.However,Sb-based anodes have the drawbacks of large volume changes and weak charge transfer during the charge and discharge processes,thus leading to poor cycling and rapid capacity decay.To address such drawbacks,many strategies and a variety of Sb-based materials have been developed in recent years.This review systematically introduces the recent research progress of a variety of Sb-based anodes for SIBs and PIBs from the perspective of composition selection,preparation technologies,structural characteristics,and energy storage behaviors.Moreover,corresponding examples are presented to illustrate the advantages or disadvantages of these anodes.Finally,we summarize the challenges of the development of Sb-based materials for Na/K-ion batteries and propose potential research directions for their further development.

Lithiophilic seeds and rigid arrays synergistic induced dendrite-free and stable Li anode towards long-life lithium-oxygen batteries

High energy density lithium-oxygen battery(LOB) is currently regraded as a promising candidate for next-generation power system.However,the dendrite and instability issues of Li metal anode lead to its poor cyclic stability and low energy density.In this work,lithiophilic Al_(2) O_(3) seeds induced rigid carbon nanotube arrays(CNTA)/three-dimensional graphene(3 DG) is developed as a host material for Li anode,namely Al_(2) O_(3)-CNTA/3 DG.It is demonstrated that the lithiophilic feature of Al_(2) O_(3) seeds and the enhanced rigidity of arrays can synergistically induce the uniform Li flux,inhibit the collapse of arrays,and stabilize electrolyte/electrode interfaces.As a result,the Al_(2) O_(3)-CNTA/3 DG-Li anode delivers a high Coulombic efficiency above 97% after 140 cycles(8 mAh cm^(-2) at 4 mA cm^(-2)).With this anode and the breathable CNTA/3 DG cathode,the full LOB exhibits a significantly increased life-span up to 160 cycles(500 mAh g^(-1) at 100 mA g^(-1)),which is almost 3 times longer than that with pure Li foil as the anodes.This work demonstrates a new approach to highly reversibly long-cycling performance of LOBs towards practical application.

Preparation of Three-Dimensional Carbon Network Reinforced Epoxy Composites and Their Thermal Conductivity

As a thermosetting resin with excellent properties,epoxy resin is used in many areas such as electronics,transportation,aerospace,and other fields.However,its relatively low thermal conductivity limits its wide application in more demanding fields.Here,a three-dimensional carbon(3DC)network was prepared through NaCl template-assisted in situ chemical vapor deposition(CVD)and used to reinforce epoxy resin for enhancing its thermal conductivity.The 3DC was prepared with a molar ratio of sodium atom to carbon atom of 100:20,and argon atmosphere in CVD led to an optimal improvement in the thermal conductivity of epoxy resin.The thermal conductivity of epoxy resin increased by 18%when the filling content was 3 wt.%of 3DC network because of the high contact area,uniform dispersion,and enhanced formation of conductive paths with epoxy resin.As the amount of 3DC addition increases,the thermal conductivity of composites also increases.As an innovative exploration,the work presented in this paper is of great significance for the thermal conductivity application of epoxy resin in the future.

The synthesis of carbon microspheres film composed of nano-onions and its application as flexible supercapacitors

Flexible electrodes with superior mechanical and electrochemical properties are essential for flexible supercapacitors.A convenient and scalable colloidal film-assisted chemical vapor deposition(CF-CVD)method is developed for the one-step fabrication of the carbon microspheres films composed of carbon nano-onions(CMS-CNO films).The influence of growth conditions(such as growth temperature,time,and gas ratio)during CF-CVD process on the carbon structures and the growth mechanism of the CMS-CNO films have been investigated.By controlling the growth conditions,the controllable preparation of CMS-CNO films is realized.Such binder-free films can be used for the assembly of flexible supercapacitors,and unique architecture can achieve excellent performance.Benefitting from the composite of nano-micro zero dimensional structures,the performance of the film in supercapacitors is remarkably improved.At the current density of 5 mA cm^(-2),the area-specific capacity can be 903 mF cm^(-2).When the current density is increased to 500 mA cm^(-2),the area-specific capacity can be increased to 729 mF cm^(-2).This simple and low-cost preparation process and the superb electrochemical performance suggest great potential applications of CMS-CNO films in flexible supercapacitors.

Constructing the coherent transition interface structure for enhancing strength and ductility of hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets/Al composites

The deformation incompatibility of components is a bottleneck restricting the exaltation of the strength and ductility of composites.Herein,the coherent transition interface was designed and produced in hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets(BNNSs)/Al composites by reaction sintering route,expecting to re-lieve the deformation incompatibility between BNNSs and Al.It is demonstrated that with the sintering temperature for composites raising from 600℃ to 650℃,700℃ and 750℃,different interface bonding characteristics,which involve nucleation and growth of AlN continuous nanolayer,were confirmed.Fur-thermore,first-principles calculations show that the generation of the coherent transition interface im-proved the interfacial bonding strength of BNNSs/Al composites through covalent bonds.The composites with coherent transition interface exhibit excellent strength-toughness combination in tensile and impact tests.The finite element simulation and in-situ approach under tensile tests were applied to investigate the influence of transition interface structure on deformation behavior of BNNSs/Al composite.It is found that the generation of the transition interface can not only weaken the stress partitioning behavior in the elastic stage,but also constrain the crack initiation and propagation behavior in the elastic-plastic stage and plastic stage,thereby improving the deformation compatibility between BNNSs and Al.The present work provides a novel view into the breakthrough for the trade-offrelationship of strength and ductility by coherent transition interface design in nanocomposites.

Achieving high mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Al-Zn-Mg matrix composites via regulating intragranular reinforcements

1.Introduction Driven by the engineering application of transportation and aerospace,simultaneously achieving excellent mechanical properties and corrosion resistance are urgently required for the next-generation Al matrix composites(AMCs)[1,2].

Effect of Sc and Zr additions on microstructures and corrosion behavior of Al-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys

The effects of adding the alloy element Sc to Al alloys on strengthening, recrystallization and modification of the grain microstructure have been investigated. The combination of Sc and Zr alloying not only produces a remarkable synergistic effect of inhibition of recrystallization and refinement of grain size but also substantially reduce the amount of high-cost additional Sc. In this work, the microstructures and corrosion behavior of a new type of Al-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloy with Sc/Zr ratio of 1/2 were investigated.The experimental results showed that the Sc and Zr additions to Al-Cu-Mg alloy could strongly inhibit recrystallization, refine grain size, impede the segregation of Cu element along the grain boundary and increase the spacing of grain boundary precipitates. In addition, adding Sc and Zr to Al-Cu-Mg alloy effectively restricts the corrosion mechanism conversion associated with Al2 Cu Mg particles, which resulted in the change of the cross-section morphology of inter-granular corrosion from an undercutting to an elliptical shape. The susceptibility to inter-granular corrosion was significantly decreased with increasing Sc and Zr additions to the Al-Cu-Mg alloy. The relationships between microstructures evolution and inter-granular corrosion mechanism of Al-Cu-Mg-Sc-Zr alloys were also discussed.

A bottom-up strategy toward metal nano-particles modified graphene nanoplates for fabricating aluminum matrix composites and interface study

To synthesize graphene economically and efficiently,as well as to improve the interface bonding between graphene and metal and to recede the aggregation issue of graphene,in this work,an easy and scalable bottom-up strategy for the mass production of metal nanoparticles modified graphene nanoplates(GNPs)was proposed.Cu nanoparticles modified GNPs(Cu-GNPs)and Ni nanoparticles modified GNPs(Ni-GNPs)were fabricated through this method,and then compounded with Al via ball milling technique.The asobtained Ni-GNPs/Al composite showed simultaneously improved strength and toughness compared with unreinforced Al,while the Cu-GNPs/Al composite presented a greater strengthening effect.The microstructure and interface of the two composites were carefully characterized and investigated to reveal the difference.First principle study was also adopted to explore the binding energy of different interface structures.This study could provide new insights into the fabrication of GNPs and the control of interface in GNPs/Al composites.

Graphene quantum dots derived from hollow carbon nano-onions

Herein, carbon nano-onions （CNOs） with different structures have been investigated as precursors for the synthesis of graphene quantum dots （GQDs）. It was found that hollow CNOs yield GQDs with a uniform size distribution, whereas metal encapsulation in the CNO structure is disadvantageous for the same. Furthermore, the hollow CNOs are also advantageous for the synthesis of GQDs with a yellow-green hybrid luminescence and long-ranged excitation wavelength （λex）-independent photoluminescent （PL） behavior, in which the λex upper limit was 480 nm. These features enable safe sensing and cell tracking applications with a longer excitation wavelength in the visible light region. The potential applications of the synthesized GQDs as fluorescent sensing probes for detecting Cu（II） ions and non-toxic cell imaging under visible light excitation have been demonstrated. This means that sensing and bioimaging can be accomplished in the natural environment with no need for UV excitation. This work provides a reference to researchers in tailoring CNO structures in terms of their inner space to synthesize GQDs with the desired luminescence behavior.

Simultaneously optimizing pore morphology and enhancing mechanical properties of Al-Si alloy composite foams by graphene nanosheets

The integrity and regularity of pore morphology play an important role in determining the mechanical properties of the metallic foam materials.The conventional methods on refining pore morphology are mainly focused on the optimization of fabrication techniques,however,they are usually inconvenient and complicated.Recently,incorporating nano reinforcement is considered to be a suitable way to fabricate metallic composite foams accompanied by optimized pore morphology and enhanced mechanical properties.In this work,through a facile and rapid powder metallurgy foaming method,the aluminum-silicon(Al-Si)alloy composite foams reinforced by graphene nanosheets(GNSs)are successfully fabricated.The microstructure analyses reveal that,for the Al-Si alloy foams incorporating the GNSs(GNSs/Al-Si composite foams),the pore size is transformed to be smaller,the pore size distributions become more homogeneous and the pore shape is also refined to a regular and roundish state.Meanwhile,the shape of Si precipitates is found transforming from an irregular long strip(length of~20μm,width of~5μm)to a fine particle state(diameter of~5μm).Moreover,the compressive testing results show that,the 0.4wt%GNSs/Al-Si composite foams own the optimal compression stress of 11.7±0.5 MPa,plateau stress of 10.0±1.0 MPa and energy absorption capacity of 6.8±0.7 MJ/m^(3),which have improvement of 58.1%,53.8%and 51.1%in comparison with the Al-Si alloy foams counterpart,respectively.The present findings may pave a new way for developing new generation of metallic composite foams that with stable microstructure and excellent mechanical performance.

Fabrication of Graphene Nanoplates Modified with Nickel Nanoparticles for Reinforcing Copper Matrix Composites

In order to improve the interface wettability as well as the interfacial bonding between graphene and copper matrix,in this work,graphene nanoplates modified with nickel nanoparticles(Ni-GNPs)were synthesized using a one-step method based on spray-drying and chemical vapor deposition.Thereafter,0.33 wt%Ni-GNPs were introduced into copper matrix composite by the molecular-level mixing method,leading to further enhancement of 90%in yield strength.This is attributed to the presence of Ni-GNPs,which provided high resistance to matrix against deformation.In addition,with the modification of nickel at the interface,the wettability and interfacial bonding between graphene nanoplates and copper matrix were improved,which enhanced the load transfer then.Furthermore,the microstructures and strengthening mechanisms were investigated and discus sed meanwhile.

Cu nanoparticle-decorated two-dimensional carbon nanosheets with superior photothermal conversion efficiency of 65 % for highly efficient disinfection under near-infrared light

Low photothermal conversion efficiency restricts the antibacterial application of photothermal materials.In this work,two-dimensional carbon nanosheets(2D C)were prepared and decorated with Cu nanoparticles(2D C/Cu)by using a simple soluble salt template method combined with ultrasonic exfoliation.The photothermal conversion efficiency of 2 D C/Cu system can be optimized by changing the content of Cu nanoparticles,where the 2D C/Cu2 showed the best photothermal conversion efficiency(á)of 65.05%under 808 nm near-infrared light irradiation.In addition,the photothermal performance can affect the release behavior of Cu ions.This superior photothermal property combined with released Cu ions can endow this 2D hybrid material with highly efficient antibacterial efficacy of 99.97%±0.01%,99.96%±0.01%,99.97%±0.01%against Escherichia coli,Staphylococcus aureus,and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus,respectively,because of the synergetic effect of photothermy and ion release.In addition,this 2D hybrid system exhibited good cytocompatibility.Hence,this study provides a novel strategy to enhance the photothermal performance of 2D materials and thus will be beneficial for development of antibiotics-free antibacterial materials with safe and highly efficient bactericidal activity.

Si-Assisted Solidification Path and Microstructure Control of 7075 Aluminum Alloy with Improved Mechanical Properties by Selective Laser Melting

The construction and application of traditional high-strength 7075 aluminum alloy(Al7075) through selective laser melting(SLM) are currently restricted by the serious hot cracking phenomenon. To address this critical issue, in this study, Si is employed to assist the SLM printing of high-strength Al7075. The laser energy density during SLM is optimized, and the eff ects of Si element on solidification path, relative density, microstructure and mechanical properties of Al7075 alloy are studied systematically. With the modified solidification path, laser energy density, and the dense microstructure with refined grain size and semi-continuous precipitates network at grain boundaries, which consists of fine Si, β-MgSi, Q-phase and θ-AlCu, the hot cracking phenomenon and mechanical properties are eff ectively improved. As a result, the tensile strength of the SLM-processed Si-modified Al7075 can reach 486 ± 3 MPa, with a high relative density of ~ 99.4%, a yield strength of 291 ± 8 MPa, fracture elongation of(6.4 ± 0.4)% and hardness of 162 ± 2(HV) at the laser energy density of 112.5 J/mm~3. The main strengthening mechanism with Si modification is demonstrated to be the synergetic enhancement of grain refinement, solution strengthening, load transfer, and dislocation strengthening. This work will inspire more new design of high-strength alloys through SLM.

Copper-Coated Graphene Nanoplatelets-Reinforced Al–Si Alloy Matrix Composites Fabricated by Stir Casting Method

In this study,Cu nanoparticles-coated graphene nanoplatelets(Cu-NPs@GNPs)were synthesized by a simple in situ method with the assistance of Na Cl templates and used for reinforcing Al–10 Si composites through stir casting process.The experimental results showed that the coating of Cu-NPs on the GNPs could compromise the density mismatch between GNPs and metal matrix and eff ectively hinder the float of GNPs during stirring.The reaction of Cu-NPs and Al matrix could protect the structural integrity of GNPs as well as improve the interfacial wettability between GNPs and the matrix,thus promoting the uniform dispersion of GNPs in the composites.As a result,the as-prepared 0.5 wt%Cu-NPs@GNPs/Al–10 Si composite exhibited a tensile strength of 251 MPa(45%higher than the Al–10 Si)with a total elongation of 15%.The strengthening eff ects were mainly attributed to the following three reasons:Firstly,the Cu-NPs coating improved the interfacial bonding between GNPs and Al matrix which promoted the load transfer from the matrix to the GNPs.Secondly,the nanoscale Al 2 Cu formed by the reaction of Cu-NPs and Al matrix played a role in precipitation strengthening.Thirdly,GNPs refined the silicon phases and improved the monolithic performances of the composites.

Self-anchored catalysts for substrate-free synthesis of metal-encapsulated carbon nano-onions and study of their magnetic properties

We demonstrate the synthesis of a novel self-anchored catalyst structure containing a Fe-Ni alloy nanosheet generated by phase separation for the substrate-free synthesis of carbon nanostructures. Fast Fourier transform analysis was carried out in order to investigate both the phase and structural evolution of the alloy nanosheet during reduction and chemical vapor deposition （CVD） growth. y-Fe-Ni （Feo.64Nio.36） and a-Fe-Ni （kamacite） phases were formed and separated on the NiFe204 nanosheet catalyst precursor during H2 reduction, forming selfanchored mono-dispersed y-Fe-Ni nanocrystals on a a-Fe-Ni matrix. The Fe-Ni alloy nanosheet serves both as a catalyst for growing metal-encapsulated carbon nano-onions （CNOs）, and as a support for anchoring these preformed nano- particles, yielding mono-dispersed catalyst nanoparticles with no requirement of additional substrates for the CVD growth. This synthesis is capable of mitigating the coalescence and Ostwald ripening without the assistance of an additional substrate. This structure allows for the growth of uniform-sized CNOs despite the aggregation, crumbling, and stacking of the alloy sheet. This study provides a promising design for novel catalyst structures by phase separation towards the substrate-free synthesis of carbon nanostructures in large scale. Finally, the ferromagnetic Feo.64Ni0.36@#CNOs particles demonstrate their application in both magnetic storage and water purification, as a non-toxic water treatment material.

Toughening Effects through Optimizing Cell Structure and Deformation Behaviors of Al–Mg Foams

As widely used protective materials,the application of Al foams is still limited by their low intrinsic mechanical properties caused by the brittleness of struts.The introduction of Mg is recently demonstrated effective to improve the mechanical performance of Al foams;however,the mechanism of Mg modification is still not clear.In this work,Al-Mg foams are developed through a powder metallurgy process with excellent compression performance and high energy absorption capacity.The effects of Mg modification on the cell structure,toughness,and deformation behavior are investigated systematically.As a result,the small cell size of~1.8 mm and the high sphericity of 0.92 are achieved with 5% of Mg addition,delivering high compression stress of 8.5±0.43 MPa and energy absorption capacity of 6.9±0.36 MJ/m^(3),simultaneously.The synergistic mechanism for the improved mechanical performance is also demonstrated to be the combination of stress transfer and plastic deformation behavior of cells.The results provide a new strategy to develop high-performance foam materials by improving toughness and further promote the practical application.