Identification of optimal composition with superior electrochemical properties along the zero Mn^(3+)line in Na_(0.75)(Mn-Al-Ni)O_(2)pseudo ternary system

Biphasic layered oxide cathodes,known for their superior electrochemical performance,are prime candidates for commercializing in Na-ion batteries.Herein,we unveil a series of P3/P2 monophasic and biphasic Al-substituted Na_(3/4)Mn_(5-x/8)Al_(2x/8)Ni_(3-x/8)O_(2)layered oxide cathodes that lie along the‘zero Mn^(3+)line’in the Na_(3/4)(Mn-Al-Ni)O_(2)pseudo-ternary system.The structural analysis showed a larger Na^(+)conduction bottleneck area in both P3 and P2 structures with a higher Al3+content,which enhanced their rate performance.In each composition,the P3/P2 biphasic compound with nearly equal fractions of P3 and P2 phases outperformed their monophasic counterparts in almost all electrochemical performance parameters.Operando synchrotron XRD measurements obtained for the monophasic P3 and biphasic P2/P3 samples revealed the absence of the O3 phase during cycling.The high structure stability and faster Na^(+)transport kinetics in the biphasic samples underpins the enhancement of electrochemical properties in the Al-substituted P3/P2 cathodes.These results highlight fixed oxidation state lines as a novel tool to identify and design layered oxide cathodes for Na-ion batteries in pseudo-ternary diagrams involving Jahn-Teller active cations.

Al_2O_3 coating for improving thermal stability performance of manganese spinel battery

The synthesis of Al2O3-coated and uncoated LiMn2O4 by solid-state method and fabrication of LiMn2O4/graphite battery were described. The structure and morphology of the powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. The electrochemical and overcharge performances of Al2O3-coated and uncoated LiMn2O4 batteries were investigated and compared. The uncoated LiMn2O4 battery shows capacity loss of 16.5% after 200 cycles, and the coated LiMn2O4 battery only shows 12.5% after 200 cycles. The uncoated LiMn2O4 battery explodes and creates carbon, MnO, and Li2CO3 after 3C/10 V overcharged test, while the coated LiMn2O4 battery passes the test. The steadier structure, polarization of electrode and modified layer are responsible for the safety performance.

Fe3C-N-doped carbon modified separator for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

A new Fe3C-N-doped reduced graphene oxide(Fe3C-N-rGO)prepared by a facile method is used as a separator for high performance lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries.The Fe3C-N-rGO is coated on the surface of commercial polypropylene separator(Celgard 2400)close to the sulfur cathode.The special nanotubes are in-situ catalyzed by Fe3C nanoparticles.They could entrap lithium polysulfides(Li PSs)to restrain the shuttle effect and reduce the loss of active material.The battery with the modified separator and sulfur cathode shows an excellent cycle performance.It has a high rate performance,580.5 mAh/g at the high current rate of 4 C relative to 1075 mAh/g at 0.1 C.It also has an initial discharge capacity of 774.8 m Ah/g measured at 0.5 C and remains 721.8 mAh/g after 100 cycles with a high capacity retention of 93.2%.The outstanding performances are notable in recently reports with modified separator.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of Li_(1.3)Al_(0.3)Ti_(1.7)(PO_(4))_(3) solid electrolyte by anion doping

Nowadays,the majority of the studies on the substitution are focused on cations(such as Y^(3+),Ti^(4+),P^(5+),etc.)in Li_(1.3)Al_(0.3)Ti_(1.7)(PO_(4))_(3)(LATP),while there are few studies on the substitution of anion O^(2-).In this work,the modified LATP with a series of LiCl(LATPClx,x=0.1,0.2,0.3,0.4)additives is prepared to enhance ionic conductivity.The successful introduction of Cl-makes the length of the c axis decrease from 20.822(2)to 20.792(1)Å,and the bulk conductivity of 2.13×10^(-3) S·cm^(-1) is achieved in LATPCl_(0.3).Moreover,the Al/Ti-O1/Cl1 and Al/Ti-O_(2)/Cl_(2) distance decrease,while the Li1-O_(2)/Cl_(2) distance increases.Lithium ions migrate more easily in the nanochannel of M3-M1-M3.In addition,the LiCl additive increases the relative density and the grain boundary conductivity of LATPClx compounds.Naturally,a higher ionic conductivity of 2.12×10^(–4) S·cm^(-1) and a low activation energy of 0.30 eV are obtained in LATPCl_(0.3).Correspondingly,the symmetric cell exhibits a low overpotential of±50 mV for over 200 h in LATPCl_(0.3).The solid-state Li|LATPCl_(0.3)|NCM811(NCM811=LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O_(2))battery exhibits high initial capacity 185.1 mAh·g^(-1) with a capacity retention rate of 95.4%after 100 cycles at 0.5 C.This result suggests that LiCl additive is an effective strategy to promote electrochemical properties of LATP solid electrolyte and can be considered for reference to other inorganic solid electrolytes systems.

Natural overlaying behaviors push the limit of planar cyclic deformation performance in few-layer MoS_(2) nanosheets

As a typical two-dimensional(2D)transition metal dichalcogenides(TMDCs)material with nonzero band gap,MoS_(2)has a wide range of potential applications as building blocks in the field of nanoelectronics.The stability and reliability of the corresponding nanoelectronic devices depend critically on the mechanical performance and cyclic reliability of 2D MoS_(2).Although an in situ technique has been used to analyze the mechanical properties of 2D materials,the cyclic mechanical behavior,that is,fatigue,remains a major challenge in the practical application of the devices.This study was aimed at analyzing the planar cyclic performance and deformation behavior of three-layer MoS_(2)nanosheets(NSs)using an in situ transmission electron microscopy(TEM)variable-amplitude uniaxial low-frequency and cyclic loading-unloading tensile acceleration test.We also elucidated the strengthening effect of the natural overlaying affix fragments(other external NSs)or wrinkle folds(internal folds from the NS itself)on cycling performances and service life of MoS_(2)NSs by delaying the whole process of fatigue crack initiation,propagation,and fracture.The results have been confirmed by molecular dynamics(MDs)simulations.The overlaying enhancement effect effectively ensures the long-term reliability and stability of nanoelectronic devices made of few-layer 2D materials.

Suppression of multistep phase transitions of O3-type cathode for sodium-ion batteries

O3-type layered oxide cathodes have been widely investigated due to their high reversible capacities and sufficient Na+reservoirs.However,such materials usually suffer from complex multistep phase transitions along with drastic volume changes,leading to the unsatisfied cycle performance.Herein,we report a Mg/Ti co-doped O3-type NaNi_(0.5)Mn_(0.5)O_(2),which can effectively suppress the complex multistep phase transition and realize a solid-solution reaction within a wide voltage range.It is confirmed that,the Mg/Ti co-doping is beneficial to enhance the structural stability and integrity by absorbing micro-strain and distortions.Thus,the as obtained sample delivers an outstanding cyclic performance(82.3%after 200 cycles at 1 C)in the voltage range of 2.0-4.0 V,and a high discharge capacity of 86.6 mAh/g after 100 cycles within the wide voltage range(2.0-4.5 V),which outperform the existing literatures.This co-doping strategy offers new insights into high performance O3-type cathode for sodium ion batteries.

Proposing two new methods to decrease lateral-torsional buckling in reduced beam section connections

Reduced web section(RWS)connections can prevent lateral-torsional buckling and web local buckling experienced by reduced beam section(RBS)connections.In RWS connections,removing a large portion of web can result in shear demand intolerance induced to plastic hinge region.The present study aims to resolve the problems of RBS and RWS connections by proposing two new connections:(1)RBS with stiffener(RBS-ST)and(2)RBS with reduced web(RW-RBS)connections.In the first connection(RBS-ST),a series of stiffeners is connected to the beam in the reduced flange region,while the second connection(RW-RBS)considers both a reduction in flanges and a reduction in web.Five beam-to-column joints with three different connections,including RBS,RBS-ST,and RW-RBS connections were considered and simulated in ABAQUS.According to the results,RBS-ST and RW-RBS connections can decrease or even eliminate lateral-torsional buckling and web local buckling in RBS connection.It is important to note that RWRBS connection is more effective in long beams with smaller shear demands in the plastic hinge region.Moreover,results showed that RBS and RW-RBS connections experienced strength degradation at 4%to 5%drift,while no strength degradation was observed in RBS-ST connection until 8%drift.