Quasi-Solid-State Ion-Conducting Arrays Composite Electrolytes with Fast Ion Transport Vertical-Aligned Interfaces for All-Weather Practical Lithium-Metal Batteries

The rapid improvement in the gel polymer electrolytes(GPEs)with high ionic conductivity brought it closer to practical applications in solid-state Li-metal batteries.The combination of solvent and polymer enables quasi-liquid fast ion transport in the GPEs.However,different ion transport capacity between solvent and polymer will cause local nonuniform Li+distribution,leading to severe dendrite growth.In addition,the poor thermal stability of the solvent also limits the operating-temperature window of the electrolytes.Optimizing the ion transport environment and enhancing the thermal stability are two major challenges that hinder the application of GPEs.Here,a strategy by introducing ion-conducting arrays(ICA)is created by vertical-aligned montmorillonite into GPE.Rapid ion transport on the ICA was demonstrated by 6Li solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance and synchrotron X-ray diffraction,combined with computer simulations to visualize the transport process.Compared with conventional randomly dispersed fillers,ICA provides continuous interfaces to regulate the ion transport environment and enhances the tolerance of GPEs to extreme temperatures.Therefore,GPE/ICA exhibits high room-temperature ionic conductivity(1.08 mS cm^(−1))and long-term stable Li deposition/stripping cycles(>1000 h).As a final proof,Li||GPE/ICA||LiFePO_(4) cells exhibit excellent cycle performance at wide temperature range(from 0 to 60°C),which shows a promising path toward all-weather practical solid-state batteries.

State of the Art in Alcohol Sensing with 2D Materials

Since the discovery of graphene,the star among new materials,there has been a surge of attention focused on the monatomic and monomolecular sheets which can be obtained by exfoliation of layered compounds.Such materials are known as two-dimensional(2D)materials and offer enormous versatility and potential.The ultimate single atom,or molecule,thickness of the 2D materials sheets provides the highest surface to weight ratio of all the nanomaterials,which opens the door to the design of more sensitive and reliable chemical sensors.The variety of properties and the possibility of tuning the chemical and surface properties of the 2D materials increase their potential as selective sensors,targeting chemical species that were previously difficult to detect.The planar structure and the mechanical flexibility of the sheets allow new sensor designs and put 2D materials at the forefront of all the candidates for wearable applications.When developing sensors for alcohol,the response time is an essential factor for many industrial and forensic applications,particularly when it comes to hand-held devices.Here,we review recent developments in the applications of 2D materials in sensing alcohols along with a study on parameters that affect the sensing capabilities.The review also discusses the strategies used to develop the sensor along with their mechanisms of sensing and provides a critique of the current limitations of 2D materials-based alcohol sensors and an outlook for the future research required to overcome the challenges.