二次电池研究进展

能源的存储和利用是当今科学和技术发展中的重大课题之一,尤其是作为高效的电能/化学能转化装置的二次电池相关技术一直是科学家研究的热点领域。在此背景下,本文较为系统地介绍目前二次电池的重要研究进展,将从二次电池的发展历史引入,再到其相关的基础理论知识的介绍。随后较为详细地讨论当前不同体系的二次电池及相关应的关键材料的研究进展,涉及到锂离子电池、钠离子电池、钾离子电池、镁离子电池、锌离子电池、钙离子电池、铝离子电池、氟离子电池、氯离子电池、双离子电池、锂-硫(硒)电池、钠-硫(硒)电池、钾-硫(硒)电池、多价金属-硫基电池、锂-氧电池、钠-氧电池、钾-氧电池、多价金属-氧气电池、锂-溴(碘)电池、水系金属离子电池、光辅助电池、柔性电池、有机电池、金属-二氧化碳电池等。此外,也介绍了电池研究中常见的电极反应过程表征技术,包括冷冻电镜、透射电镜、同步辐射、原位谱学表征、磁性表征等。本文将有助于研究人员对二次电池进行全面系统的了解与把握,并为之后二次电池的研究提供很好的指导作用。

Pyrazine-nitrogen-rich exfoliated C4N nanosheets as efficient metal-free polymeric catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction

Herein,we for the first time demonstrate the synthesis of exfoliated C4N nanosheets via a top-down approach and exploit their use as a new class of organic polymeric catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).The obtained C4N nanosheets are semi-conductive with a small band gap of 1.41 eV and contain abundant pyrazine-nitrogen moieties uniformly distributed throughout C4N.Density function theory calculations reveal that the intramolecular charge transfer induced by pyrazine-nitrogen in C4N enables effective charge redistribution to activate the conjugated structure and facilitate the oxygen adsorption,while the exfoliated sheet-like C4N formation renders improved electrochemical active surface area and results in high exposure of active sites.As a result,despite the bulk C4N is not active,the sheet-like C4N yield markedly improved ORR performance,even on a par with the commercial Pt/C catalyst.Our recent findings not only enrich the family members of two-dimensional conjugated polymer nanosheets but also open up new opportunity to explore new metal-free organic polymeric materials for efficient oxygen reduction catalysis and beyond.

Coupled intramolecular/heterointerfacial electron transfer in polyelectrolyte-shielded Iso-type black phosphorus hetero-structure boosts oxygen reduction kinetics

Searching new structured black phosphorus(BP)and exploring intriguing functions and applications have become a hot topic so far.Here,we introduce a novel Iso-type black phosphorus heterostructure guided by first principle calculation,which features unique heterointerface and electronic coupling interaction via stacking assembly of exfoliated black phosphorus(EBP)and amine-functionalized EBP(N-EBP).Inspired by the theoretical results,we constructed the Iso-type heterostructure comprising of ultrathin exfoliated few-layered EBP and N-EBP,both of which were derived from identical bulk BP.The purposive amine-functionalization not only creates positively-charged P atoms on N-EBP as effective active sites via N-induced intramolecular electron transfer(IET)but also endows N-EBP with lower work function relative to EBP,while the unique EBP/N-EBP Iso-type heterostructure engenders directional heterointerfacial electron transfer(HET).The coupled IET/HET effects optimize the charge redistribution to afford favorable O_(2)adsorption.In this case,our unique strategy for the first time exploits the inherent catalytic capability of BP toward the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and enables the first use of BP as metal-free ORR catalysts for Zn-air cells.The newly-designed heterostructure facilitates a 4-e^(-)transfer ORR relative to inactive EBP or N-EBP.Importantly,the polymer-shielded heterostructure acts as efficient air electrodes to endow a primary Zn-air cell with high stability,large capacity and high energy density—superior to the commercial Pt/C-enabled cell.This study as the first report on metal-free BP-based ORR catalysts and air electrodes not only extends BP's application scopes but also renders new insight toward design of electronically-coupled superstructures for energy-related applications.

Black-phosphorus-based materials for application in solar cells

In the context of green development,the use of solar cells with renewable and environment-friendly characteristics has been rapidly growing.There has been a continuous search for materials that can enhance their performance.Black phosphorus,a new type of semiconductor material,has garnered significant attention due to its distinctive properties,particularly its direct band gap with tunable layers and high optoelectronic efficiency.This review summarizes the properties of black-phosphorus-based materials and focuses on their use as doping materials in various components of solar cells,such as the electron transport layer,hole transport layer,active layer,etc.The current challenges faced by black phosphorus materials and outlook on their future development have also been discussed.

A review of rechargeable batteries for portable electronic devices

Portable electronic devices(PEDs)are promising information-exchange platforms for real-time responses.Their performance is becoming more and more sensitive to energy consumption.Rechargeable batteries are the primary energy source of PEDs and hold the key to guarantee their desired performance stability.With the remarkable progress in battery technologies,multifunctional PEDs have constantly been emerging to meet the requests of our daily life conveniently.The ongoing surge in demand for high-performance PEDs inspires the relentless pursuit of even more powerful rechargeable battery systems in turn.In this review,we present how battery technologies contribute to the fast rise of PEDs in the last decades.First,a comprehensive overview of historical advances in PEDs is outlined.Next,four types of representative rechargeable batteries and their impacts on the practical development of PEDs are described comprehensively.The development trends toward a new generation of batteries and the future research focuses are also presented.

Significantly Enhanced Actuation Performance of IPMC by Surfactant-Assisted Processable MWCNT/Nafion Composite

The performance of Ionic Polymer Metal Composite （IPMC） actuator was significantly enhanced by incorporating surfactant-assisted processable Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes （MWCNTs） into a Nation solution. Cationic surfactant Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide （CTAB） was employed to disperse MWCNTs in the Nation matriX, forming a homogeneous and stable dispersion ofnanotubes. The processing did not involve any strong acid treatment and thus effectively preserved the excellent electronic properties associated with MWCNT. The as-obtained MWCNT/Nafion-IPMC actuator was tested in terms of conductivity, bulk and surface morphology, blocking force and electric current. It was shown that the blocking force and the current of the new IPMC are 2.4 times and 1.67 times higher compared with a pure Nation-based IPMC. Moreover, the MWCNT/IPMC performance is much better than previously reported Nafion-IPMC doped by acid-treated MWCNT. Such significantly improved performance should be attributed to the improvement of electrical property associated with the addition of MWCNTs without acid treatment.