Mitigating kinetic hindrance of single-crystal Ni-rich cathodes through morphology modulation,nickel reduction,and lithium vacancy generation achieved by terbium doping

Single crystallization has proven to be effective in enhancing the capacity and stability of Ni-rich LiNi_(1-x-y)Co_(x)Mn_(y)O_(2)(SNCM)cathode materials,particularly at high cut-off voltages.Nevertheless,the synthesis of high-quality single-crystal particles remains challenging because of severe particle agglomeration and irregular morphologies.Moreover,the limited kinetics of solid-phase Li^(+)diffusion pose a significant concern because of the extended diffusion path in large single-crystal particles.To address these challenges,we developed a Tb-doped single-crystal LiNi_(0.83)Co_(0.11)Mn_(0.06)O_(2)(SNCM-Tb)cathode material using a straightforward mixed molten salt sintering process.The Tb-doped Ni-rich single crystals presented a quasi-spherical morphology,which is markedly different from those reported in previous studies.Tb^(4+)oping significantly enhanced the dynamic transport of Li^(+)ions in the layered oxide phase by reducing the Ni valence state and creating Li vacancies.A SNCM-Tb material with 1 at%Tb doping shows a Li^(+)diffusion coefficient up to more than 9 times higher than pristine SNCM in the non-diluted state.In situ X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrated a significantly facilitated H1-H2-H3 phase transition in the SNCM-Tb materials,thereby enhancing their rate capacity and structural stability.SNCM-Tb exhibited a reversible capacity of 186.9 mA h g^(-1)at 5 C,retaining 94.6%capacity after 100 cycles at 0.5 C under a 4,5 V cut-off.Our study elucidates the Tb^(4+)doping mechanisms and proposes a scalable method for enhancing the performance of single-crystal Ni-rich NCM materials.

Intrinsic Self-Healing Chemistry for Next-Generation Flexible Energy Storage Devices

The booming wearable/portable electronic devices industry has stimulated the progress of supporting flexible energy storage devices.Excellent performance of flexible devices not only requires the component units of each device to maintain the original performance under external forces,but also demands the overall device to be flexible in response to external fields.However,flexible energy storage devices inevitably occur mechanical damages(extrusion,impact,vibration)/electrical damages(overcharge,over-discharge,external short circuit)during longterm complex deformation conditions,causing serious performance degradation and safety risks.Inspired by the healing phenomenon of nature,endowing energy storage devices with self-healing capability has become a promising strategy to effectively improve the durability and functionality of devices.Herein,this review systematically summarizes the latest progress in intrinsic self-healing chemistry for energy storage devices.Firstly,the main intrinsic self-healing mechanism is introduced.Then,the research situation of electrodes,electrolytes,artificial interface layers and integrated devices based on intrinsic self-healing and advanced characterization technology is reviewed.Finally,the current challenges and perspective are provided.We believe this critical review will contribute to the development of intrinsic self-healing chemistry in the flexible energy storage field.

Layer stacked SiO_(x) microparticle with disconnected interstices enables stable interphase and particle integrity for lithium-ion batteries

Severe mechanical fractu re and unstable interphase,associated with the large volumetric expansion/contraction,significantly hinder the application of high-capacity SiO_(x)materials in lithium-ion batteries.Herein,we report the design and facile synthesis of a layer stacked SiO_(x)microparticle(LS-SiO_(x))material,which presents a stacking structure of SiO_(x)layers with abundant disconnected interstices.This LS-SiO_(x)microparticle can effectively accommodate the volume expansion,while ensuring negligible particle expansion.More importantly,the interstices within SiO_(x)microparticle are disconnected from each other,which efficiently prevent the electrolyte from infiltration into the interior,achieving stable electrode/-electrolyte interface.Accordingly,the LS-SiO_(x)material without any coating delivers ultrahigh average Coulombic efficiency,outstanding cycling stability,and full-cell applicability.Only 6 cycles can attain>99.92%Coulombic efficiency and the capacity retention at 0.05 A g^(-1)for 100 cycles exceeds99%.After 800 cycles at 1 A g^(-1),the thickness swelling of LS-SiO_(x)electrode is as low as 0.87%.Moreover,the full cell with pure LS-SiO_(x)anode exhibits capacity retention of 91.2%after 300 cycles at 0.2 C.This work provides a novel concept and effective approach to rationally design silicon-based and other electrode materials with huge volume variation for electrochemical energy storage applications.

Stabilizing electrode-electrolyte interface for high-performance SiO_(x) anode by dual electrolyte additive

Macro-and micro-interface instability of SiO_(x)anode caused by its dramatic volume variation during cycling will result in low Coulombic efficiency and rapid capacity degradation.In this work,an organic-inorganic composite interfacial layer rich in benzene ring groups,polyisocyanates,and LiF was obtained on SiO_(x)anode by the introduction of 4-fluorophenyl isocyanate(FPI)and fluoroethylene carbonate(FEC)co-additives in electrolyte.The SiO_(x)anode material shows a capacity retention of 69.2%after 100 cycles at a current density of 1 A g^(-1)and rate capacity of 523 m A h g^(-1)at the current density of 3A g^(-1),while the SiO_(x)anode cycling in reference electrolyte has almost no capacity.

A bifunctional perovskite oxide catalyst:The triggered oxygen reduction/evolution electrocatalysis by moderated Mn-Ni co-doping

ABO_(3)-type perovskite oxides(e.g.,LaCoO_(3))with flexible and adjustable A-and B-sites are ideal model catalysts to unravel the relationship between the electronic structure and electrocatalytic activity(e.g.,oxygen reduction/evolution reactions,ORR/OER).It has been well understood in our recent work that the secondary metal dopant at B-site(e.g.,Mn in LaMn_(x)Co_(1-x)O_(3))can regulate the electronic structure and improve the ORR/OER activity.In this work,the Mn-Ni pairs are employed as the dual dopant in LaMn_(x)Ni_(y)Co_(z)O_(3)(x+y+z=1)catalysts toward bifunctional ORR and OER.The structure-property relationships between the triple metal B-site(Mn,Ni and Co)and the electrochemical performance are particularly investigated.Compared to the individual Mn doping(e.g.,LaMnCoO3(Mn:Co=1:3)catalyst),the dual Mn-Ni doping significantly improves the ORR mass activity@0.8 V by 1.54 times;meanwhile,the OER overpotential@10 mA cm^(-2) is reduced from 420 to 370 mV,and the OER current density at 1.55 V is increased by 2.43 times.Reasonably,the potential gap between EDRR@-1 mA cm^(-2) and EDER@10 mA cm^(-2) is achieved as only 0.76 V by using the optimal LaMn_(x)Ni_(y)Co_(z)O_(3)(x:y:z=1:2:3)catalyst.It is revealed that the dual Mn-Ni dopant efficiently optimizes electron structures of the LaMnNiCoO_(3)(1:2:3)catalyst,which not only decreases the e_(g) orbital electron number,but also modulates the O 2 p-band closer to the Femi level,accounting for the enhanced bifunctional activity.

Unraveling the reaction mechanism of low dose Mn dopant in Ni(OH)_(2) supercapacitor electrode

Mn doping is deemed as a promising strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of the a-Ni(OH)_(2)battery-type supercapacitor electrode.However,the internal structure evolution,the pathways and the dynamics of the proton/intercalated anion migration,as well as the functioning mechanism of Mn dopant to stabilize the layered structure during cycles remain unclear.Here,we unveil that irreversible oxidization of Mn^(3+)at the initial CV cycles,which will remain as Mn^(4+)in the NiO_(2)slabs after the first oxidization to effectively suppress the phase transformation fromα-Ni(OH)_(2)/γ-NiOOH toβ-Ni(OH)_(2)/β-NiOOH and further maintain the structural integrity of electrode.With a synergistic combination of theoretical calculations and various structural probes including XRD and^(2)H MAS solid state NMR,we decode the structure evolution and dynamics in the initial CV(cyclic voltammetry)cycles,including the absorption/desorption of hydrogen containing species,migration of intercalated anions/water molecules and the change of interlayer space.This present work elucidates a close relationship between doping chemistry and structural reliability,paving a novel way of reengineering supercapacitor electrode materials.

Electrochemically-driven interphase conditioning of magnesium electrode for magnesium sulfur batteries

The earth-abundant magnesium metal is a kind of promising anode material due to its low reduction potential (-2.356V vs. SHE), high volumetric and gravimetric specific capacities of 3882 mAh cm-3 and 2234 mAh g_1 respectively [1]. Moreover, the magnesium anode shows high safety due to the non-dentritic electrodeposition mechanism during cycling, which is related to the strong Mg-Mg bonding and the consequent high energy barrier between the crystal boundaries of different crystal orientation [2].

Tuning the electronic structure of platinum nanocrystals towards high efficient ethanol oxidation

Direct ethanol fuel cell is a promising low temperature fuel cell,but its development is hindered by sluggish kinetics of anode catalysts for ethanol oxidation.Here a high efficient platinum/tin oxide/Graphene nanocomposite is synthesized through a facile and environmentally benign method.The structure and morphology are carefully characterized by X-ray diffraction and Transmission electron microscopy,showing a clear platinum/tin oxide heterostructure uniformly dispersed on graphene support.This catalyst demonstrates the highest activity among the reported catalysts and much higher durability towards ethanol oxidation compared to conventional platinum nanocatalysts.The ultrahigh activity originates from promoted removal of poisoning carbon monoxide immediate species on platinum due to a strong electronic donating effect from both tin oxide and graphene,which is fully supported by carbon monoxide stripping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.Our platinum/tin oxide/Graphene appears to be a promising candidate for ethanol oxidation electrocatalysts.

Tuning the phase evolution pathway of LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4) synthesis from binary intermediates to ternary intermediates with thermal regulating agent

Transition metal cation ordering is essential for controlling the electrochemical performance of cubic spinel LiNi_(0.5)Mn_(1.5)O_(4)(LNMO),which is conventionally adjusted by optimizing the high temperature sintering and annealing procedures.In this present work,multiple characterization techniques,including 6,7Li NMR,XRD and HRTEM,have been combined to trace the phase transformation and morphology evolution during synthesis.It has been illustrated that simultaneous formation of LiMn_(2)O_(4)(LMO)and LiNiO_(2)(LNO)binary oxides and their conversion into highly reactive LixNi^(3+)_(y)Mn_(3.5+)_(z)O ternary intermediate is a thermal dynamically difficult but crucial step in the synthesis of LNMO ternary oxide.A new strategy of modifying the intermediates formation pathway from binary mode to ternary mode using thermal regulating agent has been adopted.LNMO synthesized with thermal regulating agent exhibits supreme rate capability,long-cycling performance(even at elevated temperature)and excellent capacity efficiency.At a high rate of 100 C,the assembled battery delivers a discharge capacity of 99 mAh g^(-1).This study provides a way to control the formation pathway of complex oxides using thermal regulating agent.

Unraveling the advances of trace doping engineering for potassium ion battery anodes via tomography

Doping have been considered as a prominent strategy to stabilize crystal structure of battery materials during the insertion and removal of alkali ions.The instructive knowledge and experience acquired from doping strategies predominate in cathode materials,but doping principle in anodes remains unclear.Here,we demonstrate that trace element doping enables stable conversion-reaction and ensures structural integrity for potassium ion battery(PIB) anodes.With a synergistic combination of X-ray tomography,structural probes,and charge reconfiguration,we encode the physical origins and structural evolution of electro-chemo-mechanical degradation in PIB anodes.By the multiple ion transport pathways created by the orderly hierarchical pores from "surface to bulk" and the homogeneous charge distribution governed in doped nanodomains,the anisotropic expansion can be significantly relieved with trace isoelectronic element doping into the host lattice,maintaining particle mechanical integrity.Our work presents a close relationship between doping chemistry and mechanical reliability,projecting a new pathway to reengineering electrode materials for next-generation energy storage.

The origins of kinetics hysteresis and irreversibility of monoclinic Li_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)

Monoclinic Li_(2)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3);is a promising cathode material with complex charge–discharge behavior.Previous structural investigation of this compound mainly focuses on local environments;while the reaction kinetics and the driving force of irreversibility of this material remain unclear.To fully understand the above issues,both the equilibrium and the non-equilibrium reaction routes have been systematically investigated in this study.Multiple characterization techniques including X-ray diffraction,variable temperature(spinning rate)and ex/in situ ^(7)Li,^(31)P solid state NMR have been employed to provide comprehensive insights into kinetics,dynamics,framework structure evolution and charge ordering,which is essential to better design and application of lithium transition metal phosphate cathodes.Our results suggest that the kinetics process between the non-equilibrium and the quasi-equilibrium delithiation pathways from Li_(2)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3);to V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3);is related with a slow relaxation from two-site to one-site delithiation.More importantly,it has been demonstrated that the irreversibility in this system is not solely affected by cation and/or charge ordering/disordering,but mainly driven by framework structure distortion.

Recent advances and practical challenges of high-energy-density flexible lithium-ion batteries

With the rapid iteration and update of wearable flexible devices,high-energy-density flexible lithium-ion batteries are rapidly thriving.Flexibility,energy density,and safety are all important indicators for flexible lithium-ion batteries,which can be determined jointly by material selection and structural design.Here,recent progress on high-energy-density electrode materials and flexible structure designs are discussed.Commercialized electrode materials and the next-generation high-energy-density electrode materials are analyzed in detail.The electrolytes with high safety and excellent flexibility are classified and discussed.The strategies to increase the mass loading of active materials on the electrodes by designing the current collector and electrode structure are discussed with keys of representative works.And the novel configuration structures to enhance the flexibility of batteries are displayed.In the end,it is pointed out that it is necessary to quantify the comprehensive performance of flexible lithium-ion batteries and simultaneously enhance the energy density,flexibility,and safety of batteries for the development of the next-generation high-energy-density flexible lithium-ion batteries.