Stable and reversible zinc metal anode with fluorinated graphite nanosheets surface coating

A highly stable zinc metal anode modified with a fluorinated graphite nanosheets(FGNSs)coating was designed.The porous structure of the coating layer effectively hinders lateral mass transfer of Zn ions and suppresses dendrite growth.Moreover,the high electronegativity exhibited by fluorine atoms creates an almost superhydrophobic solid-liquid interface,thereby reducing the interaction between solvent water and the zinc substrate.Consequently,this leads to a significant inhibition of hydrogen evolution corrosion and other side reactions.The modified anode demonstrates exceptional cycling stability,as symmetric cells exhibit sustained cycling for over 1400 h at a current density of 5 mA/cm^(2).Moreover,the full cells with NH_(4)V_(4)O_(10)cathode exhibit an impressive capacity retention rate of 92.2%after undergoing 1000 cycles.

Large-Scale Synthesis of Porous Bi2O3 with Oxygen Vacancies for Efficient Photodegradation of Methylene Blue

Photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants has become a hot research topic because of its low energy consumption and environmental-friendly characteristics.Bismuth oxide(Bi2O3)nanocrystals with a bandgap ranging from 2.0 eV to 2.8 eV have attracted increasing attention due to high activity of photodegradation of organic pollutants by utilizing visible light.Though several methods have been developed to prepare Bi2O3-based semiconductor materials over recent years,it is still difficult to prepare highly active Bi2O3 catalysts in large scale with a simple method.Therefore,developing simple and feasible methods for the preparation of Bi2O3 nanocrystals in large scale is important for the potential applications in industrial wastewater treatment.In this work,we successfully prepared porous Bi2O3 in large scale via etching commercial Bi Sn powders,followed by thermal treatment with air.The acquired porous Bi2O3 exhibited excellent activity and stability in photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue.Further investigation of the mechanism witnessed that the suitable band structure of porous Bi2O3 allowed the generation of reactive oxygen species,such as O2^-·and·OH,which effectively degraded MB.

Facile synthesis of porous LiNiVO_4 powder as high-voltage cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

Porous LiNiVO4 powder was synthesized via solution combustion synthesis method using lithium nitrate, nickel nitrate,ammonium metavanadate and citric acid as raw materials. Thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC),X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used toevaluate the structures and morphologies of samples. The results show that the calcination temperature has significant effect on thecrystallinity and morphologies. Pure LiNiVO4 flaky nanoparticles with a mean particle size around 20 nm can be readily prepared bycalcining the precursor in air at 500 °C for 2 h. As a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, the porous LiNiVO4 powder exhibits agood structural reversibility.

Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene doped by W atoms for full-spectrum photofixation of nitrogen

Full-spectrum photofixation of N_(2) with remarkable NH_(3) production rate of 228μmol/(g·h)was achieved by W atoms doped Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene(W/Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)-U)catalyst without sacrificial agents at room temperature.The effects of W doping and ultrasonic intercalation of Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene were studied.Scanning transmission electron microscope,electron spin resonance spectra,X-ray photoemission spectroscopy,UV-Vis spectrophotometer,temperature programmed adsorption analyzer and density functional theory calculation were used to characterize the obtained catalysts.Results showed that Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x)MXene harvested ultraviolet-visible and near-infrared light to generate hot electrons.In addition,the doped W atoms played an effective role in adsorbing and activating N_(2) molecules by donating electrons to the anti-bonding orbital of N_(2) molecules to elongate the bond length of N≡N.

PVDF-HFP binder for advanced zinc−manganese batteries

In order to optimize and select the appropriate binder to improve the electrochemical performance of aqueous zinc-manganese batteries,the influences of water-soluble binders and oil-based binders on the zinc storage performance of manganese-based cathode materials were systematically investigated.The results show that the water-soluble binders with large numbers of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups are easily soluble in aqueous electrolytes,leading to poor electrochemical performance.Fortunately,the cathodes with polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene(PVDF-HFP)binder display high specific capacity of 264.9 mA·h/g and good capacity retention of 92%after 90 cycles at 100 mA/g.Meanwhile,PVDF-HFP binder with plenty of hydrophobic groups presents excellent ability in inhibiting cracks on the surface of electrode,reducing voltage polarization and charge transfer resistance,as well as maintaining electrode integrity.

Enrichment of trace cerium subgroup rare earths by means of ion flotation

The possibility of ion flotation of cerium subgroup rare earths (Ce-subgroup) was explored. Various factors affecting the flotation efficiency were investigated. The results showed that, by using sodium tetradecyl sulfate as the collector of trace Ce-subgroup and frother, over 95% of Ce-subgroup at ng/g levels could be separated from pH 2.3 media in 10--15 min. The proposed method has been applied to the determination of Ce-subgroup in a polluted farmland soil reference material (GBW 08303) with satisfactory results.

Copper-based materials in anode electrode of aqueous zinc metal batteries

Aqueous zinc metal batteries have attracted much attention in the field of large-scale energy storage due to their abundant resources,high safety,low cost,and high theoretical energy density.However,Zn anodes suffer from serious problems such as dendrite growth,hydrogen evolution reaction,corrosion,and passivation.Cu-based materials have a wide range of applications in Zn anodes due to their excellent zincophilicity.Unfortunately,relevant review on Cu-based materials in anode electrode is still lacking.This review focuses on the progress,issues,and optimization strategies of Cu-based materials in Zn anodes.The application of Cu collectors in Zn anodes and the corresponding modifications are also highlighted.Finally,insights and future directions related to Cu-based materials for modified Zn anode and Cu collectors are presented to provide scientific guidance for future research.