Carbon confinement synthesis of interlayer-expanded and sulfur-enriched MoS2+x nanocoating on hollow carbon spheres for advanced Li-S batteries

High energy density and low-cost lithium-sulfur batteries have been considered as one of the most promising candidates for next-generation energy storage systems.However,the intrinsic problems of the sulfur cathode severely restrict their further practical application.Here,a unique double-shell architecture composed of hollow carbon spheres@interlayer-expanded and sulfur-enriched MoS2+x nanocoating composite has been developed as an efficient sulfur host.A uniform precursor coating derived from heteropolyanions-induced polymerization of pyrrole leads to space confinement effect during the in-situ sulfurization process,which generates the interlayer-expanded and sulfur-enriched MoS2+x nanosheets on amorphous carbon hollow spheres.This new sulfur host possesses multifarious merits including sufficient voids for loading sulfur active materials,high electronic conductivity,and fast lithium-ion diffusive pathways.In addition,additional active edge sites of MoS2+x accompanied by the nitrogen-doped carbon species endow the sulfur host with immobilizing and catalyzing effects on the soluble polysulfide species,dramatically accelerating their conversion kinetics and re-utilization.The detailed defect-induced interface catalytic reaction mechanism is firstly proposed.As expected,the delicately-designed sulfur host exhibits an outstanding initial discharge capacity of 1,249 mAh·g^−1 at 0.2 C and a desirable rate performance(593 mAh·g^−1 at 5.0 C),implying its great prospects in achieving superior electrochemical performances for advanced lithium sulfur batteries.

Transient tribo-dynamic analysis of crosshead slipper in lowspeed marine diesel engines during engine startup

A crosshead slipper-guide system,which bears a significant thrust force,is an essential friction pair in low-speed marine diesel engines.Owing to the low moving speed of the crosshead slipper during engine startup,it is difficult to form good hydrodynamic lubrication between the crosshead slipper and guide.Therefore,a detailed analysis of the crosshead slipper during engine startup is needed.In this study,a new transient tribo-dynamic model for a crosshead slipper during the engine startup process is presented.The model consists of a mixed lubrication model of the crosshead slipper-guide and dynamic models of the piston assembly,crosshead assembly,connecting rod,and crankshaft.The tribo-dynamic performances of the crosshead slipper during startup and under the rated conditions were simulated and compared.The results show that the tribo-dynamics of the crosshead slipper during the startup process are significantly different from those under the rated conditions.Some measures beneficial for the low friction of a crosshead slipper-guide under the rated conditions may significantly increase the friction loss of the crosshead slipper-guide system during the startup process.

Terminal sulfur atoms formation via defect engineering strategy to promote the conversion of lithium polysulfides

The defect engineering shows great potential in boosting the conversion of lithium polysulfides intermediates for high energy density lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs),yet the catalytic mechanisms remain unclear.Herein,the oxygen-defective Li_(4)Ti_(5)O_(12)-xhollow microspheres uniformly encapsulated by N-doped carbon layer(OD-LTO@NC)is delicately designed as an intrinsically polar inorganic sulfur host for the research on the catalytic mechanism.Theoretical simulations have demonstrated that the existence of oxygen deficiencies enhances the adsorption capability of spinel Li_(4)Ti_(5)O_(12)towards soluble lithium polysulfides.Some-S-S-bonds of the Li2S6on the defective Li_(4)Ti_(5)O_(12)surface are fractured by the strong adsorption force,which allows the inert bridging sulfur atoms to be converted into the susceptible terminal sulfur atoms,and reduces the activation energy of the polysulfide conversion in some degree.In addition,with the N-doped carbon layer,secondary hollow microspheres architecture built with primary ultrathin nanosheets provide a large amount of void space and active sites for sulfur storage,adsorption and conversion.The as-designed sulfur host exhibits a remarkable rate capability of 547 m Ah g^(-1)at 4C(1 C=1675 m A g^(-1))and an outstanding long-term cyclability(519 m Ah g^(-1)after 1000 cycles at 3 C).Besides,a high specific capacity of 832 m Ah g^(-1)is delivered even after 100 cycles under a high sulfur mass loading of 3.2 mg cm^(-2),indicating its superior electrochemical performances.This work not only provides a strong proof for the application of oxygen defect in the adsorption and catalytic conversion of lithium polysulfides,but offers a promising avenue to achieve high performance LSBs with the material design concept of incorporating oxygen-deficient spinel structure with hierarchical hollow frameworks.