Morphology mediation of MoS_(2) nanosheets with organic cations for fast sodium ion storage

Ion diffusion kinetics,depending on the size,tortuosity,connectivity of the channels,greatly affects the rate performance of the electrodes.Two-dimensional materials(2DMs) has emerged as promising electrode materials in the past decades.Howeve r,the applications of 2DMs electrodes are limited by the strong restacking problem,which leads to a poor rate capability.In this work,we for the first time mediated the mo rphology of molybdenum disulfide(MoS_(2)) nanosheets via a facile coagulation method;abundant sheet crumples were induced,which greatly enhance their surface accessibility and thus benefit the ion diffusion kinetics.Consequently,the crumpled-MoS_(2) electrodes follow a capacitive Na-ion charge-storage mechanism to a large extent.Importantly,we demonstrate the special role of organic cations in the inter-sheet assembly configuration,in sharp contrast with that of alkali/alkaline-earth ones.We propose that organic cations cause edge/face contact of the sheets,instead of the face/face contact,thus affording a house-of-cards structure.

Rational design of robust nano-Si/graphite nanocomposites anodes with strong interfacial adhesion for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

The nano-Si/graphite nanocomposites are the promising anodes candidates for high-energy lithium-ion batteries because of their high theoretical capacities and low volume variations.However,the nano-Si has a severe tendency to separate from the graphite substrate due to the inherently weak bonding between them,thus leading to the deteriorated cycling performance and low Coulombic efficiency.Herein,we design a robust nano-Si/graphite nanocomposite structure with strong interfacial adhesion caused by the Si—Ti and Ti—C covalent bonds.The abundant Si—Ti and Ti—C bonds formed between nano-Si and graphite greatly enhance the interfacial adhesion force,resulting in the highly stabilized and integrated electrode structure during battery cycling.Consequently,the as-obtained nano-Si/graphite anodes deliver a high capacity retention of 90.0% after 420 cycles at 0.5 C with an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.5%;moreover,a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 90.2% is achieved.Significantly,this work provides a novel strategy to address the poor interfacial adhesion between nano-Si and graphite,which can be applied to other nano-Si based composites anodes.

Processing micrometer-sized particles in crumpled graphene network for freestanding membrane enabled by freeze casting

Graphene oxide(GO)is widely used in the construction and application of various 2 D membrane-based materials due to its unique colloidal structure.Herein,we demonstrate that micrometer-sized particles can make up freestanding membranes enabled by the extraordinary amphiphilic and polymer-like properties of graphene oxide through freeze casting.The 2 D macromolecule,GO could well wrap the particles for better uniformity and stability in either dispersion or membrane.Importantly,freeze casting plays an important role in avoiding the severe aggregation of micrometer-sized particles in the solventremoving process.After reduction,the membrane exhibits good electrical conductivity while maintaining its integral structure,which can be directly used as a freestanding binder-free electrode.This work provides a universal approach to fabricate freestanding membranes with various micrometersized materials for energy storage.