Effect of baking processes on properties of TiB_2/C composite cathode material

Pitch and TiB2/C green composite cathode material were respectively analyzed with simultaneous DSC-TGA, and effects of three baking processes of TiB2/C composite cathode material, i.e. K25, K5 and M5, on properties of TiB2/C composite cathode material were investigated. The results show that thermogravimetrie behavior of pitch and TiB2/C green composite cathode is similar, and appears the largest mass loss rate in the temperature range from 200 to 600 ℃. The bulk density variation of sample K5 before and after baking is the largest （11.9%）, that of sample K25 is the second, and that of sample M5 is the smallest （6.7%）. The crushing strength of sample M5 is the biggest （51.2 MPa）, that of sample K2.5 is the next, and that of sample K5 is the smallest （32.8 MPa）. But, the orders of the electrical resistivity and electrolysis expansion of samples are just opposite with the order of crushing strength. The heating rate has a great impact on the microstructure of sample. The faster the heating rate is, the bigger the pore size and porosity of sample are. Compared with the heating rate between 200 and 600℃ of samples K25 and K5, that of sample M5 is slower and suitable for baking process of TiB2/C composite cathode material.

Preparation and characterization of La_(0.8)Sr_(0.04)Ca_(0.16)Co_(0.6)Fe_(0.4)O_(3-δ)-La_(0.9)Sr_(0.1)Ga_(0.8)Mg_(0.2)O_3 composite cathode thin film for SOFC by slurry spin coating

The La0.8Sr0.04Ca0.16Co0.6Fe0.4O3-δ (LSCCoF) and La0.9Sr0.1Ga0.8Mg0.2O3 (LSGM) powders were synthesized by glycine-nitrate combustion process and conventional solid-state reaction method, respectively. The LSCCoF-LSGM composite cathode material was successfully elaborated and deposited on dense pellets of the LSGM electrolyte by means of slurry spin-coating process. The cathode films with the best surface morphology and microstructure were obtained when the operating parameters fixed as follows: the content of ethyl cellulose which acted as pore former and binder is 10 wt.%, the content of terpineol which acted as modifier is 5 wt.%, the speed of rotation rate is 3200 r/min and the best post-deposition sintering temperature is 1000°C.

26-electrons redox-active polyoxovanadate clusters for aqueous zincion batteries

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries(ZIBs)are attaining increasing attention for their high safety and low cost.Despite significant progresses in realizing high-performance cathode material for ZIBs,simultaneously endowing them with high capacity and fast-charging capability,the long-term cycling stability remains a major unsolved challenge.In this work,a polyoxovanadate cluster of(NH_(4))_(8)[V_(19)O_(41)(OH)_(9)]·11H_(2)O(NOV)is defined as a cathode material for ZIBs that contains mixed-valence vanadium sites(V^(4+)and V^(5+)).A maximum of 26 electrons can be accommodated in one[V_(19)O_(41)(OH)_(9)]^(8-){V_(19)O_(50)}cluster,contributing to the high theoretical specific capacity of 328 mA·h·g^(-1).The Ti_(3)C_(2)T_(x) MXene nanosheets are incorporated into NOV with the help of ionic liquid(IL)linkers to restrain the dissolution of vanadium species and facilitate electron transport across the electrode.The interfacial bonding,anion exchange,and electrostatic interactions among NOV and MXene are provided by IL liquid.The nanohybrid of NOV-IL-MXene endows excellent contact between MXene and NOV,thereby enhanced charge transfer is observed at interface.Subsequently,the as-synthesized NOV-IL-MXene cathodes exhibit high discharge capacity of 413 mA·h·g^(-1) at 0.2 A·g^(-1) even at high mass loading of 5.2 mg·cm^(-2),remarkable rate performance of 182 mA·h·g^(-1) at 10 A·g^(-1),and impressive cycling stability of 94%capacity retention after 2000 cycles.This work opens up new opportunities to develop advanced polyoxovanadate hybrid cathodes for low-cost and high-performance aqueous ZIBs.

Composites of sodium manganese oxides with enhanced electrochemical performance for sodium-ion batteries: Tailoring properties via controlling microstructure

Composites of Na_(0.44)Mn O_2, Na_(0.7)Mn O_(2.05), and Na_(0.91) Mn O_2 were synthesized by facile solid-state reaction, ball milling, and annealing methods. Two different composites of identical overall composition but drastically different morphologies and microstructures were synthesized. A composite of a hierarchical porous microstructure with primary and secondary particles(i.e., a "meatball-like" microstructure) achieved an excellent stable capacity of 126 m A h g^(-1) after 100 cycles. The rate capability of the composite could be dramatically enhanced by another round of high-energy ball milling and reannealing; subsequently, a composite that was made up of irregular rods was obtained, for which the capacity was improved by more than 230% to achieve ~53 m A h g^(-1) at a particularly high discharge rate of 50 C. This study demonstrated the feasibility of tailoring the electrochemical performance of electrode materials by simply changing their microstructures via facile ball milling and heat treatments, which can be particularly useful for optimizing composite electrodes for sodium-ion batteries.