Achieving a superior Na storage performance of Fe-based Prussian blue cathode by coating perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride amine

Fe-based Prussian blue(Fe-PB)cathode material shows great application potential in sodium(Na)-ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity,long cycle life,low cost,and simple preparation process.However,the crystalline water and vacancies of Fe-PB lattice,the low electrical conductivity,and the dissolution of metal ions lead to limited capacity and poor cycling stability.In this work,a perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride amine(PTCDA)coating layer is successfully fabricated on the surface of Fe-PB by a liquid-phase method.The aminated PTCDA(PTCA)coating not only increases the specific surface area and electronic conductivity but also effectively reduces the crystalline water and vacancies,which avoids the erosion of Fe-PB by electrolyte.Consequently,the PTCA layer reduces the charge transfer resistance,enhances the Na-ion diffusion coefficient,and improves the structure stability.The PTCA-coated Fe-PB exhibits superior Na storage performance with a first discharge capacity of 145.2 mAh g^(−1) at 100 mA g^(−1).Long cycling tests exhibit minimal capacity decay of 0.027%per cycle over 1000 cycles at 1 A g^(−1).Therefore,this PTCA coating strategy has shown promising competence in enhancing the electrochemical performance of Fe-PB,which can potentially serve as a universal electrode coating strategy for Na-ion batteries.

Suppressed Internal Intrinsic Stress Engineering in High-Performance Ni-Rich Cathode Via Multi layered In Situ Coating Structure

LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Al_(z)O_(2)(NCA)cathode materials are drawing widespread attention,but the huge gap between the ideal and present cyclic stability still hinders their further commercial application,especially for the Ni-rich LiNi_(x)Co_(y)Al_(z)O_(2)(x>0.8,x+y+z=1)cathode material,which is owing to the structural degradation and particles'intrinsic fracture.To tackle the problems,Li_(0.5)La_(2)Al_(0.5)O_(4)in situ coated and Mn compensating doped multilayer LiNi_(0.82)Co_(0.14)Al_(0.04)O_(2)was prepared.XRD refinement indicates that La-Mn co-modifying could realize appropriate Li/Ni disorder degree.Calculated results and in situ XRD patterns reveal that the LLAO coating layer could effectively restrain crack in secondary particles benefited from the suppressed internal strain.AFM further improves as NCA-LM2 has superior mechanical property.The SEM,TEM,XPS tests indicate that the cycled cathode with LLAO-Mn modification displays a more complete morphology and less side reaction with electrolyte.DEMS was used to further investigate cathode-electrolyte interface which was reflected by gas evolution.NCA-LM2 releases less CO_(2)than NCA-P indexing on a more stable surface.The modified material presents outstanding capacity retention of 96.2%after 100 cycles in the voltage range of 3.0-4.4 V at 1C,13%higher than that of the pristine and 80.8%at 1 C after 300 cycles.This excellent electrochemical performance could be attributed to the fact that the high chemically stable coating layer of Li_(0.5)La_(2)Al_(0.5)O_(4)(LLAO)could enhance the interface and the Mn doping layer could suppress the influence of the lattice mismatch and distortion.We believe that it can be a useful strategy for the modification of Ni-rich cathode material and other advanced functional material.

Cathodic micro-arc electro-deposition of ZrO_2 coatings in an aqueous solution containing colloidal particles

By a novel technique-cathodic micro-arc electro-deposition (CMED), ZrO_2coatings were deposited on an FeCrAl alloy. Experimental results show that the necessary conditionsfor obtaining ZrO_2 coatings are to apply a pulse peak voltage over a critical value and addmoderate amounts of ZrO_2 colloidal particles and Zr(NO_3)_4 in the aqueous solution. Theas-deposited coatings are porous because hydrogen, water, and other vapors are generated andreleased from the coatings to the solution during the spark reaction. The coatings containmonoclinic and tetragonal crystalline ZrO_2 with certain degree of amorphous structure. Theprocessing parameters and mechanism of CMED were discussed.

Constructing a stable interface on Ni-rich LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) cathode via lactic acid-assisted engineering strategy

Ni-rich layered oxides are potential cathode materials for next-generation high energy density Li-ion batteries due to their high capacity and low cost.However,the inherently unstable surface properties,including high levels of residual Li compounds,dissolution of transition metal cations,and parasitic side reactions,have not been effectively addressed,leading to significant degradation in their electrochemical performance.In this study,we propose a simple and effective lactic acid-assisted interface engineering strategy to regulate the surface chemistry and properties of Ni-rich LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mr_(0.1)O_(2) cathode.This novel surface treatment method successfully eliminates surface residual Li compounds,inhibits structural collapse,and mitigates cathode-electrolyte interface film growth.As a result,the lactic acidtreated LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) achieved a remarkable capacity retention of 91.7% after 100 cycles at 0.5 C(25℃) and outstanding rate capability of 149.5 mA h g^(-1) at 10 C,significantly outperforming the pristine material.Furthermore,a pouch-type full cell incorporating the modified LiNi_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) cathode demonstrates impressive long-term cycle life,retaining 81.5% of its capacity after 500 cycles at 1 C.More importantly,the thermal stability of the modified cathode is also dramatically improved.This study offers a valuable surface modification strategy for enhancing the overall performance of Ni-rich cathode materials.

Structure and Properties of Ti-Si-N Coatings Synthesized by Combining Cathode Arc and Middle-frequency Magnetron Sputtering

Ti-Si-N composite coatings were synthesized on a novel combining cathode and middle-frequency magnetron sputtering system, designed on an industrial scale. Ti was produced from the arc target and Si from magnetron target during deposition. The influences of negative bias voltage and Si content on the hardness and microstructure of the coatings were investigated. The composite coatings prepared under optimized conditions were characterized to be nc-TiN/a-Si3N4 structure with grain sizes of TiN ranging from 8-15 nm and exhibited a high hardness of 40 GPa. The enhancement of the hardness is suggested to be caused by the nanograin-amorphous structure effects.

Earth-abundant magnetite with carbon coatings as reversible cathodes for stretchable zinc-ion batteries

Earth-abundant magnetite(Fe_(3)O_(4))as cathode materials in aqueous zinc-ion batteries(ZIBs)is limited by its very low capacity and poor cycling.Here,a combined strategy based on carbon coating and electrolyte optimization is adopted to improve the performance of Fe_(3)O_(4).The Zn-Fe_(3)O_(4)@C batteries display specific capacities of 93 mAh g^(−1) and 81%capacity retention after 200 cycles.Such performance is attributed to the enhanced electrical conductivity and structural stability of Fe_(3)O_(4)@C nanocomposites with suppressed iron dissolution.Experimental analysis reveals that the charge storage is contributed by diffusion-limited redox reactions and surface-controlled pseudocapacitance.A stretchable Zn-Fe_(3)O_(4)@C battery is further fabricated,showing stable performance when it is bent or stretched.Fe_(3)O_(4) is a promising cathode material for cost-effective,safe,sustainable and wearable energy supplies.

Effect of 10% Si addition on cathodic arc evaporated TiAlSiN coatings

The effect of 10% Si （mole fraction） addition on TiAlSiN coatings was studied. Ti0.5Al0.5N, Ti0.5Al0.4Si0.1N and Ti0.55Al0.35Si0.1N coatings were deposited on WC？Co substrates by cathodic arc evaporation. The microstructure and mechanical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, nano-indentation measurement and scratch test. The mechanisms of how Si affects the properties and failure modes of TiAlSiN coatings were also discussed. The results show that the addition of 10% Si results in the formation of nc-（Ti,Al,Si）N/a-Si3N4 nano-composite structure. The hardness and toughness of TiAlSiN coatings increase, whereas the coating adhesion strength decreases. Compared with Ti0.55Al0.35Si0.1N coating, Ti0.5Al0.4Si0.1N coating has higher hardness but lower toughness. The dominant failure mode of TiAlN coating is wedging spallation due to low toughness and strong interfacial adhesion. The dominant failure mode of TiAlSiN coatings is buckling spallation due to improved toughness and weakened interfacial adhesion.

Recent progress of surface coating on cathode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

Lithium-ion batteries (LIB) have received substantial attention in the last 10 years,as they offer great promise as power sources that can lead to the electric vehicle (EV) revolution in the next 5 years.Since the cathode serves as a key component in LIB,its properties significantly affect the performance of the whole system.Recently,the cathode surface modification based on coating technique has been widely employed to enhance the electrochemical performances by improving the material conductivity,stabilising the physical structure of materials,as well as preventing the reactions between the electrode and electrolyte.In this work,we reviewed the present of a number of promising cathode materials for Li-ion batteries.After that,we summarized the very recent research progress focusing on the surface coating strategies,mainly including the coating materials,the coating technologies,as well as the corresponding working mechanisms for cathodes.At last,the challenges faced and future guidelines for optimizing cathode materials are discussed.In this study,we propose that the structure of cathode is a crucial factor during the selection of coating materials and technologies.

CATHODIC PROCESS AND WEAR RESISTANCE OF ELECTRO-DEPOSITED RE-Ni-W-P-SiC COMPOSITE COATING

Cathodic deposition current density of the composite coatings increases when SiC par-ticles and rare earth (RE) were added in the bath, which is profitable for Ni- W-P alloy to deposit in the cathod, forming Ni-W-P-SiC and RE-Ni-W-P-SiC composite coatings. On the contrary, the addition of PTFE in the bath decreases cathodic deposition current density of the coatings. The current density increases a little when the amount of RE is 7-9g/l; however, the current density increases greatly when the amount of RE is increased to 11-13g/l. Bui ij the amount of RE is raised further, the current density decreases. Hardness and wear resistance of RE-Ni-W-P-SiC composite coating have been studied, and the results show that the hardness and wear resistance of RE-Ni-W-P-SiC composite coating increase with increasing heat treatment tempera-ture, which reach peak values at 400℃; while the hardness and wear resistance of the coating decrease with the rise of heat treated temperature continuously.

Synthesis and electrochemical performance of YF_3-coated LiMn_2O_4 cathode materials for Li-ion batteries

Spinel LiMn2O4 cathodes were coated with 1 mol% YF3.X-ray diffraction（XRD） analyses showed that Y and/or F did not enter the lattice of the LiMn2O4 crystal.Transmission electron microscopy（TEM） showed that a compact YF3 layer of 5-20 nm in thickness was coated onto the surface of LiMn2O4 particles.Scanning electron microscopy（SEM） observation showed that the YF3 coating caused the agglomeration of LiMn2O4 particles.The cycling test demonstrated that the YF3 coating can improve the electrochemical performance of LiMn2O4 at both 20 and 55°C.Moreover,YF3-coated LiMn2O4 exhibited an improved rate capability compared with the uncoated one at high rates over 5C.The immersion test in electrolytes showed that YF3-coated LiMn2O4 is more erosion resistant than the uncoated one.

Amorphous Zr(OH)4 coated LiNi0.915Co0.075Al0.01O2 cathode material with enhanced electrochemical performance for lithium ion batteries

LiNiCoAlO（NCA） with Zr（OH）coating is demonstrated as high performance cathode material for lithium ion batteries（LIBs）. The coated materials are synthesized via a simple dry coating method of NCA with Zr（OH）powders, and then characterized with scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM） and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）. Experimental results show that amorphous Zr（OH）powders have been successfully coated on the surface of spherical NCA particles, exhibiting improved electrochemical performance. 0.50 wt% Zr（OH）coated NCA delivers a capacity of 197.6 mAh/g at the first cycle and 154.3 mAh/g after 100 cycles with a capacity retention of 78.1% at 1 C rate. In comparison, the pure NCA shows a capacity of 194.6 mAh/g at the first cycle and 142.5 mAh/g after 100 cycles with a capacity retention of 73.2% at 1 C rate. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） results show that the coated material exhibits a lower resistance, indicating that the coating layer can efficiently suppress transition metals dissolution and decrease the side reactions at the surface between the electrode and electrolyte. Therefore, surface coating with amorphous Zr（OH）is a simple and useful method to enhance the electrochemical performance of NCA-based materials for the cathode of LIBs.

Pressure-induced growth of coralloid-like FeF_(2) nanocrystals to enable high-performance conversion cathode

Fluoride ferrous(FeF_(2))is viewed as a promising conversion cathode material for next-generation lithiumion batteries(LIBs)due to its high theoretical specific capacity and low cost.Unfortunately,issues such as poor intrinsic conductivity,iron dissolution,and phase separation hinder the application of FeF_(2)in highenergy cathodes.Here,a pressure-induced morphology control method is designed to prepare coralloidlike FeF_(2)nanocrystals with nitrogen-rich carbon coating(c-FeF_(2)@NC).The coralloid-like interconnected crystal structure of c-FeF_(2)@NC contributes to reducing interfacial resistance and enhancing the topotactic transformation during the conversion reaction,and the nitrogen-rich carbon(NC)coating can enhance interfacial stability and kinetic performance.When used as a conversion cathode for LIBs,c-FeF_(2)@NC exhibits a high initial reversible capacity of 503.57 mA h g^(-1)and excellent cycling stability of497.61 m A h g^(-1)with a low capacity decay of 1.19%over 50 cycles at 0.1 A/g.Even at 1 A/g,a stable capacity of 263.78 mA h g^(-1)can still be retained after 200 cycles.The capability of c-FeF_(2)@NC as a conversion cathode for sodium-ion batteries(SIBs)was also evaluated to expand its field of application.Furthermore,two kinds of full batteries have been assembled by employing c-FeF_(2)@NC as cathodes and quantitative limited-Li(LLi)and pre-lithiated reduced graphene oxide(PGO)as anodes,respectively,to envisage the feasibility of practical applications of conversion materials.

An electrochemical method for evaluating the resistance to cathodic disbondment of anti-corrosion coatings on buried pipelines

Methods for evaluating the resistance to cathodic disbondment （RCD） of anti-corrosion coatings on buried pipelines were reviewed. It is obvious that these traditional cathodic disbondment tests （CDT） have some disadvantages and the evaluated results are only simple figures and always rely on the subjective experience of the operator. A new electrochemical method for evaluating the RCD of coatings, that is, the potentiostatic evaluation method （PEM）, was developed and studied. During potentiostatic anodic polarization testing, the changes of stable polarization current of specimens before and after cathodic disbonding （CD） were measured, and the degree of cathodic disbondment of the coating was quantitatively evaluated, among which the equivalent cathodic disbonded distance AD was suggested as a parameter for evaluating the RCD. A series of testing parameters of the PEM were determined in these experiments.

Stabilized cobalt-free lithium-rich cathode materials with an artificial lithium fluoride coating

Iron-substituted cobalt-free lithium-rich manganese-based materials,with advantages of high specific capacity,high safety,and low cost,have been considered as the potential cathodes for lithium ion batteries.However,challenges,such as poor cycle stability and fast voltage fade during cycling under high potential,hinder these materials from commercialization.Here,we developed a method to directly coat LiF on the particle surface of Li_(1.2)Ni_(0.15)Fe_(0.1)Mn_(0.55O2).A uniform and flat film was successfully formed with a thickness about 3 nm,which can effect-ively protect the cathode material from irreversible phase transition during the deintercalation of Li^(+).After surface coating with 0.5wt%LiF,the cycling stability of Li_(1.2)Ni_(0.15)Fe_(0.1)Mn_(0.55O2) cycled at high potential was significantly improved and the voltage fade was largely suppressed.

Oxide Coated Cathode Plasma Source of Linear Magnetized Plasma Device

Plasma source is the most important part of the laboratory plasma platform for fundamental plasma experimental research. Barium oxide coated cathode plasma source is well recognized as an effective technique due to its high electron emission current. An indirectly heated oxide coated cathode plasma source has been constructed on a linear magnetized plasma device. The electron emission current density can reach 2 A/cm2 to 6 A/cm2 in pulsed mode within pulse length 5-20 ms. A 10 cm diameter, 2 m long plasma column with density 10is m-3 to 1019 m3 and electron temperature Te --~ 3-7 eV is produced. The spatial uniformity of the emission ability is less than 4% and the discharge reproducibility is better than 97%. With a wide range of the plasma parameters, this kind of plasma source provides great flexibility for many basic plasma investigations. The detail of construction and initial characterization of oxide coated cathode are described in this paper.

ZnS coating of cathode facilitates lean‐electrolyte Li‐S batteries

Tremendous effort has been devoted to lithium‐sulfur batteries,where flooded electrolytes have been employed ubiquitously.The use of lean electrolytes albeit indispensable for practical applications often causes low capacity and fast capacity fading of the sulfur cathode;thus,the electrolyte/sulfur active mass ratios below 5μL/mg have been rarely reported.Herein,we demonstrate that ZnS coating transforms sulfur cathode materials electrolyte‐philic,which tremendously promotes the performance in lean electrolytes.The ZnS‐coated Li2S@graphene cathode delivers an initial discharge capacity of 944mAh/g at an E/S ratio of 2μL/mg at the active mass loading of 5.0 mg Li2S/cm^2,corresponding to an impressive specific energy of 500Wh/kg based on the mass of cathode,electrolyte,and the assumed minimal mass of lithium metal anode.Density functional theory calculations reveal strong binding between ZnS crystals and electrolyte solvent molecules,explaining the better wetting properties.We also demonstrate the reversible cycling of a hybrid cathode of ZnS‐coated Li2S@graphene mixed with VS2 as an additive at an E/AM(active mass)ratio of 1.1μL/mg,equivalent to the specific energy of 432 Wh/kg on the basis of the mass of electrodes and electrolyte.

Ambient temperature cured TiB_2 cathode coating for aluminum electrolysis

The concept of ambient temperature curable TiB 2 cathode coating was put forward, and the ambient temperature curable TiB 2 cathode coating was prepared successfully. Differing from the previous TiB 2 cathode coating solidified approximately at 200 ℃,the ambient temperature curable TiB 2 cathode coating can be solidified at room temperature, so the heating equipment is not necessary, which simplifies the preparation process and facilitates the industrial application of TiB 2 cathode coating. Many kinds of resin and curing agent were investigated. On the above mentioned basis, the ambient temperature curable TiB 2 cathode coating was prepared with furan resin 5 500 mixed with complex resins B as carbon binder and DXG1 as curing agent in 24 h. The results show that the properties of prepared coating are excellent, the electrical resistivity is 29.8 μΩ·m, the compressive strength is 33.6 MPa, which are all better than the relevant properties of partially graphitized cathode carbon block for aluminum electrolysis prescribed by the GB 8744 88. SEM morphologies show that the section morphology of the TiB 2 coating is unaltered during the electrolysis test, the TiB 2 coating can be used in aluminum electrolysis industry to save energy and prolong the life of aluminum electrolysis cell.

Homogenous coating of Li^(+)conductive Li_(5)AlO_(4)on single-crystalline nonstoichiometric Li_(1.04)Ni_(0.92)Al_(0.04)O_(2)for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries

Cobalt-free,nickel-rich LiNi_(1-x)Al_(x)O_(2)(x≤0.1)is an attractive cathode material because of high energy density and low cost but suffers from severe structural degradation and poor rate performance.In this study,we propose a molten salt-assisted synthesis in combination with a Li-refeeding induced aluminum segregation strategy to prepare Li_(5)AlO_(4)-coated single-crystalline slightly Li-rich Li_(1.04)Ni_(0.92)Al_(0.04)O_(2).The symbiotic formation of Li_(5)AlO_(4)from reaction between molten lithium hydroxide and doped aluminum in the bulk ensures a high lattice matching between the Ni-rich oxide and the homogenous conductive Li_(5)AlO_(4)that permits high Li^(+)conductivity.Benefiting from mitigated undesirable side reactions and phase evolution,the Li_(5)AlO_(4)-coated single-crystalline Li_(1.04)Ni_(0.92)Al_(0.04)O_(2)delivers a high specific capacity of220.2 mA h g^(-1)at 0.1 C and considerable rate capability(182.5 mA h g^(-1)at 10 C).Besides,superior capacity retention of 90.8%is obtained at 1/3 C after 100 cycles in a 498.1 mA h pouch full cell.Furthermore,the particulate morphology of Li_(1.04)Ni_(0.92)Al_(0.04)O_(2)remains intact after cycling at a cutoff voltage of 4.3 V,whereas slightly Li-deficient Li_(0.98)Ni_(0.97)Al_(0.05)O_(2)features intragranular cracks and irreversible lattice distortion.The results highlight the value of molten salt-assisted synthesis and Li-refeeding induced elemental segregation strategy to upgrade Ni-based layered oxide cathode materials for advanced Li-ion batteries.

Structure and Performance of TiC-containing Diamond-like Carbon Nanocomposite Coatings Deposited by Rectangular Cathodic Arc Ion-plating

TiC-containing diamond-like carbon （TiC-DLC） nanocomposite coatings were deposited by a rectangular cathodic arc ion-plating system using C2H2 as reacting gas. Raman spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy analysis show that with increasing flow rate of C2H2, the structure of nanocomposite coatings changes from TiC nanograin-containing to graphite nanograin-containing DLC. The harness measurements show that the hardness decreases from 28 GPa to 18 GPa with increasing C2H2 flow rate. The scratch test show that a high critical load （〉40 N） was obtained and exhibited a good adhesion between the coating and the substrate. Wear experiment shows that the friction coefficient of TiC-DLC nanocomposite coatings decreases with increasing C2H2. A low friction coefficient of 0.07 was obtained at 480 sccm C2H2.

Colloidal Alumina-bonded TiB_2 Coating on Cathode Carbon Blocks in Aluminum Cells

Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) with reduction process was used to fabricate TiB2 powder from TiO2-B2O3-Mg system. The colloidal alumina-bonded TiB2 paste was prepared and coated on the cathode carbon blocks. Various properties of the baked paste such as the corrosive resistance, thermal expansion and wettability were tested. Experimental results showed that the colloidal alumina-bonded TiB2 coating could be well wetted by liquid aluminum; and the thermal expansion coefficient of the coated material was 5.8x10(-6) degreesC(-1) at 20-1000 degreesC, which was close to that of the traditional anthracite block cathode (4x10(-6) degreesC(-1)); the electrical resistivity was 8 mu Omega (.)m at 900 degreesC when the content of alumina in the coated material was about 9% in mass fraction. In addition, some other good results such as sodium resistance were also reported.