Recent advances in producing hollow carbon spheres for use in sodium−sulfur and potassium−sulfur batteries

Sodium-sulfur(Na-S)and potassium-sulfur(K-S)batteries for use at room temperature have received widespread attention because of the abundance and low cost of their raw materials and their high energy density.However,their development is restricted by the shuttling of polysulfides,large volume expansion and poor conductivity.To overcome these obstacles,an effective approach is to use carbon-based materials with abundant space for the sulfur that has sulfiphilic sites to immobilize it,and a high electrical conductivity.Hollow carbon spheres(HCSs)with a controllable structure and composition are promising for this purpose.We consider recent progress in optimizing the electrochemical performance of Na-/K-S batteries by using these materials.First,the advantages of HCSs,their synthesis methods,and strategies for preparing HCSs/sulfur composite materials are reviewed.Second,the use of HCSs in Na-/K-S batteries,along with mechanisms underlying the resulting performance improvement,are discussed.Finally,prospects for the further development of HCSs for metal−S batteries are presented.

Core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow spheres as Se hosts for advanced Al-Se batteries

Incorporating a selenium(Se)positive electrode into aluminum(Al)-ion batteries is an effective strategy for improving the overall battery performance.However,the cycling stability of Se positive electrodes has challenges due to the dissolution of intermediate reaction products.In this work,we aim to harness the advantages of Se while reducing its limitations by preparing a core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow sphere with a titanium nitride(C@TiN)host to load 63.9wt%Se as the positive electrode material for Al-Se batteries.Using the physical and chemical confinement offered by the hollow mesoporous carbon and TiN,the obtained core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow spheres coated with Se(Se@C@TiN)display superior utilization of the active material and remarkable cycling stability.As a result,Al-Se batteries equipped with the as-prepared Se@C@TiN composite positive electrodes show an initial discharge specific capacity of 377 mAh·g^(-1)at a current density of 1000 mA·g^(-1)while maintaining a discharge specific capacity of 86.0 mAh·g^(-1)over 200 cycles.This improved cycling performance is ascribed to the high electrical conductivity of the core-shell mesoporous carbon hollow spheres and the unique three-dimensional hierarchical architecture of Se@C@TiN.

Poly(ethylenimine)-assisted synthesis of hollow carbon spheres comprising multi-sized Ni species for CO_(2) electroreduction

Electrochemical CO_(2) reduction to produce value-added chemicals and fuels is one of the research hotspots in the field of energy conversion.The development of efficient catalysts with high conductivity and readily accessible active sites for CO_(2) electroreduction remains challenging yet indispensable.In this work,a reliable poly(ethyleneimine)(PEI)-assisted strategy is developed to prepare a hollow carbon nanocomposite comprising a single-site Ni-modified carbon shell and confined Ni nanoparticles(NPs)(denoted as Ni@NHCS),where PEI not only functions as a mediator to induce the highly dispersed growth of Ni NPs within hollow carbon spheres,but also as a nitrogen precursor to construct highly active atomically-dispersed Ni-Nx sites.Benefiting from the unique structural properties of Ni@NHCS,the aggregation and exposure of Ni NPs can be effectively prevented,while the accessibility of abundant catalytically active Ni-Nx sites can be ensured.As a result,Ni@NHCS exhibits a high CO partial current density of 26.9 mA cm^(-2) and a Faradaic efficiency of 93.0% at-1.0 V vs.RHE,outperforming those of its PEI-free analog.Apart from the excellent activity and selectivity,the shell confinement effect of the hollow carbon sphere endows this catalyst with long-term stability.The findings here are anticipated to help understand the structure-activity relationship in Ni-based carbon catalyst systems for electrocatalytic CO_(2) reduction.Furthermore,the PEI-assisted synthetic concept is potentially applicable to the preparation of high-performance metal-based nanoconfined materials tailored for diverse energy conversion applications and beyond.

Electrochemical hydrogen evolution efficiently boosted by interfacial charge redistribution in Ru/MoSe_(2) embedded mesoporous hollow carbon spheres

The strong metal-support interaction inducing combined effect plays a crucial role in the catalysis reaction. Herein, we revealed that the combined advantages of MoSe_(2), Ru, and hollow carbon spheres in the form of Ru nanoparticles(NPs) anchored on a two-dimensionally ordered MoSe_(2) nanosheet-embedded mesoporous hollow carbon spheres surface(Ru/MoSe_(2)@MHCS) for the largely boosted hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) performance. The combined advantages from the conductive support, oxyphilic MoSe_(2), and Ru active sites imparted a strong synergistic effect and charge redistribution in the Ru periphery which induced high catalytic activity, stability, and kinetics for HER. Specifically, the obtained Ru/MoSe_(2)@MHCS required a small overpotential of 25.5 and 38.4 mV to drive the kinetic current density of 10 mA cm^(-2)both in acid and alkaline media, respectively, which was comparable to that of the Pt/C catalyst. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrated that the charge transfer from MoSe_(2) to Ru NPs enriched the electronic density of Ru sites and thus facilitated hydrogen adsorption and water dissociation. The current work showed the significant interfacial engineering in Ru-based catalysts development and catalysis promotion effect understanding via the metal-support interaction.

Size-controlled preparation of hollow silica spheres and glyphosate release

Different-sized hollow SiO2 spheres of 249–1348 nm in diameter were successfully prepared by using Na2SiO3 as the precursor and using polystyrene and polystyrene-methyl acrylic acid latexes as the templates. The diameter and shell thickness of the hollow SiO2 spheres increase with increasing the latex template diameter at a given mass ratio of SiO2 to latex template. The diameter and shell thickness of the hollow SiO2 spheres also increase with increasing the mass ratios of SiO2 to latex template. The presence of carboxylic acid groups on the surfaces of polystyrene-methyl acrylic acid latex templates favors the formation of dense and uniform SiO2 shells. The hollow SiO2 sphere is constructed by mesoporous shell with large specific surface area. When glyphosate is used as a release model chemical, glyphosate release rate is tuned by varying the shell thickness.

Preparation of BiVO4 Hollow Spheres and its Photocatalytic Degradation of Methylene Blue

Monoclinic BiVO4 hollow nanospheres were successfully prepared via template-free method using citric acid （C6H8O7） as chelating agent and characterized by X-ray diffraction patterns, transmission electron microscope, UV-Vis DRS, and TG-DTA technique. C6H8O7 played an important role in the formation of hollow spheres. Morphology observations revealed that when appropriate amount of C6H8O7 was introduced, the cavity with the diameter of 40 nm was obtained in BiVO4 nanospheres. UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra indicated that the samples had absorption in both UV and visible light region. The photocatalytic activities were evaluated by the degradation of methylene blue under Xe lamp irradiation. Hollow spheres endow BiVO4 samples with greatly improved photocatalytic activity. A possible formation mechanism of hollow spheres was proposed.

Hydrothermal Synthesis and Formation Mechanism of Micrometer-sized MoO_2 Hollow Spheres

Micrometer-sized MoO2 hollow spheres were synthesized hydrothermally with ammonium heptamolybdate tetrahydrate as molybdenum source, Cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as structure-directing agent and C2H5OH as reducing agent, respectively. The products were investigated by X-ray diffraction, thermo gravimetry and differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron micraseopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. A morphology transition of ＂blocks-solid spheres-hollow spheres＂ during the growth procfess was observed and the possible mechanism for the formation of MoO2 samples was proposed to be through a microscale Kirkendall effcct.

MoS_2 Nanosheet Arrays Rooted on Hollow rGO Spheres as Bifunctional Hydrogen Evolution Catalyst and Supercapacitor Electrode

MoS_2 has attracted attention as a promising hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) catalyst and a supercapacitor electrode material. However, its catalytic activity and capacitive performance are still hindered by its aggregation and poor intrinsic conductivity. Here, hollow rGO sphere-supported ultrathin MoS_2 nanosheet arrays(hrGO@MoS_2) are constructed via a dual-template approach and employed as bifunctional HER catalyst and supercapacitor electrode material. Because of the expanded interlayer spacing in MoS_2 nanosheets and more exposed electroactive S–Mo–S edges, the constructed h-rGO@MoS_2 architectures exhibit enhanced HER performance. Furthermore, benefiting from the synergistic effect of the improved conductivity and boosted specific surface areas(144.9 m^2 g^(-1), ca. 4.6-times that of pristine MoS_2), the h-rGO@MoS_2 architecture shows a high specific capacitance(238 F g^(-1) at a current density of 0.5 A g^(-1)), excellent rate capacitance, and remarkable cycle stability. Our synthesis method may be extended to construct other vertically aligned hollow architectures,which may serve both as efficient HER catalysts and supercapacitor electrodes.

Highly crystalline carbon nitride hollow spheres with enhanced photocatalytic performance

Graphitic carbon nitride(g-C_(3)N_(4))has emerged as a remarkably promising photocatalyst for addressing environmental and energy issues;however,it exhibits only moderate photocatalytic activity because of its low specific surface area and high recombination of carriers.Preparation of crystalline g-C_(3)N_(4) by the molten salt method has proven to be an effective method to improve the photocatalytic activity.However,crystalline g-C_(3)N_(4) prepared by the conventional molten salt method exhibits a less regular morphology.Herein,highly crystalline g-C_(3)N_(4) hollow spheres(CCNHS)were successfully prepared by the molten salt method using cyanuric acid-melamine as a precursor.The higher crystallization of the CCNHS samples not only repaired the structural defects at the surface of the CCNHS samples but also established a built-in electric field between heptazine-based g-C_(3)N_(4) and triazine-based g-C_(3)N_(4).The hollow structure improved the level of light energy utilization and increased the number of active sites for photocatalytic reactions.Because of the above characteristics,the as-prepared CCNHS samples simultaneously realized photocatalytic hydrogen evolution with the degradation of the plasticizer bisphenol A.This research offers a new perspective on the structural optimization of supramolecular self-assembly.

Fabrication of triple-shelled hollow spheres with optical properties via RAFT polymerization

The triple-shelled hollow spheres with optical properties were prepared via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization.After removal the core templates of the poly(styrene),the hollow silica spheres were obtained.The coating process of poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA) on the hollow silica spheres surface via surface RAFT polymerization was performed subsequently.The polymers coated on the hollow spheres surfaces were end-functionalized by trithiocarbonate,and they were used as RAFT agent to proceed the chain extension polymerization using Tb complex as monomer.The samples were characterized by FT-IR,SEM and luminescence spectroscopy respectively.The results indicated that the triple-shelled hollow spheres had been prepared successfully and the average diameter of the hollow core was about 1μm.

Microwave-Assisted Synthesis of NiCo_2O_4 Double-Shelled Hollow Spheres for High-Performance Sodium Ion Batteries

The ternary transitional metal oxide NiCo_2O_4 is a promising anode material for sodium ion batteries due to its high theoretical capacity and superior electrical conductivity. However, its sodium storage capability is severely limited by the sluggish sodiation/desodiation reaction kinetics. Herein, NiCo_2O_4 double-shelled hollow spheres were synthesized via a microwave-assisted, fast solvothermal synthetic procedure in a mixture of isopropanol and glycerol, followed by annealing. Isopropanol played a vital role in the precipitation of nickel and cobalt,and the shrinkage of the glycerol quasi-emulsion under heat treatment was responsible for the formation of the double-shelled nanostructure. The as-synthesized productwas tested as an anode material in a sodium ion battery,was found to exhibit a high reversible specific capacity of 511 m Ahg^(-1) at 100 m Ag^(-1), and deliver high capacity retention after 100 cycles.

Fluidized bed coating efficiency and morphology of coatings for producing Al-based nanocomposite hollow spheres

Abstract： We performed fluidized bed coating ofAl-based nanoeomposite powder-binder suspensions onto polymer substrates. The effects of the type and amount of the binder and nanoparticle additive on the coating process efficiency and coating characteristics were investigated. The efficiency decreased from 52% to 49% as the processing time increased from 15 to 20 min. However, the amount and thickness of the coating also increased as the processing time and amount of the binder were increased. The addition of nanoparticles to the system decreased the thickness of the coating from 222 to 207 μm when polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） was used as a binder. The suspension containing 3wt% R-4410 binder exhibited the greatest efficiency of 60%.

TiO_2-coated SnO_2 hollow spheres as anode materials for lithium ion batteries

TiO2-coated SnO2 （TCS） hollow spheres, which are new anode materials for lithium ion （Li-ion） batteries, were prepared and characterized with X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, cyclic voltammetry （CV）, and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. The results obtained from XRD, SEM, and TEM show that TiO2 can be uniforrrdy coated on the surface of SnO2 hollow spheres with the assistance of anionic surfactant. The cyclic voltammograms indicate that both TiO2 and SnO2 exhibit the activity for Li-ion storage. The charge/discharge tests show that the prepared TCS hollow spheres have a higher reversible coulomb efficiency and a better cycling stability than the uncoated SnO2 hollow spheres.

Facile Synthesis of Uniform Hollow Hematite Sub-micro Spheres with Controllable Shell Thickness

A simple method was developed to prepare the uniform hematite hollow submicro-spheres with controllable structure and different diameter based on monodisperse poly（styrene-co-acrylic acid） [P（St-co-AA）] particles. The structure and formation mechanism of the hollow spheres were investigated in detail. The control mechanism of shell thickness was also discussed. The results indicated that the shell thickness and coarseness of the synthesized core-shell hematite hollow spheres could be tuned simply by the surface carboxyl content of the P（St-co-AA） particles. This method provided a new approach for the structure control in the preparation of hollow spheres. A Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） test shows that the prepared hollow spheres have large surface areas which were decreased along with the increase of the diameter. The magnetic properties of the as-obtained hematite hollow spheres were investigated. The result showed that the coercivity and saturated magnetization were increased along with the increase of the shell thickness, and the remanent magnetization was increased along with the decrease of the diameter.

Enhanced photocatalytic H_(2) production performance of CdS hollow spheres using C and Pt as bi-cocatalysts

Photocatalytic H2 production from water splitting is an effective method to solve energy crisis and environmental pollution simultaneously.Herein,carbon@CdS composite hollow spheres(C@CdS-HS)are fabricated via a facile hydrothermal method using porous carbon hollow spheres(C-HS)as the template.The C@CdS-HS shows an excellent photocatalytic H2-generation rate of 20.9 mmol h^(−1) g^(−1)(apparent quantum efficiency of 15.3%at 420 nm),with 1.0 wt%Pt as a cocatalyst under simulated sunlight irradiation;this rate is 69.7,13.9,and 3.9 times higher than that obtained with pure CdS hollow spheres(CdS-HS),C@CdS-HS,and CdS-HS/Pt,respectively.The enhanced photocatalytic H_(2)-evolution activity of C@CdS-HS/Pt is due to the synergistic effect of C and Pt as the bi-cocatalyst.The C-HS serves not only as an active site provider but also as an electron transporter and reservoir.Moreover,C-HS has a strong photothermal effect that is induced by near infrared light,which kinetically accelerates the H_(2)-production reaction.Additionally,the underlying charge transfer pathway and process from CdS to C−HS is revealed.This work highlights the potential application of C-HS-based nanocomposites in solar-to-chemical energy conversion.

Hierarchical porous nitrogen,oxygen,and phosphorus ternary doped hollow biomass carbon spheres for high-speed and long-life potassium storage

Limited lithium resources have promoted the exploration of new battery technologies.Among them,potassium-ion batteries are considered as promising alternatives.At present,commercial graphite and other carbon-based materials have shown good prospects as anodes for potassium-ion batteries.However,the volume expansion and structural collapse caused by periodic K+insertion/extraction have severely restricted further development and application of potassium-ion batteries.A hollow biomass carbon ball(NOP-PB)ternarily doped with N,O,and P was synthesized and used as the negative electrode of a potassium-ion battery.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy,Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy,and transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the hollow biomass carbon spheres were successfully doped with N,O,and P.Further analysis proved that N,O,and P ternary doping expands the interlayer distance of the graphite surface and introduces more defect sites.DFT calculations simultaneously proved that the K adsorption energy of the doped structure is greatly improved.The solid hollow hierarchical porous structure buffers the volume expansion of the potassium insertion process,maintains the original structure after a long cycle and promotes the transfer of potassium ions and electrons.Therefore,the NOP‐PB negative electrode shows extremely enhanced electrochemical performance,including high specific capacity,excellent long‐term stability,and good rate stability.

Preparation of CaCO_3 Hollow Spheres in an Aqueous Binary-additive System

CaCO3 hollow spheres were prepared easily in anion surfactants （sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate （SDBS）） and aspartic （Asp） acid binary-additive system by using an easy rapid agitation method. The as-prepared products were characterized with scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, FT-IR and X-ray diffraction. The results suggested that the CaCO3 hollow spheres have diameters ranging from 1 to 2 μm, and their wall is constituted of many nano-particles. Moreover, the possible formation mechanism of the hollow spherical structure was proposed.

Fabrication of functional hollow carbon spheres with large hollow interior as active colloidal catalysts

In this study, we have established a facile method to synthesize functional hollow carbon spheres with large hollow interior, which can act as active colloidal catalysts. The method includes the following steps： first, hollow polymer spheres with large hollow interior were prepared using sodium oleate as the hollow core generator, and 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid and hexamethylene tetramine （HMT） as the polymer precursors under hydrothermal conditions; Fe3＋ or Ag＋ cations were then introduced into the as-prepared hollow polymer spheres through the carboxyl groups; finally, the hollow polymer spheres can be pseudomorphically converted to hollow carbon spheres during pyrolysis process, meanwhile iron or silver nanoparticles can also be formed in the carbon shell simultaneously. The structures of the obtained functional hollow carbon spheres were characterized by TEM, XRD, and TG. As an example, Ag-doped hollow carbon spheres were used as colloid catalysts which showed high catalytic activity in 4-nitrophenol reduction reaction.

Ultrafine Pt nanoparticles supported on double-shelled C/TiO2 hollow spheres material as highly efficient methanol oxidation catalysts

Catalyst support is extremely important for future fuel cell devices.In this work,we developed doubleshelled C/TiO2(DSCT)hollow spheres as an excellent catalyst support via a template-directed method.The combination of hollow structure,TiO2 shell and carbon layer results in excellent electron conductivity,electrocatalytic activity,and chemical stability.These uniformed DSCT hollow spheres are used as catalyst support to synthesize Pt/DSCT hollow spheres electrocatalyst.The resulting Pt/DSCT hollow spheres exhibited high catalytic performance with a current density of 462 mA mg^-1 for methanol oxidation reaction,which is 2.52 times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C.Furthermore,the increased tolerance to carbonaceous poisoning with a higher If/Ibratio and a better long-term stability in acid media suggests that the DSCT hollow sphere is a promising C/TiO2-based catalyst support for direct methanol fuel cells applications.

A Bi-layer Composite Film Based on TiO_2 Hollow Spheres, P25,and Multi-walled Carbon Nanotubes for Efficient Photoanode of Dye-sensitized Solar Cell

A bi-layer photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cell(DSSC) was fabricated, in which TiO_2 hollow spheres(THSs) were designed as a scattering layer and P25/multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWNTs) as an under-layer. The THSs were synthesized by a sacrifice template method and showed good light scattering ability as an over-layer of the photoanode. MWNTs were mixed with P25 to form an under-layer of the photoanode to improve the electron transmission ability of the photoanode. The power conversion efficiency of this kind of DSSC with bi-layer was enhanced to 5.13 %,which is 14.25 % higher than that of pure P25 DSSC.Graphical Abstract A bi-layer composite photoanode based on P25/MWNTs-THSs with improved light scattering and electron transmission, which will provide a new insight into fabrication and structure design of highly efficient dyesensitized solar cells.