Triple-phase interfaces of graphene-like carbon clusters on antimony trisulfide nanowires enable high-loading and long-lasting liquid Li_(2)S_(6)-based lithium-sulfur batteries

High performance of lithium-sulfur batteries have been dragged down by their shuttling behavior which is complicated multiphase transition-based 16-electron redox reactions of the S8/Li2 S.In this article,the triple-phase interfaces of graphene-like carbon clusters on antimony trisulfide(C-Sb_(2)S_(3))nanowires are tailored to design a multifunctional polysulfide host which can inhibit migration of polysulfides and accelerate conversion kinetics of redox electrochemical reactions.Benefiting from the triple-interface design of polysulfides/Sb_(2)S_(3)/carbon clusters,the C-Sb_(2)S_(3) electrode not only anchors polysulfide migration by the synergistic effect of Sb,S,and C atoms as interfacial active sites,but also the graphene-like carbon clusters shorten the diffusion paths to further favor redox electron/ion transport through the liquid(electrolyte/polysulfide)and solid(Li2 S/S8,carbon clusters,and Sb_(2)S_(3))-based triple-phases.Therefore,these Li_(2)S_(6)-based C-Sb_(2)S_(3) cells possess high sulfur loading,excellent cycling stability,impressive specific capacity,and great rate capability.This work of interfacial engineering reveals insight for powering reaction kinetics in the complicated multistep catalysis reaction with multiphase evolution-based chargetransfer/non-transfer processes.

Optimal delay for triple-phase hepatic computed tomography using a bolustracking technique in cats

The objective of this study was to provide the characteristics of hepatic computed tomography images and optimize their transition delay with a bolus-tracking technique for triple-phase hepatic computed tomography in cats.Dynamic triple-phase computed tomography was performed in nine healthy cats.The upper third of the liver was dynamically scanned every 0.5 s for 40 s.The time density curves of the aorta and hepatic parenchyma mean enhancement were analyzed.Triple-phase hepatic computed tomography was performed three times with a bolus trigger of 200 Hounsfield units of aortic enhancement.The transition delays of the arterial,portal,and hepatic parenchymal phases were respectively 0,5 and 60 s in the first scan;2,7 and 62 s in the second scan;and 4,9 and 64 s in the third scan.All computed tomography images were evaluated by a certificated radiologist.The arterial vessels and their main branches were well enhanced at a 2 s transition delay.The contrast of the portal vein to the liver parenchyma was most obvious at a 7 s transition delay.The mean enhancement of the hepatic parenchyma peaked at a 62 s transition delay,whereas the degree of enhancement of the hepatic vasculature decreased.In this study,the recommended transition delays for the arterial,portal,and hepatic parenchymal phases were 2 s,7 s and 62 s,respectively,after triggering at 200 Hounsfield units of aortic enhancement.This information may be helpful in diagnosing feline liver diseases and provides a key reference for the clinical implementation of CT.

High-density triple-phase contact points for enhanced photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction to methanol

The efficiency of photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction reaction(PCRR)is restricted by the low solubility and mobility of CO_(2) in water,poor CO_(2) adsorption capacity of catalyst,and competition with hydrogen evolution reaction(HER).Recently,hydrophobic modification of the catalyst surface has been proposed as a potential solution to induce the formation of triple-phase contact points(TPCPs)of CO_(2)(gas phase),H_(2) O(liquid phase),and catalysts(solid phase)near the surface of the catalyst,enabling direct delivery of highly concentrated CO_(2) molecules to the active reaction sites,resulting in higher CO_(2) and lower H+surface concentrations.The TPCPs thus act as the ideal reaction points with enhanced PCRR and suppressed HER.However,the initial synthesis of triple-phase photocatalysts tends to possess a lower bulk density of TPCPs due to the simple structure leading to limited active points and CO_(2) adsorption sites.Here,based on constructing a hydrophobic hierarchical porous TiO_(2)(o-HPT)with interconnected macropores and mesopores structure,we have significantly increased the density of TPCPs in a unit volume of the photocatalyst.Compared with hydrophobic macroporous TiO_(2)(o-MacPT)or mesoporous TiO_(2)(o-MesPT),the o-HPT with increased TPCP density leads to enhanced photoactivity,enabling a high methanol production rate with 1111.5μmol g^(−1) h^(−1) from PCRR.These results emphasize the significance of high-density TPCPs design and propose a potential path for developing efficient PCRR systems.

Metal-nitrogen-doped hybrid ionic/electronic conduction triple-phase interfaces for high-performance all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries

The point-to-point contact mechanism in all-solid-state Li-S batteries(ASSLSBs)is not as efficient as a liquid electrolyte which has superior mobility in the electrode,resulting in a slower reaction kinetics and inadequate ionic/electronic conduction network between the S(or Li_(2)S),conductive carbon,and solid-state electrolytes(SSEs)for achieving a swift(dis)charge reaction.Herein,a series of hybrid ionic/electronic conduction triple-phase interfaces with transition metal and nitrogen co-doping were designed.The graphitic ordered mesoporous carbon frameworks(TM-N-OMCs;TM=Fe,Co,Ni,and Cu)serve as hosts for Li_(2)S and Li_(6)PS_(5)Cl(LPSC)and provide abundant reaction sites on the triple interface.Results from both experimental and computational research display that the combination of Cu-N co-dopants can promote the Li-ion diffusion for rapid transformation of Li_(2)S with adequate ionic(6.73×10^(−4)S·cm^(−1))/electronic conductivities(1.77×10^(−2)S·cm^(−1))at 25℃.The as-acquired Li_(2)S/Cu-N-OMC/LPSC electrode exhibits a high reversible capacity(1147.7 mAh·g^(−1))at 0.1 C,excellent capacity retention(99.5%)after 500 cycles at 0.5 C,and high areal capacity(7.08 mAh·cm^(−2)).

Sulfide-Based All-Solid-State Lithium-Sulfur Batteries:Challenges and Perspectives

Lithium-sulfur batteries with liquid electrolytes have been obstructed by severe shuttle effects and intrinsic safety concerns.Introducing inorganic solid-state electrolytes into lithium-sulfur systems is believed as an effective approach to eliminate these issues without sacrificing the high-energy density,which determines sulfidebased all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries.However,the lack of design principles for high-performance composite sulfur cathodes limits their further application.The sulfur cathode regulation should take several factors including the intrinsic insulation of sulfur,well-designed conductive networks,integrated sulfur-electrolyte interfaces,and porous structure for volume expansion,and the correlation between these factors into account.Here,we summarize the challenges of regulating composite sulfur cathodes with respect to ionic/electronic diffusions and put forward the corresponding solutions for obtaining stable positive electrodes.In the last section,we also outlook the future research pathways of architecture sulfur cathode to guide the develop high-performance all-solid-state lithium-sulfur batteries.

Three dimensional microstructures of carbon deposition on Ni-YSZ anodes under polarization

In the present study,two Ni/YSZ anodes with different volume ratios of Ni and YSZ,30:70 and 45:55 vol%,are operated in dry methane under open circuit and polarized conditions.Three-dimensional(3D)Ni/YSZ microstructures after carbon deposition are reconstructed by the focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy(FIB-SEM)with the help of machine learning segmentation.From the reconstructed mircostructures,volume fraction,connectivity,three phase boundary(TPB)density,and tortuosity are quantified.In addition,local carbon microstructures are quantitatively reconstructed,and the effect of polarization on carbon morphology is investigated.It is demonstrated that Ni surface in the vicinity of active TPB near the electrolyte is free from carbon formation,while remaining Ni surface at some distances from TPB exhibits severe carbon deposition.In average,total amount of carbon deposition is larger near the electrolyte.These observations imply complex interplay between the electrochemical steam generation and methane cracking on Ni surface which take place very locally near the active TPB.

Rational design of three-phase interfaces for electrocatalysis

Gas-involving electrochemical reactions,like oxygen reduction reaction (ORR),oxygen evolution reaction (OER),and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER),are critical processes for energy-saving,environment-friendly energy conversion and storage technologies which gain increasing attention.The development of according electrocatalysts is key to boost their electrocatalytic performances.Dramatic efforts have been put into the development of advanced electrocatalysts to overcome sluggish kinetics.On the other hand,the electrode interfaces-architecture construction plays an equally important role for practical applications because these imperative electrode reactions generally proceed at triple-phase interfaces of gas,liquid electrolyte,and solid electrocatalyst.A desirable architecture should facilitate the complicate reactions occur at the triple-phase interfaces,which including mass diffusion,surface reaction and electron transfer.In this review,we will summarize some design principles and synthetic strategies for optimizing triple-phase interfaces of gas-involving electrocatalysis systematically,based on the electrode reaction process at the three-phase interfaces.It can be divided into three main optimization directions:exposure of active sites,promotion of mass diffusion and acceleration of electron transfer.Furthermore,we especially highlight several remarkable works with comprehensive optimization about specific energy conversion devices,including metal-air batteries,fuel cells,and water-splitting devices are demonstrated with superb efficiency.In the last section,the perspectives and challenges in the future are proposed.

Engineering nanoporous and solid core-shell architectures of lowplatinum alloy catalysts for high power density PEM fuel cells

Low-platinum(Pt)alloy catalysts hold promising application in oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)electrocatalysis of protonexchange-membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs).Although significant progress has been made to boost the kinetic ORR mass activity at low current densities in liquid half-cells,little attention was paid to the performance of Pt-based catalysts in realistic PEMFCs particularly at high current densities for high power density,which remains poorly understood.In this paper,we show that,regardless of the kinetic mass activity at the low current density region,the high current density performance of the low-Pt alloy catalysts is dominantly controlled by the total Pt surface area,particularly in low-Pt-loading H_(2)–air PEMFCs.To this end,we propose two different strategies to boost the specific Pt surface area,the post-15-nm dealloyed nanoporous architecture and the sub-5-nm solid core–shell nanoparticles(NPs)through fluidic-bed synthesis,both of which bring in comparably high mass activity and high Pt surface area for large-current-density performance.At medium current density,the dealloyed porous NPs provide substantially higher H_(2)–air PEMFC performance compared to solid core–shell catalysts,despite their similar mass activity in liquid half-cells.Scanning transmission electron microscopy images combined with electron energy loss spectroscopic imaging evidence a previously unreported“semi-immersed nanoporous-Pt/ionomer”structure in contrast to a“fully-immersed core–shellPt/ionomer”structure,thus favoring O_(2) transport and improving the fuel cell performance.Our results provide new insights into the role of Pt nanostructures in concurrently optimizing the mass activity,Pt surface area and Pt/Nafion interface for high power density fuel cells.