Advanced preparation and application of bimetallic materials in lithium-sulfur batteries:A review

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries are considered highly promising as next-generation energy storage systems due to high theoretical capacity(2600 Wh kg^(-1))and energy density(1675 mA h g^(-1))as well as the abundant natural reserves,low cost of elemental sulfur,and environmentally friendly properties.However,several challenges impede its commercialization including low conductivity of sulfur itself,the severe“shuttle effect”caused by lithium polysulfides(LiPSs)during charge–discharge processes,volume expansion effects and sluggish reaction kinetics.As a solution,polar metal particles and their compounds have been introduced as the main hosts for sulfur cathode due to their robust catalytic activity and adsorption capability,effectively suppressing the“shuttle effect”of Li PSs.Bimetallic alloys and their compounds with multi-functional properties exhibit remarkable electrochemical performance more readily when compared to single-metal materials.Well-designed bimetallic materials demonstrate larger specific surface areas and richer active sites,enabling simultaneous high adsorption capability and strong catalytic properties.The synergistic effect of the“adsorption-catalysis”sites accelerates the adsorptiondiffusion-conversion process of Li PSs,ultimately achieving a long-lasting Li-S battery.Herein,the latest progress and performance of bimetallic materials in cathodes,separators,and interlayers of Li-S batteries are systematically reviewed.Firstly,the principles and challenges of Li-S batteries are briefly analyzed.Then,various mechanisms for suppressing“shuttle effects”of Li PSs are emphasized at the microscale.Subsequently,the performance parameters of various bimetallic materials are comprehensively summarized,and some improvement strategies are proposed based on these findings.Finally,the future prospects of bimetallic materials are discussed,with the hope of providing profound insights for the rational design and manufacturing of high-performance bimetallic materials for LSBs.

High strength bimetallic composite material fabricated by electroslag casting and characteristics of its composite interface

Bimetallic composite material of bainitic steel and PD3 steel was produced with electroslag casting process, and element distribution of its composite interface was investigated by theoretical calculation and energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS). Results show that the tensile strength(1,450 MPa), hardness(HRC 41-47) and impact toughness(94.7J·cm^(-2)) of bainitic steel were comparatively high, while its elongation was slightly low(4.0%). Tensile strength(1,100 MPa), hardness(>HRC 31) and elongation(7.72%) of the interface were also relatively high, but its impact toughness was low at 20.4 J·cm^(-2). Results of theoretical calculation of the element distribution in the interface region were basically consistent with that of EDS. Therefore, electroslag casting is a practical process to produce bimetallic composite material of bainitic steel and PD3 steel, and theoretical calculation also is a feasible method to study element distribution of their interface.

Deformation Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Ti/Al Bimetallic Composite Materials Fabricated by Wire Plus Arc Additive Manufacturing

We focused on Ti/Al composite materials fabricated by wire and arc addictive manufacturing,and the microstructure and interface characteristics of them before and after hot compression deformation were compared.After compression deformation,allαstructures of titanium were compacted with the emergence of Widmanstatten structures.Coarsened coloniesαof titanium were elongated and waved along the original growth direction,resulting in anisotropy of grains.Pores and Ti/Al intermetallic compounds of aluminum are significantly decreased after hot compression.Meanwhile,a good bonding interface between titanium and aluminum is obtained after hot compression,and the element diffusion is more intense.In addition,the mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of Ti/Al composite material with different clad ratio that is defined as the ratio of the thickness of titanium to that of the Ti/Al composite material are investigated by uniaxial tensile test.The experimental results show that the ultimate tensile strength of Ti/Al composite material is between that of single deposited titanium and aluminum,while the elongation of Ti/Al composite material with low clad ratio is lower than that of single aluminum due to the metallurgical reaction.As the clad ratio increases,the two component layers are harder to separate during deformation,which is resulted from the decrease of the inward contraction stress of three-dimensional stress caused by necking of aluminum.This work may promote the engineering application of Ti/Al bimetallic structures.

Boosting the hydrogen storage performance of magnesium hydride with metal organic framework-derived Cobalt@Nickel oxide bimetallic catalyst

In this study,a MOF-derived bimetallic Co@NiO catalyst was synthesized and doped into MgH_(2)to improve the hydrogen desorption and resorption kinetics.The Co@NiO catalyst decreased the onset dehydrogenation temperature of MgH_(2)by 160℃,compared with un-doped MgH_(2).The MgH^(2+)9%(mass)Co@NiO composite released 6.6%(mass)hydrogen in 350 s at 315℃and uptook 5.4%(mass)hydrogen in500 s at 165℃,showing greatly accelerated de/rehydrogenation rates.Besides,the desorption activation energy of MgH^(2+)9%(mass)Co@NiO was decreased to(93.8±8.4)kJ·mol^(-1).Noteworthy,symbiotic Mg_(2)NiH_(4)/Mg_(2)CoH_(5)clusters were in-situ formed from bimetallic precursors and inlaid on MgH_(2)surface,which are considered as"multi-step hydrogen pumps",and provides surface pathways for hydrogen absorption.Meanwhile,the introduced Mg_(2)NiH_(4)/Mg_(2)CoH_(5)interfaces could provide numerous low energy barrier H diffusion channels,therefore accelerating the hydrogen release and uptake.This research proposes new insights to design high-efficiency bimetallic catalyst for MgH_(2)hydrogen storage.

Phase separation-hydrogen etching-derived Cu-decorated Cu-Mn bimetallic oxides with oxygen vacancies boosting superior sodium-ion storage kinetics

Understanding the crystal phase evolution of bimetallic oxide anodes is the main concern to profoundly reveal the conversion reaction kinetics and sodium-ion storage mechanisms.Herein,an integrated selfsupporting anode of the Cu-decorated Cu-Mn bimetallic oxides with oxygen vacancies(Ov-BMO-Cu)are in-situ generated by phase separation and hydrogen etching using nanoporous Cu-Mn alloy as selfsacrificial templates.On this basis,we have elucidated the relationship between the phase evolution,oxygen vacancies and sodium-ion storage mechanisms,further demonstrating the evolution of oxygen vacancies and the inhibition effect of manganese oxides as an“anchor”on grain aggregation of copper oxides.The kinetic analyses confirm that the expanded lattice space and increased oxygen vacancies of cycled Ov-BMO-Cu synergistically guarantee effective sodium-ion diffusion and storage mechanisms.Therefore,the Ov-BMO-Cu electrode exhibits higher reversible capacities of 4.04 mA h cm^(-2)at 0.2 mA cm^(-2)after 100 cycles and 2.20 m A h cm^(-2)at 1.0 mA cm^(-2)after 500 cycles.Besides,the presodiated Ov-BMO-Cu anode delivers a considerable reversible capacity of 0.79 m A h cm^(-2)at 1.0 mA cm^(-2)after 60 cycles in full cells with Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)cathode,confirming its outstanding practicality.Thus,this work is expected to provide enlightenment for designing high-capacity bimetallic oxide anodes.