Synergistic enhancement of cathode/anode interfaces with high water-retentive organohydrogel enabling highly stable zinc ion batteries

Current aqueous battery electrolytes,including conve ntional hydrogel electrolytes,exhibit unsatisfactory water retention capabilities.The sustained water loss will lead to subsequent polarization and increased internal resistance,ultimately resulting in battery failure.Herein,a double network(DN) orga no hydrogel electrolyte based on dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO)/H_(2)O binary solvent was proposed.Through directionally reconstructing hydrogen bonds and reducing active H_(2)O molecules,the water retention ability and cathode/anode interfaces were synergistic enhanced.As a result,the synthesized DN organohydrogel demonstrates exceptional water retention capabilities,retaining approximately 75% of its original weight even after the exposure to air for 20 days.The Zn MnO_(2) battery delivers an outstanding specific capacity of275 mA h g^(-1) at 1 C,impressive rate performance with 85 mA h g^(-1) at 30 C,and excellent cyclic stability(95% retention after 6000 cycles at 5 C).Zn‖Zn symmetric battery can cycle more than 5000 h at 1 mA cm^(-2) and 1 mA h cm^(-2) without short circuiting.This study will encourage the further development of functional organohydrogel electrolytes for advanced energy storage devices.

Viability of all-solid-state lithium metal battery coupled with oxide solid-state electrolyte and high-capacity cathode

Owing to the utilization of lithium metal as anode with the ultrahigh theoretical capacity density of 3860 mA h g^(-1)and oxide-based ceramic solid-state electrolytes(SE),e.g.,garnet-type Li7La_(3)Zr_(2)O_(12)(LLZO),all-state-state lithium metal batteries(ASLMBs)have been widely accepted as the promising alternatives for providing the satisfactory energy density and safety.However,its applications are still challenged by plenty of technical and scientific issues.In this contribution,the co-sintering temperature at 500℃is proved as a compromise method to fabricate the composite cathode with structural integrity and declined capacity fading of LiNi_(0.5)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.3)O_(2)(NCM).On the other hand,it tends to form weaker grain boundary(GB)inside polycrystalline LLZO at inadequate sintering temperature for LLZO,which can induce the intergranular failure of SE during the growth of Li filament inside the unavoidable defect on the interface of SE.Therefore,increasing the strength of GB,refining the grain to 0.4μm,and precluding the interfacial defect are suggested to postpone the electro-chemo-mechanical failure of SE with weak GB.Moreover,the advanced sintering techniques to lower the co-sintering temperature for both NCM-LLZO composite cathode and LLZO SE can be posted out to realize the viability of state-of-the-art ASLMBs with higher energy density as well as the guaranteed safety.

A hydrophilic poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) polymer as a green, universal, and dual-functional binder for high-performance silicon anode and sulfur cathode

Binders could play crucial or even decisive roles in the fabrication of low-cost, stable and high-capacity electrodes. This is especially the case for the silicon (Si) anodes and sulfur (S) cathodes that undergo large volume change and active material loss in lithium-ion batteries during prolonged cycles. Herein, a hydrophilic polymer poly(methyl vinyl ether-alt-maleic acid) (PMVEMA) was explored as a dual-functional aqueous binder for the preparation of high-performance silicon anode and sulfur cathode. Benefiting from the dual functions of PMVEMA, i.e., the excellent dispersion ability and strong binding forces, the as-prepared electrodes exhibit improved capacity, rate capability and long-term cycling performance. In particular, the as-prepared Si electrode delivers a high initial discharge capacity of 1346.5 mAh g^(−1) at a high rate of 8.4 A/g and maintains 834.5 mAh g^(−1) after 300 cycles at 4.2 A/g, while the as-prepared S cathode exhibits enhanced cycling performance with high remaining discharge capacities of 663.4 mAh g^(−1) after 100 cycles at 0.2 C and 487.07 mAh g^(−1) after 300 cycles at 1 C, respectively. These encouraging results suggest that PMVEMA could be a universal binder to facilitate the green manufacture of both anode and cathode for high-capacity energy storage systems.

Theoretical and Experimental Sets of Choice Anode/Cathode Architectonics for High-Performance Full-Scale LIB Built-up Models

To control the power hierarchy design of lithium-ion battery(LIB)builtup sets for electric vehicles(EVs),we offer intensive theoretical and experimental sets of choice anode/cathode architectonics that can be modulated in full-scale LIB built-up models.As primary structural tectonics,heterogeneous composite superstructures of full-cell-LIB(anode//cathode)electrodes were designed in closely packed flower agave rosettes TiO2@C(FRTO@C anode)and vertical-star-tower LiFePO4@C(VST@C cathode)building blocks to regulate the electron/ion movement in the three-dimensional axes and orientation pathways.The superpower hierarchy surfaces and multi-directional orientation components may create isosurface potential electrodes with mobile electron movements,in-to-out interplay electron dominances,and electron/charge cloud distributions.This study is the first to evaluate the hotkeys of choice anode/cathode architectonics to assemble different LIB-electrode platforms with high-mobility electron/ion flows and high-performance capacity functionalities.Density functional theory calculation revealed that the FRTO@C anode and VST-(i)@C cathode architectonics are a superior choice for the configuration of full-scale LIB built-up models.The integrated FRTO@C//VST-(i)@C full-scale LIB retains a huge discharge capacity(~94.2%),an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.85%after 2000 cycles at 1 C,and a high energy density of 127 Wh kg?1,thereby satisfying scale-up commercial EV requirements.

A rapid one-step electrodeposition process for fabrication of superhydrobic surfaces on anode and cathode

This work presents a method to solve the weak solubility of zinc chloride(ZnCl_2) in the ethanol by adding some reasonable water into an ethanol electrolyte containing ZnCl_2 and myristic acid(CH_3(CH_2)_(12)COOH).A rapid one-step electrodeposition process was developed to fabricate anodic(2.5 min) and cathodic(40 s) superhydrophobic surfaces of copper substrate(contact angle more than 150°) in an aqueous ethanol electrolyte.Morphology,composition,chemical structure and superhydrophobicity of these superhydrophobic surfaces were investigated by SEM,FTIR,XRD,and contact angle measurement,respectively.The results indicate that water ratio of the electrolyte can reduce the required deposition time,superhydrophobic surface needs over 30 min with anhydrous electrolyte,while it needs only 2.5 min with electrolyte including 10 mL water,and the maximum contact angle of anodic surface is 166° and that of the cathodic surface is 168°.Two copper electrode surfaces have different reactions in the process of electrodeposition time,and the anodic copper surface covers copper myristate(Cu[CH_3(CH_2)_(12)COO]_2) and cupric chloride(CuCl);while,zinc myristate(Zn[CH_3(CH_2)_(12)COO]_2) and pure zinc(Zn) appear on the cathodic surface.

Fabricating a PVDF skin for PEO-based SPE to stabilize the interface both at cathode and anode for Li-ion batteries

Poly(ethylene oxide)(PEO)-based solid polymer electrolyte is always the most promising candidate for preparing thinner, lighter and safer lithium-ion batteries. However, the lithium dendrites growth of lithium anode and the high-voltage oxidation of cathode are easy to cause the PEO-based battery failure.The way to deal with the different challenges on both sides of the anode and cathode is pursued all the time. In this study, we reported a new strategy to construct the PVDF/PEO/PVDF three-layer structure for solid polymer electrolyte(marked as PVDF@PEO) using PVDF as the functional “skin”. The PVDF@PEO electrolyte can effectively prevent from the lithium dendrites, and shows a stable cycling life over1000 h in the Li/PVDF@PEO/Li cell. In addition, the PVDF@PEO electrolyte exhibits higher oxidation resistance and can be matched with high-voltage LiCoO_(2) cathode. The Li/PVDF@PEO/LiCoO_(2) cell delivered a specific capacity of about 150 m Ah g^(-1) over 150 cycles and maintained good cycling stability. Our research provides insights that the polymer electrolytes constructed with PVDF functional “skin” can simultaneously meet the challenges of both anode and cathode in solid-state lithium-ion batteries(SSLIBs).

HCFL Lamp Only Lights Up under Coexistence of Cathode and Anode in Ar Gas Space for Half Cycle of AC Driving Circuit

Vacuum space between Ar atoms in unlighted HCFL lamps is an electric insulator, because vacuum fills up with strong negative electric field from orbital electrons in 3p6 electron shell of Ar atoms. Vacuum space in lighted FL lamps changes to the neutral vacuum that provides a superconductive vacuum for moving electrons at above room temperature. The complications of lighting mechanisms of HCFL lamps for more than 80 years have clearly solved with coexistence of disparate external and internal electric circuits for each half cycle. External electric circuit acts as two roles. One helps for formation of internal electric circuit in Ar gas space by electric field. Other picks up induced voltages from capacitor CFL. HCFL lamp only lights up with moving electrons in internal DC driving circuit. Electrons in HCFL lamp only move from cathode to anode, which respectively have negative and positive potentials against grand (V = 0), and which are formed with volumes of heated corona light (4G) at around W-filament metal electrodes with a help of heated BaO particles. The HCFL lamp that emits thermoelectrons is a false story. Here we have totally revised the fundamentals of the lighting mechanism of the established HCFL lamps for last 80 years.

Commercially Viable Hybrid Li-Ion/Metal Batteries with High Energy Density Realized by Symbiotic Anode and Prelithiated Cathode

The energy density of commercial lithium(Li)ion batteries with graphite anode is reaching the limit.It is believed that directly utilizing Li metal as anode without a host could enhance the battery’s energy density to the maximum extent.However,the poor reversibility and infinite volume change of Li metal hinder the realistic implementation of Li metal in battery community.Herein,a commercially viable hybrid Li-ion/metal battery is realized by a coordinated strategy of symbiotic anode and prelithiated cathode.To be specific,a scalable template-removal method is developed to fabricate the porous graphite layer(PGL),which acts as a symbiotic host for Li ion intercalation and subsequent Li metal deposition due to the enhanced lithiophilicity and sufficient ion-conducting pathways.A continuous dissolution-deintercalation mechanism during delithiation process further ensures the elimination of dead Li.As a result,when the excess plating Li reaches 30%,the PGL could deliver an ultrahigh average Coulombic efficiency of 99.5% for 180 cycles with a capacity of 2.48 m Ah cm^(-2) in traditional carbonate electrolyte.Meanwhile,an air-stable recrystallized lithium oxalate with high specific capacity(514.3 m Ah g^(-1))and moderate operating potential(4.7-5.0 V)is introduced as a sacrificial cathode to compensate the initial loss and provide Li source for subsequent cycles.Based on the prelithiated cathode and initial Li-free symbiotic anode,under a practical-level3 m Ah capacity,the assembled hybrid Li-ion/metal full cell with a P/N ratio(capacity ratio of Li Ni_(0.8)Co_(0.1)Mn_(0.1)O_(2) to graphite)of 1.3exhibits significantly improved capacity retention after 300 cycles,indicating its great potential for high-energy-density Li batteries.

Experimental Investigation to Evaluate LiFePO4Batteries Anode and Cathode Elastic Properties under Cyclic Temperature Loading Conditions

Experimental investigations and associated methods are provided to characterize the mechanical properties of a lithium-ion battery accounting for operating temperature variation and thermal effects. Material properties for LiFeP04 cathode and anode samples taken from an off-the-shelf battery are evaluated in new and fatigued （subjec- ted to charging and discharging cycles） conditions.

Top-Emitting White Organic Light-Emitting Diodes Based on Cu as Both Anode and Cathode

It is still challenging to obtain broadband emission covering visible light spectrum as much as possible with negligible angular dependence. In this work, we demonstrate a low driving voltage top-emitting white organic light-emitting diode （TEWOLED） based on complementary blue and yellow phosphor emitters with negligible angular dependence. The bottom copper anode with medium reflectance, which is compatible with the standard complementary metal oxide semiconductor （CMOS） technology below 0.13 μm, and the semitransparent multi- layer Cs2CO3/AI/Cu cathode as a top electrode, are introduced to realize high-performance TEWOLED. Our TEWOLED achieves high efficiencies of 15.4callA and 12.1 1m/W at a practical brightness of lO00cd/m2 at low voltage of 4 V.

A thin Si nanowire network anode for high volumetric capacity and long-life lithium-ion batteries

Silicon nanowires(Si NWs)have been widely researched as the best alternative to graphite anodes for the next-generation of high-performance lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)owing to their high capacity and low discharge potential.However,growing binder-free Si NW anodes with adequate mass loading and stable capacity is severely limited by the low surface area of planar current collectors(CCs),and is particularly challenging to achieve on standard pure-Cu substrates due to the ubiquitous formation of Li+inactive silicide phases.Here,the growth of densely-interwoven In-seeded Si NWs is facilitated by a thin-film of copper-silicide(CS)network in situ grown on a Cu-foil,allowing for a thin active NW layer(<10μm thick)and high areal loading(≈1.04 mg/cm^(2))binder-free electrode architecture.The electrode exhibits an average Coulombic efficiency(CE)of>99.6%and stable performance for>900 cycles with≈88.7%capacity retention.More significantly,it delivers a volumetric capacity of≈1086.1 m A h/cm^(3)at 5C.The full-cell versus lithium manganese oxide(LMO)cathode delivers a capacity of≈1177.1 m A h/g at 1C with a stable rate capability.This electrode architecture represents significant advances toward the development of binder-free Si NW electrodes for LIB application.

Effect of Zn/Mg ratio on cathodic protection of carbon steel using Al-Zn-Mg sacrificial anodes

Al-Zn-Mg alloys with different Zn/Mg mass ratios were evaluated as sacrificial anodes for cathodic protection of carbon steel in 3.5 wt.%Na Cl solution.The anodes were fabricated from pure Al,Zn and Mg metals using casting technique.Optical microscopy,SEM-EDS,XRD and electrochemical techniques were used.The results indicated that with decreasing Zn/Mg mass ratio,the grain size ofα(Al)and the particle size of the precipitates decreased while the volume fraction of the precipitates increased.The anode with Zn/Mg mass ratio>4.0 exhibited the lowest corrosion rate,while the anode with Zn/Mg mass ratio<0.62 gave the highest corrosion rate and provided the highest cathodic protection efficiency for carbon steel(AISI 1018).Furthermore,the results showed that the anode with Zn/Mg mass ratio<0.62 exhibited a porous corrosion product compared to the other anodes.

Effectiveness Evaluation Study of Self-made Zinc Alloy Sacrificial Anode under Chloride Salt Erosion Environment

To investigate the effectiveness of self-made zinc alloy sacrificial anode material for the protection of reinforcement in concrete under chlorine salt erosion environment,salt solution immersion corrosion and electromigration accelerated corrosion tests were used to evaluate the effectiveness of self-made zinc alloy anode with the help of relevant cathodic protection guidelines and evaluation criteria for the corrosion of reinforcement in concrete.The results showed that the protection was effective because the potential of the zinc alloy anode protection steel bar in the salt solution satis?ed the“-780 mV(SCE)”validity criterion.The self-corrosion potential(E_(corr))of the sacri?cial anode protection steel in concrete was greater than-276 mV,and the protective current density of the zinc alloy anode was 1-3μA·cm^(-2),which met the standards of EN12696-2000,further indicating that the self-made zinc alloy sacri?cial anode had a good protection combining with the polarization resistance and the appearance of the corroded surface of the steel in concrete.The microscopic morphology of the corroded surface and the composition of the corrosion products indicates that the mortar of the self-made zinc alloy anode has a lower pH than the imported anodes,so the long-term protection of the selfmade zinc alloy sacri?cial anode needs to be further improved.

Numerical simulation and performance analysis of the radiofrequency inductive cathode

The radiofrequency(RF) inductive cathode has great prospects in space missions with long mission cycles, large speed increments, and rapid response requirements as the main electron source and neutralizer in Hall thrusters and ion thrusters. This paper proposes a comprehensive multi-physics RF inductive cathode model in which the RF electromagnetic field, electrostatic field for extracting electrons, flow field, plasma transport and electrochemical reaction process are all accounted for. Each physical field mentioned above can form a closed partial differential equation. The two-dimensional finite element code COMSOL is used to solve the multi-physics model. With this model, the formation process of the anode spot is exhibited and demonstrates the non-bipolar flow theory in practice. The simulation results demonstrate that the current jump in the RF inductive cathode is caused by the anode spot. Furthermore, the influences of preset discharge parameters such as RF power, bias voltage and actuating gas flow as well as structural parameters like the coil structure, discharge chamber size and ion collector area, emission hole size, distance between the anode target and the emission hole etc on the cathode performance are investigated, and some important optimal parameters are proposed.

Synthesis and electrochemical properties of LiNi_(0.8)Al_(0.2-x)Ti_xO_2 cathode materials by an ultrasonic-assisted co-precipitation method

A new co-precipitation route was proposed to synthesize LiNi0.8A10.2-xTixO2 （x=0.0-0.20） cathode materials for lithium ion batteries, with Ni（NO3）2, Al（NO3）3, LiOH·H2O, and TiO2 as the starting materials. Ultrasonic vibration was used during preparing the precursors, and the precursors were protected by absolute ethanol before calcination in the air. The influences of doped-Ti content, calcination temperature and time, additional Li content, and ultrasonic vibration on the structure and properties of LiNi0.8A10.2-xTixO2 were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, and charge-discharge tests, respectively. The results show that the optimal molar fraction of Ti, calcination temperature and time, and additional molar fraction of Li for LiNi0.8A10.2-xTixO2 cathode materials are 0.1,700℃, 20 h, and 0.05, respectively. Ti doping facilitates the formation of the α-NaFeO2 layered structure, and ultrasonic vibration improves the electrochemical performance of LiNi0.8A10.2-xTixO2.

Effect of Sacrificial Anode Protection for Steel Pipe Piles at Dandong Port

The sacrificial anode protection system for the steel pipe piles of the 3rd berth of Dandong; wharf at Dandong port has operated for eight years. In this paper, the program design and the protection effect of the sacrificial anode protection system are presented. The results of various inspections show that the piles are protected very satisfactorily.

A Mixed Ether Electrolyte for Lithium Metal Anode Protection in Working Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur(Li-S) battery is considered as a promising energy storage system to realize high energy density.Nevertheless,unstable lithium metal anode emerges as the bottleneck toward practical applications,especially with limited anode excess required in a working full cell.In this contribution,a mixed diisopropyl ether-based(mixed-DIPE) electrolyte was proposed to effectively protect lithium metal anode in Li-S batteries with sulfurized polyacrylonitrile(SPAN) cathodes.The mixed-DIPE electrolyte improves the compatibility to lithium metal and suppresses the dissolution of lithium polysulfides,rendering significantly improved cycling stability.Concretely,Li | Cu half-cells with the mixed-DIPE electrolyte cycled stably for 120 cycles,which is nearly five times longer than that with routine carbonate-based electrolyte.Moreover,the mixedDIPE electrolyte contributed to a doubled life span of 156 cycles at 0.5 C in Li | SPAN full cells with ultrathin 50 μm Li metal anodes compared with the routine electrolyte.This contribution affords an effective electrolyte formula for Li metal anode protection and is expected to propel the practical applications of high-energy-density Li-S batteries.

Preparation and Electrochemical Properties of Pb-0.3wt%Ag/Pb-WC Composite Inert Anodes

We prepared Pb-0.3wt%Ag/Pb-WC（WC stands for tungsten carbide,the same below） composite inert anodes by double-pulse electrodeposition on the surface of Pb-0.3wt%Ag substrates,and investigated the electrochemical properties of the composite inert anodes,which were obtained under different forward pulse average current densities from 2 A/dm2 to 5 A/dm2 and WC concentrations from 0 g/L to 40 g/L in bath.The kinetic parameters of oxygen evolution,corrosion potential and corrosion current of the composite inert anodes were obtained in a synthetic zinc electrowinning electrolyte of 50 g/L Zn2＋ and 150 g/L H2SO4 at 35 ℃,by measuring the anodic polarization curves,Tafel polarization curves and cyclic voltammetry curves.The results show that Pb-0.3wt% Ag/Pb-WC composite inert anodes obtained under forward pulse average current density of 3 A/dm2 and WC concentration of 30 g/L in an original acid plating bath,possess higher electrocatalytic activity of oxygen evolution,lower overpotential of oxygen evolution,better reversibility of electrode reaction and corrosion resistance in [ZnSO4＋H2SO4] solution.The overpotential of oxygen evolution of the composite inert anode is 0.926 V under 500 A/m2 in [ZnSO4＋H2SO4] solution,and 245 mV lower than that of Pb-1% Ag alloy;the corrosion current of the composite inert anode is 0.95×10-4A which is distinctly lower than that of Pb-1%Ag alloy,showing the excellent corrosion resistance.

Fluctuation of arc plasma in arc plasma torch with multiple cathodes

Fluctuation phenomena commonly exist in arc plasmas, limiting the application of this technology.In this paper,we report an investigation of fluctuations of arc plasmas in an arc plasma torch with multiple cathodes.Time-resolved images of the plasma column and anode arc roots are captured.Variations of the arc voltage, plasma column diameter, and pressure are also revealed.The results indicate that two well-separated fluctuations exist in the arc plasma torch.One is the high-frequency fluctuation(of several thousand Hz), which arises from transferring of the anode arc root.The other is the low-frequency fluctuation(of several hundred Hz), which may come from the pressure variation in the arc plasma torch.Initial analysis reveals that as the gas flow rate changes, the low-frequency fluctuation shows a similar variation trend with the Helmholtz oscillation.This oscillation leads to the shrinking and expanding of the plasma column.As a result, the arc voltage shows a sinusoidal fluctuation.

Preliminary Investigation on a Sheet Plasma Produced by a Single Hot-Filament Cathode Discharge

A sheet plasma is generated by a mesh anode and a single hot-filament cathode with a DC power supply, and its characteristics are experimentally investigated. The sheet plasma is observed to locate around the anode. Both electron density and electron temperature derived from the average energy of the energetic electrons in nitrogen are estimated to be 10s cm^-3 and 20- 40 eV, respectively, using the optical emission spectroscopy （OES） method based on a kinetic model of low-pressure nitrogen discharge. The electron density, electron temperature and their spatial distributions are found to be affected by the supplying voltage on the anode（70 V to 300 V）, filament temperature （600℃ to 780℃） and gas pressure （2 Pa to 20 Pa）. By adjusting these parameters the discharge status can be easily controlled.