An in-situ self-etching enabled high-power electrode for aqueous zinc-ion batteries

Sluggish storage kinetics is considered as the main bottleneck of cathode materials for fast-charging aqueous zinc-ion batteries(AZIBs).In this report,we propose a novel in-situ self-etching strategy to unlock the Palm tree-like vanadium oxide/carbon nanofiber membrane(P-VO/C)as a robust freestanding electrode.Comprehensive investigations including the finite element simulation,in-situ X-ray diffraction,and in-situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy disclosed it an electrochemically induced phase transformation mechanism from VO to layered Zn_(x)V_(2)O_5·nH_(2)O,as well as superior storage kinetics with ultrahigh pseudocapacitive contribution.As demonstrated,such electrode can remain a specific capacity of 285 mA h g^(-1)after 100 cycles at 1 A g^(-1),144.4 mA h g^(-1)after 1500 cycles at 30 A g^(-1),and even 97 mA h g^(-1)after 3000 cycles at 60 A g^(-1),respectively.Unexpectedly,an impressive power density of 78.9 kW kg^(-1)at the super-high current density of 100 A g^(-1)also can be achieved.Such design concept of in-situ self-etching free-standing electrode can provide a brand-new insight into extending the pseudocapacitive storage limit,so as to promote the development of high-power energy storage devices including but not limited to AZIBs.

Recent progress of self-supported air electrodes for flexible Zn-air batteries

Smart wearable devices are regarded to be the next prevailing technology product after smartphones and smart homes,and thus there has recently been rapid development in flexible electronic energy storage devices.Among them,flexible solid-state zinc-air batteries have received widespread attention because of their high energy density,good safety,and stability.Efficient bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts are the primary consideration in the development of flexible solid-state zinc-air batteries,and self-supported air cathodes are strong candidates because of their advantages including simplified fabrication process,reduced interfacial resistance,accelerated electron transfer,and good flexibility.This review outlines the research progress in the design and construction of nanoarray bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts.Starting from the configuration and basic principles of zinc-air batteries and the strategies for the design of bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts,a detailed discussion of self-supported air cathodes on carbon and metal substrates and their uses in flexible zinc-air batteries will follow.Finally,the challenges and opportunities in the development of flexible zinc-air batteries will be discussed.

Insight into the effect of thick graphite electrodes towards high-performance cylindrical Ni-rich NCA90 Li-ion batteries

This study explored the complex effect of graphite tortuosity on the electrochemical performance of Ni-rich NCA90 Li-ion batteries(LIBs).Different levels of graphite anode tortuosity were analyzed,revealing that low-tortuosity electrodes had better graphite utilization.The in-plane tortuosities of the graphite anode electrodes examined were 1.70,1.94,2.05,and 2.18,while their corresponding through-plane tortuosities were 4.74,6.94,8.19,and 9.80.In-operando X-ray diffraction and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry were employed to investigate the charge storage mechanism and gas evolution.The study revealed that while graphite electrode tortuosity impacted the amount of Li present in the lithiated graphite phase due to diffusion constraints,it did not affect gas generation.The Li-ion utilization in low-tortuosity electrodes was higher than that in high-tortuosity electrodes because of solid-diffusion limitations.Additionally,the galvanostatic intermittent titration technique(GITT) was employed to investigate a lithium-ion diffusion coefficient.Our results indicate that the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient exhibits a significant difference only during LiC_(6) phase transition.We also observed that the use of a lower tortuosity electrode leads to improved lithium-ion insertion.Consequently,graphite utilization is influenced by the porous electrode design.Safety tests adhering to UN38.3 guidelines verified battery safety.The study demonstrated the practical application of optimized NCA90 LIB cells with diverse graphite electrode tortuosities in a high-performance Lamborghini GoKart,paving the way for further advancements in Ni-rich LIB technology.

A high Li-ion diffusion kinetics in multidimensional and compact-structured electrodes via vacuum filtration casting

Manufacturing process,diffusion co-efficient and areal capacity are the three main criteria for regulating thick electrodes for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).However,simultaneously regulating these criteria for LIBs is desirable but remains a significant challenge.In this work,niobium pentoxide(Nb_(2)O_(5))anode and lithium iron phosphate(LiFePO_(4))cathode materials were chosen as the model materials and demonstrate that these three parameters can be simultaneously modulated by incorporation of micro-carbon fibers(MCF)and carbon nanotubes(CNT)with both Nb_(2)O_(5) and LFP via vacuum filtration approach.Both as-prepared MNC-20 anode and MLC-20 cathode achieves high reversible areal capacity of≈5.4 m A h cm^(-2)@0.1 C and outstanding Li-ion diffusion coefficients of≈10~(-8)cm~2 s~(-1)in the half-cell configuration.The assembled MNC-20‖MLC-20 full cell LIB delivers maximum energy and power densities of244.04 W h kg^(-1)and 108.86 W kg^(-1),respectively.The excellent electrochemical properties of the asprepared thick electrodes can be attributed to the highly conductive,mechanical compactness and multidimensional mutual effects of the MCF,CNT and active materials that facilitates rapid Li-ion diffusion kinetics.Furthermore,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS),symmetric cells analysis,and insitu Raman techniques clearly validates the enhanced Li-ion diffusion kinetics in the present architecture.

New insights into the pre-lithiation kinetics of single-crystalline Ni-rich cathodes for long-life Li-ion batteries

Developing single-crystalline Ni-rich cathodes is an effective strategy to improve the safety and cycle life of Li-ion batteries(LIBs).However,the easy-to-loss of Li and O in high-temperature lithiation results in unsatisfactory ordered layered structure and stoichiometry.Herein,we demonstrate the synthesis of highly-ordered and fully-stoichiometric single-crystalline LiNi_(0.83)Co_(0.12)Mn_(0.05)O_(2)(SC-NCM83)cathodes by the regulation of pre-lithiation kinetics.The well-balanced pre-lithiation kinetics have been proved to greatly improve the proportion of layered phase in the intermediate by inhibiting the formation of metastable spinel phase,which promoted the rapid transformation of the intermediate into highly-ordered layered SC-NCM83 in the subsequent lithiation process.After coating a layer of Li_(2)O–B_(2)O_(3),the resultant cathodes deliver superior cycling stability with 90.9%capacity retention at 1C after 300 cycles in pouch-type full batteries.The enhancement mechanism has also been clarified.These findings exhibit fundamental insights into the pre-lithiation kinetics process for guiding the synthesis of high-quality singlecrystalline Ni-rich cathodes.

Atomistic understanding of capacity loss in LiNiO_(2)for high-nickel Li-ion batteries:First-principles study

Combining the first-principles calculations and structural enumeration with recognition,the delithiation process of LiNiO_(2)is investigated,where various supercell shapes are considered in order to obtain the formation energy of Li_(x)NiO_(2).Meanwhile,the voltage profile is simulated and the ordered phases of lithium vacancies corresponding to concentrations of 1/4,2/5,3/7,1/2,2/3,3/4,5/6,and 6/7 are predicted.To understand the capacity decay in the experiment during the charge/discharge cycles,deoxygenation and Li/Ni antisite defects are calculated,revealing that the chains of oxygen vacancies will be energetically preferrable.It can be inferred that in the absence of oxygen atom in high delithiate state,the diffusion of Ni atoms is facilitated and the formation of Li/Ni antisite is induced.

Enhancing Hydrophilicity of Thick Electrodes for High Energy Density Aqueous Batteries

Thick electrodes can substantially enhance the overall energy density of batteries.However,insufficient wettability of aqueous electrolytes toward electrodes with conventional hydrophobic binders severely limits utilization of active materials with increasing the thickness of electrodes for aqueous batteries,resulting in battery performance deterioration with a reduced capacity.Here,we demonstrate that controlling the hydrophilicity of the thicker electrodes is critical to enhancing the overall energy density of batteries.Hydrophilic binders are synthesized via a simple sulfonation process of conventional polyvinylidene fluoride binders,considering physicochemical properties such as mechanical properties and adhesion.The introduction of abundant sulfonate groups of binders(i)allows fast and sufficient electrolyte wetting,and(ii)improves ionic conduction in thick electrodes,enabling a significant increase in reversible capacities under various current densities.Further,the sulfonated binder effectively inhibits the dissolution of cathode materials in reactive aqueous electrolytes.Overall,our findings significantly enhance the energy density and contribute to the development of practical zinc-ion batteries.

Hetero-interfacial nickel nitride/vanadium oxynitride porous nanosheets as trifunctional electrodes for HER,OER and sodium ion batteries

The development of single electrode with multifunctional purposes for electrochemical devices remains a symbolic challenge in recent technology.This work explores interfacially-rich transition metal nitride hybrid that consist of nickel nitride and vanadium oxynitride(VO_(0.26)N_(0.52))on robust carbon fiber(denoted CF/Ni_(3)N/VON)as trifunctional electrode for hydrogen evolution reaction(HER),oxygen evolution reaction(OER),and sodium ion batteries(SIBs).The as-prepared CF/Ni_(3)N/VON exhibits low HER overpotential of 48 m V@10 m A cm^(-2),OER overpotential of 287 m V@10 m A cm^(-2),and sodium-ion anode storage reversible capacity of 555 m A h g^(-1)@0.2 C.Theoretical analyses reveal that the Ni_(3)N effectively facilitates hydrogen desorption for HER,increases the electrical conductivity for OER,and promotes the Na-ion storage intercalation process,while the VON substantially elevates the water dissociation kinetics for HER,accelerates the adsorption of OH*intermediate for OER and enhances the Na-ion surface adsorption storage process.Owing to the excellent HER and OER performances of the CF/Ni_(3)N/VON electrode,an overall water splitting device denoted as CF/Ni_(3)N/VON//CF/Ni_(3)N/VON was not only assembled showing an operating voltage of 1.63 V at current density of 10 m A cm^(-2)but was also successfully self-powered by the assembled CF/Ni_(3)N/VON//CF/Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3) flexible sodium ion battery.This work will contribute to the development of efficient and cost-effective flexible integrated electrochemical energy devices.

Self-supported metal(Fe, Co, Ni)-embedded nitrogen-doping carbon nanorod framework as trifunctional electrode for flexible Zn-air batteries and switchable water electrolysis

To meet the practical demand of wearable/portable electronics, developing high-efficiency and durable multifunctional catalyst and in-situ assembling catalysts into electrodes with flexible features are urgently needed but challenging. Herein, we report a simple route to fabricate bendable multifunctional electrodes by in-situ carbonization of metal ion absorbed polyaniline precursor. Alloy nanoparticles encapsulated in graphite layer are uniformly distributed in the N-doping carbon nanorod skeleton. Profiting from the favorable free-standing structure and the cooperative effect of metallic nanoparticles, graphitic layer and N doped-carbon architecture, the trifunctional electrodes exhibit prominent activities and stability toward HER, OER and ORR. Notably, due to the protection of carbon layer, the electrocatalysts show the reversible catalytic HER/OER properties. The overall water splitting device can continuously work for 12 h under frequent exchanges of cathode and anode. Importantly, the bendable metal air batteries fabricated by self-supported electrode not only displays the outstanding battery performance,achieving a decent peak power density(125 mW cm^(-2)) and exhibiting favorable charge-discharge durability of 22 h, but also holds superb flexible stability. Specially, a lightweight self-driven water splitting unit is demonstrated with stable hydrogen production.

In situ characterizations of advanced electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries toward high electrochemical performances

Energy storage is an ever-growing global concern due to increased energy needs and resource exhaustion.Sodium-ion batteries(SIBs)have called increasing attention and achieved substantial progress in recent years owing to the abundance and even distribution of Na resources in the crust,and the predicted low cost of the technique.Nevertheless,SIBs still face challenges like lower energy density and inferior cycling stability compared to mature lithium-ion batteries(LIBs).Enhancing the electrochemical performance of SIBs requires an in-deep and comprehensive understanding of the improvement strategies and the underlying reaction mechanism elucidated by in situ techniques.In this review,commonly applied in situ techniques,for instance,transmission electron microscopy(TEM),Raman spectroscopy,X-ray diffraction(XRD),and X-ray absorption near-edge structure(XANES),and their applications on the representative cathode and anode materials with selected samples are summarized.We discuss the merits and demerits of each type of material,strategies to enhance their electrochemical performance,and the applications of in situ characterizations of them during the de/sodiation process to reveal the underlying reaction mechanism for performance improvement.We aim to elucidate the composition/structure-per formance relationship to provide guidelines for rational design and preparation of electrode materials toward high electrochemical performance.

High-Voltage Aqueous Zinc Batteries Achieved by Tri-functional Metallic Bipolar Electrodes

Aqueous rechargeable zinc batteries are very attractive for energy storage applications due to their low cost and high safety.However,low operating voltages limit their further development.For the first time,this work proposes a unique approach to increase the voltages of aqueous zinc batteries by using tri-functional metallic bipolar electrode with good electrochemical activity and ultrahigh electronic conductivity,which not only participates in redox reactions,but also functions as an electrical highway for charge transport.Furthermore,bipolar electrode can replace expensive ion selective membrane to separate electrolytes with different pH;thus,redox couples with higher potential in acid condition and Zn=Zn(OH)^(2-)_(4) couple with lower potential in alkaline condition can be employed together,leading to high voltages of aqueous zinc batteries.Herein,two types of metallic bipolar electrodes of Cu and Ag are utilized based on three kinds of aqueous zinc batteries:Zn–MnO_(2),Zn–I_(2),and Zn–Br_(2).The voltage of aqueous Zn–MnO_(2) battery is raised to 1.84 V by employing one Cu bipolar electrode,which shows no capacity attenuation after 3500 cycles.Moreover,the other Ag bipolar electrode can be adopted to successfully construct Zn–I_(2) and Zn–Br_(2) batteries exhibiting much higher voltages of 2.44 and 2.67 V,which also show no obvious capacity degradation for 1000 and 800 cycles,representing decent cycle stability.Since bipolar electrode can be applied in a large family of aqueous batteries,this work offers an elaborate high-voltage concept based on tri-functional metallic bipolar electrode as a model system to open a door to explore high-voltage aqueous batteries.

Advances in Mn‑Based Electrode Materials for Aqueous Sodium‑Ion Batteries

Aqueous sodium-ion batteries have attracted extensive attention for large-scale energy storage applications,due to abundant sodium resources,low cost,intrinsic safety of aqueous electrolytes and eco-friendliness.The electrochemical performance of aqueous sodium-ion batteries is affected by the properties of electrode materials and electrolytes.Among various electrode materials,Mn-based electrode materials have attracted tremendous attention because of the abundance of Mn,low cost,nontoxicity,eco-friendliness and interesting electrochemical performance.Aqueous electrolytes having narrow electrochemical window also affect the electrochemical performance of Mn-based electrode materials.In this review,we introduce systematically Mn-based electrode materials for aqueous sodium-ion batteries from cathode and anode materials and offer a comprehensive overview about their recent development.These Mn-based materials include oxides,Prussian blue analogues and polyanion compounds.We summarize and discuss the composition,crystal structure,morphology and electrochemical properties of Mn-based electrode materials.The improvement methods based on electrolyte optimization,element doping or substitution,optimization of morphology and carbon modification are highlighted.The perspectives of Mn-based electrode materials for future studies are also provided.We believe this review is important and helpful to explore and apply Mn-based electrode materials in aqueous sodium-ion batteries.

A pre-strain strategy of current collectors for suppressing electrode debonding in lithium-ion batteries

The interfacial debonding between the active layer and the current collector has been recognized as a critical mechanism for battery fading,and thus has attracted great efforts focused on the related analyses.However,much still remains to be studied regarding practical methods for suppressing electrode debonding,especially from the perspective of mechanics.In this paper,a pre-strain strategy of current collectors to alleviate electrode debonding is proposed.An analytical model for a symmetric electrode with a deformable and limited-thickness current collector is developed to analyze the debonding behavior involving both a pre-strain of the current collector and an eigen-strain of the active layers.The results reveal that the well-designed pre-strain can significantly delay the debonding onset(by up to 100%)and considerably reduce the debonding size.The critical values of the pre-strain are identified,and the pre-strain design principles are also provided.Based on these findings,this work sheds light on the mechanical design to suppress electrode degradation.

Electrode-compatible fluorine-free multifunctional additive regulating solid electrolyte interphase and solvation structure for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

The rapid development and widespread application of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs) have increased demand for high-safety and high-performance LIBs. Accordingly, various additives have been used in commercial liquid electrolytes to severally adjust the solvation structure of lithium ions, control the components of solid electrolyte interphase, or reduce flammability. While it is highly desirable to develop low-cost multifunctional electrolyte additives integrally that address both safety and performance on LIBs, significant challenges remain. Herein, a novel phosphorus-containing organic small molecule, bis(2-methoxyethyl) methylphosphonate(BMOP), was rationally designed to serve as a fluorine-free and multifunctional additive in commercial electrolytes. This novel electrolyte additive is low-toxicity,high-efficiency, low-cost, and electrode-compatible, which shows the significant improvement to both electrochemical performance and fire safety for LIBs through regulating the electrolyte solvation structure, constructing the stable electrode-electrolyte interphase, and suppressing the electrolyte combustion. This work provides a new avenue for developing safer and high-performance LIBs.

Bulk preparation of free-standing single-iron-atom catalysts directly as the air electrodes for high-performance zinc-air batteries

The keen interest in fuel cells and metal-air batteries stimulates a great deal of research on the development of a cost-efficient and high-performance catalyst as an alternative to traditional Pt to boost the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)at the cathode.Herein,we report a facile and scalable strategy for the large-scale preparation of a free-standing and flexible porous atomically dispersed Fe-N-doped carbon microtube(FeSAC/PCMT)sponge.Benefiting from its unique structure that greatly facilitates the catalytic kinetics,mass transport,and electron transfer,our FeSAC/PCMT electrode exhibits excellent performance with an ORR potential of 0.942 V at^(-3) mA cm^(-2).When the FeSAC/PCMT sponge was directly used as an oxygen electrode for liquid-state and flexible solid-state zinc-air batteries,high peak power densities of 183.1 and 58.0 mW cm^(-2) were respectively achieved,better than its powdery counterpart and commercial Pt/C catalyst.Experimental and theoretical investigation results demonstrate that such ultrahigh ORR performance can be attributed to atomically dispersed Fe-N_(5) species in FeSAC/PCMT.This study presents a cost-effective and scalable strategy for the fabrication of highly efficient and flexible oxygen electrodes,provides a significant new insight into the catalytic mechanisms,and helps to realize significant advances in energy devices.

High–Speed electron beam curing of thick electrode for high energy density Li-ion batteries

Electron beam curing is demonstrated as a promising method for high speed,low cost and environmentally friendly battery electrode manufacturing.This work reports transfer of this process to pilot scale equipment and evaluation of electrochemical performance in prototype 1.5 Ah pouch cells.Thick LiNi0.5Mn0.3Co0.2O2(NMC532)composite electrodes with an areal loading of 25 mg cm^-2(~4 mAh cm^-2)are successfully cured at a line speed of 500 feet per minute at 275 keV.Compared to the NMC532 cathode processed via a conventional coating method,the electron beam cured electrodes show higher capacity fade in the first 100 cycles,but similar fade rate afterwards.Further improvement strategies are proposed and discussed.This work demonstrates that electron beam curing is a promising method for manufacturing thick battery electrodes at high speeds and low capital/operation cost.

Physics of electron and lithium-ion transport in electrode materials for Li-ion batteries

The physics of ionic and electrical conduction at electrode materials of lithium-ion batteries （LIBs） are briefly sum marized here, besides, we review the current research on ionic and electrical conduction in electrode material incorporating experimental and simulation studies. Commercial LIBs have been widely used in portable electronic devices and are now developed for large-scale applications in hybrid electric vehicles （HEV） and stationary distributed power stations. However, due to the physical limits of the materials, the overall performance of today＇s LIBs does not meet all the requirements for future applications, and the transport problem has been one of the main barriers to further improvement. The electron and Li-ion transport behaviors are important in determining the rate capacity of LIBs.

Enhanced electrochemical performance of Li-ion batteries with nanoporous titania as negative electrodes

Nanoporous anatase TiO_2 （np-TiO_2） electrodes have been developed via the anodization of titanium foils in fluoride containing electrolytes, and its application in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries （LIBs） was investigated. Four different types of np-TiO_2 electrodes with different pore diameters of 14.7±8.2 nm, 12.85±6.8 nm, 11.0±5.5, and 26.7±13.6 nm were fabricated for evaluating the effect of nanoporous characteristics on the LIB performance. The discharge capacity of the four battery types 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 132.7 mAh·g^-1, 316.7 mAh·g^-1, 154.3 mAh·g^-1, and 228.4 mAh·g^-1, respectively. In addition, these electrodes 1, 2, 3, and 4 exhibited reversible capacity of 106.9 mAh·g^-1 after 295th, 180.9 mAh·g^-1 after 220th, 126.1 mAh·g^-1 after 150th, and 206.7 mAh·g^-1 after 85th cycle at a rate of 1 C, respectively. It was noted that the cyclic life of the batteries had an inverse relationship, and the capacity had a proportional relationship to the pore diameter. The enhanced electrochemical performance of the nanoporous electrodes can be attributed to the improved conductivity and the enhanced kinetics of lithium insertion/extraction at electrode/electrolyte interfaces because of the large specific surface area of np-TiO_2 electrodes.

Metal-organic frameworks and their composites for advanced lithium-ion batteries:Synthesis,progress and prospects

Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs)are among the most promising materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)owing to their high surface area,periodic porosity,adjustable pore size,and controllable chemical composition.For instance,their unique porous structures promote electrolyte penetration,ions transport,and make them ideal for battery separators.Regulating the chemical composition of MOF can introduce more active sites for electrochemical reactions.Therefore,MOFs and their related composites have been extensively and thoroughly explored for LIBs.However,the reported reviews solely include the applications of MOFs in the electrode materials of LIBs and rarely involve other aspects.A systematic review of the application of MOFs in LIBs is essential for understanding the mechanism of MOFs and better designing related MOFs battery materials.This review systematically evaluates the latest developments in pristine MOFs and MOF composites for LIB applications,including MOFs as the main materials(anode,cathode,separators,and electrolytes)to auxiliary materials(coating layers and additives for electrodes).Furthermore,the synthesis,modification methods,challenges,and prospects for the application of MOFs in LIBs are discussed.

Progress,challenges,and prospects of spent lithium-ion batteries recycling:A review

The recycling and reutilization of spent lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)have become an important measure to alleviate problems like resource scarcity and environmental pollution.Although some progress has been made,battery recycling technology still faces challenges in terms of efficiency,effectiveness and environmental sustainability.This review aims to systematically review and analyze the current status of spent LIB recycling,and conduct a detailed comparison and evaluation of different recycling processes.In addition,this review introduces emerging recycling techniques,including deep eutectic solvents,molten salt roasting,and direct regeneration,with the intent of enhancing recycling efficiency and diminishing environmental repercussions.Furthermore,to increase the added value of recycled materials,this review proposes the concept of upgrading recycled materials into high value-added functional materials,such as catalysts,adsorbents,and graphene.Through life cycle assessment,the paper also explores the economic and environmental impacts of current battery recycling and highlights the importance that future recycling technologies should achieve a balance between recycling efficiency,economics and environmental benefits.Finally,this review outlines the opportunities and challenges of recycling key materials for next-generation batteries,and proposes relevant policy recommendations to promote the green and sustainable development of batteries,circular economy,and ecological civilization.