Unlocking the potential of ultra-thin two-dimensional antimony materials:Selective growth and carbon coating for efficient potassium-ion storage

Antimony-based anodes have attracted wide attention in potassium-ion batteries due to their high theoretical specific capacities(∼660 mA h g^(-1))and suitable voltage platforms.However,severe capacity fading caused by huge volume change and limited ion transportation hinders their practical applications.Recently,strategies for controlling the morphologies of Sb-based materials to improve the electrochemical performances have been proposed.Among these,the two-dimensional Sb(2D-Sb)materials present excellent properties due to shorted ion immigration paths and enhanced ion diffusion.Nevertheless,the synthetic methods are usually tedious,and even the mechanism of these strategies remains elusive,especially how to obtain large-scale 2D-Sb materials.Herein,a novel strategy to synthesize 2D-Sb material using a straightforward solvothermal method without the requirement of a complex nanostructure design is provided.This method leverages the selective adsorption of aldehyde groups in furfural to induce crystal growth,while concurrently reducing and coating a nitrogen-doped carbon layer.Compared to the reported methods,it is simpler,more efficient,and conducive to the production of composite nanosheets with uniform thickness(3–4 nm).The 2D-Sb@NC nanosheet anode delivers an extremely high capacity of 504.5 mA h g^(-1) at current densities of 100 mA g^(-1) and remains stable for more than 200 cycles.Through characterizations and molecular dynamic simulations,how potassium storage kinetics between 2D Sb-based materials and bulk Sb-based materials are explored,and detailed explanations are provided.These findings offer novel insights into the development of durable 2D alloy-based anodes for next-generation potassium-ion batteries.

Nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbon spheres for low concentration CO_(2) capture

Synthesis of spherical carbon beads with effective CO_2 capture capability is highly desirable for large scale application of CO2 sorption, but remains challenging. Herein, a facile and efficient strategy to prepare nitrogen-doped hierarchically porous carbon spheres was developed via co-pyrolyzation of poly(vinylidene chloride) and melamine in alginate gel beads. In this approach, melamine not only serves as the nitrogen precursor, but also acts as a template for the macropores structures. The nitrogen contents in the hierarchically porous carbon spheres reach a high level, ranging from 11.8 wt% to 14.7 wt%, as the melamine amount increases. Owing to the enriched nitrogen functionalities and the special hierarchical porous structure, the carbon spheres exhibit an outstanding CO_2 capture performance, with the dynamic capacity of as much as about 7 wt% and a separation factor about 49 at 25 °C in a gas mixture of CO_2/N_2(0.5:99.5, v/v).

Enhanced Electrochemical Capacitance of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotubes Synthesized from Amine Flames

This paper presents a new process for synthesizing a kind of nitrogen- doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) with primarily a ‘graphite-like’ structure at N substitutions from flames using n-propylamine and n-butylamine as fuels. When the N-CNTs are used as the supercapacitor electrode materials, they exhibit a much larger capacitance than the regular carbon nanotubes (CNTs). It is proposed that the high proportional ‘graphite-like’ N dopant in the as-grown N-CNTs improves their surface chemical activity and conductivity and then results in a desirable performance for electro-chemical capacitors.

Fullerene-Intercalated Graphitic Carbon Nitride as a HighPerformance Anode Material for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Two-dimensional(2D)graphitic carbon nitride(g-CN)is a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries(SIBs),but its insufficient interlayer spacing and poor electronic conductivity impede its sodium storage capacity and cycling stability.Herein,we report the fabrication of a fullerene(C_(60))-modified graphitic carbon nitride(C_(60)@CN)material which as an anode material for SIBs shows a high-reversible capacity(430.5 mA h g^(−1) at 0.05 A g^(−1),about 3 times higher than that of pristine g-CN),excellent rate capability(226.6 mA h g^(−1) at 1 A g^(−1))and ultra-long cycle life(101.2 mA h g^(−1) after 5000 cycles at 5 A g^(−1)).Even at a high-active mass loading of 3.7 mg cm^(−2),a reversible capacity of 316.3 mA h g^(−1) can be obtained after 100 cycles.Such outstanding performance of C_(60)@CN is attributed to the C_(60) molecules distributed in the g-CN nanosheets,which enhance the electronic conductivity and prevent g-CN sheets from restacking,thus resulting in enlarged interlayer spacing and exposed edge N defects(pyridinic N and pyrrolic N)for sodium-ion storage.Furthermore,a sodium-ion full cell combining C60@CN anode and NVPF@rGO cathode provides high-coulombic efficiency(>96.5%),exceptionally high-energy density(359.8 W h kganode−1 at power density of 105.1 W kganode−1)and excellent cycling stability(89.2%capacity retention over 500 cycles at 1Aganode−1).This work brings new insights into the field of carbon-based anode materials for SIBs.

Uniform Metal Sulfide@N-doped Carbon Nanospheres for Sodium Storage: Universal Synthesis Strategy and Superior Performance

Nitrogen-doped carbon-coated transition-metal sulfides(TMS@NCs)have been considered as efficient anodes for sodium-ion batteries.However,the uncontrollable morphology and weak core-shell binding forces significantly limit the sodium storage performance and life.Herein,based on the reversible ring-opening reaction of the epoxy group of the tertiary amino group-rich epoxide cationic polyacrylamide(ECP)at the beginning of hydrothermal process(acidic environment)and the irreversible ring-opening(cross-linking reactions)at the late hydrothermal period(alkaline environment),47 nm-sized ZnS@NCs were prepared via a one-pot hydrothermal process.During this process,the covalent bonds formed between the ZnS core and elastic carbon shell significantly improved the mechanical and chemical stabilities of ZnS@NC.Benefiting from the nanosize,fast ion/electron transfer,and high stability,ZnS@NC exhibited a high reversible capacity of 421.9 mAh g^(−1) at a current density of 0.1 A g^(−1) after 1000 cycles and a superior rate capability of 273.8 mAh g^(−1) at a current density of 5 A g^(−1).Moreover,via this universal synthesis strategy,a series of TMS@NCs,such as MoS_(2)@NC,NiS@NC,and CuS@NC were developed with excellent capacity and cyclability.

Nitrogen-doped hierarchical porous carbon materials derived from diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) for supercapacitors

Nitrogen-doped porous carbon materials（NPCs） have been successfully fabricated by a simple one-step pyrolysis of diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid（DTPA） in the presence of KOH. The as-synthesized NPCs displayed a high specific surface area(3214 m;g;) and a well-defined porous structure when the annealing temperature reached 800 ℃, which showed superior electrochemical performance as supercapacitor electrode materials. Electrochemical tests showed that the NPCs achieved an impressive specific capacitance of 323 F g;at a current density of 0.5 A g;in 6 M KOH aqueous solution and an outstanding cycle stability, negligible specific capacitance decay after 5000 cycles at 10 A g;. This strategy offered a new insight into the preparation of novel carbon materials for the advanced energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors, fuel cells and lithium ion batteries.

Enhanced Potassium‑Ion Storage of the 3D Carbon Superstructure by Manipulating the Nitrogen‑Doped Species and Morphology

Potassium-ion batteries(PIBs)are attractive for gridscale energy storage due to the abundant potassium resource and high energy density.The key to achieving high-performance and large-scale energy storage technology lies in seeking eco-efficient synthetic processes to the design of suitable anode materials.Herein,a spherical sponge-like carbon superstructure(NCS)assembled by 2D nanosheets is rationally and efficiently designed for K+storage.The optimized NCS electrode exhibits an outstanding rate capability,high reversible specific capacity(250 mAh g^(−1) at 200 mA g^(−1) after 300 cycles),and promising cycling performance(205 mAh g^(−1) at 1000 mA g^(−1) after 2000 cycles).The superior performance can be attributed to the unique robust spherical structure and 3D electrical transfer network together with nitrogen-rich nanosheets.Moreover,the regulation of the nitrogen doping types and morphology of NCS-5 is also discussed in detail based on the experiments results and density functional theory calculations.This strategy for manipulating the structure and properties of 3D materials is expected to meet the grand challenges for advanced carbon materials as high-performance PIB anodes in practical applications.

Effective exposure of nitrogen heteroatoms in 3D porous graphene framework for oxygen reduction reaction and lithium–sulfur batteries

The introduction of nitrogen heteroatoms into carbon materials is a facile and efficient strategy to regulate their reactivities and facilitate their potential applications in energy conversion and storage. However,most of nitrogen heteroatoms are doped into the bulk phase of carbon without site selectivity, which significantly reduces the contacts of feedstocks with the active dopants in a conductive scaffold. Herein we proposed the chemical vapor deposition of a nitrogen-doped graphene skin on the 3D porous graphene framework and donated the carbon/carbon composite as surface N-doped grapheme（SNG）. In contrast with routine N-doped graphene framework（NGF） with bulk distribution of N heteroatoms, the SNG renders a high surface N content of 1.81 at%, enhanced electrical conductivity of 31 S cm^（-1）, a large surface area of 1531 m^2 g^（-1）, a low defect density with a low I_D/I_G ratio of 1.55 calculated from Raman spectrum, and a high oxidation peak of 532.7 ℃ in oxygen atmosphere. The selective distribution of N heteroatoms on the surface of SNG affords the effective exposure of active sites at the interfaces of the electrode/electrolyte, so that more N heteroatoms are able to contact with oxygen feedstocks in oxygen reduction reaction or serve as polysulfide anchoring sites to retard the shuttle of polysulfides in a lithium–sulfur battery. This work opens a fresh viewpoint on the manipulation of active site distribution in a conductive scaffolds for multi-electron redox reaction based energy conversion and storage.

Single copper sites dispersed on hierarchically porous carbon for improving oxygen reduction reaction towards zinc-air battery

The demand for high-performance non-precious-metal electrocatalysts to replace the noble metal-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)is intensively increasing.Herein,single-atomic copper sites supported on N-doped three-dimensional hierarchically porous carbon catalyst(Cu_(1)/NC)was prepared by coordination pyrolysis strategy.Remarkably,the Cu_(1)/NC-900 catalyst not only exhibits excellent ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.894 V(vs.RHE)in alkaline media,outperforming those of commercial Pt/C(0.851 V)and Cu nanoparticles anchored on N-doped porous carbon(CuNPs/NC-900),but also demonstrates high stability and methanol tolerance.Moreover,the Cu_(1)/NC-900 based Zn-air battery exhibits higher power density,rechargeability and cyclic stability than the one based on Pt/C.Both experimental and theoretical investigations demonstrated that the excellent performance of the as-obtained Cu_(1)/NC-900 could be attributed to the synergistic effect between copper coordinated by three N atoms active sites and the neighbouring carbon defect,resulting in elevated Cu d-band centers of Cu atoms and facilitating intermediate desorption for ORR process.This study may lead towards the development of highly efficient non-noble metal catalysts for applications in electrochemical energy conversion.

Co/N-doped carbon nanotube arrays grown on 2D MOFs-derived matrix for boosting the oxygen reduction reaction in alkaline and acidic media

The development of high-performance and cost-effective electrocatalysts towards oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) is of significant importance,but still challenging for the practical applications in related energy systems.ORR process typically suffers from sluggish kinetics,the exploration of ORR electrocatalyst thus requires elaborate design.Herein,an effective strategy is developed for growing Co/N-doped carbon nanotube arrays on 2D MOFs-derived matrix via the pyrolysis of Co/Zn metalorganic-framework(MOF) nanosheets.The Co/Zn-MOF nanosheets serve as both the self-template for the 2D carbonized framework morphology and C/N source for the in-situ growth of 1D N-doped carbon nanotubes.The constructed hie rarchical architecture effectively integrates the OD/1D Co nanoparticle/Ndoped carbon nanotube interface and 1D(nanotubes)/2D(nanosheets) junction into frameworks with highly exposed active surface,enhanced mass-transport kinetics and electrical conductivity.As a result,the designed composite exhibits superior ORR activity and durability in alkaline media as compared to commercial Pt/C.Particularly,it shows promising ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.78 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode and negligible activity attenuation after 5000 potential cycles in acidic electrolyte.The designed strategy can be extended to construct other MOFs-derived carbon matrixes with diverse hierarchical structures and provide an efficient avenue for searching highperformance electrocatalysts.

MoS2 nanosheet arrays supported on hierarchical porous carbon with enhanced lithium storage properties

MoS_2 nanosheet arrays supported on hierarchical nitrogen-doped porous carbon（MoS_2@C） have been synthesized by a facile hydrothermal approach combined with high-temperature calcination.The hierarchical nitrogen-doped porous carbon can serve as three-dimensional conductive frameworks to improve the electronic transport of semiconducting MoS_2.When evaluated as anode material for lithium-ion batteries,the MoS_2@C exhibit enhanced electrochemical performances compared with pure MoS_2 nanosheets,including high capacity（1305.5 mAhg^（-1） at lOOmAg^（-1））,excellent rate capability（438.4mAhg^（-1） at 1000mAg^（-1））.The reasons for the improved electrochemical performances are explored in terms of the high electronic conductivity and the facilitation of lithium ion transport arising from the hierarchical structures of MoS_2@C.