Multilevel carbon architecture of subnanoscopic silicon for fast‐charging high‐energy‐density lithium‐ion batteries

Silicon(Si)is widely used as a lithium‐ion‐battery anode owing to its high capacity and abundant crustal reserves.However,large volume change upon cycling and poor conductivity of Si cause rapid capacity decay and poor fast‐charging capability limiting its commercial applications.Here,we propose a multilevel carbon architecture with vertical graphene sheets(VGSs)grown on surfaces of subnanoscopically and homogeneously dispersed Si–C composite nanospheres,which are subsequently embedded into a carbon matrix(C/VGSs@Si–C).Subnanoscopic C in the Si–C nanospheres,VGSs,and carbon matrix form a three‐dimensional conductive and robust network,which significantly improves the conductivity and suppresses the volume expansion of Si,thereby boosting charge transport and improving electrode stability.The VGSs with vast exposed edges considerably increase the contact area with the carbon matrix and supply directional transport channels through the entire material,which boosts charge transport.The carbon matrix encapsulates VGSs@Si–C to decrease the specific surface area and increase tap density,thus yielding high first Coulombic efficiency and electrode compaction density.Consequently,C/VGSs@Si–C delivers excellent Li‐ion storage performances under industrial electrode conditions.In particular,the full cells show high energy densities of 603.5 Wh kg^(−1)and 1685.5 Wh L^(−1)at 0.1 C and maintain 80.7%of the energy density at 3 C.

Enhanced energy density and fast-charging ability via directional particle configuration

The limited energy density of lithium-ion capacitors poses a significant obstacle to their widespread application,primarily stemming from the inability of the electrodes to simultaneously fulfill both high energy density and rapid charging requirements.Experimental data demonstrate that a directional particle configuration can enhance charging speed while maintaining high-capacity density,but it is rarely discussed.Here,we have developed a particle-level electrochemical model capable of reconstructing an electrode with a directional particle configuration.By employing this method,an investigation was conducted to explore how the spatial morphology characteristics of particle configuration impact the energy storage characteristics of electrodes.Results demonstrate that rational particle configuration can effectively enhance the transport of lithium ions and create additional space for lithium-ion storage.With the same particle size distribution,the best electrode can increase the discharge capacity by up to132.4% and increase the charging SOC by 11.3% compared to the ordinary electrode under the condition of 6 C.These findings provide a further understanding of the energy storage mechanism inside the anisotropic particle distribution electrode,which is important for developing high-performance lithium-ion capacitors.

Ultraconformable Integrated Wireless Charging Micro-Supercapacitor Skin

Conformable and wire-less charging energy storage devices play important roles in enabling the fast development of wearable,non-contact soft electronics.However,current wire-less charging power sources are still restricted by limited flexural angles and fragile connection of components,resulting in the failure expression of performance and constraining their fur-ther applications in health monitoring wearables and moveable artificial limbs.Herein,we present an ultracompatible skin-like integrated wireless charging micro-supercapacitor,which building blocks(including electrolyte,electrode and substrate)are all evaporated by liquid precursor.Owing to the infiltration and permeation of the liquid,each part of the integrated device attached firmly with each other,forming a compact and all-in-one configuration.In addition,benefitting from the controllable volume of electrode solution precursor,the electrode thickness is easily regulated varying from 11.7 to 112.5μm.This prepared thin IWC-MSC skin can fit well with curving human body,and could be wireless charged to store electricity into high capacitive micro-supercapacitors(11.39 F cm-3)of the integrated device.We believe this work will shed light on the construction of skin-attachable electronics and irregular sensing microrobots.

Complete Charging for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting System

Under an in-phase assumption, the complete charging for an energy harvesting system is studied, which consists of a piezoelectric energy harvester(PEH), a bridge rectifier, a filter capacitor, a switch, a controller and a rechargeable battery. For the transient charging, the results indicate that the voltage across the filter capacitor increases as the charging proceeds, which is consistent with that reported in the literature. However, a new finding shows that the charging rate and energy harvesting efficiency decrease over time after their respective peak values are acquired.For the steady-state charging, the results reveal that the energy harvesting efficiency can be adjusted by altering the critical charging voltage that controls the transition of the system. The optimal energy harvesting efficiency is limited by the optimal efficiency of the transient charging. Finally, the relationship between the critical charging voltage and the equivalent resistance of the controller and rechargeable battery is established explicitly.

Modeling of fast charging station equipped with energy storage

The popularization of EVs(electric vehicles) has brought an increasingly heavy burden to the development of charging facilities. To meet the demand of rapid energy supply during the driving period, it is necessary to establish a fast charging station in public area. However, EVs arrive at the charging station randomly and connect to the distribution network for fast charging, it causes the grid power to fluctuate greatly and the peak-valley loads to alternate frequently, which is harmful to the stability of distribution network. In order to reduce the power fluctuation of random charging, the energy storage is used for fast charging stations. The queuing model is determined to demonstrate the load characteristics of fast charging station, and the state space of fast charging station system is described by Markov chain. After that the power of grid and energy storage is quantified as the number of charging pile, and each type of power is configured rationally to establish the random charging model of energy storage fast charging station. Finally, the economic benefit is analyzed according to the queuing theory to verify the feasibility of the model.

Nonlinear change of ion-induced secondary electron emission in theκ-Al_(2)O_(3) surface charging from first-principle modelling

Secondary electron emission(SEE)induced by the positive ion is an essential physical process to influence the dynamics of gas discharge which relies on the specific surface material.Surface charging has a significant impact on the material properties,thereby affecting the SEE in the plasma-surface interactions.However,it does not attract enough attention in the previous studies.In this paper,SEE dependent on the charged surface of specific materials is described with the computational method combining a density functional theory(DFT)model from the first-principle theory and the theory of Auger neutralization.The effect ofκ-Al2O3 surface charge,as an example,on the ion-induced secondary electron emission coefficient(SEEC)is investigated by analyzing the defect energy level and band structure on the charged surface.Simulation results indicate that,with the surface charge from negative to positive,the SEEC of a part of low ionization energy ions(such as Ei=12.6 eV)increases first and then decreases,exhibiting a nonlinear changing trend.This is quite different from the monotonic decreasing tendency observed in the previous model which simplifies the electronic structure.This irregular increase of the SEEC can be attributed to the lower escaped probability of orbital energy.The results further illustrate that the excessive charge could cause the bottom of the conduction band close to the valence band,thus leading to the decrease of the orbital energy occupied by the excited electrons.The nonlinear change of SEEC demonstrates a more realistic situation of how the electronic structure of material surface influences the SEE process.This work provides an accurate method of calculating SEEC from specific materials,which is urgent in widespread physical scenarios sensitive to surface materials,such as increasingly growing practical applications concerning plasma-surface interactions.

A Dual Source Power Based EV Wireless Charging System

Recently,there has been a huge increase in the usage of fuel resources for automobiles which is severely affecting the climate and causing global warming.The use of electric vehicle(EV)is an effective way to protect the environment and reduce travel costs.However,the EV charging system has a single charging source,and the charging rate is limited.In this paper,an EV wireless charging system based on dual source power supply has been developed.It realizes intelligent switching between 12 V photovoltaic output and 220 V AC dual source power,and has wireless transmission function.Based on the proposed power supply architecture,the micro wireless charging model is built,which enables the EV model to store power and realize static and mobile control through the wireless induction charging system.

Strategic Placement of Charging Stations for Enhanced Electric Vehicle Adoption in San Diego, California

California mandated that 100% of vehicles sold must be electric by 2035. As electric vehicles (EVs) reach a higher penetration of the car sector, cities will need to provide publicly accessible charging stations to meet the charging demand of people who do not have access to a private charging spot like a personal garage. We have chosen to limit our scope to San Diego County due to its non-trivial size, well-defined shape, and dependence on personal vehicles;this project models 100% of current vehicles as electric, roughly 2.5 million. By planning for the future, our model becomes more useful as well as more equitable. We anticipate that our model will find locations that can service multiple population centers, while also maximizing distance to other stations. Sensitivity analysis and testing of our algorithms are conducted for Coronado Island, an island with 24,697 residents. Our formulation is then scaled to set the parameters for the whole county.

Heavy ion energy influence on multiple-cell upsets in small sensitive volumes:from standard to high energies

The 28 nm process has a high cost-performance ratio and has gradually become the standard for the field of radiation-hardened devices.However,owing to the minimum physical gate length of only 35 nm,the physical area of a standard 6T SRAM unit is approximately 0.16μm^(2),resulting in a significant enhancement of multi-cell charge-sharing effects.Multiple-cell upsets(MCUs)have become the primary physical mechanism behind single-event upsets(SEUs)in advanced nanometer node devices.The range of ionization track effects increases with higher ion energies,and spacecraft in orbit primarily experience SEUs caused by high-energy ions.However,ground accelerator experiments have mainly obtained low-energy ion irradiation data.Therefore,the impact of ion energy on the SEU cross section,charge collection mechanisms,and MCU patterns and quantities in advanced nanometer devices remains unclear.In this study,based on the experimental platform of the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou,low-and high-energy heavy-ion beams were used to study the SEUs of 28 nm SRAM devices.The influence of ion energy on the charge collection processes of small-sensitive-volume devices,MCU patterns,and upset cross sections was obtained,and the applicable range of the inverse cosine law was clarified.The findings of this study are an important guide for the accurate evaluation of SEUs in advanced nanometer devices and for the development of radiation-hardening techniques.

Role of government subsidies in the new energy vehicle charging infrastructure industry:a three-party game perspective

With the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation,China has posited the direction of“new infrastructure”in 2020.As one of the seven major industries of the“new infrastructure”,the charging infrastructure(CI)industry not only supports the upgrade of the new energy vehicle industry but also provides developing platforms for emerging industries,such as wireless charging,energy storage,smart microgrid,and new energy consumption.Therefore,the government’s supporting role is crucial for the CI industry.To effectively explore the effectiveness of government’s subsidy policy in the CI industry and promote its healthy development,we employed a game model and discussed the government's evolution process of different game strategies between CI and battery-swapping station(BSS)operators in this study.First,China's government subsidies for the electric vehicle(EV)industry were classified into CIs and BSSs.The subsidies obtained by the CI operators were operating subsidies,whereas those obtained by BSSs were investment subsidies.Second,a game model was constructed,involving the government,operators,and users.The model used backward induction to seek the refined Nash equilibrium solution for CIs and BSS operators.The Nash equilibrium solution indicated that the optimal investment amount and BSS quantity of the operator were positively correlated with the government subsidy intensity.When the profitability of the operators increased and the amount of the subsidies increased,consumers’willingness to use EVs increased and the policy effects were closely related to the benefits of government management.The decisions made by either the users or the operators were inversely related to the operators’management efficiency.Besides,the subsidy policy was affected by the government management.Therefore,in the implementation stage of the government’s future subsidy policies,the government needs to innovate and improve management effectiveness.The government could use subsidy policies as a driving force for developing the CI industry to build a comprehensive ecosystem of the industry,which is also the next key point for the government to promote the development of the CI industry in the future.

Research on Ratio of New Energy Vehicles to Charging Piles in China

With the widespread of new energy vehicles, charging piles have alsobeen continuously installed and constructed. In order to make the number of pilesmeet the needs of the development of new energy vehicles, this study aims toapply the method of system dynamics and combined with the grey prediction theory to determine the parameters as well as to simulate and analyze the ratio ofvehicles to chargers. Through scenario analysis, it is predicted that by 2030, thisratio will gradually decrease from 1.79 to 1. In order to achieve this ratio as 1:1, itis necessary to speed up the construction of public charging station or privatecharging station. Due to global warming, the attitudes of countries towards fuelvehicles have become increasingly tough. There is huge uncertainty in the growthrate of electric vehicles. Therefore, it is recommended that the construction ofcharging station be deployed in advance to avoid hindering the development ofelectric vehicles in the future.

Considerations for Planning Charging Stations on College Campuses:A Focus on Safety and Economy

As intelligent networked cars become increasingly integrated into people’s lives,the charging infrastructure of new energy vehicles is becoming a significant factor in the development of the new energy vehicle market.In light of the rapid growth of this market,the problem of charging stations is gradually becoming apparent.This paper puts forward a charging station planning idea.Firstly,a forecast of the charging demand must be made.Subsequently,the economic viability,safety,ease of use for faculty and staff,and the rapid development of new automotive technology must be taken into account.Finally,research and analysis of the actual data must be carried out following the requirements of the different college campuses.

Theoretical and Experimental Analysis of Energy in Charging a Capacitor by Step-Wise Potential

In this paper, charging capacitor in RC circuit, to a final voltage, via arbitrary number of steps, is investigated and analyzed both theoretically and experimentally. The obtained results show that the stored energy in the capacitor is constant independent of N, but the dissipated energy in the resistor and the consumed energy by the power supply decreases as number of steps N increases (adiabatic charging). The limit when the step number goes to infinity is examined and our result shows that the dissipated energy vanishes theoretically. This limit is carried out experimentally by using a ramp potential.

Design of the Mobile Phone Charging Device based on Human Motion Energy and Light Energy

This paper designs a mechanical swing of placementing mobile phone, which is inspired by the mechanical watch automatic winding process. The use of the kinetic energy generated by human body motion drives the wheel swing and the generator, it can carry out mobile phone additional charge through the electronic components rectifier and DC/DC converter regulator, the use of human motion and light energy can extend a fixed charge mobile phone standby time. The human motion power uses electromagnetic coupling technique and collects energy by using foot swing, solar power generation uses DSP chip in TMS320F28927 control a plurality of charging circuit, inverter circuit and solar maximum power point tracking by sampling and multiple output PWM wave. Finally, charging process has the basic constant current process discovered by device testing, the design of human motion and light energy mobile phone charger can satisfy the need of mobile phone rechargeable lithium batteries.

An Extension to ns-3 for Simulating Mobile Charging with Wireless Energy Transfer

Many theoretical derivation of the energy model requires extensive simulation in Internet of Things (IoT). Network Simulator 3 (ns-3) provides a simulation platform for various experimental studies including energy harvest.However, the function of charge schedule and wireless energy transfer model is not yet implemented. To address this problem, in this paper we propose an extension to ns-3 for simulating mobile charging with wireless energy transfer.First, we utilize a WET Harvest Class to harvest energy from the environment and a Charge Schedule Class for the mobile charger to choose the optimal node charging in the charging request queue in ns-3. Second, we use Charge Energy Model to judge what the mobile charger will do next when the energy of current node is higher or lower than energy threshold. Evaluation results show that our improvements are feasible and helpful with charge schedule and energy model in ns-3.

EDLC charging performance for microgrid applications

In order to review storage performance of the electric double layer capacitor （EDLC） in microgrid applications, charging time and storage efficiency issues are mainly studied aiming at three different charging modes, including the constant voltage charging mode （CVCM）, the constant current charging mode （CCCM） and the constant power charging mode （CPCM）, based on the practical EDLC product. Numerical calculation methods are presented for different charging modes, and the charging efficiency is also reviewed with strict mathematical deductions, which is validated to be accurate enough and applicable through a simple case with the PV/EDLC system illustration. Finally, trade-off problems between charging time and energy loss are also studied. Research results show that the CPCM is more suitable for microgrid networks compared with the traditional constant-voltage and constant-current charging modes. The hybrid charging method is recommended to save energy and keep high efficiency relatively at the same time. However, how to manage the combination percentage of different charging modes in a reasonable way should be dealt with according to the practical requirements.

Solar energy conversion on g-C3N4 photocatalyst:Light harvesting,charge separation,and surface kinetics

Photocatalysis. which utilizes solar energy to trigger chemical reactions, is one of the most desirable solar-energy-conversion approaches. Graphitic carbon nitride （g-C3N4）. as an attractive metal-free photocatalyst, has drawn worldwide research interest in the area of solar energy conversion due to its easy synthesis, earth-abundant nature, physicochemical stability and visible-light-responsive properties. Over the past ten years, g-C3N4 based photocatalysts have experienced intensive exploration, and great progress has been achieved. However, the solar conversion efficiency is still far from industrial applications due to the wide bandgap, severe charge recombination, and lack of surface active sites. Many strategies have been proposed to enhance the light absorption, reduce the recombination of charge carriers and accelerate the surface kinetics. This work makes a crucial review about the main contributions of various strategies to the light harvesting, charge separation and surface kinetics of g-C3N4 photocatalyst. Furthermore, the evaluation measurements for the enhanced light harvesting, reduced charge recombination and accelerated surface kinetics will be discussed. In addition, this review proposes future trends to enhance the photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 photocatalyst for the solar energy conversion.

Constraining nuclear symmetry energy with the charge radii of mirror-pair nuclei

The nuclear charge radius plays a vital role in determining the equation of state of isospin asymmetric nuclear matter.Based on the correlation between the differences in charge radii of mirror-partner nuclei and the slope parameter(L)of symmetry energy at the nuclear saturation density,an analysis of the calibrated slope parameter L was performed in finite nuclei.In this study,relativistic and nonrelativistic energy density functionals were employed to constrain the nuclear symmetry energy through the available databases of the mirror-pair nuclei^(36)Ca–^(36)S,^(38)Ca–^(38)Ar,and ^(54)Ni–^(54)Fe.The deduced nuclear symmetry energy was located in the range 29.89–31.85 MeV,and L of the symmetry energy essentially covered the range 22.50–51.55 MeV at the saturation density.Moreover,the extracted L_(s) at the sensitivity density p_(s)=0.10 fm^(-3) was located in the interval range 30.52–39.76 MeV.

A Fast Charging–Cooling Coupled Scheduling Method for a Liquid Cooling-Based Thermal Management System for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Efficient fast-charging technology is necessary for the extension of the driving range of electric vehicles.However,lithium-ion cells generate immense heat at high-current charging rates.In order to address this problem,an efficient fast charging–cooling scheduling method is urgently needed.In this study,a liquid cooling-based thermal management system equipped with mini-channels was designed for the fastcharging process of a lithium-ion battery module.A neural network-based regression model was proposed based on 81 sets of experimental data,which consisted of three sub-models and considered three outputs:maximum temperature,temperature standard deviation,and energy consumption.Each sub-model had a desirable testing accuracy(99.353%,97.332%,and 98.381%)after training.The regression model was employed to predict all three outputs among a full dataset,which combined different charging current rates(0.5C,1C,1.5C,2C,and 2.5C(1C=5 A))at three different charging stages,and a range of coolant rates(0.0006,0.0012,and 0.0018 kg·s^(-1)).An optimal charging–cooling schedule was selected from the predicted dataset and was validated by the experiments.The results indicated that the battery module’s state of charge value increased by 0.5 after 15 min,with an energy consumption lower than 0.02 J.The maximum temperature and temperature standard deviation could be controlled within 33.35 and 0.8C,respectively.The approach described herein can be used by the electric vehicles industry in real fast-charging conditions.Moreover,optimal fast charging-cooling schedule can be predicted based on the experimental data obtained,that in turn,can significantly improve the efficiency of the charging process design as well as control energy consumption during cooling.

Modulating charge carriers in carbon dots toward efficient solar-to-energy conversion

Growing attention to the development of sustainable solar-to-energy conversion applications has resulted in the synthesis of promising and environment-friendly nanomaterials as energy harvesters.Among various carbon nanomaterials,carbon dots(CDs)have received significant attention due to their excellent light absorption capability,broad absorption region,and superior photostability with enormous potential for solar energy applications.Therefore,utilizing and modulating the charge carriers generated from CDs is critical for achieving a high energy conversion efficiency of CDs.Herein,we focus on the distinct characteristics of CDs as energy converters from charge excitation to charge separation and transfer for various solar-to-energy applications,including photovoltaic cells,photocatalysts,and photoelectrocatalysts.We anticipate that this review will offer insight into the synthesis and design of novel nanocomposites with a fundamental analysis of the photochemical properties and future development of energy conversion devices.