Surface engineering of ZnO electrocatalyst by N doping towards electrochemical CO_(2) reduction

The discovery of efficient,selective,and stable electrocatalysts can be a key point to produce the largescale chemical fuels via electrochemical CO_(2) reduction(ECR).In this study,an earth-abundant and nontoxic ZnO-based electrocatalyst was developed for use in gas-diffusion electrodes(GDE),and the effect of nitrogen(N)doping on the ECR activity of ZnO electrocatalysts was investigated.Initially,a ZnO nanosheet was prepared via the hydrothermal method,and nitridation was performed at different times to control the N-doping content.With an increase in the N-doping content,the morphological properties of the nanosheet changed significantly,namely,the 2D nanosheets transformed into irregularly shaped nanoparticles.Furthermore,the ECR performance of Zn O electrocatalysts with different N-doping content was assessed in 1.0 M KHCO_(3) electrolyte using a gas-diffusion electrode-based ECR cell.While the ECR activity increased after a small amount of N doping,it decreased for higher N doping content.Among them,the N:ZnO-1 h electrocatalysts showed the best CO selectivity,with a faradaic efficiency(FE_(CO))of 92.7%at-0.73 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE),which was greater than that of an undoped Zn O electrocatalyst(FE_(CO)of 63.4%at-0.78 V_(RHE)).Also,the N:ZnO-1 h electrocatalyst exhibited outstanding durability for 16 h,with a partial current density of-92.1 mA cm^(-2).This improvement of N:ZnO-1 h electrocatalyst can be explained by density functional theory calculations,demonstrating that this improvement of N:ZnO-1 h electrocatalyst comes from(ⅰ)the optimized active sites lowering the free energy barrier for the rate-determining step(RDS),and(ⅱ)the modification of electronic structure enhancing the electron transfer rate by N doping.

Systematic engineering of BiVO_(4)photoanode for efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation

BiVO_(4)is one of the most promising photoanode materials for photoelectrochemical(PEC)solar energy conversion,but it still suffers from poor photocurrent density due to insufficient light‐harvesting efficiency(LHE),weak photogenerated charge separation efficiency(Φ_(Sep)),and low water oxidation efficiency(Φ_(OX)).Herein,we tackle these challenges of the BiVO_(4)photoanodes using systematic engineering,including catalysis engineering,bandgap engineering,and morphology engineering.In particular,we deposit a NiCoO_(x)layer onto the BiVO_(4)photoanode as the oxygen evolution catalyst to enhance theΦ_(OX)of Fe‐g‐C_(3)N_(4)/BiVO_(4)for PEC water oxidation,and incorporate Fe‐doped graphite‐phase C_(3)N_(4)(Fe‐g‐C_(3)N_(4))into the BiVO_(4)photoanode to optimize the bandgap and surface areas to subsequently expand the light absorption range of the photoanode from 530 to 690 nm,increase the LHE andΦ_(Sep),and further improve the oxygen evolution reaction activity of the NiCoO_(x)catalytic layer.Consequently,the maximum photocurrent density of the as‐prepared NiCoO_(x)/Fe‐g‐C_(3)N_(4)/BiVO_(4)is remarkably boosted from 4.6 to 7.4 mA cm^(−2).This work suggests that the proposed systematic engineering strategy is exceptionally promising for improving LHE,Φ_(Sep),andΦ_(OX)of BiVO_(4)‐based photoanodes,which will substantially benefit the design,preparation,and large‐scale application of next‐generation high‐performance photoanodes.

Cross-upgrading of biomass hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis for high quality blast furnace injection fuel production:Physicochemical characteristics and gasification kinetics analysis

The paper proposes a biomass cross-upgrading process that combines hydrothermal carbonization and pyrolysis to produce high-quality blast furnace injection fuel.The results showed that after upgrading,the volatile content of biochar ranged from 16.19%to 45.35%,and the alkali metal content,ash content,and specific surface area were significantly reduced.The optimal route for biochar pro-duction is hydrothermal carbonization-pyrolysis(P-HC),resulting in biochar with a higher calorific value,C=C structure,and increased graphitization degree.The apparent activation energy(E)of the sample ranges from 199.1 to 324.8 kJ/mol,with P-HC having an E of 277.8 kJ/mol,lower than that of raw biomass,primary biochar,and anthracite.This makes P-HC more suitable for blast furnace injection fuel.Additionally,the paper proposes a path for P-HC injection in blast furnaces and calculates potential environmental benefits.P-HC of-fers the highest potential for carbon emission reduction,capable of reducing emissions by 96.04 kg/t when replacing 40wt%coal injec-tion.

Multiple-dimensioned defect engineering for graphite felt electrode of vanadium redox flow battery

The scarcity of wettability,insufficient active sites,and low surface area of graphite felt(GF)have long been suppressing the performance of vanadium redox flow batteries(VRFBs).Herein,an ultra-homogeneous multipledimensioned defect,including nano-scale etching and atomic-scale N,O codoping,was used to modify GF by the molten salt system.NH_(4)Cl and KClO_(3) were added simultaneously to the system to obtain porous N/O co-doped electrode(GF/ON),where KClO_(3) was used to ultra-homogeneously etch,and O-functionalize electrode,and NH4Cl was used as N dopant,respectively.GF/ON presents better electrochemical catalysis for VO_(2)+/VO_(2)+ and V3+/V2+ reactions than only O-functionalized electrodes(GF/O)and GF.The enhanced electrochemical properties are attributed to an increase in active sites,surface area,and wettability,as well as the synergistic effect of N and O,which is also supported by the density functional theory calculations.Further,the cell using GF/ON shows higher discharge capacity,energy efficiency,and stability for cycling performance than the pristine cell at 140 mA cm^(−2) for 200 cycles.Moreover,the energy efficiency of the modified cell is increased by 9.7% from 55.2% for the pristine cell at 260 mA cm^(−2).Such an ultra-homogeneous etching with N and O co-doping through“boiling”molten salt medium provides an effective and practical application potential way to prepare superior electrodes for VRFB.

Polymer engineering for electrodes of aqueous zinc ion batteries

With the increasing demand for scalable and cost-effective electrochemical energy storage,aqueous zinc ion batteries(AZIBs)have a broad application prospect as an inexpensive,efficient,and naturally secure energy storage device.However,the limitations suffered by AZIBs,including volume expansion and active materials dissolution of the cathode,electrochemical corrosion,irreversible side reactions,zinc dendrites of the anode,have seriously decelerated the civilianization process of AZIBs.Currently,polymers have tremendous superiority for application in AZIBs attributed to their exceptional chemical stability,tunable structure,high energy density and outstanding mechanical properties.Considering the expanding applications of AZIBs and the superiority of polymers,this comprehensive paper meticulously reviews the benefits of utilizing polymeric applied to cathodes and anodes,respectively.To begin with,with adjustable structure as an entry point,the correlation between polymer structure and the function of energy storage as well as optimization is deeply investigated in respect to the mechanism.Then,depending on the diversity of properties and structures,the development of polymers in AZIBs is summarized,including conductive polymers,redox polymers as well as carbon composite polymers for cathode and polyvinylidene fluoride-,carbonyl-,amino-,nitrile-based polymers for anode,and a comprehensive evaluation of the shortcomings of these strategies is provided.Finally,an outlook highlights some of the challenges posed by the application of polymers and offers insights into the potential future direction of polymers in AZIBs.It is designed to provide a thorough reference for researchers and developers working on polymer for AZIBs.

Integration of earth-abundant cocatalysts for high-performance photoelectrochemical energy conversion

Photoelectrochemical(PEC)energy conversion has emerged as a promising and efficient approach to sustainable energy harvesting and storage.By utilizing semiconductor photoelectrodes,PEC devices can harness solar energy and drive electrochemical reactions such as water splitting or carbon dioxide(CO_(2))reduction to generate clean fuels and value-added chemicals.However,PEC energy conversion faces several challenges such as high overpotential,sluggish reaction kinetics,charge carrier recombination,and stability issues,which limit its practical implementation.Recently,significant research has been conducted to improve the overall conversion efficiency of PEC devices.One particularly promising approach is the use of cocatalysts,which involves introducing specific cocatalysts onto the photoelectrode surface to promote charge separation,improve reaction kinetics,and reduce the overpotential,thereby enhancing the overall performance of PEC energy conversion.This review provides a comprehensive overview of the recent developments in the earth-abundant cocatalysts for PEC water splitting and CO_(2) reduction.The main earth-abundant catalysts for the PEC water splitting include transition-metal dichalcogenide(TMD)-based materials,metal phosphides/carbides,and metal oxides/hydroxides.Meanwhile,PEC-CO_(2)RR was divided into C_(1) and C_(2+)based on the final product since various products could be produced,focusing on diverse earth-abundant materials-based cocatalysts.In addition,we provide and highlight key advancements achieved in the very recent reports on novel PEC system design engineering with cocatalysts.Finally,the current problems associated with PEC systems are discussed along with a suggested direction to overcome these obstacles.

Rational surface charge engineering of haloalkane dehalogenase for boosting the enzymatic performance in organic solvent solutions

Biocatalysis in organic solvents(OSs)has numerous important applications,but native enzymes in OSs often exhibit limited catalytic performance.Herein,we proposed a computation-aided surface charge engineering strategy to improve the catalytic performance of haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA in OSs based on the energetic analysis of substrate binding to the DhaA surface.Several variants with enhanced OS resistance were obtained by replacing negative charged residues on the surface with positive charged residue(Arg).Particularly,a four-substitution variant E16R/E93R/E121R/E257R exhibited the best catalytic performance(five-fold improvement in OS resistance and seven-fold half-life increase in 40%(vol)dimethylsulfoxide).As a result,the overall catalytic performance of the variant could be at least 26 times higher than the wild-type DhaA.Fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation studies revealed that the residue substitution mainly enhanced OS resistance from four aspects:(a)improved the overall structural stability,(b)increased the hydrophobicity of the local microenvironment around the catalytic triad,(c)enriched the hydrophobic substrate around the enzyme molecule,and(d)lowered the contact frequency between OS molecules and the catalytic triad.Our findings validate that computationaided surface charge engineering is an effective and ingenious rational strategy for tailoring enzyme performance in OSs.

Thermochemical splitting of CO_(2) on perovskites for CO production: A review

Energy supply dominated by fossil energy has been and remains the main cause of carbon dioxide emissions,the major greenhouse gas leading to the current grave climate change challenges.Many technical pathways have been proposed to address the challenges.Carbon capture and utilization(CCU) represents one of the approaches and thermochemical CO_(2) splitting driven by thermal energy is a subset of the CCU,which converts the captured CO_(2) into CO and makes it possible to achieve closed-loop carbon recirculation.Redox-active catalysts are among the most critical components of the thermochemical splitting cycles and perovskites are regarded as the most promising catalysts.Here we review the latest advancements in thermochemical cycles based on perovskites,covering thermodynamic principles,material modifications,reaction kinetics,oxygen pressure control,circular strategies,and demonstrations to provide a comprehensive overview of the topical area.Thermochemical cycles based on such materials require the consideration of trade-off between cost and efficiency,which is related to actual material used,operation mode,oxygen removal,and heat recovery.Lots of efforts have been made towards improving reaction rates,conversion efficiency and cycling stability,materials related research has been lacking-a key aspect affecting the performance across all above aspects.Double perovskites and composite perovskites arise recently as a potentially promising addition to material candidates.For such materials,more effective oxygen removal would be needed to enhance the overall efficiency,for which thermochemical or electrochemical oxygen pumps could contribute to efficient oxygen removal as well as serve as means for inert gas regeneration.The integration of thermochemical CO_(2) splitting process with downstream fuel production and other processes could reduce costs and increase efficiency of the technology.This represents one of the directions for the future research.

Porous metal oxides in the role of electrochemical CO_(2) reduction reaction

The global energy-related CO_(2) emissions have rapidly increased as the world economy heavily relied on fossil fuels.This paper explores the pressing challenge of CO_(2) emissions and highlights the role of porous metal oxide materials in the electrocatalytic reduction of CO_(2)(CO_(2)RR).The focus is on the development of robust and selective catalysts,particularly metal and metal-oxide-based materials.Porous metal oxides offer high surface area,enhancing the accessibility to active sites and improving reaction kinetics.The tunability of these materials allows for tailored catalytic behavior,targeting optimized reaction mechanisms for CO_(2)RR.The work also discusses the various synthesis strategies and identifies key structural and compositional features,addressing challenges like high overpotential,poor selectivity,and low stability.Based on these insights,we suggest avenues for future research on porous metal oxide materials for electrochemical CO_(2) reduction.

Prediction of Ground State Configurations and Electrochemical Properties of Li_(3)InCl_(6) Doped with F, Br, and Ga

Compared with conventional solid-state electrolytes, halide solid-state electrolytes have several advantages such as a wider electrochemical window, better compatibility with oxide cathode materials, improved air stability,and easier preparation conditions making them conductive to industrial production. We concentrate on a typical halide solid-state electrolyte, Li_(3)InCl_(6), predict the most stable structure after doping with Br, F, and Ga by using the Alloy Theoretic Automated Toolkit based on first-principles calculations, and verify the accuracy of the prediction model. To investigate the potential of three equivalently doped ground state configurations of Li_(3)InCl_(6) as solid-state electrolytes for all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries, their specific properties such as crystal structure,band gap, convex packing energy, electrochemical stability window, and lithium-ion conductivity are computationally analyzed using first-principles calculations. After a comprehensive evaluation, it is determined that the F-doped ground state configuration Li_(3)InCl_(2.5)F_(3.5) exhibits better thermal stability, wider electrochemical stability window, and better lithium ion conductivity(1.80 m S·cm^(-1) at room temperature). Therefore, Li_(3)InCl_(2.5)F_(3.5) has the potential to be used in the field of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries as a new type of halide electrolyte.

Structural Engineering of Anode Materials for Low-Temperature Lithium-Ion Batteries:Mechanisms,Strategies,and Prospects

The severe degradation of electrochemical performance for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)at low temperatures poses a significant challenge to their practical applications.Consequently,extensive efforts have been contributed to explore novel anode materials with high electronic conductivity and rapid Li^(+)diffusion kinetics for achieving favorable low-temperature performance of LIBs.Herein,we try to review the recent reports on the synthesis and characterizations of low-temperature anode materials.First,we summarize the underlying mechanisms responsible for the performance degradation of anode materials at subzero temperatures.Second,detailed discussions concerning the key pathways(boosting electronic conductivity,enhancing Li^(+)diffusion kinetics,and inhibiting lithium dendrite)for improving the low-temperature performance of anode materials are presented.Third,several commonly used low-temperature anode materials are briefly introduced.Fourth,recent progress in the engineering of these low-temperature anode materials is summarized in terms of structural design,morphology control,surface&interface modifications,and multiphase materials.Finally,the challenges that remain to be solved in the field of low-temperature anode materials are discussed.This review was organized to offer valuable insights and guidance for next-generation LIBs with excellent low-temperature electrochemical performance.

Physicochemical and Thermal Properties of Some Key Tropical Sawdust Woods for Energy Production

In South Saharan countries, 85% of the population uses biomass as a primary energy source. Cameroon presents one of the highest biomass energy and sawmills produce important sawdust resources which are not used and are burnt in piles leading to significant air toxic emissions. Therefore, we have to valorize industrially these available sawdusts. This study focuses on the physicochemical and thermochemical analysis of Ayous, Sapelli and Tali sawdust. The proximate and ultimate analysis, particle size, structural composition, as well as heavy metal content and calorific value were determined. In addition, the thermogravimetric mass losses were also estimated. The results showed that high water contents (24% - 41%) were recorded in the raw sawdust, and the thermal treatment reduced these contents from 78% to values in the range of 4% - 9%. The values for ash and volatile matter content were respectively between 0.25% - 0.74% and 68% - 76%. The LHV is higher in Ayous (17.5 MJ/kg) and Sapelli (16.8 MJ/kg) than that of Tali (15.7 MJ/kg). The concentration of heavy metals is very low in each species. Extractives are more present in Tali (16.06%) than in the other sawdusts. Pyrolysis of sawdust shows the typical decomposition of hemicellulose (270˚C - 325˚C), cellulose (325˚C - 400˚C) and lignin (200˚C - 550˚C) with a maximum loss of 75% at 370˚C and the melting point is 320˚C. The results of the sawdust parameters determined in the paper can be valorized to reduce pollutants emissions by developing the efficiency and effectiveness of biomass energy processes and promoting the use of biomass as a sustainable alternative to traditional fossil fuels.

Li intercalation in an MoSe_(2) electrocatalyst:In situ observation and modulation of its precisely controllable phase engineering for a high-performance flexible Li-S battery

Sophisticated efficient electrocatalysts are essential to rectifying the shuttle effect and realizing the high performance of flexible lithium-sulfur batteries(LSBs).Phase transformation of MoSe_(2) from the 2H phase to the 1T phase has been proven to be a significant method to improve the catalytic activity.However,precisely controllable phase engineering of MoSe_(2) has rarely been reported.Herein,by in situ Li ions intercalation in MoSe_(2),a precisely controllable phase evolution from 2H-MoSe_(2) to 1T-MoSe_(2) was realized.More importantly,the definite functional relationship between cut-off voltage and phase structure was first identified for phase engineering through in situ observation and modulation methods.The sulfur host(CNFs/1T-MoSe_(2))presents high charge density,strong polysulfides adsorption,and catalytic kinetics.Moreover,Li-S cells based on it display capacity retention of 875.3mAh g^(-1) after 500 cycles at 1 C and an areal capacity of 8.71mAh cm^(-2) even at a high sulfur loading of 8.47mg cm^(-2).Furthermore,the flexible pouch cell exhibiting decent performance will endow a promising potential in the wearable energy storage field.This study proposes an effective strategy to precisely control the phase structure of MoSe_(2),which may provide the reference to fabricate the highly efficient electrocatalysts for LSBs and other energy systems.

Engineering HOF‑Based Mixed‑Matrix Membranes for Efficient CO_(2) Separation

Hydrogen-bonded organic frameworks(HOFs)have emerged as a new class of crystalline porous materials,and their application in membrane technology needs to be explored.Herein,for the first time,we demonstrated the utilization of HOF-based mixed-matrix membrane for CO_(2) separation.HOF-21,a unique metallo-hydrogen-bonded organic framework material,was designed and processed into nanofillers via amine modulator,uniformly dispersing with Pebax polymer.Featured with the mix-bonded framework,HOF-21 possessed moderate pore size of 0.35 nm and displayed excellent stability under humid feed gas.The chemical functions of multiple binding sites and continuous hydrogen-bonded network jointly facilitated the mass transport of CO_(2).The resulting HOF-21 mixed-matrix membrane exhibited a permeability above 750 Barrer,a selectivity of~40 for CO_(2)/CH_(4) and~60 for CO_(2)/N_(2),surpassing the 2008 Robeson upper bound.This work enlarges the family of mixed-matrix membranes and lays the foundation for HOF membrane development.

Direct detection of a single[4Fe-4S]cluster in a tungsten-containing enzyme:Electrochemical conversion of CO_(2) into formate by formate dehydrogenase

The conversion of CO_(2) into fuels and valuable chemicals is one of the central topics to combat climate change and meet the growing demand for renewable energy.Herein,we show that the formate dehydrogenase from Clostridium ljungdahlii(ClFDH)adsorbed on electrodes displays clear characteristic voltammetric signals that can be assigned to the reduction and oxidation potential of the[4Fe-4S]^(2+/+)cluster under nonturnover conditions.Upon adding substrates,the signals transform into a specific redox center that engages in catalytic electron transport.ClFDH catalyzes rapid and efficient reversible interconversion between CO_(2) and formate in the presence of substrates.The turnover frequency of electrochemical CO_(2) reduction is determined as 1210 s^(-1) at 25℃ and pH 7.0,which can be further enhanced up to 1786 s^(-1) at 50℃.The Faradaic efficiency at−0.6 V(vs.standard hydrogen electrode)is recorded as 99.3%in a 2-h reaction.Inhibition experiments and theoretical modeling disclose interesting pathways for CO_(2) entry,formate exit,and OCN−competition,suggesting an oxidation-state-dependent binding mechanism of catalysis.Our results provide a different perspective for understanding the catalytic mechanism of FDH and original insights into the design of synthetic catalysts.

Uniform deposition of ultra-thin TiO_(2) film on mica substrate by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition: Effect of precursor concentration

The performance of pearlescent pigment significantly affected by the grain size and the roughness of deposited film. The effect of TiCl_(4) concentration on the initial deposition of TiO_(2) on mica by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition(APCVD) was investigated. The precursor concentration significantly affected the deposition and morphology of TiO_(2) grains assembling the film. The deposition time for fully covering the surface of mica decreased from 120 to 10 s as the TiCl_(4) concentration increased from 0.38%to 2.44%. The grain size increased with the TiCl_(4) concentration. The AFM and TEM analysis demonstrated that the aggregation of TiO_(2) clusters at the initial stage finally result to the agglomeration of fine TiO_(2) grains at high TiCl_(4) concentrations. Following the results, it was suggested that the nucleation density and size was easy to be adjusted when the TiCl_(4) concentration is below 0.90%.

Reactive template-derived interfacial engineering of CoP/CoO heterostructured porous nanotubes towards superior electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution

The development of economical,efficient,and robust electrocatalysts toward the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)is highly imperative for the rapid advancement of renewable H2 energy-associated technologies.Extensive utilization of the heterointerface effect can endow the catalysts with remarkably boosted electrocatalytic performance due to the modified electronic state of active sites.Herein,we demonstrate deliberate crafting of CoP/CoO heterojunction porous nanotubes(abbreviated as CoP/CoO PNTs hereafter)using a self-sacrificial template-engaged strategy.Precise control over the Kirkendall diffusion process of the presynthesized cobalt–aspartic acid complex nanowires is indispensable for the formation of CoP/CoO heterostructures.The topochemical transformation strategy of the reactive templates enables uniform and maximized construction of CoP/CoO heterojunctions throughout all the porous nanotubes.The establishment of CoP/CoO heterojunctions could considerably modify the electronic configuration of the active sites and also improve the electric conductivity,which endows the resultant CoP/CoO PNTs with enhanced intrinsic activity.Simultaneously,the hollow and porous nanotube architectures allow sufficient accessibility of exterior/interior surfaces and molecular permeability,drastically promoting the reaction kinetics.Consequently,when used as HER electrocatalysts,the well-designed CoP/CoO PNTs show Pt-like activity,with an overpotential of only 61 mV at 10mA cm^(−2) and excellent stability in 1.0M KOH medium,exceeding those of the vast majority of the previously reported nonprecious candidates.Density functional theory calculations further substantiate that the construction of CoP/CoO heterojunctions enables optimization of the Gibbs free energies for water adsorption and H adsorption,resulting in boosted HER intrinsic activity.The present study may provide in-depth insights into the fundamental mechanisms of heterojunction-induced electronic regulation,which may pave the way for the rational design of advanced Earth-abundant electrocatalysts in the future.

Extraction and analysis of risk factors from Chinese chemical accident reports

Accidents in chemical production usually result in fatal injury,economic loss and negative social impact.Chemical accident reports which record past accident information,contain a large amount of expert knowledge.However,manually finding out the key factors causing accidents needs reading and analyzing of numerous accident reports,which is time-consuming and labor intensive.Herein,in this paper,a semiautomatic method based on natural language process(NLP)technology is developed to construct a knowledge graph of chemical accidents.Firstly,we build a named entity recognition(NER)model using SoftLexicon(simplify the usage of lexicon)+BERT-Transformer-CRF(conditional random field)to automatically extract the accident information and risk factors.The risk factors leading to accident in chemical accident reports are divided into five categories:human,machine,material,management,and environment.Through analysis of the extraction results of different chemical industries and different accident types,corresponding accident prevention suggestions are given.Secondly,based on the definition of classes and hierarchies of information in chemical accident reports,the seven-step method developed at Stanford University is used to construct the ontology-based chemical accident knowledge description model.Finally,the ontology knowledge description model is imported into the graph database Neo4j,and the knowledge graph is constructed to realize the structu red storage of chemical accident knowledge.In the case of information extraction from 290 Chinese chemical accident reports,SoftLexicon+BERT-Transformer-CRF shows the best extraction performance among nine experimental models.Demonstrating that the method developed in the current work can be a promising tool in obtaining the factors causing accidents,which contributes to intelligent accident analysis and auxiliary accident prevention.

The initial stages of Li_(2)O_(2) formation during oxygen reduction reaction in Li-O_(2) batteries:The significance of Li_(2)O_(2) in charge-transfer reactions within devices

Lithium-oxygen batteries are a promising technology because they can greatly surpass the energy density of lithium-ion batteries.However,this theoretical characteristic has not yet been converted into a real device with high cyclability.Problems with air contamination,metallic lithium reactivity,and complex discharge and charge reactions are the main issues for this technology.A fast and reversible oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)is crucial for good performance of secondary batteries',but the partial knowledge of its mechanisms,especially when devices are concerned,hinders further development.From this perspective,the present work uses operando Raman experiments and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS)to assess the first stages of the discharge processes in porous carbon electrodes,following their changes cycle by cycle at initial operation.A growth kinetic formation of the discharge product signal(Li_(2)O_(2))was observed with operando Raman,indicating a first-order reaction and enabling an analysis by a microkinetic model.The solution mechanism in the evaluated system was ascribed for an equivalent circuit with three time constants.While the time constant for the anode interface reveals to remain relatively constant after the first discharge,its surface seemed to be more non-uniform.The model indicated that the reaction occurs at the Li_(2)O_(2) surface,decreasing the associated resistance during the initial discharge phase.Furthermore,the growth of Li_(2)O_(2) forms a hetero-phase between Li_(2)O_(2)/electrolyte,while creating a more compact and homogeneous on the Li_(2)O_(2)/cathode surface.The methodology here described thus offers a way of directly probing changes in surface chemistry evolution during cycling from a device through EIS analysis.

Ce&F multifunctional modification improves the electrochemical performance of LiCoO_(2)at 4.60 V

Lithium cobalt oxide(LiCoO_(2))is proverbially employed as cathode materials of lithium-ion batteries attributed to the high theoretical capacity,and currently,it is developing towards higher cut-off voltages in the pursuit of higher energy density.However,it suffers from serious structural degradation and surface side reactions,in particular,at the voltage above 4.60 V,leading to rapid decay of the battery life.Taking into account the desirable oxygen buffering property and the fast ion mobility characteristic of cerium oxide fluoride,in this work,we prepared Ce&F co-modified LiCoO_(2)by using the precursors of Ce(NO_(3))_(3)·6H_(2)O and NH_(4)F,and evaluated the electrochemical performance under voltages exceeding 4.60 V.The results indicated that the modified samples have multiphase heterostructure of surface CeO_(2-x)and unique Ce-O-F solid solution phase.At 3.0–4.60 V and 25℃,the preferred sample LCO-0.5Ce-0.3F has a high initial discharge specific capacity of 221.9 mA h g^(-1)at 0.1 C,with the retention of 80.3%and 89.6%after 300 cycles at 1 and 5 C,comparing with the pristine LCO(56.4%and 22.6%).And at 3.0–4.65 V,its retention is 64.0%after 300 cycles at 1 C,versus 8.5%of the pristine LCO.Through structural characterizations and DFT calculations,it suggests that Ce^(4+)&F^(-)co-doping suppresses the H3 to H1/3 irreversible phase transition,stabilizes the lattice structure,and reduces the redox activity of the lattice oxygen by modulating the Co 3d–O 2p energy band,consequently improving the electrochemical performance of LiCoO_(2)at high voltages.