Built defects of homogeneous junction to enhance the lithium storage capacity of niobium pentoxide materials

Niobium pentoxide(Nb_(2)O_(5))is deemed one of the promising anode materials for lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)for its outstanding intrinsic fast Li-(de)intercalation kinetics.The specific capacity,however,is still limited,because the(de)intercalation of excessive Li-ions brings the undesired stress to damage Nb_(2)O_(5) crystals.To increase the capacity of Nb_(2)O_(5) and alleviate the lattice distortion caused by stress,numerous homogeneous H-and M-phases junction interfaces were proposed to produce coercive stress within theNb_(2)O_(5)crystals.Such interfaces bring about rich oxygen vacancies with structural shrinkage tendency,which pre-generate coercive stress to resist the expansion stress caused by excessive Li-ions intercalation.Therefore,the synthesized Nb_(2)O_(5) achieves the highest lithium storage capacity of 315 mA h g−1 to date,and exhibits high-rate performance(118 mA h g^(-1) at 20 C)as well as excellent cycling stability(138 mA h g^(-1) at 10 C after 600 cycles).

Opportunities and challenges of organic flow battery for electrochemical energy storage technology

For flow batteries(FBs), the current technologies are still expensive and have relatively low energy density, which limits their large-scale applications. Organic FBs(OFBs) which employ organic molecules as redox-active materials have been considered as one of the promising technologies for achieving lowcost and high-performance. Herein, we present a critical overview of the progress on the OFBs, including the design principles of key components(redox-active molecules, membranes, and electrodes) and the latest achievement in both aqueous and nonaqueous systems. Finally, future directions in explorations of the high-performance OFB for electrochemical energy storage are also highlighted.

Progress and prospect for NASICON-type Na3V2(PO4)3 forelectrochemical energy storage

Sodium-ion batteries （SIBs） have attracted increasing attention in the past decades, because of high over-all abundance of precursors, their even geographical distribution, and low cost. Na3V2（PO4）3 （NVP）, atypical sodium super ion conductor （NASlCON）-based electrode material, exhibits pronounced structuralstability, exceptionally high ion conductivity, rendering it a most promising electrode for sodium storage.However. the comparatively low electronic conductivity makes the theoretical capacity of NVP cannot befully accessible even at comparatively low rates, presenting a major drawback for further practical ap-plications, especially when high rate capability is especially important. Thus, many endeavors have beenconformed to increase the surface and intrinsic electrical conductivity of NVP by coating the active mate-rials with a conductive carbon layer, downsizing the NVP particles, combining the NVP particle with vari-ous carbon materials and ion doping strategy. In this review, to get a better understanding on the sodiumstorage in NVP, we firstly present 4 distinct crystal structures in the temperature range of-30℃-225℃ namely α-NVP, β-NVP, β′-NVP and γ-NVP. Moreover, we give an overview of recent approaches to en-hance the surface electrical conductivity and intrinsic electrical conductivity of NVP. Finally, some poten-tial applications of NVP such as in all-climate environment and PHEV, EV fields have been prospected.

Low-cost all-iron flow battery with high performance towards long-duration energy storage

Long duration energy storage(LDES)technologies are vital for wide utilization of renewable energy sources and increasing the penetration of these technologies within energy infrastructures.Herein,we propose a low-cost alkaline all-iron flow battery by coupling ferri/ferro-cyanide redox couple with ferric/ferrous-gluconate complexes redox couple.The designed all-iron flow battery demonstrates a coulombic efficiency of above 99%and an energy efficiency of~83%at a current density of80 m A cm^(-2),which can continuously run for more than 950 cycles.Most importantly,the battery demonstrates a coulombic efficiency of more than 99.0%and an energy efficiency of~83%for a long duration(~12,16 and 20 h per cycle)charge/discharge process.Benefiting from the low cost of iron electrolytes,the overall cost of the all-iron flow battery system can be reached as low as$76.11 per k Wh based on a10 h system with a power of 9.9 k W.This work provides a new option for next-generation cost-effective flow batteries for long duration large scale energy storage.

Non-aqueous lithium bromine battery of high energy density with carbon coated membrane

Flow batteries with high energy density and long cycle life have been pursued to advance the progress of energy storage and grid application. Non-aqueous batteries with wide voltage windows represent a promising technology without the limitation of water electrolysis, but they suffer from low electrolyte concentration and unsatisfactory battery performance. Here, a non-aqueous lithium bromine rechargeable battery is proposed, which is based on Br;/Br;and Li;/Li as active redox pairs, with fast redox kinetics and good stability. The Li/Br battery combines the advantages of high output voltage（;.1 V）,electrolyte concentration（3.0 mol/L）, maximum power density（29.1 m W/cm;） and practical energy density（232.6 Wh/kg）. Additionally, the battery displays a columbic efficiency（CE） of 90.0%, a voltage efficiency（VE） of 88.0% and an energy efficiency（EE） of 80.0% at 1.0 m A/cm;after continuously running for more than 1000 cycles, which is by far the longest cycle life reported for non-aqueous flow batteries.

Vanadium-based polyanionic compounds as cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries:Toward high-energy and high-power applications

Sodium ion batteries(SIBs)have been regarded as one of the alternatives to lithium ion batteries owing to their wide availability and significantly low cost of sodium sources.However,they face serious challenges of low energy&power density and short cycling lifespan owing to the heavy mass and large radius of Na^(+).Vanadium-based polyanionic compounds have advantageous characteristic of high operating voltage,high ionic conductivity and robust structural framework,which is conducive to their high energy&power density and long lifespan for SIBs.In this review,we will overview the latest V-based polyanionic compounds,along with the respective characteristic from the intrinsic crystal structure to performance presentation and improvement for SIBs.One of the most important aspect is to discover the essential problems existed in the present V-based polyanionic compounds for high-energy&power applications,and point out most suitable solutions from the crystal structure modulation,interface tailoring and electrode configuration design.Moreover,some scientific issues of V-based polyanionic compounds shall be also proposed and related future direction shall be provided.We believe that this review can serve as a motivation for further development of novel V-based polyanionic compounds and drive them toward high energy&power applications in the near future.

New insights into the formation of silicon-oxygen layer on lithium metal anode via in situ reaction with tetraethoxysilane

Lithium metal-based secondary batteries are very promising for next generation power battery due to their high energy density.However,lithium anodes suffer from poor electrochemical reversibility in organic electrolytes due to Li dendrites and instability of the solid electrolyte interphase.Recent research demonstrated that the problem can be alleviated via tetraethoxysilane(TEOS)treated lithium metal to form a silicon oxide layer on the lithium surface,however,its reaction mechanism is controversial.Herein,we deeply explore the reaction mechanism between TEOS and Li and propose:Fresh Li can directly react with TEOS even though no lithium hydroxide exists on the lithium surface,and the participation of water will accelerate the reaction process.Moreover,it was found that the silicon oxide layer can promote the uniform deposition of lithium ions by providing lithiophilic nucleation sites,thereby achieving a long cycle life of Li metal batteries.

Recent advances of transition-metal metaphosphates for efficient electrocatalytic water splitting

Sustainable production of H2 through electrochemical water splitting is of great importance in the foreseeable future.Transition-metal metaphosphates(TMMPs)have a three-dimensional(3D)open-framework structure and a high content of P(which exists as PO3-),and therefore have been recognized as highly efficient catalysts for oxygen evolution reaction(OER)and the bottleneck of electrochemical water splitting.Furthermore,TMMPs can also contribute to hydrogen evolution reaction(HER)in alkaline and neutral media by facilitating water dissociation,and thus,overall water splitting can be achieved using this kind of material.In this timely review,we summarize the recent advances in the synthesis of TMMPs and their applications in OER and HER.We present a brief introduction of the structure and synthetic strategies of TMMPs in the first two parts.Then,we review the latest progress made in research on TMMPs as OER,HER,and overall water-splitting electrocatalysts.In this part,the intrinsic activity of TMMPs as well as the current strategy for improving the catalytic activity will be discussed systematically.Finally,we present the future opportunities and the remaining challenges for the application of TMMPs in the electrocatalysis field.

The catalytic effect of bismuth for VO2+/VO2+and V3+/V2+redox couples in vanadium flow batteries

The effect of bismuth (Bi) for both VO2+/VO2+ and V3+/V2+ redox couples in vanadium flow batteries (VFBs) has been investigated by directly introducing Bi on the surface of carbon felt (CF). The results show that Bi has no catalytic effect for VO2+/VO2(+) redox couple. During the first charge process, Bi is oxidized to Bi3+ (never return back to Bi metal in the subsequent cycles) due to the low standard redox potential of 0.308 V (vs. SHE) for Bi3+/Bi redox couple compared with VO2+/VO2+ redox couple and Bi3+ exhibit no (or neglectable) electro-catalytic activity. Additionally, the relationship between Bi loading and electrochemical activity for V3+/V2+ redox couple was studied in detail. 2 wt% Bi-modified carbon felt (2%-BiCF) exhibits the highest electrochemical activity. Using it as negative electrode, a high energy efficiency (EE) of 79.0% can be achieved at a high current density of 160 mA/cm(2), which is 5.5% higher than the pristine one. Moreover, the electrolyte utilization ratio is also increased by more than 30%. Even the cell operated at 140 mA/cm(2) for over 300 cycles, the EE can reach 80.9% without obvious fluctuation and attenuation, suggesting excellent catalytic activity and electrochemical stability in VFBs. (C) 2016 Science Press and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press. All rights reserved.

Layer-by-layer growth of ZIF-8 on electrospun carbon nanofiber membranes for high-performance supercapacistor electrode

In the past few decades, supercapacitor(SC) has attracted great attention due to its significant advantages over traditional rechargeable battery systems, such as high power density, fast charge-discharge rate, long cycle life and environmental friendliness [1]. Up to now, supercapacitors have been widely used in backup power, electric vehicles, mobile power and so on [2,3].

Ultrathin free-standing electrospun carbon nanofibers web as the electrode of the vanadium flow batteries

Ultrathin free-standing electrospun carbon nanofiber web（ECNFW） used for the electrodes of the vanadium flow battery（VFB） has been fabricated by the electrospinning technique followed by the carbonization process in this study to reduce the ohmic polarization of the VFB. The microstructure, surface chemistry and electrochemical performance of ECNFW carbonized at various temperatures from 800 to 1400 °C have been investigated. The results show that ECNFW carbonized at 1100 °C exhibits the highest electrocatalytic activity toward the V;/V;redox reaction, and its electrocatalytic activity decreases along with the increase of carbonization temperature due to the drooping of the surface functional groups.While for the VO;/VO;redox couple, the electrocatalytic activity of ECNFW carbonized above 1100 °C barely changes as the carbonization temperature rises. It indicates that the surface functional groups could function as the reaction sites for the V;/V;redox couple, but have not any catalytic effect for the VO;/VO;redox couple. And the single cell test result suggests that ECNFW carbonized at 1100 °C is a promising material as the VFB electrode and the VFB with ECNFW electrodes obtains a super low internal resistance of 250 mΩ cm;.

Soft Template-Induced Porous Polyvinylidene Fluoride Membrane for Vanadium Flow Batteries

Vanadium flow batteries(VFBs)are considered ideal for grid-sc ale,long-duration energy storage applications owing to their decoupled output power and storage capacity,high safety,efficiency,and long cycle life.However,the widespread adoption of VFB s is hindered by the use of expensive Nafion membranes.Herein,we report a soft template-induced method to develop a porous polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF)membrane for VFB applications.By incorporating water-soluble and flexible polyethylene glycol(PEG 400)as a soft template,we induced the aggregation of hydrophilic sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone),resulting in phase separation from the hydrophobic PVDF polymer during membrane formation.This process led to the creation of a porous PVDF membrane with controllable morphologies determined by the polyethylene glycol content in the cast solution.The optimized porous PVDF membrane enabled a stable VFB performance for 200 cycles at a current density of 80 mA/cm^(2),and the VFB exhibited a Coulombic efficiency of 95.2%and a voltage efficiency of 87.8%.These findings provide valuable insights for the development of highly stable membranes for VFB applications.

Revealing the effect of electrolyte coordination structures on the intercalation chemistry of batteries

In-depth understanding of the electrolyte-dependent intercalation chemistry in batteries through direct operando/in situ characterizations is crucial for the development of the high-performance batteries.Herein,taking the Al/graphite battery as a model system,the effect of electrolyte coordination structure on the intercalation processes has been investigated over the batteries with either 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride(HMICl)-AlCl_(3) or 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride(EMICl)-AlCl_(3) ionic liquid electrolyte using operando X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)and X-ray diffraction.With a weaker anion-cation interaction in HMI-based electrolyte,the XPS-derived atomic ratio between cointercalated N and intercalated Al is 0.9,which is lower than 1.6 for EMI-based electrolyte.Attributed to the additional de-solvation process,the batteries with the HMI-based electrolyte show a lower ionic diffusion rate,capacity,and cycling performance,which agree with the operando characterization results.Our findings highlight the critical role of the electrolyte coordination structure on the(co-)intercalation chemistry.

Template-assisted synthesis of hierarchically porous Co3O4 with enhanced oxygen evolution activity

Oxygen evolution reaction（OER） is one of the most important reactions in the energy storage devices such as metal–air batteries and unitized regenerative fuel cells（URFCs）. However, the kinetically sluggishness of OER and the high prices as well as the scarcity of the most active precious metal electrocatalysts are the major bottleneck in these devices. Developing low-cost non-precious metal catalysts with high activity and stability for OER is highly desirable. A facile, in situ template method combining the dodecyl benzene sulfuric acid sodium（SDBS） assisted hydrothermal process with subsequent high-temperature treatment was developed to prepare porous Co3O4 with improved surface area and hierarchical porous structure as precious catalysts alternative for oxygen evolution reaction（OER）. Due to the unique structure, the as-prepared catalyst shows higher electrocatalytic activity than Co3O4 prepared by traditional thermal-decomposition method（noted as Co3O4-T） and commercial IrO2 catalyst for OER in 0.1M KOH aqueous solution. Moreover, it displays improved stability than Co3O4-T. The results demonstrate a highly efficient, scalable, and low cost method for developing highly active and stable OER electrocatalysts in alkaline solutions.

SEI/dead Li-turning capacity loss for high-performance anode-free solid-state lithium batteries

Anode-free solid-state lithium metal batteries(AF-SSLBs)have the potential to deliver higher energy density and improved safety beyond lithium-metal batteries.However,the unclear mechanism for the fast capacity decay in AF-SSLBs,either determined by dead Li or solid electrolyte interface(SEI),limits the proposal of effective strategies to prolong cycling life.To clarify the underlying mechanism,herein,the evolution of SEI and dead Li is quantitatively analyzed by a solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance(ss-NMR)technology in a typical LiPF6-based polymer electrolyte.The results show that the initial capacity loss is attributed to the formation of SEI,while the dead Li dominates the following capacity loss and the growth rate is 0.141 mA h cm^(−2)cycle−1.To reduce the active Li loss,the combination of inorganic-rich SEI and self-healing electrostatic shield effect is proposed to improve the reversibility of Li deposition/dissolution behavior,which reduces the capacity loss rate for the initial SEI and following dead Li generation by 2.3 and 20.1 folds,respectively.As a result,the initial Coulombic efficiency(ICE)and stable CE increase by 15.1%and 15.3%in Li-Cu cells,which guides the rational design of high-performance AF-SSLBs.

Trithiocyanuric acid derived g-C3N4 for anchoring the polysulfide in Li-S batteries application

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have great potential as an electrochemical energy storage system because of the high theoretical energy density and acceptable cost of financial and environment.However,the shuttle effect leads to severe capacity fading and low coulombic efficiency.Here,graphitic carbon nitride(g-C3N4) is designed and prepared via a feasible and simple method from trithiocyanuric acid (TTCA) to anchor the polysulfides and suppress the shuttle effect.The obtained g-C3N4 exhibits strong chemical interaction with polysulfides due to its high N-doping of 56.87 at%,which is beneficial to improve the cycling stability of Li-S batteries.Moreover,the novel porous framework and high specific surface area of g-C3N4 also provide fast ion transport and broad reaction interface of sulfur cathode,facilitating high capacity output and superior rate performance of Li-S batteries.As a result,Li-S batteries assembled with g-C3N4 can achieve high discharge capacity of 1200 mAh/g at 0.2 C and over 800 mAh/g is remained after 100 cycles with a coulombic efficiency more than 99.5%.When the C-rate rises to 5 C,the reversible capacity of Li-S batteries can still maintain at 607mAh/g.

Nanostructured Mn-based oxides as high-performance cathodes for next generation Li-ion batteries

Mn-based oxides have been regarded as a promising family of cathode materials for high-performance lithium-ion batteries,but the practical applications have been limited because of severe capacity deterioration(such as Li Mn O_(2)and Li Mn_(2)O_(4))as well as further complications from successive structure changes during cycling,low initial coulombic efficiency(such as Li-rich cathode)and oxidization of organic carbonate solvents at high charge potential(such as Li Ni0.5 Mn1.5 O4).Large amounts of efforts have been concentrated on resolving these issues towards practical applications,and many vital progresses have been carried out.Hence,the primary target of this review is focused on different proposed strategies and breakthroughs to enhance the rate performance and cycling stability of nanostructured Mn-based oxide cathode materials for Li-ion batteries,including morphology control,ion doping,surface coatings,composite construction.The combination of delicate architectures with conductive species represents the perspective ways to enhance the conductivity of the cathode materials and further buffer the structure transformation and strain during cycling.At last,based on the elaborated progress,several perspectives of Mn-based oxide cathodes are summarized,and some possible attractive strategies and future development directions of Mn-based oxide cathodes with enhanced electrochemical properties are proposed.The review will offer a detailed introduction of various strategies enhancing electrochemical performance and give a novel viewpoint to shed light on the future innovation in Mn-based oxide cathode materials,which benefits the design and construction of high-performance Mn-based oxide cathode materials in the future.

Aqueous K-ion battery incorporating environment-friendly organic compound and Berlin green

Aqueous rechargeable metal-ion batteries(ARMBs)hold intrinsic advantages of high safety,low cost and environmental benignity for large scale energy storage technologies.However,the research on aqueous Kion batteries(AKIBs)was hindered by limited materials.Herein,a novel AKIB was reported by employing environment-friendly 1,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxylic dianhydride-derived polyimide(PNTCDA)as anode and Berlin green(FeHCF)as cathode.Both electrodes have high rate performance and excellent capacity retention during cycling.Kinetics researches verify the superior electrochemical property of PNTCDA in saturated KNO3 solution.In-situ XRD of FeHCF demonstrates the unique shift of peak position and negligible distortion of lattice during the insertion/extraction of K+.The AKIB exhibits an attractive energy density of 46.9 Wh/kg and a high capacity retention of 74%in 300 cycles.More importantly,the battery can reach a super-high power of 2079.1 W/kg with an energy density of 24.2 Wh/kg,ranking relatively high among the ARIMs.This system extends the use of polyimide and points a way of AKIBs for grid-scale energy storage.

A low-cost bromine-fixed additive enables a high capacity retention zinc-bromine batteries

In recent years,more and more efforts are devoting to clean energy,renewable energies in particular to achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions[1].However,renewable energies,like solar power and wind power,are generally intermittent and random,hindering their wide application[2,3].To address this problem,there is an urgent need in effective and reliable energy storage device.

3D-metal-embroidered electrodes:dreaming for next generation flexible and personalizable energy storage devices

Flexible and Personalizable battery is a promising candidate for energy storage, but suffers from the weldablity and large-scale producibility of the electrode. To address the issues, we design a nickel foam catalyzed electroless deposition (NFED) derived 3D-metal-pattern embroidered electrodes. This is the first attempt to utilize this type of electrode in battery field. It is found that the current collector can be embroidered on any selected areas of any complex-shape electrodes, with high controllability and economical feasibility. As a result, the electronic conductivity of the flexible electrodes can be improved by nearly one order of magnitude, which can be easily and firmly weldded to the metal tab using the industry generic ultrasonic heating process. The embroidered electrodes could substantially promote the electrochemical performance under bending deformation, with both Li-S and Li-Li FePO4batteries as the models. This innovation is also suitable to embroider all the VIII group elements on any electrodes with personalized shapes, which is widely attractive for the development of next generation flexible and personalizable energy storage devices.