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

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

Nitrogen-doped carbon stabilized Li Fe0.5Mn0.5PO4/rGO cathode materials for high-power Li-ion batteries

Exploring high ion/electron conductive olivine-type transition metal phosphates is of vital significance to broaden their applicability in rapid-charging devices.Herein,we report an interface engineered Li Fe0.5Mn0.5PO4/rGO@C cathode material by the synergistic effects of r GO and polydopamine-derived N-doped carbon.The well-distributed Li Fe0.5Mn0.5PO4nanoparticles are tightly anchored on r GO nanosheet benefited by the coating of N-doped carbon layer.The design of such an architecture can effectively suppress the agglomeration of nanoparticles with a shortened Li+transfer path.Meantime,the high-speed conducting network has been constructed by r GO and N-doped carbon,which exhibits the face-to-face contact with Li Fe0.5Mn0.5PO4nanoparticles,guaranteeing the rapid electron transfer.These profits endow the Li Fe0.5Mn0.5PO4/rGO@C hybrids with a fast charge-discharge ability,e.g.a high reversible capacity of 105 m Ah·g^-1at 10 C,much higher than that of the Li Fe0.5Mn0.5PO4@C nanoparticles(46 mA·h·g^-1).Furthermore,a 90.8%capacity retention can be obtained even after cycling 500 times at 2 C.This work gives a new avenue to fabricate transition metal phosphate with superior electrochemical performance for high-power Li-ion batteries.

An Intelligent Manufacturing Platform of Polymers:Polymeric Material Genome Engineering

Polymeric materials with excellent performance are the foundation for developing high-level technology and advanced manufacturing.Polymeric material genome engineering(PMGE)is becoming a vital platform for the intelligent manufacturing of polymeric materials.However,the development of PMGE is still in its infancy,and many issues remain to be addressed.In this perspective,we elaborate on the PMGE concepts,summarize the state-of-the-art research and achievements,and highlight the challenges and prospects in this field.In particular,we focus on property estimation approaches,including property proxy prediction and machine learning prediction of polymer properties.The potential engineering applications of PMGE are discussed,including the fields of advanced composites,polymeric materials for communications,and integrated circuits.

Scalable solid-phase synthesis of defect-rich graphene for oxygen reduction electrocatalysis

Defect-engineered carbon materials have been emerged as promising electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)in metal-air batteries.Developing a facile strategy for the preparation of highly active nanocarbon electrocatalysts remains challenging.Herein,a low-cost and simple route is developed to synthesize defective graphene by pyrolyzing the mixture of glucose and carbon nitride.Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the graphene formation is ascribed to two-dimensional layered feature of carbon nitride,and high compatibility of carbon nitride/glucose systems.Structural measurements suggest that the graphene possesses rich edge and topological defects.The graphene catalyst exhibits higher power density than commercial Pt/C catalyst in a primary Zn-air battery.Combining experimental results and theoretical thermodynamic analysis,it is identified that graphitic nitrogen-modified topological defects at carbon framework edges are responsible for the decent ORR performance.The strategy presented in this work can be can be scaled up readily to fabricate defective carbon materials.

Heteroatom dopant strategy triggered high-potential plateau to non-graphitized carbon with highly disordered microstructure for high-performance sodium ion storage

Non-graphitized carbon(NGC)has been extensively utilized as carbonaceous anode in sodium-ion batteries(SIBs).However,more optimization to achieve competitive capacity and stability is still challenging for SIBs.In the study,the dopant strategy is utilized to construct nitrogen/sulfur-doped non-graphitized carbon(N-NGC or S-NGC)shell decorated on three-dimensional graphene foam(GF)as a self-support electrode.The highly disordered microstructures of heteroatom doped carbons are produced by applying a low-temperature pyrolysis treatment to precursors containing nitrogen and sulfur.The DFT calculations of Na-ion adsorption energies at diverse heteroatom sites show marginal-S,pyrrolic N and pyridinic N with more intensive Na-ion adsorption ability than middle-S,C=O and pristine carbon.The N-NGC with dominant small graphitic regions delivers adsorption ability to Na-ion,while the S-NGC with significant single carbon lattice stripes demonstrates redox reaction with Na-ion.Evidently,in comparison with only adsorption-driven slope regions at high potential for N-NGC,the redox reaction-generated potentialplateau enables non-graphitized S-NGC superior discharge/charge capacity and cycle-stability in the slope region.This work could provide deep insight into the rational design of non-graphitized carbon with rich microstructure and composition.

Nano-capillary induced assemble of quantum dots on perovskite grain boundaries for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells

In recent years, perovskite solar cells(PSCs) have propelled into the limelight owing to rapid development of efficiency;however, the abundant defects at the perovskite grain boundaries result in unwanted energy loss and structural degradation. Here, the grain boundaries of perovskite polycrystalline films have been found to act as nanocapillaries for capturing perovskite quantum dots(PQDs), which enable the conformal assemble of PQDs at the top interspace between perovskite grains. The existence of PQDs passivated the surface defects, optimized the interfacial band alignments, and ultimately improved the power conversion efficiency from 19.27% to 22.47% in inverted PSCs. Our findings open up the possibility of selective assembly and structural modulation of the perovskite nanostructures towards efficient and stable PSCs.

Minimizing interfacial energy losses in inverted perovskite solar cells by a dipolar stereochemical 2D perovskite interface

Inverted perovskite solar cells(PSCs) have attracted broad research and industrial interest owing to their suppressed hysteresis,cost-effectiveness,and easy-fabrication.However,the issue of non-radiative recombination losses at the n-type interface between the perovskite and fullerene has impeded further improvement of photovoltaic performance.Here,we modify the n-type interface of FAPbI_(3) perovskite films by constructing a stereochemical two-dimensional(2D) perovskite interlayer,in which the organic cations comprise both pyridine and ammonium groups.The pyridine N donor can create stable bonding with the surface-uncoordinated Pb on the perovskite,thereby passivating the shallow-level defects and enhancing the air stability of the film.Furthermore,the pyridine N donor also offers a positive polar interface to decrease the surface work function of the perovskite film,enabling n-type modification.Ultimately,we employ a p-i-n photovoltaic(PV) device with the positive dipole interlayer at perovskite/fullerene contact and achieve remarkable photoelectric conversion efficiency(PCE) of 22.0%.

Stable photocurrent-voltage characteristics of perovskite single crystal detectors obtained by pulsed bias

Photocurrent-voltage characterization is a crucial method for assessing key parameters in x-ray or y-ray semiconductor detectors,especially the carrier mobility lifetime product.However,the high biases during photocurrent measurements tend to cause severe ion migration,which can lead to the instability and inaccuracy of the test results.Given the mixed electronic-ionic charac teristics,it is imperative to devise novel methods capable of precisely measuring photocurrentvoltage characteristics under high bias conditions,free from interference caused by ion migration.In this paper,pulsed bias is employed to explore the photocurrent-voltage characteristics of MAPbBr_(3) single crystals.The method yields stable photocurrent-voltage characteristics at a pulsed bias of up to 30 V,proving to be effective in mitigating ion migration.Through fitting the modified Hecht equation,we determined the mobility lifetime products of 1.0×10^(2) cm^(2)·V^(-1)for hole and 2.78×10~(-3)cm^(2)·V^(-1)for electron.This approach offers a promising solution for accurately measuring the transport properties of carriers in perovskite.

ZnO@MOF@PANI core-shell nanoarrays on carbon cloth for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes

Hierarchical ZnO@metal-organic framework @polyaniline(ZnO@MOF@PANI) core-shell nanorod arrays on carbon cloth has been fabricated by combining electrodeposition and hydrothermal method. Well-ordered Zn O nanorods not only act as a scaffold for growth of MOF/PANI shell but also as Zn source for the formation of MOF. The morphology of ZnO@MOF@PANI composite is greatly influenced by the number of PANI electrodeposition cycles. Their structural and electrochemical properties were characterized with different techniques. The results indicate that the Zn O@MOF@PANI with 13 CV cycles of PANI deposition demonstrates the maximum specific capacitance of 340.7 F g-1 at 1.0 A g-1, good rate capability with84.3% capacitance retention from 1.0 to 10 A g-1 and excellent cycling life of 82.5% capacitance retention after 5000 cycles at high current density of 2.0 A g-1. This optimized core-shell nanoarchitecture endows the composite electrode with short ion diffusion pathway, rapid ion/electron transfer and high utilization of active materials, which thus result in excellent electrochemical performance of the ternary composite.

Battery Separators Functionalized with Edge-Rich MoS2/C Hollow Microspheres for the Uniform Deposition of Li2S in High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

As promising energy storage systems,lithium-sulfur(Li-S)batteries have attracted significant attention because of their ultra-high energy densities.However,Li-S battery suffers problems related to the complex phase conversion that occurs during the charge-discharge process,particularly the deposition of solid Li2S from the liquid-phase polysulfides,which greatly limits its practical application.In this paper,edge-rich MoS2/C hollow microspheres(Edg-MoS2/C HMs)were designed and used to functionalize separator for Li-S battery,resulting in the uniform deposition of Li2S.The microspheres were fabricated through the facile hydrothermal treatment of MoO3-aniline nanowires and a subsequent carbonization process.The obtained Edg-MoS2/C HMs have a strong chemical absorption capability and high density of Li2S binding sites,and exhibit excellent electrocatalytic performance and can effectively hinder the polysulfide shuttle effect and guide the uniform nucleation and growth of Li2S.Furthermore,we demonstrate that the Edg-MoS2/C HMs can effectively regulate the deposition of Li2S and significantly improve the reversibility of the phase conversion of the active sulfur species,especially at high sulfur loadings and high C-rates.As a result,a cell containing a separator functionalized with Edg-MoS2/C HMs exhibited an initial discharge capacity of 935 mAh g-1 at 1.0 C and maintained a capacity of 494 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles with a sulfur loading of 1.7 mg cm-2.Impressively,at a high sulfur loading of 6.1 mg cm-2 and high rate of 0.5 C,the cell still delivered a high reversible discharge capacity of 478 mAh g-1 after 300 cycles.This work provides fresh insights into energy storage systems related to complex phase conversions.

Surface-engineering of layered LiNi_(0.815)Co_(0.15)Al_(0.035)O_2 cathode material for high-energy and stable Li-ion batteries

Surface engineering is an effective strategy to restrain the generation of rocksalt NiO phase on surface of layered LiNi0.815Co0.15Al0.035O2（NCA） primary nanoparticles, a representative Ni-rich layered oxides cathode materials. Herein, we demonstrate the kilogram-scale synthesis of few-layer reduced graphene oxide（rGO） conformably coated NCA primary nanoparticles cathode materials by a mechanical wet ball-milling strategy. The lightening rGO coating layer effectively avoids the direct contact of electrolyte and NCA with rapid electrons transfer. As a result, the as-obtained NCA@rGO hybrids with only 1.0 wt% rGO content can deliver a high specific capacity（196 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C） and fast charge/discharge capability（127 mAh g-1 at 5 C）, which is much higher than the corresponding NCA nanoparticles（95 mAh g-1 at 5 C）. Even after100 cycles at 1 C, 91.7% of initial reversible capacity is still maintained. Furthermore, a prismatic pouch cell（240 mAh） is also successfully assembled with the commercial graphite anode.

Interface-strengthened CoP nanosheet array with Co2P nanoparticles as efficient electrocatalysts for overall water splitting

Highly active and durable bifunctional electrocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) play a pivotal role in overall water splitting. Herein, we demonstrate the construction of interface-strengthened CoP nanosheet array with Co2P nanoparticles as such an electrocatalyst through a facile hydrothermal reaction and the subsequent phosphorization process. The twodimensional (2D) nanosheets with thickness of^55 nm expose a great number of active sites. The surface chemical state indicates that the strongly coupled CoP/Co2P electrocatalysts can adsorb or generate more targeted intermediates (e.g. OH- or OOH*) for both HER/OER. As a result, the CoP/Co2P electrocatalysts exhibit small overpotentials of 68 and 256 mV to drive 10 mA cm^-2 for HER and OER, respectively, outperforming most of the recently reported Co-based electrocatalysts. Furthermore, an alkaline electrolyzer assembled by using CoP/Co2P as both cathode and anode can achieve a current density of 10 mA cm^-2 at a low voltage of 1.57 V and work continuously for over 58 h. This work provides a feasible structural design for transition metal phosphides electrocatalysts with efficient and stable overall water splitting.

Highly surface electron-deficient Co_(9)S_(8) nanoarrays for enhanced oxygen evolution

Tailoring valence electron delocalization of transition metal center is of importance to achieve highly-active electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Herein,we demonstrate a“poor sulfur”route to synthesize surface electron-deficient Co_(9)S_(8) nanoarrays,where the binding energy(BE)of Co metal center is considerably higher than all reported Co_(9)S_(8)-based electrocatalysts.The resulting Co_(9)S_(8) electrocatalysts only require the overpotentials(h)of 265 and 326 mV at 10 and 100 mA cm^(-2) with a low Tafel slope of 56 mV dec^-(1) and a 60 hlasting stability in alkaline media.The OER kinetics are greatly expedited with a low reaction activation energy of 27.9 kJ mol^-(1) as well as abundant OOH*key intermediates(24%),thus exhibiting excellent catalytic performances.The surface electron-deficient engineering gives an available strategy to improve the catalytic activity of other advanced non-noble electrocatalysts.

Flame retardant synergy between interfacial and bulk carbonation in glass fiber reinforced polypropylene

Glass fiber reinforced polypropylene(GF-PP)composites have high flammability on account of wick effect which leads to accelerated flow of the polymer melt along the glass fibers(GF)surface to the flame zone.In this study,dipentaerythritol(DPER),a charring agent,was adsorbed on the GF surface through the hydrogen bond between silane coupling agent and DPER.DPER has a synergistic effect with the intumescent flame retardants(IFR)added in the composites,which can induce interfacial carbonization on the surface of GF,thus transforming the intrinsic smooth GF surface into roughness one.In this way,the negative effect of the wick effect in flame retardancy is weakened.Moreover,the char residues remained on the surface of GF can bring an improved adhesion between GF and char residues formed in the resin so that a more stable barrier char layer is formed.The PP composites with 20 wt%modified glass fiber(M-GF)and 30 wt%IFR can achieve the UL-94 V-0,and its limiting oxygen index(LOI)value increased from 16.5%to 29.5%.Simultaneously,the heat release rate(HRR),total heat release(THR)and total smoke release(TSR)decreased significantly,and the peak of heat release rate(PHRR)reduced60.6%compared with GF-PP.

Decorating ketjen black with ultra-small Mo_(2)C nanoparticles to enhance polysulfides chemisorption and redox kinetics for lithium-sulfur batteries

The low sulfur utilization and fast capacity fading resulting from the sluggish redox reaction and abominable polysulfides shuttle greatly hinder the practical applications of lithium-sulfur(Li-S) batteries.Herein, we develop a facile "in-situ growth" method to decorate ultra-small Mo2 C nanoparticles(USMo2 C) on the surface of Ketjen Black(KB) to functionalize the commercial polypropylene(PP) separators,which can accelerate the redox kinetics of lithium polysulfides conversion and effectively increase the utilization of sulfur for Li-S batteries. Importantly, the US-Mo2 C nanoparticles have abundant sites for chemical adsorption towards polysulfides and the conductive carbon networks of KB have cross-linked pore channels, which can promote electron transport and provide physical barrier and volume expansion space for polysulfides. Due to the combined effects of the US-Mo2 C and KB, Li-S cells employing the multifunctional PP separators modified with KB/US-Mo2 C composite(KB/US-Mo2 C@PP) exhibit a high specific capacity(1212.8 mAh g^(-1) at 0.2 C), and maintain a reversible capacity of 1053.3 m Ah g^(-1) after 100 cycles.More importantly, the KB/US-Mo2 C@PP cells with higher sulfur mass loading of 4.9 mg cm^(-2) have superb areal capacity of 2.3 mAh cm^(-2). This work offers a novel and promising perspective for high-performance Li-S batteries from both the shuttle effect and the complex polysulfides conversion.

Patterned catalyst layer boosts the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells by optimizing water management

Mass transport is crucial to the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells,especially at high current densities.Generally,the oxygen and the generated water share same transmission medium but move towards opposite direction,which leads to serious mass transfer problems.Herein,a series of patterned catalyst layer were prepared with a simple one-step impressing method using nylon sieves as templates.With grooves 100μm in width and 8μm in depth on the surface of cathode catalyst layer,the maximum power density of fuel cell increases by 10%without any additional durability loss while maintaining a similar electrochemical surface area.The concentration contours calculated by finite element analysis reveal that the grooves built on the surface of catalyst layer serve to accumulate the water nearby while oxygen tends to transfer through relatively convex region,which results from capillary pressure difference caused by the pore structure difference between the two regions.The separation of oxidant gas and generated water avoids mass confliction thus boosts mass transport efficiency.

Confining ultrahigh oxygen vacancy SnO_(2) nanocrystals into nitrogen-doped carbon for enhanced Li-ion storage kinetics and reversibility

Oxygen vacancies (V_(o)) engineering has been deemed to an effective tactic for enhancing Li-ion storage kinetics and reversibility of SnO_(2)-based anode materials.Herein,we demonstrated the confinement of ultrahigh V_(o)SnO_(2) nanocrystals into N-doped carbon frameworks to boost their high-rate and cycle life.Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that abundant V_(o) in SnO_(2) facilitates the adsorption to Li-ion with remarkably increased carrier concentration.The 6.0 nm-sized SnO_(2) particles and the embedded design effectively stabilize the structural integrity during de-/lithiation.Meantime,the as-formed large hetero-interface also expedites the electron transfer.These merits guarantee its high-rate performance and superior cycling stability.Consequently,this sample exhibits a high capacity of 1368.9m Ah g^(-1)at 0.1 A g^(-1),and can still maintain 488.5 mAh g^(-1)at 10 A g^(-1)and a long life over 400 cycles at 5 A g^(-1)with 96.6%capacity retention,which is among the best report for Sn-contained anode materials.This work sheds light on ultrahigh Vo and structural design in conversion-type oxides for highperformance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs).

Atomic Interface Catalytically Synthesizing SnP/CoP Hetero-Nanocrystals within Dual-Carbon Hybrids for Ultrafast Lithium-Ion Batteries

Tin phosphides are attractive anode materials for ultrafast lithium-ion batteries(LIBs)because of their ultrahigh Li-ion diffusion capability and large theoretical-specific capacity.However,difficulties in synthesis and large size enabling electrochemical irreversibility impede their applications.Herein,an in situ catalytic phosphorization strategy is developed to synthesize SnP/CoP hetero-nanocrystals within reduced graphene oxide(rGO)-coated carbon frameworks,in which the SnP relative formation energy is significantly decreased according to density functional theory(DFT)calculations.The optimized hybrids exhibit ultrafast charge/discharge capability(260 mA·h·g^(-1)at 50 A·g^(-1))without capacity fading(645 mA·h·g^(-1)at 2 A·g^(-1))through 1500 cycles.The lithiation/delithiation mechanism is disclosed,showing that the 4.0 nm sized SnP/CoP nanocrystals possess a very high reversibility and that the previously formed metallic Co of CoP at a relatively high potential accelerates the subsequent reaction kinetics of SnP,hence endowing them with ultrafast charge/discharge capability,which is further verified by the relative dynamic current density distributions according to the finite element analysis.

Surface Cu^(+) modified ZnIn_(2)S_(4) for promoted visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

Surface modification by metal ion has been considered a promising strategy to enhance the photocatalytic activity by extending optical response and improving charge separation and transportation.Here,univalent copper species were modified on ZnIn_(2)S_(4)photocatalyst via an in-situ photodeposition method,exhibiting a much higher H2evolution rate of 41.10±3.43 mmol g^(-1)h^(-1)and an impressive apparent quantum efficiency(AQE)of 20.81%at 420±15 nm.Our characterizations indicate that the surface modification by copper species can broaden light utilization as well as promote charge separation and transportation.Besides,the density functional theory(DFT)results further exhibit that the energy levels(LUMO and HOMO)for copper-surface modified ZnIn_(2)S_(4)present spatial separation,locating on the Zn-S and In-S layers,respectively,which can suppress the recombination of electron and hole and thus achieves higher photocatalytic H2evolution efficiency.

Confining MoS_(2) nanocrystals in MOF-derived carbon for high performance lithium and potassium storage

Developing an efficient synthesis protocol to simultaneously control 2D nanomaterials’size and dispersion is the pivot to optimize their electrochemical performance.Herein,we report the synthesis of uniform MoS_(2) nanocrystals well-anchored into the void space of porous carbon(donated as MoS_(2)3C hybrids)by a simple confined reaction in metal–organic framework(MOF)during carbonization process.The strong confinement effect refrain MoS2 growth and aggregation,generating abundant active centers and edges,which contribute fast lithium/potassium reaction kinetics.In addition to the hybridization with the derived carbon,the MoS_(2)3C hybrids exhibit rapid Liþtransfer rate(~109 cm^(2) s 1)and greatly improved electronic conductivity.Consequently,the MoS23C hybrids show ultrafast rate performances and satisfactory cycling stabilities as anode materials for both lithium and potassium ion batteries.This work demonstrates a universal tactic to achieve high dispersive 2D nanomaterials with tailorable particle size.