In situ growth of NiS_(2) nanosheet array on Ni foil as cathode to improve the performance of lithium/sodium-sulfur batteries

The NiS;nanosheet array on Ni foil(NiS2/NF)was prepared using an in situ growth strategy and sulfidation method and was used as the cathode of lithium sulfur battery.The unique nanostructure of the NiS;nanosheet array can provide abundant active sites for the adsorption and chemical action of polysulfides.Compared with the sulfur powder coated pure NF(pure NF-S)for lithium sulfur battery,the sulfur powder coated NiS_(2)/NF(NiS_(2)/NF-S)electrode exhibits superior electrochemical performance.Specifically,the NiS_(2)/NF-S delivered a high reversible capacity of 1007.5 m Ah g^(-1) at a current density of 0.1 C(1 C=1675 mA g^(-1))and kept 74.5% of the initial capacity at 1.0 C after 200 cycles,indicating the great promise of NiS_(2)/NF-S as the cathode of lithium sulfur battery.In addition,the NiS_(2)/NF-S electrode also showed satisfactory electrochemical performance when used as the cathode for sodium sulfur battery.

Three-dimensional hierarchical Ca_(3)Co_(4)O_(9) hollow fiber network as high performance anode material for lithium-ion battery

Transition metal oxides have high specific capacity as anode materials for lithium-ion battery.But aggregation of particles and volume expansion during lithiation/delithiation restrict their application.In this work,a three-dimensional hierarchical Ca_(3)Co_(4)O_(9)hollow fiber network assembled by nanosheets is prepared by an electrospinning combined with heat treatment method to overcome these issues and to boost its lithium storage performance.As-synthesized sample possesses excellent cyclic stability(578.6 m A h g^(-1)at 200 m A g^(-1)after 500 cycles)and rate performance(293.5 m A h g^(-1)at 5000 m A g^(-1)),much better than those of commercial Co_(3)O4.Furthermore,the fast kinetics of the three-dimensional Ca_(3)Co_(4)O_(9)hollow fiber network is also confirmed by the variable scan rates CV tests and the EIS measurements,which is dedicated to the specific hierarchical hollow fiber network structure that provides shorter ion transport distances and higher electrical conductivity.This work supplies a universal approach to improve the electrochemical performance of transition metal oxides for lithium ion batteries.

Poly-active centric CoO-CeO/Co-N-C composites as superior oxygen reduction catalysts for Zn-air batteries

Zinc-air battery is one of the most promising next-generation energy conversion and storage systems.Green and low-cost catalysts with high oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)catalytic activity are desired to meet the requirements of Zinc-air batteries.Herein,poly-active centric Co3O4-CeO2/Co-N-C(ketjenblack carbon)catalysts were prepared by a facile method.The Co3O4 and CeO2 nanoparticles are uniformly anchored on the surface of Co and N doped carbon support.The half-wave potential of Co3O4-CeO2/Co-N-C in the rotating disk electrode testing is close to that of Pt/C.The Zn-air battery using Co3O4-CeO2/Co-N-C as the cathode catalyst can provide a high specific capacity of 728 mA h g^-1 at 20 mA cm^-2 and maintain a stable discharge voltage.The remarkable catalytic performance is mainly attributed to the synergistic effect among Co3O4,CeO2 and Co-N-C,the outstanding electrical conductivity and the large surface area.Benefitting from the high catalytic activity,environmental friendliness and the facile synthesis process,Co3O4-CeO2/Co-N-C catalyst lends itself well to a great prospect in the application of metalair batteries.

Improving Li Plating Behaviors Through Cu-Sn Alloy-Coated Current Collector for Dendrite-Free Lithium Metal Anodes

Alloy anode with good reversibility of lithium plating/stripping and long cycling stability is considered as promising anode materials.Here,Cu-Sn alloy is used as the substrate for Li deposition to induce the most densely packed arrangement of Li atoms,thus presenting high lithiophilicity and improving Li plating behaviors.The LiFePO4-based full cell with the asprepared dendrite-free Li metal anode retained at 85 mAh g-1 with a high coulombic efficiency of 99.5% after 300 cycles,presenting a capacity retention of 79.4%.This strategy provides a new perspective to structure dendrite-free Li anode for the next-generation high-energy density batteries.