Si@Fe3O4/AC composite with interconnected carbon nano-ribbons network for high-performance lithium-ion battery anodes.

Si-based anode materials have a relatively high theoretical specific capacity and low operating voltage, greatly enhancing the energy density of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, their practical application is seriously hindered by the instability of active particles and anode electrodes caused by the huge swelling during cycling. How to maintain the stability of the charge transfer network and interface structure of Si particles is full of challenges. To address this issue, we have developed a novel Si@Fe3O4/AC/CNR anode by in-situ growing one-dimensional high elastic carbon nano-ribbons to wrap Si nanoparticles. This special structure can construct fast channels of electron transport and lithium ion diffusion, and stabilize the surface structure of Si nanoparticles during cycling. With these promising architectural features, the Si@Fe3O4/AC/CNR composite possesses a high specific capacity of 1279.4 mAh/g at 0.5 A/g, and a superior cycling life with 80 % capacity retention after 700 cycles. Even at a high current density of 20.0 A/g, the composite still delivers a capacity of 621.2 mAh/g. The facile synthetic approach and high performance of Si@Fe3O4/AC/CNR anodes provide practical insight into advanced anode materials with large volume expansion for high-energy-density LIBs.

Electrochemical Anion-Exchanged synthesis of porous Ni/Co hydroxide nanosheets for Ultrahigh-Capacitance supercapacitors.

The commonly reported calcination strategy usually requires high temperature to crack the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) particles, which often lead to uncontrollable growth of nanomaterials. Here, for the first time, we utilize an electrochemical anion-exchanged method to control the hydrolysis of MOFs and synthesize porous Ni/Co hydroxide nanosheets. After the electrochemical anion-exchange, the organic ligands of MOFs nanosheets can be recycled and reused. Applying an electric field to the MOFs bulk in alkaline solution can accelerate the nucleation rate of hydroxide and change the migration behavior of charged ions/molecules, which can tailor the microstructure of derivatives and improve deep charge and discharge capability of the electrodes. As a result, the hydroxide with the optimized Ni:Co molar ratio of 7:3 and electric-field application time of 1000 cycles [Ni0.7Co0.3(OH)2-1000c] provides much better electrochemical properties than the materials synthesized without electric-field assistance: a high specific capacitance of 2115C g-1 (4230F g-1). A hybrid supercapacitor with the Ni0.7Co0.3(OH)2-1000c electrode shows a high energy density of 74.7 Wh kg-1, an improved power density (5,990.6 W kg-1), and an excellent cyclic stability (8,000 cycles). This study not only provides a novel strategy for the preparation of low-cost, deep-discharge electrodes for supercapacitors, but also proposes an unconventional method for mild synthesizing MOFs materials into porous nanoscale derivatives with tailored micromorphology.

Enhancing electrochemical performance of electrode material via combining defect and heterojunction engineering for supercapacitors.

The poor conductivity and deficient active sites of transition metal oxides lead to low energy density of supercapacitors, which limits their wide application. In this work, double transition metal oxide heterojunctions with oxygen vacancy (Vo-ZnO/CoO) nanowires are prepared by effective hydrothermal and thermal treatments. The formation of the heterojunction results in the redistribution of interface charge between ZnO and CoO, generating an internal electric field to accelerate the electron transport. Meanwhile, oxygen vacancies can enhance the redox reaction activity to further improve the electrochemical kinetics of the electrode material. Therefore, the prepared Vo-ZnO/CoO can provide a superior specific capacity of 845 C g-1 (1 A g-1). An asymmetric supercapacitor with the Vo-ZnO/CoO as positive electrode shows a higher energy density of 51.6 Wh kg-1 when the power density reaches 799.9 W kg-1. This work proposes a synergistic combination of defect and heterojunction engineering to improve the electrochemical properties of materials, providing an important guidance for material design in energy-storage field.

Alternately Dipping Method to Prepare Graphene Fiber Electrodes for Ultra-high-Capacitance Fiber Supercapacitors.

Flexible fiber supercapacitors are promising candidate for power supply of wearable electronics. Fabrication of high-performance fibers is in progress yet challenging. The currently available graphene fibers made from wet-spinning or electro-deposition technologies are far away from practical applications due to their unsatisfactory capacitance. Here we report a facile alternately dipping (AD) method to coat graphene on wire-like substrates. The excellent mechanical properties of the substrate with greatly diverse choices can be carried over to the fiber supercapacitors. Under such guideline, the graphene fiber with a titanium core made by our AD method (AD:Ti@RGO) shows an ultra-high specific capacitance of up to 1,722.1 mF cm-2, which is ∼1,000 times that of wet-spinning- and electro-deposition-fabricated neat graphene fibers and presents the highest specific capacitance to date. With excellent mechanical properties and striking electrochemical performances, the AD:Ti@RGO-based supercapacitors light the path to the next-generation technologies for wearable devices.

A Fiber Supercapacitor with High Energy Density Based on Hollow Graphene/Conducting Polymer Fiber Electrode.

A hollow graphene/conducting polymer composite fiber is created with high mechanical and electronic properties and used to fabricate novel fiber-shaped supercapacitors that display high energy densities and long life stability. The fiber supercapacitors can be woven into flexible powering textiles that are particularly promising for portable and wearable electronic devices.

Graphene-Enveloped Poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/Sulfur Composites with Improved Performances for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries by A Simple Vibrating-Emulsification Method.

We prepared the Poly(N-vinylcarbazole)/sulfur@reduced graphene oxide (PVK/S@RGO) composites via a facile vibrating-emulsification synthesis method, which consist of the composites cores of large sulfur particles integrated into PVK conductive network and the conducting shell of reduced graphene oxide sheets. The PVK in the composites plays multiple roles in different processes. In preparation processes, PVK functions as dispersants to prevent sulfur particles from aggregating into excessively large size. And in the cycling test, PVK could play as additional electroactive binders and barriers to reinforce the electrode stability, accommodate volume change and reduce polysulfides shuttling. The resulting PVK/S@RGO composites containing 71 wt % sulfur exhibit excellent cycling performance and rate properties with a high discharge capacity of 843.5 mA h g(-1) and a charge capacity retention of 77% (only 0.07% capacity degradation per cycle) from 20th to 400th at 1 C, corresponding to an average Coulombic efficiency of over 94%.