Electrophoresis of randomly and vertically embedded graphene nanosheets in activated carbon film as a counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells.

A new approach has been developed to randomly and vertically embed the graphene nanosheets (GNs) in the activated carbon (AC) film in an applied electric field. The activated carbon (AC) nanoparticles in suspension during electrophoresis play an important role in supporting the GNs perpendicular to the FTO (fluorine-doped tin oxide) glass. Insufficient amount of AC nanoparticles might result in a deposition of GNs parallel to the FTO glass, leading to incomplete utilization of the surface area accessible to electrolyte ions. An AC cathode with randomly and vertically embedded GNs facilitated electrolyte penetration and electron conduction. The photoelectron conversion efficiency of the cell was increased to 7.50% by employing the AC cathode with randomly and vertically embedded GNs.

Fabrication and Analysis of Near-Field Electrospun PVDF Fibers with Sol-Gel Coating for Lithium-Ion Battery Separator.

Environmental and economic concerns are driving the demand for electric vehicles. However, their development for mass transportation hinges largely on improvements in the separators in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), the preferred energy source. In this study, innovative separators for LIBs were fabricated by near-field electrospinning (NFES) and the sol-gel method. Using NFES, poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) fibers were fabricated. Then, PVDF membranes with pores of 220 nm and 450 nm were sandwiched between a monolayer and bilayer of the electrospun fibers. Nanoceramic material with organic resin, formed by the sol-gel method, was coated onto A4 paper, rice paper, nonwoven fabric, and carbon synthetic fabric. Properties of these separators were compared with those of a commercial polypropylene (PP) separator using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), microtensile testing, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), ion-conductivity measurement, cyclic voltammetry (CV), and charge-discharge cycling. The results indicate that the 220 nm PVDF membrane sandwiched between a bilayer of electrospun fibers had excellent ionic conductivity (~0.57 mS/cm), a porosity of ~70%, an endothermic peak of ~175 °C, better specific capacitance (~356 mAh/g), a higher melting temperature (~160 °C), and a stable cycle performance. The sol-gel coated nonwoven fabric had ionic conductivity, porosity, and specific capacitance of ~0.96 mS/cm., ~64%, and ~220 mAh/g, respectively, and excellent thermal stability despite having a lower specific capacitance (65% of PP separator) and no peak below 270 °C. The present study provides a significant step toward the innovation of materials and processes for fabricating LIB separators.

Synthesis of manganese oxide electrodes with interconnected nanowire structure as an anode material for rechargeable lithium ion batteries.

Manganese oxide electrodes composed of interconnected nanowires are electrochemically synthesized in manganous acetate solution at room temperature without any template and catalyst. Annealing temperature affects the electrode morphology, crystallization, and electrochemical performance. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) results show that nanowires are uniformly distributed and sizes are about 12-18 nm in diameter; the diameter decreases to about 8-12 nm after annealing at 300 degrees C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) images indicate that nanowires have poor crystalline characteristics. The higher the annealing temperature, the higher the crystalline degree is in manganese oxide. The synthesized anode material shows a much larger capacity than the traditional graphite materials for lithium storage. After annealing at 300 degrees C, the electrode's reversible capacity reaches 800 mAhg(-1), and the specific capacity retention remains nearly constant after 100 cycles.

Electrophoretic self-assembly of expanded mesocarbon microbeads with attached nickel nanoparticles as a high-rate electrode for supercapacitors.

Expanded mesocarbon microbeads (EMCMBs) with graphene oxide (GO) sheets were prepared by expanding graphitized mesocarbon microbeads (MCMBs) using a simple solution-based oxidative process. EMCMB-supported nickel nanoparticles with an average size of 4.6 nm were fabricated by an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method in the presence of nickel nitrate additive. Nickel ions were self-assembled on the fluffy GO sheets resulting in a more positively charged EMCMB particle for facilitating EPD and dispersion. After heat treatment at 300 °C, GO could be converted to graphene which could provide a conductive network for facilitating the transport of electrons. Well-dispersed nickel nanoparticles on graphene sheets could act as a redox center to allow storage of extra charge and a nanospacer to prevent the graphene sheets from restacking. The specific capacitance of EMCMB-supported nickel electrode could reach 491 F g(-1), which is much higher than that of EMCMB electrode (43 F g(-1)) and bare nickel electrode (146 F g(-1)) at a discharge current of 5 A g(-1). More importantly, the EMCMB-supported nickel electrode is capable of delivering a high specific capacitance of 440 F g(-1) at a discharge current of 50 A g(-1), and could pave the way towards high-rate supercapacitors.

Three-dimensional carbon nanotube networks with a supported nickel oxide nanonet for high-performance supercapacitors.

A three-dimensional porous carbon nanotube film with a supported NiO nanonet was prepared by simple electrophoretic deposition and hydrothermal synthesis, which could deliver a high specific capacitance of 1511 F g(-1) at a high discharge current of 50 A g(-1) due to the significantly improved transport of the electrolyte and electrons.

Pulse-reverse electrodeposition of transparent nickel phosphide film with porous nanospheres as a cost-effective counter electrode for dye-sensitized solar cells.

A Ni2P nanolayer with porous nanospheres was directly coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide glass by pulse-reverse deposition as a low-cost counter electrode catalyst for dye-sensitized solar cells, and the photoelectron conversion efficiency of the cell was increased to 7.32% by using a porous nanosphere catalyst due to the significantly improved ion transport.

Fabrication of nickel hydroxide electrodes with open-ended hexagonal nanotube arrays for high capacitance supercapacitors.

A nickel hydroxide electrode with open-ended hexagonal nanotube arrays, prepared by hydrolysis of nickel chloride in the presence of hexagonal ZnO nanorods, shows a very high capacitance of 1328 F g(-1) at a discharge current density of 1 A g(-1) due to the significantly improved ion transport.

Electrochemical formation of transparent nanostructured TiO2 film as an effective bifunctional layer for dye-sensitized solar cells.

A bifunctional TiO(2) layer having an inner compact layer and an outer anchoring layer coated on fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) glass could reduce the charge recombination and interfacial contact resistance between FTO and the main TiO(2) layer; photoelectron conversion efficiency of cell was increased from 7.31 to 8.04% by incorporating the bifunctional layer.

Nickel oxide film with open macropores fabricated by surfactant-assisted anodic deposition for high capacitance supercapacitors.

Nickel oxide film with open macropores prepared by anodic deposition in the presence of surfactant shows a very high capacitance of 1110 F g(-1) at a scan rate of 10 mV s(-1), and the capacitance value reduces to 950 F g(-1) at a high scan rate of 200 mV s(-1).