Bilayer-coating of MnO and N-doped carbon on SiO2 microspheres as a high-performance anode for flexible li-ion batteries

A polar polyanionic germanate Rb4Li2TiOGe4O12 was proposed as a new high-performance anode for Li-ion batteries. It has balanced electrochemical properties with higher specific capacity and lower operating voltage, among the titanyl-based anodes.

Well-dispersed MnO-quantum-dots/N-doped carbon layer anchored on carbon nanotube as free-standing anode for high-performance Li-Ion batteries

Piezoelectric composite of BaTiO3-coated SnO2 microsphere: Li-ion battery anode with enhanced electrochemical performance based on accelerated Li+ mobility

Porous carbon with the synergistic effect of cellulose fibers and MOFs as the anode for high-performance Li-ion batteries

Here, SnO2 nanoribbons (NRs) synthetized on the catalyst-free stainless steel (SS) substrate as a possible anode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) have been reported. SnO2 NRs were synthesized on catalyst-free SS substrate via vapor-solid (VS) growth approach. Morphological and structural characterizations of the SnO2 NRs were confirmed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) microscopes and x-ray diffraction (XRD) respectively. The prepared binder-free electrode demonstrated high initial discharge/charge capacities of 1818/929 mAh g−1 at current density of 300 mA g−1. A reversible capacity of 676 mAh g−1 with a coulombic efficiency of 98.5% has been achieved after 20 cycles. High specific capacity, superior rate capability and good cycling performance resulting from the SnO2 NRs electrode propose this nanostructure as an excellent anode for advanced LIBs.

Traditional anodes for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) including graphite, TiO2 and Li4Ti5O12, generally have specific capacities less than 200 mAh g-1, which no longer meet rapidly increasing commercial demands. In recent years, various novel anode materials, such as metals, alloys, silicon, transition metal oxides (TMOs) and sulfides, have been widely studied because they can achieve much higher capacity than traditional anodes.[1] Transition metal phosphides (TMPs) have been investigated extensively owing to their high theoretical capacities and relatively low intercalation potentials vs Li/Li+.[2] In particular, cobalt phosphide (CoP), with a theoretical capacity of ∼894 mAh g-1 , has been proven to be one of the most promising candidates for LIB anodes.[3] To date, various CoP materials have been investigated,[4, 5] but their specific capacity and stability are still unsatisfactory due to low electric conductivity and fast structural degradation during high-rate or long-term charge/discharge processes. Herein, we report on a robust high-capacity anode based on CoP/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) nanocomposite.[6] We conduct a facile and versatile strategy involving an oil bath, freeze drying and phosphidation processes, allowing nanostructured CoP particles to be uniformly embedded in rGO nanosheet network. The resulting CoP/rGO nanocomposite can exhibit enough surface area and porosity, which can improve the electrolyte diffusion. Meanwhile, the rGO network can enhance the electrical conductivity and structural stability of active CoP anodes. Electrochemical measurements indicate that the CoP/rGO nanocomposite shows a high specific capacity over 1100 mAh g-1 at a current density of 100 mA g-1. A capacity retention of ~840 mAh g-1 is obtained when the current density increases to 2 A g-1, which reveals an excellent rate capability. The nanocomposite also shows a ultralong cycle life of 2000 stable cycles at a high current density of 2 A g-1. These results indicate that our strategy is very effective and versatile to improve TMP-based anodes for the development of state-of-the-art LIBs. [1] N. Nitta, F. Wu, J.T. Lee, G. Yushin, Li-ion battery materials: present and future, Mater. Today, 18 (2015) 252-264. [2] L. Ji, Z. Lin, M. Alcoutlabi, X. Zhang, Recent developments in nanostructured anode materials for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, Energy Environ. Sci., 4 (2011) 2682-2699. [3] J. Yang, Y. Zhang, C. Sun, H. Liu, L. Li, W. Si, W. Huang, Q. Yan, X. Dong, Graphene and cobalt phosphide nanowire composite as an anode material for high performance lithium-ion batteries, Nano Res., 9 (2016) 612-621. [4] W. Wang, J. Li, M. Bi, Y. Zhao, M. Chen, Z. Fang, Dual function flower-like CoP/C nanosheets: High stability lithium-ion anode and excellent hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst, Electrochim. Acta, 259 (2018) 822-829. [5] X. Xu, J. Liu, R. Hu, J. Liu, L. Ouyang, M. Zhu, Self-Supported CoP Nanorod Arrays Grafted on Stainless Steel as an Advanced Integrated Anode for Stable and Long-Life Lithium-Ion Batteries, Chem. Eur. J., 23 (2017) 5198-5204. [6] Y. Yang, Y. Jiang, W. Fu, X. Liao, Y. He, W. Tang, F. Alamgir, Z.-F. Ma, Cobalt phosphide embedded in graphene nanosheet network as a high-performance anode for Li-ion batteries, Dalton Trans., (2019) DOI: 10.1039/C1039DT01240K

Green synthesis of multifunctional Cu/MnO@Biochar 3D structure as a high-performance anode material in Li-ion batteries and oxidative removal of Cango-red dye

Correction for ‘The role of thermal annealing on the microstructures of (Ti, Fe)-alloyed Si thin-film anodes for high-performance Li-ion batteries’ by Minsub Oh et al., RSC Adv., 2018, 8, 9168–9174.

Fe3O4 is one of the promising anode materials in Li-ion batteries and a potential alternative to graphite due to the high specific capacity, natural abundance, environmental benignity, non-flammability, and better safety. Nevertheless, the sluggish intrinsic reaction kinetics and huge volume variation severely limit the reversible capacity and cycling life. In order to overcome these hurdles and enhance the cycling life of Fe3O4, a one-dimensional (1D) nanochain structure composed of 2D Ti3C2-encapsulated hollow Fe3O4 nanospheres homogeneously embedded in N-doped carbon nanofibers (Fe3O4@MXene/CNFs) is designed and demonstrated as a high-performance anode in Li-ion batteries. The distinctive 1D nanochain structure not only inherits the high electrochemical activity of Fe3O4, but also exhibits excellent electron and ion conductivity. The Ti3C2 layer on the Fe3O4 hollow nanospheres forms the primary electron transport pathway and the N-doped carbon nanofiber network provides the secondary transport pathway. At the same time, Ti3C2 flakes partially accommodate the large volume change of Fe3O4 during Li+ insertion/extraction. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrate that the Fe3O4@MXene/CNFs electrode can efficiently enhance the adsorption of Li+ to promote Li+ storage. As a result of the electrospinning process, self-restacking of Ti3C2 flakes and aggregation of Fe3O4 nanospheres can be prevented resulting in a larger surface area and more accessible active sites on the flexible anode. The Fe3O4@MXene/CNFs anode has remarkable electrochemical properties at high current densities. For example, a reversible capacity of 806 mA h g-1 can be achieved at 2 A g-1 even after 500 cycles, corresponding to an area specific capacity of 1.612 mA h cm-2 at 4 mA cm-2 and a capacity as high as 613 mA h g-1 is retained at 5 A g-1, corresponding to an area capacity of 1.226 mA h cm-2 at 10 mA cm-2. The results indicate that the Fe3O4@MXene/CNFs anode has excellent properties for Li-ion storage.

Free-standing N-doped hollow carbon fiber encapsulate P/GeP hybrid anode for rechargeable Li-ion battery

Porous FeP/C composite nanofibers as high-performance anodes for Li-ion/Na-ion batteries

Antimony (Sb) is considered a promising anode for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) because of its high theoretical specific capacity and safe Li-ion insertion potential; however, the LIBs suffer from dramatic volume variation. The volume expansion results in unstable electrode/electrolyte interphase and active material exfoliation during lithiation and delithiation processes. Designing flexible free-standing electrodes can effectively inhibit the exfoliation of the electrode materials from the current collector. However, the generally adopted methods for preparing flexible free-standing electrodes are complex and high cost. To address these issues, we report the synthesis of a unique Sb nanoparticle@N-doped porous carbon fiber structure as a free-standing electrode via an electrospinning method and surface passivation. Such a hierarchical structure possesses a robust framework with rich voids and a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film, which can well accommodate the mechanical strain and avoid electrode cracks and pulverization during lithiation/delithiation processes. When evaluated as an anode for LIBs, the as-prepared nanoarchitectures exhibited a high initial reversible capacity (675 mAh g−1) and good cyclability (480 mAh g−1 after 300 cycles at a current density of 400 mA g−1), along with a superior rate capability (420 mA h g−1 at 1 A g−1). This work could offer a simple, effective, and efficient approach to improve flexible and free-standing alloy-based anode materials for high performance Li-ion batteries.

A Si@Ni inverse opal structure fabricated by using an inexpensive electrodeposition method and a colloidal crystal template exhibits high capacity, cyclability, and rate-performance as an anode for Li ion batteries.

Developing an anode material that has better performance efficiency than commercial graphite while keeping the features of economic scalability and environmental safety is highly desirable yet challenging. MOFs are a promising addition to the ongoing efforts, however, the relatively poor performance, chemical instability, and large-scale economic production of efficiency-proven pristine MOFs restrict their utility in real-life energy storage applications. Furthermore, hierarchical porosity for lucid mass diffusion, high-density lithiophilic sites are some of the structural parameters for improving the electrode performance. Herein, we have demonstrated the potential of economically scalable salicylaldehydate 3D-conjugated-MOF (Fe-Tp) as a high-performance anode in Li-ion batteries: the anode-specific capacity achieved up to 1447 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and 89 % of cyclic stability after 500 cycles at 1.0 A g-1 for pristine MOF. More importantly, incorporating 10 % Fe-Tp doping in commercial graphite (MOFite) significantly enhanced lithium storage, doubling capacity after 400 cycles. It signifies the potential practical utility of Fe-Tp as a performance booster for commercial anode material.

We report here the fabrication of large-area continuous graphene films on different substrates via inkjet printing using "solvent-exfoliated" graphene nanosheets and associated printable ink prepared with the nanosheets in "green solvent" (i.e., ethanol) and ethyl-cellulose (as a stabilizer). The printed film was thermally annealed in Ar to improve the electrical conductivity and embed well-defined porosity. Sheet resistance decreased with an increase in the number of printed layers, attaining a low value of ∼0.15 kΩ/sq after 8 printing cycles. When printed on Cu foil and directly tested as a potential anode for Li-ion batteries, a high reversible Li storage capacity of ∼942 mAh/g could be obtained at 0.1C based on dual contributions from "classical" Li-intercalation/deintercalation and surface charge storage. The nanoscaled dimension and porous nature aided the latter, which also resulted in good rate capability, leading to ∼40% of the above reversible capacity at 5C. Furthermore, the electrode could retain ∼87% of the initial reversible capacity after 100 cycles, even at a fairly high current density equivalent to 2C. Overall, the inkjet-printed graphene film, by itself, is a promising anode for Li-ion batteries, with the development likely to aid a variety of important applications, including flexible devices and energy storage systems.