3D Collector Research Articles

High-performance lithium metal anode enhanced by multifunctional film of PAN@AgNWs with antimicrobial activity

Lithium metal is expected to be the perfect anode material for the next generation of rechargeable batteries owing to its ultra-high theoretical specific capacity, low density and the lowest redox potential. However, the practical application of lithium metal batteries faces serious challenges, including uneven lithium deposition, negative electrode volume expansion, and short circuits brought by dendritic protrusions. Although the 3D structure of silver nanowires is effective in inhibiting lithium dendrite growth and lithium metal volume expansion, it still suffers from lithium inhomogeneity caused by uneven distribution of silver nanowires and complicated preparation. Therefore, PAN@AgNWs collector was prepared by a simple suction filtration method, and uniform dispersion of silver nanowires and uniform deposition of lithium were achieved. Lithium nucleation overpotential and lithium dendrite formation can be effectively reduced by PAN@AgNWs hosts due to the reduction of local current density by 3D collectors and the improved lithiophilicity of silver nanowires. With low voltage hysteresis, the symmetric battery constructed with its composite anode may cycle steadily for 4500 h at 1 mA cm−2 and 1 mAh cm−2. At the same time, the Li-PAN@AgNWs||LFP full cell still possesses a reversible of 144.18 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1C. Moreover, due to large specific surface area and high surface energy of 3D silver nanowires, it exhibits excellent antimicrobial properties, with an inactivation efficiency of 96.3 % after contacting with E. coli for 2.5 h. This work shows the possibility of using PAN@AgNWs in a large scale for LMBs, and paves the way for development of high-performance antimicrobial materials.

Structural Design of 3D Current Collectors for Lithium Metal Anodes: A Review.

Due to the ultrahigh theoretical specific capacity (3860 mAh g-1) and low redox potential (-3.04 V vs. standard hydrogen electrode), Lithium (Li) metal anode (LMA) received increasing attentions. However, notorious dendrite and volume expansion during the cycling process seriously hinder the development of high energy density Li metal batteries. Constructing three-dimensional (3D) current collectors for Li can fundamentally solve the intrinsic drawback of hostless for Li. Therefore, this review systematically introduces the design and synthesis engineering and the current development status of different 3D collectors in recent years (the current collectors are divided into two major parts: metal-based current collectors and carbon-based current collectors). In the end, some perspectives of the future promotion for LMA application are also presented.

High cycling stability anode of interlayer silicon film with carbon buffer layer on 3D collector

The application scope of silicon-based anode is limited by its poor electrical conductivity and massive volume expansion. Herein, we propose a method to modify electrochemical performance of silicon-based anode with 3D collector and carbon buffer layer by magnetron sputtering. With foam Ni as collector, at a current density of 1 A/g, the first reversible specific capacity reached 1973 mAh/g, and the specific capacity after 100 cycles was1700 mAh/g. With carbon cloth as collector, the first reversible specific capacity was 1543 mAh/g, and the specific capacity after 100 cycles was 1337 mAh/g. The 3D collector was used to buffer the internal stress caused by the bulk effect of silicon. The carbon buffer layer not only improved the material conductivity but also avoided the repeated growth of SEI film, thus providing more buffer space for silicon. This work provides a new promising solution to silicon-based lithium-ion batteries.

Electrophoretic deposition of RGO-NiO core-shell nanostructures driven by heterocoagulation method with high electrochemical performance

A heterocoagulation route is proposed to prepare Reduced Graphene Oxide-Nickel Oxide (RGO/NiO) hybrid structures for their application as supercapacitor electrodes. The RGO intercalation among the NiO nanoplatelets was carried out by electrostatic interactions of the synthetized particles which were previously dispersed and stabilized in aqueous media to improve the assembly between both materials forming core-shell structures. The electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was used to shape the composite onto 3D collector (Ni foams) controlling their growth and homogeneity. Electrodes were thermal treated at 325 °C during 1 h to improve the electrochemical response since the formation of ceramic necks among NiO semiconductor nanoparticles preserves the microstructural integrity to enhance their connectivity avoiding the employment of binders, while RGO contributes with the electrochemical double layer effect to step up the specific capacitance by reducing the charge transfer resistance. FESEM results confirmed that RGO nanosheets were full-covered by the NiO nanoplatelets and suggested that ∼1 mg of the electroactive composite homogeneously covers the Ni foam and it is the optimum among of electroactive material to avoid microstructural defects that produce ohmic drops limiting the capacitance. The electrochemical characterization of the resulting binder-free RGO/NiO electrodes was compared with the bare-NiO electrode. The hybrid composite exhibited excellent performance with a high specific capacitance of 940 F g-1 at 2 Ag-1 and a higher rate capability.

Novel 3D electrospun polyamide scaffolds prepared by 3D printed collectors and their interaction with chondrocytes

ABSTRACTElectrospinning is significantly one of the simple and versatile methods for producing micro- and nanofibrous scaffolds. Its assembly can be modified in different ways to combine material properties with different morphological structures for biomedical applications. In this process, collector design plays an important role to determine the nanofiber orientation in electrospun nanoweb. In this work, 3D patterned scaffolds were produced by electrospinning of polyamide-66 solution on different 3D collectors that have been obtained. The aim of this work is to investigate the attachment of the chondrocyte cells on the prepared electrospun scaffolds that have different types of nanofiber orientations that could be used in tissue engineering applications.