Discharge Cycles Research Articles

Silicon-Based Nanocomposite Anodes with Excellent Cycle Life for Lithium-Ion Batteries Achieved by the Synergistic Effect of Two Silicides

Nanocomposite electrodes comprising LaSi2 and Si exhibit satisfactory charge–discharge cycling performances but their capacity is degraded after repeated cycles. A metallographic structure, in which the Si phase was finely dispersed in the LaSi2 matrix phase, was formed before cycling. The elastic LaSi2 relieved Si-generated stress and suppressed electrode disintegration. Contrarily, the LaSi2 phase in the metallographic structure was surrounded by the Si matrix phase after cycling. The positional relationship between the two phases was reversed, and LaSi2 could not relieve the stress. For a nanocomposite electrode containing CrSi2, which exhibits stiffness to withstand the Si-generated stress, the structural changes were suppressed after cycling, resulting in good cycling stability. Here, we considered that the addition of stiff silicides as a third phase to the LaSi2/Si composite could improve the cycle life. Thus, this study prepared nanocomposite electrodes containing elastic LaSi2, stiff MSi2 (where M = Cr, Mo, Nb, Ta, Ti, or W), and elemental Si and investigated their electrochemical performances. Reaction behaviors, such as the metallographic structure, electrode thickness, and phase transition, were also clarified. The LaSi2/NbSi2/Si electrode exhibited the best cycle life without changes in its metallographic structure owing to the synergistic effect of stiff and elastic silicides.

Flexible high electrochemical active hydrogel for wearable sensors and supercapacitor electrolytes

With the rapid advancement of flexible, portable devices, hydrogel electrolytes have gained considerable attention as potential replacements for conventional liquid electrolytes. A hydrogel electrolyte was synthesised by cross-linking acrylic acid (AA), acrylamide (AM), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and zinc sulphate (ZnSO4). The formation of hydrogen bonds and chelate interactions between the P(AA-co-AM) polymer, CMC, and ZnSO4 created a robust network, enhancing the mechanical properties of the hydrogel electrolytes. Notably, the hydrogel electrolyte containing 0.6 % CMC demonstrated superior mechanical strength (compression strength of 1.22 MPa, tensile stress of 230 kPa, tensile strain of 424 %, adhesion strength of 1.98 MPa on wood). Additionally, the CMC/P(AA-co-AM) hydrogels exhibited commendable electrical performance (38 mS/cm) and a high gauge factor (2.9), enabling the precise detection of physiological activity signals through resistance measurements. The unique network structure of the hydrogel electrolyte also ensured a stable bonding interface between the electrode and the electrolyte. After 2000 charge–discharge cycles, the supercapacitor maintained good capacitance characteristics, with a capacitance retention rate of 71.21 % and a stable Coulombic efficiency of 98.85 %, demonstrating excellent cyclic stability. This study introduces a novel methodology for fabricating multifunctional all-solid-state supercapacitors and suggests that the hydrogel can significantly advance the development of wearable energy storage devices.

Modeling of Nanomaterials for Supercapacitors: Beyond Carbon Electrodes.

Capacitive storage devices allow for fast charge and discharge cycles, making them the perfect complements to batteries for high power applications. Many materials display interesting capacitive properties when they are put in contact with ionic solutions despite their very different structures and (surface) reactivity. Among them, nanocarbons are the most important for practical applications, but many nanomaterials have recently emerged, such as conductive metal-organic frameworks, 2D materials, and a wide variety of metal oxides. These heterogeneous and complex electrode materials are difficult to model with conventional approaches. However, the development of computational methods, the incorporation of machine learning techniques, and the increasing power in high performance computing now allow us to tackle these types of systems. In this Review, we summarize the current efforts in this direction. We show that depending on the nature of the materials and of the charging mechanisms, different methods, or combinations of them, can provide desirable atomic-scale insight on the interactions at play. We mainly focus on two important aspects: (i) the study of ion adsorption in complex nanoporous materials, which require the extension of constant potential molecular dynamics to multicomponent systems, and (ii) the characterization of Faradaic processes in pseudocapacitors, that involves the use of electronic structure-based methods. We also discuss how recently developed simulation methods will allow bridges to be made between double-layer capacitors and pseudocapacitors for future high power electricity storage devices.

Biochar/poly(aniline-pyrrole) modified graphite electrode and electrochemical behavior for application in low-cost supercapacitor

An attempt is made to use biochar (BC), a carbon rich low-cost green material, as a platform to house conducting polymer for fabricating stable graphite electrodes for application in next generation supercapacitor devices. Here, BC is first prepared from sucrose solution using a simple hydrothermal method. The seeded chemical oxidative copolymerization of aniline and pyrrole is then carried out at identical comonomer weight ratio using BC as seed particles. Two different BC to mixed monomer (w/w) ratios (1:0.7 and 1:1) have been used and the prepared composites are named as BC/P(Ani-Py)1:0.7 and BC/P(Ani-Py)1:1 respectively. Independent of composition, both BC seed and composite particles are spherical. The smooth homogeneous surface of BC turned heterogeneous after composite formation. The average size of BC seed particles is 2.56 µm and those of composites prepared at weight ratios of 1:0.7 and 1:1.0 are 2.72 and 2.90 µm respectively. Cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charging discharging (GCD), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are used to evaluate the electrochemical properties. Comparatively, the BC/P(Ani-Py)1:1 composite modified graphite electrode exhibited the highest capacitance value (274.27 F g−1 at a current density of 1.0 A/g) and is capable of acting as a supercapacitor electrode. A long-term cycling test of the BC/P(Ani-Py)1:1 modified electrode at a current density of 5.0 A/g displayed a capacitance retention of 96.6 % after 1000 cycles of charge and discharge, indicating a very good cycle stability.

A high potential (2.5 V) carbon fiber paper-based asymmetric supercapacitor with oxygen vacancies and hierarchical porous hollow structure

The inherent limited energy density in supercapacitors constitutes a substantial impediment to their widespread adoption and large-scale production. In this study, we have devised a novel cathodic electrode denoted as OV-TiO2-X@HPHCFP, featured with rich oxygen vacancies and its hierarchical porous hollow structure. The OV-TiO2-X@HPHCFP cathode manifests an impressive areal capacitance of 1608.2 mF cm−2 at the current density of 2 mA cm−2, coupled with a remarkable capacitance retention of 97.7 % after 10,000 charge–discharge cycles. Theoretical calculations corroborate that the presence of oxygen vacancies enhances the conductivity of the electrode, facilitating expedited charge transfer kinetics. Furthermore, the electrode integrated into a double electrolyte flexible supercapacitor configuration, denoted as OV-TiO2-X@HPHCFP//PVA-Na2SO4/PVA-LiCl//OV-MoO3-Y@CFP, operated at an effective potential of 2.5 V, can yield an energy density of 1.96 × 10−1 mWh cm−2 at a power density of 1.25 mW cm−2. This investigation thereby delineates a promising strategy for the development of supercapacitors that can attain elevated operational potentials with concomitant enhancements in energy density.

Li-Ion Batteries with a Binder-Free Cathode of Carbon Nanotubes-LiFePO4-Al Foam

With the increasing demand for Li resources worldwide, the easy recycling of Li-ion batteries materials becomes essential. We report a binder-free cathode consisting of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and LiFePO4 (LFP) nanoparticles embedded in a 3D Al network. The electrode stability depends on the CNT ratio, where 3% CNT-wrapping LFPs provide a stable structure free of detachment from Al foam, as observed on Al foil. The binder-free cathode sheet exhibited excellent performance for high-rate discharge and long-term cycle life. Materials on the cathode can be easily detached with ultrasonic treatment when immersed in organic solvent, which is advantageous for a green and high-efficiency strategy of recycling all valuable materials compared to the binder-used electrode.

The Possible Mechanism of Improving the Performance of Lead‐Acid Batteries by Using Aluminum Ions to Influence the Gel Structure

Gel lead‐acid batteries have the advantages of no acid leakage, no maintenance, and a long cycle life. In this article, it was found that Al3+ in the gel electrolyte can shorten the gel time and improve the stability of the gel. The battery test results show that the HRPSoC cycle life of the gel battery can be significantly improved by adding Al3+. In comparison to blank gel batteries without Al3+, HRPSoC cycle life is 8.2 times higher. Additionally, the gel battery with added Al3+ has a 0.5C discharge capacity of 1.8 Ah, which is 2.5 times that of the blank gel battery. The added Al3+ also demonstrates good capacity stability and still retains a capacity of 1.7 Ah after 150 discharge cycles. The kinetic simulation shows that Al3+ may participate in the formation of a silicon gel system and tend to gather around Si atoms to affect the properties of the gel electrolyte.

Mechanosynthesis of pseudocapacitive MnCO3 and CoCO3 electroactive materials

Transition metals are known for their enormous potential as electrode materials for supercapacitor applications, however anhydrous carbonate minerals, namely Mn-carbonate, and Co-carbonate, are less explored and exhibit competitive energy storage performance compared to oxide and hydroxide forms. For the first time, MnCO3 (Rhodochrosite), CoCO3 (Spherocobaltite) and MnCo mixture (Mn1-xCoxCO3) were synthesized via mechanochemistry by a one-pot approach and used to prepare pseudocapacitive electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage. In this work, these materials were tested in alkaline electrolyte, and the morphological and structural features of the materials were examined using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). The surface composition was studied by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). After milling, the microstructures showed an increase in dislocations and microstrains in their crystal lattices which influenced the electrochemical performance. The crystallinity of the carbonate materials was also affected by grinding. In 1 M KOH electrolyte, milled MnCO3 evidenced the highest specific capacitance (354.3 F/g at 1.0 A/g), while milled CoCO3, revealed impressive capacitance retention of 94.8 % after 20000 continuous charge–discharge cycles at 10 A/g. Interestingly, the composite (Mn-Co)CO3 evidenced superior rate capability (58.8 %) and enhanced capacitance retention under cycling compared to the individual cobalt and manganese carbonates. The results evidence the excellent electrochemical behavior of Mn and Co carbonates prepared by a simple, low-cost, and green route and prove their potential as electroactive electrode materials for electrochemical energy storage applications, particularly pseudocapacitors.

CoFe2O4@N‐CNH as Bifunctional Hybrid Catalysts for Rechargeable Zinc‐Air Batteries

AbstractImproving the efficiency of bifunctional electrocatalysts is a decisive challenge in the area of long‐lasting rechargeable zinc‐air batteries. Enhancing the catalysts' performance is crucial for advancing zinc‐air batteries. Transition‐metal oxides have emerged as promising non‐precious, noble‐metal‐free catalysts. Herein, a unique precursor directed approach is introduced for preparing a cobalt ferrite@nitrogen doped carbon nanohorns (CoFe2O4@N‐CNHs) nanohybrid catalyst in a single step annealing process involving stoichiometric amounts of single‐source cobalt and iron molecular precursors and carbon nanohorns (CNHs) under an argon/ammonia (Ar/NH3) atmosphere. This procedure enables a simultaneous CoFe2O4 ferrite synthesis and nitrogen functionalization of CNHs. The precious metal free nanohybrid CoFe2O4@N‐CNHs‐30% containing 30% of carbon presents an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) half wave potential and onset potential comparable to the standard ORR catalyst 20% Pt/C. CoFe2O4@N‐CNHs‐30% also establishes superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance with a low overpotential and a small Tafel slope than benchmark OER catalyst RuO2. Furthermore, the rechargeable zinc‐air battery with the CoFe2O4@N‐CNHs‐30% nanohybrid as air electrode demonstrates steadier and more durable charge–discharge cycles, and outstanding energy density relative to the state‐of‐the‐art 20% Pt/C‐RuO2 catalyst.

A Study on an Energy-Regenerative Braking Model Using Supercapacitors and DC Motors

This study presents an energy regeneration model and some theory required to construct a regeneration braking system. Due to the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, there is increasing interest in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), electric bikes, electric bicycles, electric buses and electric aircraft globally. In order to promote the use of electric transportation systems, there is a need to underscore the impact of net zero emissions. The development of EVs requires regenerating braking system. This study presents the advantages of regenerative braking. This system is globally seen in applications such as electric cars, trams, and trains. In this study, the design specification, design methodology, testing configurations, Simulink model, and recommendations will be outlined. A unique element of this work is the practical experiment that was carried out using 1.5 Amps with no load and 2.15 Amps with a load. The discharge voltage was purely from the 22 W bulb load connected to the capacitor bank as we limited this study to the use of 1.5 Amps and it took 15 min for a full discharge cycle, after which no charge was left in the capacitor bank. The results showed that the discharge rate and charging rate for the regenerative braking system were effective but could be improved. The objective of this paper is to investigate how a supercapacitor works alongside a battery in regenerative braking applications. This study demonstrates that the superconductor used can deliver maximum power when required. Also, it can also withstand elevated peaks in charging or discharging current via the supercapacitor. Combining a battery with a supercapacitor reduces the abrupt load on the battery by shifting it to the capacitor. When these two combinations are used in tandem, the battery pack’s endurance and lifespan are both boosted.

KHCO3 chemical-activated hydrothermal porous carbon derived from jackfruit inner skin for supercapacitor applications

The reuse of waste biomass resources had become a hot spot in the sustainable development of human society. Due to the complexity of biomass composition and microstructure, the quality reproducibility of biomass porous carbon was poor. Therefore, it was of great significance to develop a reliable method for preparing porous carbon from biomass. In this paper, a combination of hydrothermal carbonization treatment and mild activation of KHCO3 was used to prepare iron-modified porous carbon with carbon spheres/nanoplates structure, which promoted ion/electrolyte diffusion and increased the accessibility between surface area and electrolyte ions. Therefore, the active porous carbon from the Jackfruit inner skin has good specific capacitance (273.2 F/g at 1 A/g) and good cycle stability, and the capacitance loss is only 6.6 % after 10,000 charge discharge cycles. The above results showed that hydrothermal treatment and mild activation methods provided an effective way to transform waste biomass into high-performance electrode material.

Low-carbon emitting Fe-cycle recovery of battery-grade FePO4 from biogas slurry for Li-battery application

Under the background of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in China, anaerobic digestion of sludge to produce methane was an important way to recover biomass energy. But plenty of as-generated biogas slurry (BS) with high P concentration was valuable and difficult to dispose. Here, this work proposed a low-carbon emitting Fe-cycle strategy to recover battery-grade FePO4 from BS. At pH=1.0, the P-leaching rate of Fe-sludge (42.93 ± 1.49 mg g−1) generated by polymerized ferrous sulfate (an inorganic polymer coagulant) addition into BS was 93.46 ± 3.56% and high-purity FePO4 (99.0%) could further be obtained by Fe3+ supplement and pH adjustment (pH=2.0). The contents of all elements in recovered FePO4 product fully complied with the battery grade of national industry standard of China (HG/T 4701-2021). After battery-grade FePO4 precipitate separation, recovery solution (RS) with remaining Fe3+ was reutilized to remove 88.05 ± 1.77% of P when mixed with BS wit RS/BS ratio of 2:1, thus achieving a Fe cycle utilization. Meanwhile, the recovery cost of 5.42 $/kg P and CO2 emissions of 80.83 kg/kg P were lower than those of current FePO4 industrial production (14.60 $/kg P and 110.60 kg/kg P). Finally, the LiFePO4/C cathode material based on recovered FePO4 from BS exhibited stable discharge specific capacity of 84.6–100.2 mAh/g during 100 charge–discharge cycles. In general, this study successfully manifested the feasibility of novel Fe-cycle battery-grade FePO4 recovery strategy from wastewater, paving a viable low-carbon emitting pathway for future Li-battery manufacture industry.

A novel Cu-MOF@Si/C prepared by the pulse discharge and hydrothermal method as an anode material for lithium-ion battery

Metal-organic framework (MOF) composite materials have attracted significant interest owing to their customizable shape and porosity. However, the widespread use of MOFs in lithium-ion batteries is limited because of its low ionic conductivity and charging capacity. In this study, Si nanospheres are synthesized using the pulse-discharge method. Subsequently, a composite of Cu-MOF-coated Si nanospheres (Cu-MOF@Si) is developed via a solvothermal process using MOF-199 as the precursor. This is followed by the synthesis of a novel Cu-MOF@Si/C composite via thermal decomposition. Cu-MOF@Si/C composites have been employed as anode materials in lithium-ion batteries. After undergoing 300 charge and discharge cycles at a rate of 100 mA g−1, the composite exhibited a capacity of 725.4 mAh g−1 and an initial Coulombic efficiency of 96.86 %. In addition, the battery showed an excellent rate performance and maintained a high discharge capacity even at current densities of 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 C. These findings suggest that the conductive network formed during the annealing of the Cu-MOF@Si/C composite is vital for enhancing the ionic conductivity and mitigating the expansion of Si nanoparticles during battery cycling.

An Electrolyte Engineered Homonuclear Copper Complex as Homogeneous Catalyst for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries suffer from severe polysulfide shuttle, retarded sulfur conversion kinetics and notorious lithium dendrites, which has curtailed the discharge capacity, cycling lifespan and safety. Engineered catalysts act as a feasible strategy to synchronously manipulate the evolution behaviors of sulfur and lithium species. Herein, a chlorine bridge-enabled binuclear copper complex (Cu-2-T) is in situ synthesized in electrolyte as homogeneous catalyst for rationalizing the Li-S redox reactions. The well-designed Cu-2-T provides completely active sites and sufficient contact for homogeneously guiding the Li2S nucleation/decomposition reactions, and stabilizing the lithium working interface according to the synchrotron radiation X-ray 3D nano-computed tomography, small angle neutron scattering and COMSOL results. Moreover, Cu-2-T with the content of 0.25wt% approaching saturated concentration in electrolyte further boosts the homogeneous optimization function in really operated Li-S batteries. Accordingly, the capacity retention of the Li-S battery is elevated from 51.4% to 86.3% at 0.2 C, and reaches 77.0% at 1.0 C over 400 cycles. Furthermore, the sulfur cathode with the assistance of Cu-2-T realizes the stable cycling under the practical scenarios of soft-packaged pouch cell and high sulfur loading (6.5mg cm-2 with the electrolyte usage of 4.5µL mgS -1).

Low cobalt single atoms loading on N-doped carbon for high Na storage performance

Cobalt single atoms on nitrogen-doped carbon (CoSAs/N-C) were successfully synthesized through the pyrolysis of metal-organic supramolecular self-template. Only 0.12 wt% metal-doped CoSAs/N-C anodes bring a rate capacity enhancement of 195 mAh g−1 compared to the blank group of nitrogen-doped carbon electrodes at 0.1 A g−1. In addition, the CoSAs/N-C anodes exhibit remarkable sodium-ion storage capacities of 285 mAh g−1 after 2000 cycles at 1.0 A g−1 and 133 mAh g−1 with an exceptional cycling stability for 10,000 cycles at an ultra-high current density of 20 A g−1, thereby showcasing excellent Na ion storage performance. Ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study demonstrates that some N atoms in CoSAs/N-C can reversibly store and release Na ions during discharge and charge cycles. The full cell assembled with CoSAs/N-C anode and Na3V2(PO4)3 cathode displays Coulombic efficiency of >99.7 % after 200 cycles at 0.5 A g−1. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further reveal that the presence of single-atom Co results in a decrease in the Na binding energy surrounding pyrrolic-N and pyridinic-N structures. This moderate binding energy may be beneficial for Na ion adsorption and desorption. This study opens up new possibilities of fabricating advanced metal single atom anodes for high-performance sodium-ion batteries.

The capacitance and shape memory effect of highly stretchable and flexible nanocomposite electrodes based on polyaniline

AbstractThe increasing demand for portable and flexible energy storage devices drives the rapid development of flexible electrodes and electrolytes. Meanwhile, the free‐standing polymer electrodes face great chance and challenge. In this work, the stretchable and flexible polyaniline/carbon nanotube/poly(vinyl alcohol) electrode (PANI/CNT/PVA‐E) was fabricated by in‐situ polymerization of aniline in CNT/PVA‐E substrate, where CNT was used to enhance the conductivity and mechanical properties of the polymer electrodes. Compared with PANI/PVA, the comprehensive performance of PANI/CNT/PVA‐E was improved. In addition, the electrochemical performance and tensile property of the electrodes depended on the CNT content. The nanocomposite electrode with 0.25% of CNT possessed optimal properties with high capacitance of 248.69 mF cm−2, and 75.29% of capacity retention over 4000 charge–discharge cycles at 1 mA cm−2. It also exhibited outstanding tensile strength of 3.88 MPa and elongation up to 462.3%. Interestingly, the electrode possessed good heat driven shape memory effect. The temporary shape could be fixed at 70°C under extra force, and the fixed shape recovered within 10 s when it was reheated to the same temperature. It is concluded that the present work may contribute to the development and fabrication of flexible energy‐storage devices, portable and highly stretchable electric devices.

Conversion of cobalt from spent LIBs to Co3O4 electrode material for application in supercapacitors

ABSTRACT The cathode material of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is endowed with valuable metals, such as cobalt. The improper treatment of these batteries pollutes the environment and causes enormous resource waste. Therefore, the recovery of valuable metals from spent LIBs has attracted widespread attention. In this study, Co3O4 electrode materials were prepared by a simple homogeneous precipitation method and heat treatment using a leaching solution of spent LIBs-positive electrode material as the cobalt source. The crystal structure and morphology of the products were examined at different annealing temperatures, and their electrochemical performance was analyzed. The results show that low-temperature annealing contributes to grain refinement. The Co3O4 material prepared at 300°C annealing temperature has a rod-like structure with distinct pores and a specific surface area of 58.98 m2 g−1. Furthermore, electrochemical performance testing reveals that Co3O4 prepared at 300°C displays the best electrochemical performance as an electrode material, with a specific capacitance of 97.93 F g−1 and a cycle retention rate of 79.12% after 500 charge–discharge cycles. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of recycling valuable metal cobalt from spent LIBs cathode materials to produce Co3O4 materials for use as supercapacitor electrode materials, opening up new avenues for the recycling and utilisation of spent LIBs.

The electrochemical comparisons of reduced graphene oxide synthesized from pristine and recovered graphite from spent Li-ion batteries

Two reduced graphene oxides (rGO) were synthesized using two carbon sources, namely pristine graphite (rGO-PG), and recovered graphite (rGO-RG) (graphite recovered from spent Li-ion batteries) by modified hummers method and followed by the chemical reduction method to compare their supercapacitive performances. Their supercapacitance is found to be highly competitive and comparable with each other, except for their rate capabilities. The rate capability of rGO-RG is found to be inferior compared to rGO-PG. The supercapacitive behavior of both rGO’s was evaluated using five different aqueous electrolytes. The specific capacitance, specific energy, specific power, and columbic efficiencies exhibited by rGO-RG and rGO-PG were superior in the presence of 1 M H2SO4 and are 36 F g1, 7.1 Wh kg1, 0.88 kW kg1 and 96.55 %; and 40 F g1, 7.9 Wh kg1, 0.66 kW kg1 and 97.36 %, respectively. Both the rGOs exhibited no deterioration in their performance up to 10,000 continuous charge and discharge cycles at a current density of 10 A g1; rather, they exhibited enhancement in their performances with an increase in charge and discharge cycles. The enhancement exhibited by rGO-RG is superior to that of rGO-PG, which is 844 % (272 F g1) higher than its initial performance (29 F g1).

Confinement and interface engineering boosting the capacitive performance by constructing NiCo-LDH@CoSe core-shell structure for supercapacitor

The strategic design of heterostructures in multicomponent composites is a promising approach for enhancing the properties of energy storage materials. While NiCo layered double hydroxide (NiCo-LDH) exhibits favorable ion exchange and redox capabilities, its nanostructure suffers from poor conductivity, leading to aggregation during charge and discharge cycles and compromising its electrochemical stability. This study presents the novel synthesis of NiCo-LDH@CoSe core-shell heterostructure using a two-step electrodeposition technique. The NiCo-LDH@CoSe heterojunction has remarkable electrochemical characteristics, boasting a high specific capacitance of 1965.4 F·g−1 at 1 A·g−1. It also exhibits an impressive rate performance of 74.4 % at 20 A·g−1, and retains 83.3 % of its capacitance after enduring 10,000 cycles at 30 A·g−1. The confinement and interface engineering of the heterojunction facilitate enhanced charge transfer from CoSe to NiCo-LDH, leading to exceptional performance and effectively addressing challenges such as poor conductivity, structural degradation, and nanoparticle clustering. The assembled NiCo-LDH@CoSe//AC hybrid supercapacitor also shows excellent performance. This research underscores the effectiveness of core-shell structure confinement and interface engineering in enhancing electrochemical performance.

Functional cellulose interfacial layer on zinc metal for enhanced reversibility in aqueous zinc ion batteries

Aqueous zinc ion batteries have emerged as promising energy storage devices due to their high safety, cost-effectiveness, and environmental friendliness. However, the practical implementation of zinc ion batteries faces significant challenges associated with the poor surface stability of Zn metal anode, including dendrite growth, side reactions, and poor cycling stability. Herein, an eco-friendly cellulose layer is applied to the Zn metal anode by a scalable coating method for Zn/electrolyte interfacial engineering. The cellulose coating has multiple functions: physical passivation, reducing the resistive native oxide, enhancing wettability between the Zn metal and electrolyte, and facilitating the insertion and extraction of zinc ions during charge–discharge cycles at both room temperature and low temperature (−10 ℃). The cellulose-coated Zn metal anode (ZCL) also inhibits the formation of zinc dendrites, thereby reducing the risk of short circuits and capacity loss. As a result, the ZCL||ZCL symmetric cell achieved 1000 electrochemical cycles at 2 mA cm−2, which is more than eight times longer compared to that of a bare Zn symmetric cell. The electrochemical performance of the ZCL||MnO2 full cell was also found to be superior to that using the bare Zn anode electrode.