High-rate Lithium Storage Research Articles

Scalable synthesis of Sn nanoparticles encapsulated in hierarchical porous carbon networks for high-rate reversible lithium storage

Sn nanoparticles encapsulated in hierarchical porous carbon networks (Sn@HPCNs) have been synthesised by the carbothermal reduction reaction of sodium stannate-crosslinked sodium polyacrylate xerogel. The synthetic strategy is simple and effective for the scalable production of Sn@HPCNs. The Sn@HPCNs show homogeneous distribution of Sn nanoparticles within hierarchical porous conductive carbon matrix. The obtained Sn@HPCNs exhibit high reversible discharge capacity (1,652.1 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1), superior rate performance (499.7 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1), and excellent cycling stability (553.0 mA h g−1 at 1.5 A g−1 after 150 cycles). The superior lithium storage performances of the Sn@HPCNs are due to uniform distribution of Sn nanoparticles within hierarchical porous conductive carbon network, which could not only provide a conductive matrix, but also buffer huge volume change caused by lithiation and thus guarantee integrity of the Sn@HPCNs structure.

Binding low crystalline MoS2 nanoflakes on nitrogen-doped carbon nanotube: towards high-rate lithium and sodium storage

Low crystal MoS2 nanoflakes embedded on N-doping CNT has been prepared via alternating current and hydrothermal technique, demonstrating superior rate behavior for LIBs and SIBs.

Formation of highly porous CuCo2O4 nanosheet assemblies for high-rate and long-term lithium storage

Mixed transition metal oxides with high theoretical capacity show great potential to replace carbonaceous anode materials in lithium-ion batteries.

Scalable synthesis of Sn nanoparticles encapsulated in hierarchical porous carbon networks for high-rate reversible lithium storage

Sn nanoparticles encapsulated in hierarchical porous carbon networks ([email protected]) have been synthesised by the carbothermal reduction reaction of sodium stannate-crosslinked sodium polyacrylate xerogel. The synthetic strategy is simple and effective for the scalable production of [email protected] The [email protected] show homogeneous distribution of Sn nanoparticles within hierarchical porous conductive carbon matrix. The obtained [email protected] exhibit high reversible discharge capacity (1,652.1 mAh g−1 at 0.1 A g−1), superior rate performance (499.7 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1), and excellent cycling stability (553.0 mA h g−1 at 1.5 A g−1 after 150 cycles). The superior lithium storage performances of the [email protected] are due to uniform distribution of Sn nanoparticles within hierarchical porous conductive carbon network, which could not only provide a conductive matrix, but also buffer huge volume change caused by lithiation and thus guarantee integrity of the [email protected] structure.

In-situ encapsulating FeS/Fe3C nanoparticles into nitrogen-sulfur dual-doped graphene networks for high-rate and ultra-stable lithium storage

A novel FeS/Fe3C nanoparticles encapsulated in porous nitrogen-sulfur dual-doped graphene network (FeS/Fe3C@NS-G) have been successfully fabricated via a one-step in-situ pyrolysis strategy. The nitrogen and sulfur co-doped graphene networks exhibited abundant mesoporous structure and excellent electrical conductivity, facilitating fast electron transport and lithium-ion diffusion. The heterogeneous FeS/Fe3C nanoparticles are homogeneously dispersed in the three-dimensional porous graphene shell with copious internal void space which can accommodate the volume change of the nanoparticles during electrochemical reaction. The FeS/Fe3C@NS-G nanohybrids delivered excellent reversible capacity of 1003 mAh g−1 after 150 cycles at 0.1 A g−1 with a minor capacity decay rate of 1.25%. Furthermore, an ultralong cycling stability of 610 mAh g−1 after 800 cycles at 1 A g−1 with the capacity retention of 91.6% relative to the reversible capacity of the second cycle was observed. This remarkable lithium storage capacity of FeS/Fe3C@NS-G networks reveals their promising potential as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries.

Two-dimensional holey ZnFe2O4 nanosheet/reduced graphene oxide hybrids by self-link of nanoparticles for high-rate lithium storage

Increasing rate capability of tradition metal oxides has been a long-term challenge for lithium storage. Two-dimensional (2D) holey inorganic nanosheet/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hybrids can offer highly effective channels for ion transport and boost the reaction kinetics. Here, we report the rational design and controllable preparation of 2D holey ZnFe2O4 nanosheet/rGO (2D HZFO/rGO) hybrids on the basis of self-assembly ZnFe-glycolate/rGO nanosheets. Benefiting from the unique 2D holey nanostructures, strongly coupled interaction and synergic effect between 2D HZFO nanosheet and rGO, the 2D HZFO/rGO hybrids demonstrate a capacity of 1022 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 after 100 cycles, and high-rate capability with reversible capacity of about 481 mAh g−1 at a current rate of 8 A g−1, as well as excellent cycling stability up to 500 cycles with capacity of 703 mAh g−1 at 2 A g−1. The findings exhibit that 2D holey nanosheets/rGO hybrid nanoarchitecture is a promising material platform to improve the electrochemical performance of next-generation energy storage device.

Fe2O3@C core@shell nanotubes: Porous Fe2O3 nanotubes derived from MIL-88A as cores and carbon as shells for high power lithium ion batteries

To pursue Fe2O3-based electrode with high-rate and long-life lithium storage capacity, we have developed a porous Fe2O3@C core@shell nanotube synthesized by a facile thermal treatment combining with hydrothermal method. As an advanced anode for lithium ion batteries, the Fe2O3@C core@shell nanotubes deliver high initial coulombic efficiency of 80.3% at 0.1 C with the first charge/discharge capacity of 1097.7/1366.9 mAh g−1, and excellent high-rate and long cycling stability with reversible capacity of 811.3 mAh g−1 after 1000 cycles at 1 C. The greatly improved performance is ascribed to the 1D porous nanotube and carbon shell: the 1D porous nanotube can not only effectively increase the contact area between active materials and electrolyte, but also shorten the migration path for Li+ ions and electrons. The carbon shell works as buffer to accommodate volume changes of Fe2O3 during cycling and as conductive support to improve the electrical conductivity of Fe2O3.

Conductive PEDOT-decorated Li4Ti5O12 as next-generation anode material for electrochemical lithium storage

Spinel Li4Ti5O12 material has been regarded as the next-generation anode for lithium-ion batteries owing to its excellent safety and good structural stability. Nevertheless, the low electrical conductivity and bad Li+-ion diffusion efficiency of pristine Li4Ti5O12 greatly limit its wide applications in electrochemical energy storage. Herein, the nanosized Li4Ti5O12 crystals are prepared via a simple sol-gel method to shorten the diffusion pathway of Li+-ion. Meanwhile, the conductive PEDOT layer is adopted to modify the electrical conductivity of Li4Ti5O12. The PEDOT-coated Li4Ti5O12 composite is successfully prepared by using the in-situ polymerization method. Benefit from the advantages of nanosized Li4Ti5O12 particles and conductive PEDOT coating, the obtained electrode exhibits enhanced electrochemical performances. It can deliver the initial discharge capacities of 169.6 and 125.2 mAh g−1 at 0.1 and 20 C. These results demonstrate that the designed composite is a potential electrode for high-rate electrochemical lithium storage.

Sb Nanoparticles Embedded in a Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Matrix with Tuned Voids and Interfacial Bonds for High‐Rate Lithium Storage

AbstractThough metal based electrodes have good resistivity, their huge volume changes upon lithiation and interparticle contact resistance should be carefully stressed to achieve high rate lithium storage performances. A yolk‐hollow structure with a continuous conductive framework would solve above problems. Inspired by the yolk‐hollow structure and functions of watermelon‐flesh, we fabricated Sb/amorphous carbon/graphene nanocomposites, in which Sb nanoparticles are formed in‐situ inside the carbon nanocages that are homogeneously decorated on graphene and distributed in a continuous N‐doped amorphous carbon matrix. The generated Sb−O−C bonds improve the electron transfer rate; the carbon nanocages as mini‐electrochemical nanoreactors sustain the volume change; the conductive matrix reduces the contact resistance. The optimized nanocomposite delivers a remarkable reversible capacity of 592 mA h g−1 at 500 mA g−1 with a good cyclability for 400 cycles. A high capacity of 413 mA h g−1 is retained even after 700 cycles at 1000 mA g−1. Such a long cycle life at the high current density has rarely been reported so far for Sb‐based lithium‐ion battery anodes.

Facile synthesis and electrochemical properties of carbon-coated ZnO nanotubes for high-rate lithium storage

ZnO is an important functional material, and a nanotube structure is beneficial for various applications. Here, we report the facile synthesis and electrochemical properties of carbon-coated ZnO nanotube materials as Li rechargeable battery anodes. ZnO nanorod was first synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method. Subsequently, the material was annealed with a carbon precursor, forming free-standing, carbon-coated ZnO nanotubes. The carbon-coated nanotube structure is beneficial to alleviate volume changes of the ZnO active material during Li insertion and extraction processes as well as to improve the electrochemical reaction kinetics. Electrochemical test results demonstrate that the carbon-coated ZnO nanotube electrodes deliver improved the cycling performance compared with ZnO nanorod electrodes. Better rate performance than carbon-coated ZnO nanoparticle electrodes was also achieved.

Cu3Ge/Ge@C nanocomposites crosslinked by the in situ formed carbon nanotubes for high-rate lithium storage

In a convenient and uncomplicated way, Cu3Ge/Ge@C nanocomposites crosslinked by the in situ formed carbon nanotubes (CNTs-Cu3Ge/Ge@C) is reported. In this method, carbon nanotubes are produced in situ to crosslink Cu3Ge/Ge@C nanocomposites by the catalysis action of nascent Cu∗ under an acetylene atmosphere at 500 °C, in which the nascent Cu∗ is created by the reaction between CuCl and Ge particles, Cu3Ge is then synchronously formed by the Ge and Cu∗. Investigated as the anode materials for lithium ion batteries, a high capacity retention of 1013.4 mA h g−1 is exhibited by the prepared CNTs-Cu3Ge/Ge@C at 0.5C after 1000 cycles and a high rate capacity of 931.7 mA h g−1 at 10C in Li-Ge half cells.

Nanostructured V2O5/Nitrogen-doped Graphene Hybrids for High Rate Lithium Storage

ABSTRACTVanadium Pentoxide (V2O5) has been identified as a potential cathode material owning to its high specific capacity, theoretically, 441 mAh g-1 for 3Li+ ions insertion/extraction. However, the intrinsic drawbacks of V2O5, i.e. structural instability and poor electronic and ionic conductivity, greatly inhibit its application as a cathode. Here, we report a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB)-assisted hydrothermal reaction to synthesize V2O5 nanoclusters. Unique aggregated fiber structure was obtained after annealing. To achieve a porous structure and increase the conductivity, nitrogen-doped Graphene (NG) suspended in ethylene glycol was added to the reaction mixture. The obtained spherical V2O5 nanoparticles and NG sheets were randomly dispersed in the matrix of the V2O5 spheres. As a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries, the V2O5/NG hybrids demonstrate better rate performance compared to the bundle-like V2O5 fibers, delivering higher specific capacity of ∼ 300 and 150 mAh g-1 at a rate of C/10 and 5C, respectively. The enhanced performance in lithium storage are attributed to the synergistic effect of the nanostructured V2O5/NG composites.

Hierarchical Fe3O4@C nanospheres derived from Fe2O3/MIL-100(Fe) with superior high-rate lithium storage performance

Carbon coating is one of the most effective strategies to improve the electrochemical performance of nanostructured transition metal oxides (TMOs). Herein, we report a facile and scalable method to prepare hierarchical Fe3O4@C nanospheres. The fabrication includes one-step solvothermal synthesis of Fe2O3/MIL-100(Fe) precursor and subsequent annealing treatment in Ar. The Fe3O4@C nanospheres with an average size of about 200 nm are composed of many interconnected small nanoparticles, with an amorphous carbon layer on the surface of Fe3O4, exhibiting a unique hierarchical nanostructure with a larger specific surface area of 176.5 m2 g−1. The hierarchical Fe3O4@C nanosphere electrode delivers a high capacity of 757.9 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at a current density of 500 mA g−1, demonstrating superior high-rate lithium storage performance. This may be ascribed to the unique hierarchical nanoarchitecture, higher specific surface area and the uniform carbon layer in-situ generated from MIL-100(Fe).

TiO2 coated Si/C interconnected microsphere with stable framework and interface for high-rate lithium storage

Si is considered as the most promising anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) because of the high specific capacity (3579 mAh g−1). However, the huge volume changes (>300%) causes structural cracking and unstable solid state electrolyte (SEI) film, leading to fast capacity fading. Herein, TiO2 coated Si/C-interconnected microsphere (Si/C@TiO2) with dual-protection is designed and fabricated via a two-step procedure. In this composite, the inner flexible carbon and outer rigid TiO2 layer work together to maintain the structural integrity, stabilize the SEI film, and enhance the conductivity of the anode composite. As a result, the obtained Si/C@TiO2 composite delivers a reversible capacity of 1077.3 mA h g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 after 100 cycles, capacity retention of 58.4% at even 10 A g−1, and improved coulombic efficiency. In addition, a full cell consisted of Si/C@TiO2 anode and LiCoO2 cathode exhibits a reversible capacity of 1048 mAh g−1 at 0.2 A g−1 and 820 mAh g−1 at 1.5 A g−1 based on the anode active material with a working potential beyond 3.1 V.

MoS2 nanobelts with (002) plane edges-enriched flat surfaces for high-rate sodium and lithium storage

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal chalcogenides (TMDs) have shown great potential as high-performance anode materials in lithium and sodium ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs). Due to the greater density of active sites on the edges of (002) planes and favorable insertion/desertion of Li/Na ions along the inter-planar direction, control on the crystal structures of 2D TMD has been demonstrated to be significant to their high-rate and stable-cycling performances. Here, we synthesized MoS2 nanobelts (NBs) with richly exposed (002) plane edges on their flat surfaces through in situ sulfuration of MoO3 NBs. In contrast to the conventional MoS2 nanosheets that exposed richly the (002) lateral surface, the MoS2 NBs were featured with abundant active edge sites, short ions diffusion distance and structural stability during electrochemical reactions. High specific capacities and outstanding stability were achieved for their anode applications, i.e., in LIBs ~ 820 and ~ 480 mA h g−1 at the current densities of 1 and 20 A g−1, respectively, and in SIBs ~ 520 and ~ 380 mA h g−1 at 1 and 20 A g−1 after 100 cycles, respectively. MoS2 NBs also exhibited decent performance in a wide temperature range from − 20 °C to 60 °C, in particular as anodes in LIBs. Electrochemical kinetics analysis confirmed that the pseudocapacitive behavior had an over 90% contribution in the overall energy storage process of MoS2 NBs, which led to their excellent high-rate performance in both sodium and lithium storage.

Epitaxial growth of NiCo2S4/Co9S8@Graphene heterogenous nanocomposites with high-rate lithium storage performance

Constructing heterogeneous nanocomposite has attracted much attention for energy storage devices due to the fact that heterogeneous structure can boost charge transfer owing to the built-in-charge transfer driving force. Herein, a unique architecture for hetero-NiCo2S4/Co9S8 nanocompiste anchored on Graphene (NiCo2S4/Co9S8@G) has been prepared by an epitaxial mechanism. The as-synthesized NiCo2S4/Co9S8@G electrode exhibits 662 and 490 mAh g−1 capacity at the first discharge/charge cycle and can be maintained at 323 mAh g−1 after 4000 cycles (from 2nd cycle only 0.008% decay per cycle) at an ultrahigh current density of 10 A g−1. Moreover, NiCo2S4/Co9S8@G electrode can be full charged within 11 s while still achieving a specific capacity of 133 mAh g−1 at a current density of 40 A g−1. This fascinating high-rate capability is attributed to the pseudo-capacitance contribution which can be further verified by kinetics model. This pseudo-capacitance originating from hetero structure sheds new light on the development of high-rate performance anode materials.

Amorphous carbon-coated ZnO porous nanosheets: Facile fabrication and application in lithium- and sodium-ion batteries

Rational design and facile synthesis of ZnO-based electrode materials for highly reversible and high-rate lithium storage still remain a significant challenge. Herein, carbon-coated ZnO (abbreviated as C-ZnO) 2 dimensional (2D) porous nanosheets are successfully achieved by a scalable hydrothermal method followed by a chemical vapor deposition process. The ultrathin ZnO nanosheets possessing net-like structures are uniformly coated by a layer of amorphous carbon ∼5 nm in thickness. The amorphous carbon coating can not only effectively improve the electrical conductivity and durability of the ZnO nanosheets but also act as a buffer to accommodate the large volume strain during cycling. Furthermore, the porous C-ZnO nanosheets afford both large electrode/electrolyte contact interfaces and short Li+/Na+ diffusion paths. As anode materials of lithium- and sodium-ion batteries (LIBs and SIBs), the C-ZnO structured composites exhibit excellent electrochemical performances. The C-ZnO electrodes exhibit high reversible capacities of 851 mAh g−1 after 50 cycles at 100 mA g−1 and 804 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at 1000 mA g−1 for LIBs. Significantly, the prepared C-ZnO can be a promising anode material for lithium ion battery.

Rational design of MnCo2O4@NC@MnO2 three-layered core-shell octahedron for high-rate and long-life lithium storage.

With the depletion of fossil energy and rapid development of electronic equipment, the commercial lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) do not meet the current energy demand. There is an urgent need to develop novel LIBs with high capacity, long life, and low cost. In this work, we design and synthesize a MnCo2O4@NC@MnO2 three-layered core-shell octahedron with good electrochemical performance using binary transition metal oxide (MnCo2O4), N-doped carbon (NC), and high-capacity manganese oxide (MnO2). The three-layered structure is effective in relieving the volume expansion, improving the electronic conductivity, and strengthening the structural stability. The MnCo2O4@NC@MnO2 three-layered core-shell octahedron displays a high discharge capacity of 894 mA h g-1 at a current density of 500 mA g-1 after 120 cycles. Even at a high current density of 1000 mA g-1, the discharge capacity remains at 839 mA h g-1 after 600 cycles. Furthermore, this material possesses pretty good rate performance. All the results show that this ternary composite is a good anode alternative for lithium storage.

Ordered mesoporous carbon supported Ni3V2O8 composites for lithium-ion batteries with long-term and high-rate performance

Ultrafine Ni3V2O8@CMK-3 nanocomposites with long-term and high-rate lithium storage capability have been developed.

Intramolecular deformation of zeotype-borogermanate toward a three-dimensional porous germanium anode for high-rate lithium storage

Three-dimensional porous Ge material has been fabricated via a thermal deformation of artificial Ge-rich zeolite, etching with warm water, and subsequent hydrogen reduction.