Lithium iron phosphate, LiFePO4 (LFP) has demonstrated promising performance as a cathode material in lithium ion batteries (LIBs), by overcoming the rate performance issues from limited electronic conductivity. Nano-sized vanadium-doped LFP (V-LFP) was synthesized using a continuous hydrothermal process using supercritical water as a reagent. The atomic % of dopant determined the particle shape. 5 at. % gave mixed plate and rod-like morphology, showing optimal electrochemical performance and good rate properties vs. Li. Specific capacities of >160 mAh g−1 were achieved. In order to increase the capacity of a full cell, V-LFP was cycled against an inexpensive micron-sized metallurgical grade Si-containing anode. This electrode was capable of reversible capacities of approximately 2000 mAh g−1 for over 150 cycles vs. Li, with improved performance resulting from the incorporation of few layer graphene (FLG) to enhance conductivity, tensile behaviour and thus, the composite stability. The cathode material synthesis and electrode formulation are scalable, inexpensive and are suitable for the fabrication of larger format cells suited to grid and transport applications.

h i g h l i g h t sPhase-pure and Sn-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles (<7 nm) are synthesized via CHFS. The nanomaterial can be used directly after synthesis as a Li-ion battery anode. TiO 2 retains excellent high power performance at current rates up to 10 A g À1 . Doped Sn 4þ in the TiO 2 is electrochemically active. Keywords:Tin doped titania Continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis Lithium ion battery Anatase Anode High power a b s t r a c t A range of phase-pure anatase TiO 2 (~5 nm) and Sn-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles with the formula Ti 1-x Sn x O 2 (where x ¼ 0, 0.06, 0.11 and 0.15) were synthesized using a continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis (CHFS) reactor. Charge/discharge cycling tests were carried out in two different potential ranges of 3 to 1 V and also a wider range of 3 to 0.05 V vs Li/Li þ . In the narrower potential range, the undoped TiO 2 nanoparticles display superior electrochemical performance to all the Sn-doped titania crystallites. In the wider potential range, the Sn-doped samples perform better than undoped TiO 2 . The sample with composition Ti 0.85 Sn 0.15 O 2 , shows a capacity of ca. 350 mAh g À1 at an applied constant current of 100 mA g À1 and a capacity of 192.3 mAh g À1 at a current rate of 1500 mA g À1 . After 500 charge/ discharge cycles (at a high constant current rate of 382 mA g À1 ), the same nanomaterial anode retains a relatively high specific capacity of 240 mAh g À1 . The performance of these nanomaterials is notable, particularly as they are processed into electrodes, directly from the CHFS process (after drying) without any post-synthesis heat-treatment, and they are made without any conductive surface coating.

A young provenance/progeny trial of spotted gums, which are major hardwood plantation species in subtropical eastern Australia, was studied for growth, form, and damage from Quambalaria shoot blight. The trial contained a wide range of genotypes, mainly of Corymbia citriodora subsp. variegata, with between one and 21 families per provenance. Genetic parameters were calculated from 23 provenances with four or more families. Provenances superior for growth included four well-represented C. citriodora subsp. variegata provenances, all from south-east Queensland, which also had a high proportion of superior families. Overall, Queensland provenances had significantly higher mean diameter and height than those from New South Wales (NSW), although there were several superior NSW families. Provenances superior for growth also displayed good straightness and relatively fine branching. Relatively low Quambalaria shoot blight damage was recorded for four Queensland provenances and one coastal NSW provenance, which all had high proportions of families with low damage. Provenances that were putative intergrades between C. citriodora subsp. variegata and C. maculata tended to have high damage levels. However, some mediocre provenances contained superior families potentially useful for breeding. Regressions of Quambalaria damage index (QDI) on latitude, and mean height growth on QDI, were highly significant and moderately strong (0.51 and 0.58, respectively), indicating increasing damage in more southern material, and a retarding effect (although not striking) of damage on growth. Individual heritability estimates were low (zero to 0.14) for growth and form, and moderate for QDI (0.31). The genetic correlations for QDI with growth traits were strong and negative (-0.77 and -0.88), supporting a strategy of selecting vigorous trees for breeding programs from provenances and families superior for these traits.

A high performance vanadium-doped LiFePO4 (LFP) electrode is synthesized using a continuous hydrothermal method at a rate of 6 kg per day. The supercritical water solvent rapidly generates core/shell nanoparticles with a thin, continuous carbon coating on the surface of LFP, which aids electron transport dynamics across the particle surface. Vanadium dopant concentration has a profound effect on the performance of LFP, where the composition LiFe0.95V0.05PO4 achieves a specific discharge capacity which is among the highest in the literature (119 mA h g-1 at a discharge rate of 1500 mA g-1). Additionally, a combination of Xray absorption spectroscopy analysis and hybrid-exchange density functional theory suggest that vanadium ions replace both phosphorous and iron in the structure, thereby facilitating Li + diffusion due to Li + vacancy generation and changes in the crystal structure.

The Mg battery is an energy storage technology which has garnered significant interest in recent years. Mg batteries incorporating a metal oxide cathode (MOC) are potential candidates to supersede the state-of-the-art Li-ion battery in energy density, cost, and sustainability. However, there are significant discrepancies in reported performances and reactivities of Mg battery MOCs, with detailed analyses revealing that parasitic electrolyte reactions can contribute almost entirely to the measured capacity. This Perspective describes a holistic approachencompassing elemental, redox, and structural probeswhich is vital to robustly confirm and quantify Mg intercalation in MOCs. It critically surveys recent literature for applications of this approach to reveal true state-of-the-art MOCs for Mg batteries. We also suggest testing and analysis protocols to ensure fair comparison of future reports with these state-of-the-art materials.