Lithium metal batteries show great potential in energy storage because of their high energy density. Nevertheless, building a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and restraining the dendrite growth are difficult to realize with traditional liquid electrolytes. Solid and gel electrolytes are considered promising candidates to restrain the dendrites growth, while they are still limited by low ionic conductivity and incompatible interphases. Herein, a dual‐salt (LiTFSI‐LiPF6) gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) with 3D cross‐linked polymer network is designed to address these issues. By introducing a dual salt in 3D structure fabricated using an in situ polymerization method, the 3D‐GPE exhibits a high ionic conductivity (0.56 mS cm−1 at room temperature) and builds a robust and conductive SEI on the lithium metal surface. Consequently, the Li metal batteries using 3D‐GPE can markedly reduce the dendrite growth and achieve 87.93% capacity retention after cycling for 300 cycles. This work demonstrates a promising method to design electrolytes for lithium metal batteries.
Photocatalytic
CO2 reduction to produce valuable chemicals
and fuels using solar energy provides an appealing route to alleviate
global energy and environmental problems. However, available semiconductor
materials are less efficient to promote CO2 conversion
to energy-efficient fuels. In the current development, titanium carbide
(Ti3C2) MXene as a co-catalyst with a high conductivity,
abundant active sites, and large specific surface area, is a preeminent
candidate to promote semiconductor photoactivity. This review provides
an overview in the utilization of Ti3C2 as a
promising co-catalyst for maximizing CO2 reduction efficiency
and product selectivity. In the mainstream, developments in Ti3C2 MXene-based composites for CO2 conversion
through different processes, such as CO2 reduction with
water, photocatalytic CO2 methanation, and natural gas
flaring reduction to synthesis gas, have been discussed. The review
also gives an overview of the factors crucial to affect photocatalytic
properties of Ti3C2, such as morphological,
electrical, optical, and luminescence characteristics. The fundamental
mechanism of Ti3C2T
x
for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 and strategies to
improve the photocatalytic performance are also described. The great
emphasis is given on in situ TiO2 production
and hybridization with other semiconductors to obtain an efficient
co-catalyst for selective CO2 reduction. Lastly, conclusions
and future prospectives to further explore in the field of energy
and fuels are included.
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