clean and sustainable energy systems is one of the strategies of global significance. Due to the high conversion efficiency between the chemical and the electrical energy, electrochemical energy storage systems such as secondary batteries, fuel cells and super-capacitors have attracted a great deal of attention. Among them, lithium ion battery, a type of rechargeable battery, has been developed and employed worldwide at an amazing rate in portable electronic devices. [1] Nevertheless, for applications of lithium ion battery in electrical vehicles, its specific energy density and cycling ability are yet to be improved, compared with those of the conventional combustion engine. [2] To address these challenges, exploration of new electrode materials with higher capacity is essentially important. [3] The electrochemical properties of lithium ion battery depend strongly on its materials, structure and design. An electrode is fabricated by the active electrode materials, the conductive agent, and the binder on the current collector. Among the three components, the active materials determine the energy density of the electrode; the conductive agent enhances the transportation of electrons in the active materials and current collector; and the binder adheres and holds the active materials and conductive agent close with the current collector. Although employed with only small doses, whose weight is less than 5 wt% and cost less than 2% over those the entire lithium ion battery, the binder is crucial in determining the function of the battery, especially for their cycle performance. On a typical electrode, the active materials will gradually lose physical and electric contact with the current collector, without the function of binder. [4] Since the commercialization of lithium ion battery by Sony Corporation in the early 1990s, the influences of binder on the battery have been discussed and reported. [5] The main role of a binder in battery is to maintain the physical structure of electrode in the whole battery. Basically, a desirable binder of lithium ion battery should possess the following merits:(1) capability of forming a homogeneous slurry, (2) suitable adhesiveness, (3) strong ion/electron conductivity, (4) high chemical and electrochemical stability, minimal swelling and insolubility in the electrolyte and (5) cost effectiveness and Binders, though often used in small doses, play a crucial role in determining the electrochemical performance of lithium ion batteries with high energy density. The traditional PVDF binder, which interacts with electrode materials via weak Van der Waals forces and consequently lacks the necessary capabilities (e.g., the suppression of significant volume variations, the interface maintenance etc.), could not fulfill the high demands of batteries with high energy density. Besides, extensive usage of the PVDF binder in the lithium ion battery is cost-ineffective and may raise environmental concerns as its handling often needs the assistance of organic solvents. Herein, recent progres...

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to propose a model to explore the dynamic process of knowledge management from the perspectives of organizational unlearning and organizational relearning, which promote a favorable context for knowledge management.Design/methodology/approach -The model is proposed based on extensive review of literatures. According to this model, the evolutions of organizational unlearning and organizational relearning are separately analyzed, and the interactions between them are revealed.Findings -Organizational unlearning and organizational relearning are the indispensable factors to the dynamic knowledge management. Organizational unlearning positively affects the dynamic knowledge management by discarding the outdated and useless knowledge, while organizational relearning has a positive influence on the dynamic knowledge management by acquiring the new knowledge. Organizational unlearning and organizational relearning have synergies on the dynamic knowledge management.Research limitations/implications -This paper theoretically illuminates the relationships among organizational unlearning, organizational relearning and knowledge management, and doesn't offer an empirical test.Practical implications -This paper will provide insights to practitioners to better understand the dynamic process of knowledge management. The practitioners need to provide favorable context to ensure that organizational unlearning and organizational relearning can occur.Originality/value -Most existing studies focused on the inflows of knowledge, but the outflows of knowledge still lack sufficient attention, especially the dynamic process of knowledge management. The framework provides guides in that process.

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Li2CO3 is the cathodic discharge product of a Li-CO2/O2 battery and is difficult to electrochemically decompose. The accumulation of Li2CO3 leads to battery degradation and results in a short lifespan. Herein, a carbon nanotube supported Ru/NiO@Ni catalyst (Ru/NiO@Ni/CNT) is synthesized with Ru nanoparticles (∼2.5 nm) anchored on the surface of core–shell structure NiO@Ni nanoparticles (∼17 nm). We found strong interfacial interactions between Ru nanoparticles and NiO. XRD and XPS analysis revealed that the presence of Ru could protect the Ni species from being deeply oxidized while the NiO species could modify the local electronic structure of Ru, inducing a higher oxidation state. When such a Ru/NiO@Ni/CNT catalyst is used as a cathode in Li-CO2/O2 (v:v = 4:1) batteries, a long cycling life of 105 cycles at a cutoff capacity of 1000 mAh g–1 with an overpotential as low as 1.01 V was achieved, which is significantly better than 75 and 44 cycles with Ru/CNT and NiO@Ni/CNT catalysts, respectively, and confirms the strong synergetic effect between the Ru and NiO species in the electrocatalytic decomposition of Li2CO3. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the electrochemical decomposition of Li2CO3 with the assistance of RuO2 indicates that the formation of O2 is the rate-determining step. In addition, the formation and decomposition process of Li2CO3 was illuminated at a molecular level by in situ FTIR spectroscopy with Ru/NiO@Ni/CNT catalysts.