Ultrasonication-assisted fabrication of porous ZnO@C nanoplates for lithium-ion batteries

Abstract

Lithium-ion batteries have made significant commercial and academic progress in recent decades. Zinc oxide (ZnO) has been widely studied as a lithium-ion battery anode due to its high theoretical capacity of 987 mAh g-1, natural abundance, low cost, and environmental friendliness. However, ZnO suffers from poor electronic conductivity and large volume variation during the battery discharge/charge process, leading to capacity deterioration during long-term cycling. Herein, porous ZnO@C nanoplates are developed to offer short ion diffusion pathways and good conduction networks for both Li ions and electrons. The porous nanoplates provide abundant active sites for electrochemical reactions with minimized charge transfer impedance. As a result, the porous ZnO@C nanoplates deliver higher performance for lithium-ion storage compared with a bare ZnO anode. Furthermore, with the introduction of reduced graphene oxide (rGO), the ZnO@C@rGO composite anode achieves a capacity of 229.3 mAh g-1 at a high current density of 2 A g-1.

Stabilization of the Solid-Electrolyte-Interphase Layer and Improvement of the Performance of Silicon–Graphite Anodes by Nanometer-Thick Atomic-Layer-Deposited ZnO Films

“…Hence, the ICEs decrease for the first cycle upon an increase in the ZnO content. The experimentally observed first lithiation capacity for ZnO is usually higher than the theoretical capacity and has been attributed to the formation of a SEI layer/film. , The lower first cycle coulombic efficiency (CE) is frequently observed for conversion-alloying-type metal oxide anodes like ZnO because of the difficult delithiation reaction of Li 2 O in the absence of a catalyst. ,, …”

“…The experimentally observed first lithiation capacity for ZnO is usually higher than the theoretical capacity and has been attributed to the formation of a SEI layer/film. 33,34 The lower first cycle coulombic efficiency (CE) is frequently observed for conversion-alloying-type metal oxide anodes like ZnO because of the difficult delithiation reaction of Li 2 O in the absence of a catalyst. 33,35,36 Magnification of the first and second cycles of the dQ/dV plots for the 20 and 40 ALD cycles of ZnO on the Si/Gr samples (insets in Figure 2b,c) during the delithiation process revealed the presence of broad peaks at ∼1.2 V, which indicates the regeneration of ZnO under delithiation conditions and is in agreement with the literature.…”

“…It was observed that the first cycle capacity of ZnO is significantly higher compared to those of the subsequent cycles. 33,34,38 The reactions of ZnO during the first lithiation cycle resulted in a high discharge capacity for the ZnO-coated Si/Gr electrodes. The CE was >98% for the consecutive cycles after the C-rate of 0.05.…”

Leveraging novel microwave techniques for tailoring the microstructure of energy storage materials

“…This figure is quoted with permission [126] ; (C) 3D functional nanostructure G-CNT-Fe prepared using the gas-phase microwave method. This figure is quoted with permission [127] ; (D) CNTs prepared on MXene substrates using the gas-phase microwave method. This figure is quoted with permission [33] .…”

Dynamic Regulation Achieving High-Performance La-Containing Prussian Blue Analogues for Aqueous K+ Storage

“…The rare earth element of lanthanum (La) is a kind of “industrial aginomoto” meaning that a small amount of dopping will greatly improve the performance, and the phenomenon has been observed in many fields, such as optical materials, battery materials, catalysts and magnetic materials. , Moreover, the La atoms present a large diameter. When the La atoms are introduced into PBAs, the channels of PBAs would be expanded, which can facilitate K + diffusion and increase the storage amount of K + theoretically. , Additionally, the La–N bond (519 kJ/mol) shows relatively high bond energy and is promising to maintain the integrity of the lattice framework during the K + (de)intercalation. , Unfortunately, the La-containing PBA (LaKFe(CN) 6 ) would be dissolved into aqueous solutions and cannot be used as the aqueous cathode directly, owing to its high activity of chemical components and crystal structure …”