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List of Issues

    2023, Vol. 77, No. 2 Online: 15 February 2023
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    Metal-organic frameworks with mixed-ligands strategy as heterogeneous nucleation center to assist crystallization for efficient and stable perovskite solar cells
    Yayu Dong, Shuang Gai, Jian Zhang, Ruiqing Fan, Boyuan Hu, Wei Wang, Wei Cao, Jiaqi Wang, Ke Zhu, Debin Xia, Lin Geng, Yulin Yang
    2023, 77(2): 1-10.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.029
    Abstract ( 20 )   PDF (3777KB) ( 15 )  
    Deep-level defects and random oriented configuration in perovskite crystallization process would cause the nonradiative recombination and further affect the performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Herein, two metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with tunable Lewis-base passivation sites have been constructed (Cd-Httb and Cd-Httb-BDC, Httb = 5-(4-(1H-1,2,4-triazole-1-yl)benzyl)-1h-tetrazole, BDC = 1,4-dicarboxybenzene) to eliminate deep-level defects and simultaneously as nanostructured heterogeneous nucleation seed to assist the growth of large-grained perovskite films. Compared with the control and Cd-Httb, Cd-Httb-BDC designed with mix-ligands strategy exhibited the enhanced inducted effect on the crystallization and nucleation of high-quality perovskite films during annealing process. Consequently, the resultant Cd-Httb-BDC-modified device achieved higher power conversion efficiency (PCE) (22.18%) than the control (20.89%) and Cd-Httb (21.56%). Meanwhile, the unencapsulated Cd-Httb-BDC-modified device still maintained 90% of initial PCE after 1500 h in ambient conditions and exhibited enhanced thermal stability (85 °C in N2 atmosphere). This work presented a successful example of mix-ligands strategy on construction of high-quality MOF-assisted perovskite films for high-efficient and stable PSCs.
    Homogenous metallic deposition regulated by abundant lithiophilic sites in nickel/cobalt oxides nanoneedle arrays for lithium metal batteries
    Fenqiang Luo, Dawei Xu, Yongchao Liao, Minghao Chen, Shuirong Li, Dechao Wang, Zhifeng Zheng
    2023, 77(2): 11-18.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.023
    Abstract ( 13 )   PDF (1815KB) ( 5 )  
    Although lithium (Li) metal delivers the highest theoretical capacity as a battery anode, its high reactivity can generate Li dendrites and “dead” Li during cycling, resulting in poor reversibility and low Li utilization. Inducing uniform Li plating/stripping is the core of solving these problems. Herein, we design a highly lithiophilic carbon film with an outer sheath of the nanoneedle arrays to induce homogeneous Li plating/stripping. The excellent conductivity and 3D framework of the carbon film not only offer fast charge transport across the entire electrode but also mitigate the volume change of Li metal during cycling. The abundant lithiophilic sites ensure stable Li plating/stripping, thereby inhibiting the Li dendritic growth and “dead” Li formation. The resulting composite anode allows for stable Li stripping/plating under 0.5 mA cm-2 with a capacity of 0.5 mA h cm-2 for 4000 h and 3 mA cm-2 with a capacity of 3 mA h cm-2 for 1000 h. The Ex-SEM analysis reveals that lithiophilic property is different at the bottom, top, or channel in the structure, which can regulate a bottom-up uniform Li deposition behavior. Full cells paired with LFP show a stable capacity of 155 mA h g-1 under a current density of 0.5C. The pouch cell can keep powering light-emitting diode even under 180° bending, suggesting its good flexibility and great practical applications.
    Superior aggregation, morphology and photovoltaic performance enabled by fine tuning of fused electron-deficient units in polymer donors
    Mingrui Pu, Xue Lai, Hui Chen, Congcong Cao, Zixiang Wei, Yulin Zhu, Leilei Tian, Feng He
    2023, 77(2): 19-26.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.016
    Abstract ( 9 )   PDF (1213KB) ( 5 )  
    Copolymerization of an electron-rich donor (D) unit with an electron-deficient acceptor (A) unit to construct efficient D-π-A-π type donors is an effective strategy for organic solar cell applications. The electron-deficient unit fusion, endows extended π-conjugation plane and insures excellent photoelectronic property, has great advantages to build A moiety and gradually receives considerable attention. In this work, we adopt benzo[2,1-b:3,4-b']dithiophene and benzopyrazine (BP), benzothiadiazole (BT) and benzoselenadiazole (BS) to cleverly construct a series of fused A units with different electron-deficient ability, and further synthesize three polymer donors PBDP-BP, PBDP-BT, and PBDP-BS, respectively. The relationships between structure and performance were systematically investigated. PBDP-BT shows a moderate aggregation behavior in both solution and film, and the highest hole mobility among the three polymers. After blending with Y6, the PBDP-BT:Y6-based film has the strongest absorption, favorable compatibility, superior crystallinity, and uniform phase separation morphology compared with PBDP-BP or PBDP-BS based blend films. Thus, the device based on PBDP-BT:Y6 has the highest and balanced charge mobility, suppressive recombination, reduced energy loss and achieves an outstanding PCE of 15.14%, which is superior to PBDP-BP:Y6 (8.55%) and PBDP-BS:Y6 (6.85%). These results provide learnable guidelines for future fused electron-deficient unit-based donor design for photovoltaic application.
    Gradient Si-and Ti-doped Fe2O3 hierarchical homojunction photoanode for efficient solar water splitting: Effect of facile microwave-assisted growth of Si-FeOOH on Ti-FeOOH nanocorals
    Tae Sik Koh, Periyasamy Anushkkaran, Weon-Sik Chae, Hyun Hwi Lee, Sun Hee Choi, Jum Suk Jang
    2023, 77(2): 27-37.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.028
    Abstract ( 14 )   PDF (1940KB) ( 4 )  
    The construction of a homojunction is an effective approach for addressing issues such as slow charge separation and charge-transfer kinetics in photoanodes. In the present work, we designed a gradient Si-and Ti-doped Fe2O3 homojunction photoanode to improve the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of a Ti-doped Fe2O3 photoanode. Ti-FeOOH nanocorals were synthesized using a hydrothermal process, and Si-FeOOH was grown on Ti-FeOOH nanocorals using a rapid and facile microwave-assisted (MW) technique. By varying the MW irradiation time, the thickness of the Si/Ti:Fe2O3 photoanode was adjusted and an optimized 3-Si/Ti:Fe2O3 photoelectrode was achieved with a significantly enhanced photocurrent density (1.37 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE) and a cathodic shift of the onset potential (150 mV) compared with that of bare Ti-Fe2O3. This enhanced PEC performance can be ascribed to homojunction formation and Si gradient doping. The Si dopant increased the donor concentration and the formation of a homojunction improved the intrinsic built-in electric field, thereby promoting charge separation and charge transfer. Furthermore, the as-formed homojunction passivated the surface-trapping states, consequently improving the charge transfer efficiency (60% at 1.23 VRHE) at the photoanode/electrolyte interface. These findings could pave the way for the microwave-assisted fabrication of diverse efficient homojunction photoanodes for PEC water splitting applications.
    Fluorinated soft carbon as an ultra-high energy density potassium-ion battery cathode enabled by a ternary phase KxFC
    Pengyu Chen, Bojun Wang, Zhenrui Wu, Xiaobin Niu, Chuying Ouyang, Hong Li, Liping Wang
    2023, 77(2): 38-44.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.027
    Abstract ( 9 )   PDF (1433KB) ( 3 )  
    Fluorinated carbons (CFx) have been widely applied as lithium primary batteries due to their ultra-high energy density. It will be a great promise if CFx can be rechargeable. In this study, we rationally tune the C-F bond strength for the alkaline intercalated CFx via importing an electronegative weaker element K instead of Li. It forms a ternary phase KxFC instead of two phases (LiF + C) in lithium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, we choose a large layer distance and more defects CFx, namely fluorinated soft carbon, to accommodate K. Thus, we enable CFx rechargeable as a potassium-ion battery cathode. In detail, fluorinated soft carbon CF1.01 presents a reversible specific capacity of 339 mA h g-1 (797 Wh kg-1) in the 2nd cycle and maintains 330 mA h g-1 (726 Wh kg-1) in the 15th cycle. This study reveals the importance of tuning chemical bond stability using different alkaline ions to endow batteries with rechargeability. This work provides good references for focusing on developing reversible electrode materials from popular primary cell configurations.
    Engineering Cu+/CeZrOx interfaces to promote CO2 hydrogenation to methanol
    Jingpeng Zhang, Xiaohang Sun, Congyi Wu, Wenquan Hang, Xu Hu, Dawei Qiao, Binhang Yan
    2023, 77(2): 45-53.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.034
    Abstract ( 16 )   PDF (1535KB) ( 24 )  
    Cu-based catalysts are widely employed for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol, which is expected as a promising process to achieving carbon neutrality. However, most Cu-based catalysts still suffer from low methanol yield with a passable CO2 conversion and lack insight into its reaction mechanism for guiding the design of catalysts. In this work, Cu+/CeZrOx interfaces are engineered by employing a series of ceria-zirconia solid solution catalysts with various Ce/Zr ratios, forming a Cu+-Ov-Ce3+ structure where Cu+ atoms are bonded to the oxygen vacancies (Ov) of ceria. Compared to Cu/CeO2 and Cu/ZrO2, the optimized catalyst (i.e., Cu0.3Ce0.3Zr0.7) exhibits a much higher mass-specific methanol formation rate (192 gMeOH/kgcat/h) at 240 °C and 3 MPa. Through a series of in-situ and ex-situ characterization, it is revealed that oxygen vacancies in solid solutions can effectively assist the activation of CO2 and tune the electronic state of copper to promote the formation of Cu+/CeZrOx interfaces, which stabilizes the key *CO intermediate, inhibits its desorption and facilitates its further hydrogenation to methanol via the reverse water-gas-shift (RWGS) + CO-Hydro pathway. Therefore, the concentration of *CO or the apparent Cu+/(Cu++Cu0) ratio could be employed as a quantitative descriptor of the methanol formation rate. This work is expected to give a deep insight into the mechanism of metal/support interfaces in CO2 hydrogenation to methanol, offering an effective strategy to develop new catalysts with high performance.
    Unveiling the role of Ni in Ru-Ni oxide for oxygen evolution: Lattice oxygen participation enhanced by structural distortion
    Young-Jin Ko, Man Ho Han, Chulwan Lim, Seung-Ho Yu, Chang Hyuck Choi, Byoung Koun Min, Jae-Young Choi, Woong Hee Lee, Hyung-Suk Oh
    2023, 77(2): 54-61.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.09.032
    Abstract ( 11 )   PDF (1661KB) ( 4 )  
    Introducing Ni in Ru oxide is a promising approach to enhance the catalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, the role of Ni (which has a poor intrinsic activity) is not fully understood. Here, a RuNiOx electrode fabricated via a modified dip coating method exhibited excellent OER performance in acidic media, and neutral media for CO2 reduction reaction. We combined in-situ/operando X-ray absorption near-edge structure and on-line inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry studies to unveil the role of the Ni introduced in the Ru oxide. We propose that the Ni not only transforms the electronic structure of the Ru oxide, but also produces a large number of oxygen vacancies by distorting the oxygen lattice structure at low overpotentials, increasing the participation of lattice oxygen for OER. This work demonstrates the real behavior of bimetallic oxide materials under applied potentials and provides new insights into the development of efficient electrocatalysts.
    Elucidating the suppression of lithium dendrite growth with a void-reduced anti-perovskite solid-state electrolyte pellet for stable lithium metal anodes
    Yu Ye, Xinyan Ye, Haoxian Zhu, Juncao Bian, Haibin Lin, Jinlong Zhu, Yusheng Zhao
    2023, 77(2): 62-69.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.037
    Abstract ( 12 )   PDF (1893KB) ( 3 )  
    Solid-state lithium-metal batteries, with their high theoretical energy density and safety, are highly promising as a next-generation battery contender. Among the alternatives proposed as solid-state electrolyte, lithium-rich anti-perovskite (LiRAP) materials have drawn the most interest because of high theoretical Li+ conductivity, low cost and easy processing. Although solid-state electrolytes are believed to have the potential to physically inhibit the lithium dendrite growth, lithium-metal batteries still suffer from the lithium dendrite growth and thereafter the short circuiting. The voids in practical LiRAP pellets are considered as the root cause. Herein, we show that reducing the voids can effectively suppress the lithium dendrite growth. The voids in the pellet resulted in an irregular Li+ flux distribution and a poor interfacial contact with lithium metal anode; and hence the ununiform lithium dendrites. Consequently, the lithium-metal symmetric cell with void-reduced Li2OHCl-HT pellet was able to display excellent cycling performance (750 h at 0.4 mA cm-2) and stability at high current density (0.8 mA cm-2 for 120 h). This study provides not only experimental evidence for the impact of the voids in LiRAP pellets on the lithium dendrite growth, but also a rational pellet fabrication approach to suppress the lithium dendrite growth.
    Fabrication of a sinter-resistant Fe-MFI zeolite dragonfruit-like catalyst for syngas to aromatics conversion
    Chenguang Wang, Chengyan Wen, Zheng Liang, Zhipeng Tian, Qian Jiang, Yuhe Liao, Xunzhu Jiang, Lungang Chen, Qiying Liu, Longlong Ma, Michiel Dusselier
    2023, 77(2): 70-79.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.09.049
    Abstract ( 9 )   PDF (1443KB) ( 5 )  
    Direct conversion of syngas to aromatics has great potential to decrease fossil fuel dependence. Here, a unique structured hybrid catalyst composed of Fe3O4 nanoparticles intimately dispersed inside an acidic zeolite is developed. 1 to 4 nm sized Fe3O4 nanoparticles end up evenly dispersed in an acidic and slightly mesoporous Al-ZSM-5 based on Fe3O4 restructuring during co-hydrothermal synthesis using organosilane modification. A very high aromatic productivity of 214 mmolaromatics h-1 gFe-1 can be obtained with a remarkable 62% aromatic selectivity in hydrocarbons. This catalyst has excellent sintering resistance ability and maintains stable aromatics production over 570 h. The synthetic insights that postulate a mechanism for the metastable oxide-zeolite reorganization during hydrothermal synthesis could serve as a generic route to sinter-resistant oxide-zeolite composite materials with uniform, well-dispersed oxide nanoparticles in close intimacy with -and partially confined in -a zeolite matrix.
    A review on photo-, electro-and photoelectro-catalytic strategies for selective oxidation of alcohols
    Duoyue Tang, Guilong Lu, Zewen Shen, Yezi Hu, Ling Yao, Bingfeng Li, Guixia Zhao, Baoxiang Peng, Xiubing Huang
    2023, 77(2): 80-118.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.038
    Abstract ( 37 )   PDF (7876KB) ( 15 )  
    Traditional conversion of alcohols into carbonyl compounds exists a few drawbacks such as harsh reaction conditions, production of large amounts of hazardous wastes, and poor selectivity. The newly emerging conversion approaches via photo-, electro-, and photoelectro-catalysis to oxidize alcohols into high value-added corresponding carbonyl compounds as well as the possible simultaneous production of clean fuel hydrogen (H2) under mild conditions are promising to substitute the traditional approach to form greener and sustainable reaction systems and thus have aroused tremendous investigations. In this review, the state-of-the-art photocatalytic, electrocatalytic, and photoelectrocatalytic strategies for selective oxidation of different types of alcohols (aromatic and aliphatic alcohols, single alcohol, and polyols, etc.) as well as the simultaneous production of H2 in certain systems are discussed. The design of photocatalysts, electrocatalysts, and photoelectrocatalysts as well as reaction mechanism is summarized and discussed in detail. In the end, current challenges and future research directions are proposed. It is expected that this review will not only deepen the understanding of environmentally friendly catalytic systems for alcohol conversion as well as H2 production, but also enlighten significance and inspirations for the follow-up study of selective oxidation of various types of organic molecules to value-added chemicals.
    Hydrogen energy carriers
    Tom Autrey, Ping Chen
    2023, 77(2): 119-121.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.039
    Abstract ( 69 )   PDF (263KB) ( 41 )  
    Corrigendum to ‘‘Efficient benzaldehyde photosynthesis coupling photocatalytic hydrogen evolution” [J. Energy Chem. 66 (2022) 52-60]
    Juanjuan Luo, Min Wang, Lisong Chen, Jianlin Shi
    2023, 77(2): 122-122.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.018
    Abstract ( 6 )   PDF (3557KB) ( 3 )  
    Lithiophilicity: The key to efficient lithium metal anodes for lithium batteries
    Yahao Li, Yue Li, Lulu Zhang, Huachao Tao, Qingyu Li, Jiujun Zhang, Xuelin Yang
    2023, 77(2): 123-136.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.026
    Abstract ( 105 )   PDF (3291KB) ( 78 )  
    Lithium metal anode of lithium batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, has been considered the anode for next-generation batteries with desired high energy densities due to its high theoretical specific capacity (3860 mA h g-1) and low standards electrode potential (-3.04 V vs. SHE). However, the highly reactive nature of metallic lithium and its direct contact with the electrolyte could lead to severe chemical reactions, leading to the continuous consumption of the electrolyte and a reduction in the cycle life and Coulombic efficiency. In addition, the solid electrolyte interface formed during battery cycling is mainly inorganic, which is too fragile to withstand the extreme volume change during the plating and stripping of lithium. The uneven flux of lithium ions could lead to excessive lithium deposition at local points, resulting in needle-like lithium dendrites, which could pierce the separator and cause short circuits, battery failure, and safety issues. In the last five years, tremendous efforts have been dedicated to addressing these issues, and the most successful improvements have been related to lithiophilicity optimizations. Thus, this paper comprehensively reviewed the lithiophilicity regulation in lithium metal anode modifications and highlighted the vital effect of lithiophilicity. The remaining challenges faced by the lithiophilicity optimization for lithium metal anodes are discussed with the proposed research directions for overcoming the technical challenges in this subject.
    Sol-gel-based porous Ti-doped tungsten oxide films for high-performance dual-band electrochromic smart windows
    Qiancheng Meng, Sheng Cao, Juquan Guo, Qingke Wang, Ke Wang, Tao Yang, Ruosheng Zeng, Jialong Zhao, Bingsuo Zou
    2023, 77(2): 137-143.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.047
    Abstract ( 28 )   PDF (1108KB) ( 12 )  
    Dual-band electrochromic smart windows (DESWs) with independent control of the transmittance of near-infrared and visible light show great potential in the application of smart and energy-saving buildings. The current strategy for building DESWs is to screen materials for composite or prepare plasmonic nanocrystal films. These rigorous preparation processes seriously limit the further development of DESWs. Herein, we report a facile and effective sol-gel strategy using a foaming agent to achieve porous Ti-doped tungsten oxide film for the high performance of DESWs. The introduction of foaming agent polyvinylpyrrolidone during the film preparation can increase the specific surface area and free carrier concentration of the films and enhance their independent regulation ability of near-infrared electrochromism. As a result, the optimal film shows excellent dual-band electrochromic properties, including high optical modulation (84.9% at 633 nm and 90.3% at 1200 nm), high coloration efficiency (114.9 cm2 C-1 at 633 nm and 420.3 cm2 C-1 at 1200 nm), quick switching time, excellent bistability, and good cycle stability (the transmittance modulation losses at 633 and 1200 nm were 11% and 3.5% respectively after 1000 cycles). A demonstrated DESW fabricated by the sol-gel film showed effective management of heat and light of sunlight. This study represents a significant advance in the preparation of dual-band electrochromic films, which will shed new light on advancing electrochromic technology for future energy-saving smart buildings.
    Dimensionality regulation in tin halide perovskite solar cells: Toward high performance and stability
    Huanhuan Yao, Shurong Wang, Zhiwen Jin, Liming Ding, Feng Hao
    2023, 77(2): 144-156.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.043
    Abstract ( 9 )   PDF (2846KB) ( 3 )  
    Tin halide perovskites (THPs) have received extensive attention due to their low toxicity and excellent optoelectronic properties, and are considered to be the most promising alternatives to develop efficient lead-free perovskite solar cells. However, due to the unique and inherent characteristics of Sn2+ being easily oxidized to Sn4+ and fast crystallization, tin perovskite solar cells (TPSCs) show relatively poor performance and stability, compared to the lead counterparts. Recently, the introduction of bulky organic spacers into three-dimensional (3D) THPs for dimensional regulation can not only prevent the intrusion of water and oxygen, but also inhibit the self-doping effect and ion migration. In this review, we will detail how dimensional regulation enables TPSCs with high performance and superior stability. First, we summarize the intrinsic properties of THPs and analyze the root causes of their poor performance and instability. Next, we discuss the specific structure and types of the dimensional regulation strategy. Then, the mechanism of dimensional regulation is discussed in detail, mainly from inhibiting the Sn2+ oxidation, optimizing crystallization, passivating defects, and improving energy level alignment. Finally, future challenges and prospects for dimensional regulation are elaborated to help researchers develop more efficient and stable TPSCs.
    The opportunities and challenges of ionic liquids in perovskite solar cells
    Jian Yang, Jianfei Hu, Wenhao Zhang, Hongwei Han, Yonghua Chen, Yue Hu
    2023, 77(2): 157-171.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.048
    Abstract ( 21 )   PDF (2196KB) ( 14 )  
    Metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have shown great potential to become the next generation of photovoltaic devices due to their simple fabrication techniques, low cost, and soaring power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, mismatched with the quickly updated PCEs, the improvement of device stability is challenging and still remains a critical hurdle in the path to commercialization. Recently, ionic liquids (ILs) have been found to play multiple roles in obtaining efficient and stable PSCs. These ILs usually consist of large organic cations and organic or inorganic anions, which have weak electrostatic attraction and are generally liquid at around 100 °C. ILs are almost non-volatile, non-flammable, with high ionic conductivity and excellent thermal and electrochemical stability. The roles of ILs in PSCs vary with their composition, that is, the types of anions and cations. In this review, we summarize the roles of anions and cations in terms of precursor solutions, additives, perovskite/charge transport layer interface engineering, and charge transport layers. This article aims to set up a structure-property-stability-performance correlations conferred by the IL in PSC and provide assistance for the anion and cation selection for improving the quality of perovskite film, optimizing interface contact, reducing defect states, and improving charge extraction and transport characteristics. Finally, the application of IL in PSCs is discussed and prospected.
    Electrolyte additive enhances the electrochemical performance of Cu for rechargeable Cu//Zn batteries
    Xinxin Song, Chenggang Wang, Dongdong Wang, Huili Peng, Cheng Wang, Chunsheng Wang, Weiliu Fan, Jian Yang, Yitai Qian
    2023, 77(2): 172-179.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.001
    Abstract ( 13 )   PDF (2687KB) ( 7 )  
    Cu-based cathodes in aqueous batteries become very attractive in view of high theoretical capacity, moderate operation voltage and rich reserves of raw materials. However, their applications are obstructed by serious side reactions. The side reaction mainly arises from the spontaneous formation of Cu2O, which occupies the electrode surface and lowers the reaction reversibility. Here, Na2EDTA is introduced to address these issues. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the Na2EDTA reshapes the solvation structure of Cu2+ and modifies the electrode/electrolyte interface. Therefore, the redox potential of Cu2+/Cu2O is reduced and the surface of Cu is protected from H2O, thereby inhibiting the formation of Cu2O. Meanwhile, the change in the solvation structure reduces the electrostatic repulsion between Cu2+ and the cathode, leading to high local concentration and benefiting uniform deposition. The results shed light on the applications of rechargeable Cu-based batteries.
    A dilute fluorine-free electrolyte design for high-voltage hybrid aqueous batteries
    Rui Lin, Jiahao Chen, Changming Ke, Shi Liu, Jianhui Wang
    2023, 77(2): 180-190.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.033
    Abstract ( 32 )   PDF (2714KB) ( 7 )  
    Fluorinated salts and/or high salt concentrations are usually necessary to produce protective films on the electrodes for high-voltage aqueous batteries, yet these approaches increase the cost, toxicity and reaction resistances of battery. Herein, we report a dilute fluorine-free electrolyte design to overcome this dilemma. By using the LiClO4 salt and polyethylene glycol dimethyl ether (PED) solvent and optimizing the LiClO4/PED/H2O molar ratio, we formulate a 1 mol kg-1 3 V-class hybrid aqueous electrolyte that enables reversible charge/discharge of 2.5 V LiMn2O4|Li4Ti5O12 full cell at both low (0.5C, 92.4% capacity retention in 300 cycles) and high (5C, 80.4% capacity retention in 2000 cycles) rates. This excellent performance is reached even without the generation of protective film on either anode or cathode as identified by in/ex situ characterizations. The selection of appropriate ingredients that have both high stability and strong interactions with water is critical to widen the potential window of electrolyte while suppressing parasitic reactions on the electrodes. This work suggests that expensive and toxic fluorinate salts are no longer necessary for 3 V-class aqueous electrolytes, boosting the development of low-cost, environmentally-friendly, high-power and high-energy-density aqueous batteries.
    Co@CoO: An efficient catalyst for the depolymerization and upgrading of lignocellulose to alkylcyclohexanols with cellulose intact
    Shuang Xiang, Lin Dong, Zhiqiang Wang, Xue Han, Yong Guo, Xiaohui Liu, Xue-Qing Gong, Yanqin Wang
    2023, 77(2): 191-199.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.041
    Abstract ( 10 )   PDF (1729KB) ( 6 )  
    The depolymerization and upgrading of lignin from raw biomass, while keeping cellulose intact is important in biorefinery and various metal-based catalysts have been used in reductive catalytic fractionation, a key method in “lignin-first” strategy. Recently, we found that a core-shell structured Co@CoO catalyst with CoO shell as the real active site had excellent performance in the hydrogenolysis of 5-hydromethylfurfural to 2,5-dimethylfuran due to its unique ability to dissociate H2 and yield active Hδ- species (Xiang et al., 2022). In this work, we report a one-pot depolymerization and upgrading of lignocellulose to alkylcyclohexanols, a flavour precursor, with intact cellulose over this unique core-shell structured catalyst, Co@CoO. Lignin model compounds (β-O-4, 4-O-5, α-O-4) were first used to clarify the activity of Co@CoO catalyst. Then, the one-pot conversion of various organosolv lignin (birch, pine and poplar) to alkylcyclohexanols was realized with the mass yield of alkylcyclohexanols up to 25.8 wt% from birch lignin under the reaction condition of 210 °C, 1 MPa H2, 16 h. Finally, the corresponding woody sawdusts were used as feedstocks and found that the Co@CoO catalyst indeed preferentially depolymerized and upgraded the lignin part and obtained the same alkylcyclohexanols products with the retention of cellulose-rich pulp. The collected alkylcyclohexanols were further esterified to obtain value-added esters, which can be used as flavors. This work will inspire the design of new efficient metal oxide catalysts in lignin fractionation and depolymerization to high-value-added chemicals with intact cellulose.
    Predicting the device performance of the perovskite solar cells from the experimental parameters through machine learning of existing experimental results
    Yao Lu, Dong Wei, Wu Liu, Juan Meng, Xiaomin Huo, Yu Zhang, Zhiqin Liang, Bo Qiao, Suling Zhao, Dandan Song, Zheng Xu
    2023, 77(2): 200-208.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.024
    Abstract ( 21 )   PDF (2045KB) ( 13 )  
    The performance of the metal halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) highly relies on the experimental parameters, including the fabrication processes and the compositions of the perovskites; tremendous experimental work has been done to optimize these factors. However, predicting the device performance of the PSCs from the fabrication parameters before experiments is still challenging. Herein, we bridge this gap by machine learning (ML) based on a dataset including 1072 devices from peer-reviewed publications. The optimized ML model accurately predicts the PCE from the experimental parameters with a root mean square error of 1.28% and a Pearson coefficient r of 0.768. Moreover, the factors governing the device performance are ranked by shapley additive explanations (SHAP), among which, A-site cation is crucial to getting highly efficient PSCs. Experiments and density functional theory calculations are employed to validate and help explain the predicting results by the ML model. Our work reveals the feasibility of ML in predicting the device performance from the experimental parameters before experiments, which enables the reverse experimental design toward highly efficient PSCs.
    Interfacial engineering of holey platinum nanotubes for formic acid electrooxidation boosted water splitting
    Zi-Xin Ge, Yu Ding, Tian-Jiao Wang, Feng Shi, Pu-Jun Jin, Pei Chen, Bin He, Shi-Bin Yin, Yu Chen
    2023, 77(2): 209-216.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.020
    Abstract ( 11 )   PDF (3120KB) ( 7 )  
    Both structure and interface engineering are highly effective strategies for enhancing the catalytic activity and selectivity of precious metal nanostructures. In this work, we develop a facile pyrolysis strategy to synthesize the high-quality holey platinum nanotubes (Pt-H-NTs) using nanorods-like PtII-phenanthroline (PT) coordination compound as self-template and self-reduction precursor. Then, an up-bottom strategy is used to further synthesize polyallylamine (PA) modified Pt-H-NTs (Pt-H-NTs@PA). PA modification sharply promotes the catalytic activity of Pt-H-NTs for the formic acid electrooxidation reaction (FAEOR) by the direct reaction pathway. Meanwhile, PA modification also elevates the catalytic activity of Pt-H-NTs for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by the proton enrichment at electrolyte/electrode interface. Benefiting from the high catalytic activity of Pt-H-NTs@PA for both FAEOR and HER, a two-electrode FAEOR boosted water electrolysis system is fabricated by using Pt-H-NTs@PA as bifunctional electrocatalysts. Such FAEOR boosted water electrolysis system only requires the operational voltage of 0.47 V to achieve the high-purity hydrogen production, showing an energy-saving hydrogen production strategy compared to traditional water electrolysis system.
    Active straining engineering on self-assembled stacked Ni-based hybrid electrode for ultra-low overpotential
    Shujie Liu, Rui-Ting Gao, Xianhu Liu, Xueyuan Zhang, Limin Wu, Lei Wang
    2023, 77(2): 217-226.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.008
    Abstract ( 10 )   PDF (4357KB) ( 5 )  
    Generating sufficient strains on metal surfaces are highly challenging owing to that most metals can deform plastically to relax the strains on the surfaces. In this work, we developed a facile but highly efficient stacked deposition strategy to in situ activation and reconstruction of NiO/NiOOH on Ni matrix, following with the migration of Fe ions to NiOOH. The Fe sites on the Ni/NiO/NiOOH facilitate the formation of the stable *OH oxygenated intermediates, and the Ni matrix in the catalyst provides the catalyst excellent stability. The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance of the stacked NiFe-5 with compressive strain displays the strengthened binding to oxygenated intermediates and superior OER activity, the ultralow overpotentials of 162 versus reversible hydrogen electrode at 10 mA cm-2. On the other hand, the Ni-5 without the incorporation of Fe has shown an outstanding hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity, affording an overpotential of 47 mV at 10 mA cm-2. The NiFe-5||Ni-5 enables the overall water splitting at a voltage of 1.508 V to achieve 20 mA cm-2 with remarkable durability. The stacked deposition strategy improves binding strength of Ni-based catalysts to oxygenated intermediates via generating compressive strain, causing high catalytic activities on OER and HER.
    Construction of phosphorus-doping with spontaneously developed selenium vacancies: Inducing superior ion-diffusion kinetics in hollow Cu2Se@C nanospheres for efficient sodium storage
    Xiaoqing Ma, Yadong Li, Xiaojiang Long, Hong-chuan Luo, Chunping Xu, Guangzhao Wang, Wenxi Zhao
    2023, 77(2): 227-238.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.046
    Abstract ( 13 )   PDF (4041KB) ( 9 )  
    Achieving high-efficiency sodium storage in metal selenides is still severely constrained in consideration of their inferior electronic conductivity and inadequate Na+ insertion pathways and active sites. Heteroatom doping accompanied by spontaneously developed lattice defects can effectively tune electronic structure of metal selenides, which give a strong effect to motivate fast charge transfer and Na+ accessibility. Herein, we finely designed and successfully constructed a fascinating phosphorus-doped Cu2Se@C hollow nanosphere with abundant vacancy defects (Cu2PxSe1-x@C) through a combination strategy of selenization of Cu2O nanosphere template, self-polymerization of dopamine, and subsequent phosphorization treatment. Such exquisite composite possesses enriched active sites, superior conductivity, and sufficient Na+ insertion channel, which enable much faster Na+ diffusion rates and more remarkable pseudocapacitive features. Satisfyingly, the Cu2PxSe1-x@C composites manifest the supernormal sodium-storage capabilities, that is, a reversible capacity of 403.7 mA h g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 over 100 cycles, and an ultrastable cyclic lifespan over 1000 cycles at 20.0 A g-1 with a high capacity-retention of about 249.7 mA h g-1. The phase transformation of the Cu2PxSe1-x@C involving the intercalation of Na+ into Cu2Se and the following conversion of NaCuSe to Cu and Na2Se were further demonstrated through a series of ex-situ characterization methods. DFT results demonstrate that the coexistence of phosphorus-doping and vacancy defects within Cu2Se results in the reduction of Na+ adsorption energy from -1.47 to -1.56 eV improving the conductivity of Cu2Se to further accelerate fast Na+ mobility.
    High efficiency CZTSSe solar cells enabled by dual Ag-passivation approach via aqueous solution process
    Temujin Enkhbat, Enkhjargal Enkhbayar, Namuundari Otgontamir, Md Hamim Sharif, Md Salahuddin Mina, Seong Yeon Kim, JunHo Kim
    2023, 77(2): 239-246.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.004
    Abstract ( 19 )   PDF (1537KB) ( 4 )  
    Ag substitution in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se)4 (CZTSSe) is a promising way to mitigate Cu/Zn related defects, electrostatic fluctuations and Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) recombination centers. However, high performance ACZTSSe solar cells are generally demonstrated with more Ag amounts and strenuous fabrication processes, which are not ideal when using cheap constituent materials CZTSSe. To reduce the Ag amount (2%-3%), local Ag substitutions into CZTSSe at front (F), back (B) and dual front/back (FB) were proposed. Experimental results revealed that F-passivation effectively reduced the Cu/Zn related defects and further limits the interface/bulk recombination whereas B-passivation improved the grain growth at the back interface and further allows enhanced transport of charge carriers. By employing the dual Ag-passivation approach, the final ACZTSSe device parameters were significantly improved and remarkable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 12.43% was achieved with eco-friendly aqueous solution process.
    Direct transformation of fossil carbon into chemicals: A review
    Jingyuan Fan, Kang Gao, Peng Zhang, Yuying Dang, Yuxiao Ding, Bingsen Zhang
    2023, 77(2): 247-268.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.030
    Abstract ( 9 )   PDF (1732KB) ( 5 )  
    Despite the long tradition of fossil carbon (coal, char, and related carbon-based materials) for fueling mankind, the science of transforming them into chemicals is still demandingly progressing in the current energy scenario, especially when considering its responsibilities to the global climate change. Traditionally, there are four routes of preparing chemicals directly from fossil carbon, including hydrogasification, gasification, direct liquefaction, and oxidation, in the macroscope of gas-solid reaction (hydrogasification and gasification) and liquid-solid reaction (direct liquefaction and oxidation). When the study goes to microscale, the gas-solid reaction can be considered as the reaction between the severe condensed radicals and gas, while the liquid-solid reaction is the direct reaction between the radical and the activated-molecule. To have a full overview of the area, this review systematically summarizes the main factors in these processes and shows our own perspectives as follows, (i) stabilizing the free radicals generated from coal and then directly converting them has the highest efficiency in coal utilization; (ii) the research on the self-catalytic process of coal structure will have a profound impact on the direct preparation of chemicals from fossil carbon. Further discussions are also proposed to guide the future study of the area into a more sustainable direction.
    Methylene blue intercalated vanadium oxide with synergistic energy storage mechanism for highly efficient aqueous zinc ion batteries
    Yunxiao Tong, Ying Zang, Senda Su, Yinggui Zhang, Junzhuo Fang, Yongqing Yang, Xiaoman Li, Xiang Wu, Fuming Chen, Jianhua Hou, Min Luo
    2023, 77(2): 269-279.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.040
    Abstract ( 14 )   PDF (3551KB) ( 6 )  
    With the rise of aqueous multivalent rechargeable batteries, inorganic-organic hybrid cathodes have attracted more and more attention due to the complement of each other's advantages. Herein, a strategy of designing hybrid cathode is adopted for high efficient aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Methylene blue (MB) intercalated vanadium oxide (HVO-MB) was synthesized through sol-gel and ion exchange method. Compared with other organic-inorganic intercalation cathode, not only can the MB intercalation enlarge the HVO interlayer spacing to improve ion mobility, but also provide coordination reactions with the Zn2+ to enhance the intrinsic electrochemical reaction kinetics of the hybrid electrode. As a key component for the cathode of AZIBs, HVO-MB contributes a specific capacity of 418 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1, high rate capability (243 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1) and extraordinary stability (88% of capacity retention after 2 000 cycles at a high current density of 5 A g-1) in 3 M Zn(CF3SO3)2 aqueous electrolyte. The electrochemical kinetics reveals HVO-MB characterized with large pseudocapacitance charge storage behavior due to the fast ion migration provided by the coordination reaction and expanded interlayer distance. Furthermore, a mixed energy storage mechanism involving Zn2+ insertion and coordination reaction is confirmed by various ex-situ characterization. Thus, this work opens up a new path for constructing the high performance cathode of AZIBs through organic-inorganic hybridization.
    Doping sites modulation of T-Nb2O5 to achieve ultrafast lithium storage
    Xiaobo Ding, Huiying Huang, Qianhui Huang, Benrui Hu, Xiaokang Li, Xiangdong Ma, Xunhui Xiong
    2023, 77(2): 280-289.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.049
    Abstract ( 7 )   PDF (2547KB) ( 3 )  
    Heteroatoms doping has been regarded as a promising route to modulate the physiochemical properties of electrode materials, in which the doping sites greatly influence the electrochemical performances. However, very few reports focus on enhancing the lithium storage performances of Nb2O5 via heteroatoms doping, yet the effect of different doping sites remains unclear. Herein, nitrogen doping has been proposed to improve the fast-charging capability of orthorhombic Nb2O5 (T-Nb2O5) via a urea-assisted annealing process. Experimental data and theoretical calculation demonstrate that the N doping sites in T-Nb2O5 can be tuned by the heating rate, in which substitutional N can increase the spacing of the Li+ transport layer as well as reduce the band gap, while interstitial N can provide an electron-rich environment for Li+ transport layer and then reduce the Li+ diffusion barrier. Arising from the synergistic effect of N doping at different sites, the N-doped T-Nb2O5 without carbon coating delivers impressive rate performance (104.6 mA h g-1 at 25 C) as well as enhanced cycle stability with a retention of 70.5% over 1000 cycles at 5 C. In addition, the assembled lithium ion capacitor exhibits a high energy density of 46.6 Wh kg-1 even at high power density of 8.4 kW kg-1.
    Stable sodium anodes for sodium metal batteries (SMBs) enabled by in-situ formed quasi solid-state polymer electrolyte
    Jian Ma, Xuyong Feng, Yueyue Wu, Yueda Wang, Pengcheng Liu, Ke Shang, Hao Jiang, Xianglong Hou, David Mitlin, Hongfa Xiang
    2023, 77(2): 290-299.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.09.040
    Abstract ( 77 )   PDF (2871KB) ( 46 )  
    A high-performance quasi-solid polymer electrolyte for sodium metal batteries (SMBs) based on in-situ polymerized poly(1,3-dioxolane) (DOL) with 20% volume ratio of fluoroethylene carbonate (FEC), termed “PDFE-20”, is proposed in this work. It is demonstrated PDFE-20 possesses a room-temperature ionic conductivity of 3.31 × 10-3 S cm-1, an ionic diffusion activation energy of 0.10 eV, and an oxidation potential of 4.4 V. SMBs based on PDFE-20 and Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) cathodes were evaluated with an active material mass loading of 6.8 mg cm-2. The cell displayed an initial discharge specific capacity of 104 mA h g-1, and 97.1% capacity retention after 100 cycles at 0.5 C. In-situ polymerization conformally coats the anode/cathode interfaces, avoiding geometrical gaps and high charge transfer resistance with ex-situ polymerization of the same chemistry. FEC acts as a plasticizer during polymerization to suppress crystallization and significantly improves ionic transport. During battery cycling FEC promotes mechanical congruence of electrolyte-electrode interfaces while forming a stable NaF-rich solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) at the anode. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also performed to further understand the role FEC in the poly(DOL)-FEC electrolytes. This work broadens the application of in-situ prepared poly(DOL) electrolytes to sodium storage and demonstrates the crucial role of FEC in improving the electrochemical performance.
    A robust fluorine-containing ceramic cathode for direct CO2 electrolysis in solid oxide electrolysis cells
    Shaowei Zhang, Chengyue Yang, Yunan Jiang, Ping Li, Changrong Xia
    2023, 77(2): 300-309.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.021
    Abstract ( 12 )   PDF (2341KB) ( 8 )  
    Strontium-doped lanthanum ferrite (LSF) is a potential ceramic cathode for direct CO2 electrolysis in solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs), but its application is limited by insufficient catalytic activity and stability in CO2-containing atmospheres. Herein, a novel strategy is proposed to enhance the electrolytic performance as well as chemical stability, achieved by doping F into the O-site of the perovskite LSF. Doping F does not change the phase structure but reduces the cell volume and improves the chemical stability in a CO2-rich atmosphere. Importantly, F doping favors oxygen vacancy formation, increases oxygen vacancy concentration, and enhances the CO2 adsorption capability. Meanwhile, doping with F greatly improves the kinetics of the CO2 reduction reaction. For example, kchem increases by 78% from 3.49 × 10-4 cm s-1 to 6.24 × 10-4 cm s-1, and Dchem doubles from 4.68 × 10-5 cm2 s-1 to 9.45 × 10-5 cm2 s-1. Consequently, doping F significantly increases the electrochemical performance, such as reducing Rp by 52.2% from 0.226 Ω cm2 to 0.108 Ω cm2 at 800 °C. As a result, the single cell with the F-containing cathode exhibits an extremely high current density of 2.58 A cm-2 at 800 °C and 1.5 V, as well as excellent durability over 200 h for direct CO2 electrolysis in SOECs.
    Boosting high initial coulombic efficiency of hard carbon by in-situ electrochemical presodiation
    Nannan Qin, Yanyan Sun, Chao Hu, Sainan Liu, Zhigao Luo, Xinxin Cao, Shuquan Liang, Guozhao Fang
    2023, 77(2): 310-316.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.032
    Abstract ( 26 )   PDF (1721KB) ( 17 )  
    Hard carbon (HC) is a promising anode material for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), whereas inferior initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) severely limits its practical application. In the present work, we propose an in situ electrochemical presodiation approach to improve ICE by mixing sodium biphenyl (Na-Bp) dimethoxyethane (DME) solution with DME-based ether electrolyte. A solid electrolyte interface (SEI) could be formed beforehand on the HC electrode and Na+ was absorbed to nanopores and graphene stacks, compensating for the sodium loss and preventing electrolyte decomposition during the initial charge and discharge cycle. By this way, the ICE of half-cells was increased to nearly 100 % and that of full-cells from 45% to 96% with energy density from 132.9 to 230.5 W h kg-1. Our work provides an efficient and facile method for improving ICE, which can potentially promote the practical application of HC-based materials.
    Ligand-free CsPbBr3 with calliandra-like nanostructure for efficient artificial photosynthesis
    Yan-Fei Mu, Hui-Ling Liu, Meng-Ran Zhang, Hong-Juan Wang, Min Zhang, Tong-Bu Lu
    2023, 77(2): 317-325.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.022
    Abstract ( 7 )   PDF (1688KB) ( 3 )  
    The low-efficiency CO2 uptake capacity and insufficient photogenerated exciton dissociation of current metal halide perovskite (MHP) nanocrystals with end-capping ligands extremely restrict their application in the field of artificial photosynthesis. Herein, we demonstrate that ligand-free CsPbBr3 with calliandra-like nanostructure (LF-CPB CL) can be synthesized easily through a ligand-free seed-assisted dissolution-recrystallization growth process, exhibiting significantly enhanced CO2 uptake capacity. More specifically, the abundant surface bromine (Br) vacancies in ligand-free MHP materials are demonstrated to be beneficial to photogenerated carrier separation. The electron consumption rate of LF-CPB CL for photocatalytic CO2 reduction increases 7 and 20 times over those of traditional ligand-capping CsPbBr3 nanocrystal (L-CPB NC) and bulk CsPbBr3, respectively. Moreover, the absence of ligand hindrance can facilitate the interfacial electronic coupling between LF-CPB CL and tetra(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin iron(III) chloride (Fe-TCPP) cocatalyst, bringing forth significantly accelerated interfacial charge separation. The LF-CPB CL/Fe-TCPP exhibits a total electron consumption rate of 145.6 μmol g-1 h-1 for CO2 photoreduction coupled with water oxidation, which is over 14 times higher than that of L-CPB NC/Fe-TCPP.
    Enhanced ionic conductivity in a novel composite electrolyte based on Gd-doped SnO2 nanotubes for ultra-long-life all-solid-state lithium metal batteries
    Lugang Zhang, Nanping Deng, Junbao Kang, Xiaoxiao Wang, Hongjing Gao, Yarong Liu, Hao Wang, Gang Wang, Bowen Cheng, Weimin Kang
    2023, 77(2): 326-337.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.003
    Abstract ( 23 )   PDF (2897KB) ( 12 )  
    All-solid-state electrolytes are exceedingly attractive because of the outstanding inherent safety and energy density compared to liquid electrolytes. Whereas, it is still formidable to simultaneously design solid electrolytes with favorable electrode/electrolyte interface compatibility and high ionic conductivity in a simple and scalable manner. Hence, the oxygen-vacancy-rich Gd-doped SnO2 nanotubes (GDS NTs) are innovatively prepared and applied to the electrolyte of all-solid-state lithium metal batteries for the first time. The addition of GDS NTs can validly construct long-range continuous ion transport networks in the poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based system and greatly improve the mechanical properties of the electrolyte. Compared to the PEO-based electrolyte, the composite electrolyte displays a higher lithium ion conductivity of 2.41 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 30 ℃, a higher lithium ion transference number up to 0.62 and a wider electrochemical window of 5 V at 50 ℃. In addition, the composite electrolyte manifests outstanding compatibility with high-voltage LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 (NMC811) cathode, LiFePO4 cathode and lithium metal anode. The assembled Li/Li symmetric battery exhibits stable Li plating/stripping cycling performance, which can cycle steadily for 1500 h at a capacity of 0.3 mA h cm-2. And Li/LiFePO4 battery still maintains a high capacity of 131.54 mA h g-1 at 0.5C after 800 cycles, which has a superior capacity retention rate of 93.2%. The obtained novel composite electrolyte has promising application prospects in the field of all-solid-state lithium metal cells.
    Sulfur/nitrogen/oxygen tri-doped carbon nanospheres as an anode for potassium ion storage
    Xiaoyan Chen, Wang Zhou, Jilei Liu, Yingpeng Wu, Zhigang Liu
    2023, 77(2): 338-347.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.042
    Abstract ( 14 )   PDF (2576KB) ( 5 )  
    Carbonaceous materials are considered as ideal anode for potassium ion batteries (PIBs) due to their abundant resources and stable physical and chemical properties. However, improvements of reversible capacity and cycle performance are still needed, aiming to the practical application. Herein, S/N/O tri-doped carbon (SNOC) nanospheres are prepared by in-situ vulcanized polybenzoxazine. The S/N/O tri-doped carbon matrix provides abundant active sites for potassium ion adsorption and effectively improves potassium storage capacity. Moreover, the SNOC nanospheres possess large carbon interlayer spacing and high specific surface area, which broaden the diffusion pathway of potassium ions and accelerate the electron transfer speed, resulting in excellent rate performance. As an anode for PIBs, SNOC shows attractive rate performance (438.5 mA h g-1 at 50 mA g-1 and 174.5 mA h g-1 at 2000 mA g-1), ultra-high reversible capacity (397.4 mA h g-1 at 100 mA g-1 after 700 cycles) and ultra-long cycling life (218.9 mA h g-1 at 2000 mA g-1 after 7300 cycles, 123.1 mA h g-1 at 3000 mA g-1 after 16500 cycles and full cell runs for 4000 cycles). Density functional theory calculation confirms that S/N/O tri-doping enhances the adsorption and diffusion of potassium ions, and in-situ Fourier-transform infrared explores explored the potassium storage mechanism of SNOC.
    Scalable synthesized high-performance TiO2-Si-C hybrid anode for lithium batteries
    Liao Shen, Chengjie Xu, Jingguo Gao, Jianming Tao, Qiaobao Zhang, Yue Chen, Yingbin Lin, Zhigao Huang, Jiaxin Li
    2023, 77(2): 348-358.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.044
    Abstract ( 21 )   PDF (3546KB) ( 11 )  
    At present, developing a simple strategy to effectively solve the shackles of volume expansion, poor conductivity and interface compatibility faced by Si-C anode in lithium batteries (LIBs) is the key to its commercialization. Here, low-cost nano-Si powders were prepared from Si-waste of solar-cells by sanding treatment, which can effectively reduce the commercialization cost for Si-C anode. Furthermore, micro-nano structured Gr@Si/C/TiO2 anode materials with graphite (Gr) as the inner core, TiO2-doped and carbon-coated Si as the outer coating-layer, were synthesized at kilogram-scale per milling batch. Comprehensive characterization results indicate that TiO2-doped carbon layer can improve the interface compatibility with the electrolyte, further promote the reduction of electrode polarization, and finally enhance the battery performance for the Gr@Si/C/TiO2 anodes. Accordingly, Gr@Si/C/TiO2 composites can output excellent LIB performance, especially with high initial coulombic efficiency (ICE) of 82.51% and large average reversible capacity of ∼ 810 mA h g-1 at 0.8 A g-1 after 1000 cycles. Moreover, Gr@Si/C/TiO2||NCM811 pouch full cells deliver impressive performance especially with high energy density of ∼ 489.3 W h kg-1 based on the total weight of active materials, suggesting its promising application in the high performance LIBs.
    Simultaneous generation of electricity, ethylene and decomposition of nitrous oxide via protonic ceramic fuel cell membrane reactor
    Song Lei, Ao Wang, Guowei Weng, Ying Wu, Jian Xue, Haihui Wang
    2023, 77(2): 359-368.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.035
    Abstract ( 16 )   PDF (2673KB) ( 6 )  
    Ethylene, one of the most widely produced building blocks in the petrochemical industry, has received intense attention. Ethylene production, using electrochemical hydrogen pump-facilitated nonoxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (NDE) to ethylene, is an emerging and promising route, promoting the transformation of the ethylene industry from energy-intensive steam cracking process to new electrochemical membrane reactor technology. In this work, the NDE reaction is incorporated into a BaZr0.1Ce0.7Y0.1Yb0.1O3-δ electrolyte-supported protonic ceramic fuel cell membrane reactor to co-generate electricity and ethylene, utilizing the Nb and Cu doped perovskite oxide Pr0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8Nb0.1Cu0.1O3-δ (PSFNCu) as anode catalytic layer. Due to the doping of Nb and Cu, PSFNCu was endowed with high reduction tolerance and rich oxygen vacancies, showing excellent NDE catalytic performance. The maximum power density of the assembled reactor reaches 200 mW cm-2 at 750 °C, with high ethane conversion (44.9%) and ethylene selectivity (92.7%). Moreover, the nitrous oxide decomposition was first coupled in the protonic ceramic fuel cell membrane reactor to consume the permeated protons. As a result, the generation of electricity, ethylene and decomposition of nitrous oxide can be simultaneously obtained by a single reactor. Specifically, the maximum power density of the cell reaches 208 mW cm-2 at 750 °C, with high ethane conversion (45.2%), ethylene selectivity (92.5%), and nitrous oxide conversion (19.0%). This multi-win technology is promising for not only the production of chemicals and energy but also greenhouse gas reduction.
    A general synthesis of inorganic nanotubes as high-rate anode materials of sodium ion batteries
    Chunting Wang, Ningyan Cheng, Zhongchao Bai, Qinfen Gu, Feier Niu, Xun Xu, Jialin Zhang, Nana Wang, Binghui Ge, Jian Yang, Yitai Qian, Shixue Dou
    2023, 77(2): 369-375.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.009
    Abstract ( 20 )   PDF (2225KB) ( 8 )  
    Inorganic tubular materials have an exceptionally wide range of applications, yet developing a simple and universal method to controllably synthesize them remains challenging. In this work, we report a vapor-phase-etching hard-template method that can directly fabricate tubes on various thermally stable oxide and sulfide materials. This synthesis method features the introduction of a vapor-phase-etching process to greatly simplify the steps involved in preparing tubular materials and avoids complicated post-processing procedures. Furthermore, the in-situ heating transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique is used to observe the dynamic formation process of TiO2-x tubes, indicating that the removal process of the Sb2S3 templates first experienced the Rayleigh instability, then vapor-phase-etching process. When used as an anode for sodium ion batteries, the TiO2-x tube exhibits excellent rate performance of 134.6 mA h g-1 at the high current density of 10 A g-1 and long-term cycling over 7000 cycles. Moreover, the full cell demonstrates excellent cycling performance with capacity retention of 98% after 1000 cycles, indicating that it is a promising anode material for batteries. This method can be expanded to the design and synthesis of other thermally-stable tubular materials such as ZnS, MoS2, and SiO2
    Strong internal electric field enhanced polysulfide trapping and ameliorates redox kinetics for lithium-sulfur battery
    Bin Yang, Jinyi Wang, Yuheng Qi, Daying Guo, Xueyu Wang, Guoyong Fang, Xi'an Chen, Shun Wang
    2023, 77(2): 376-383.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.045
    Abstract ( 11 )   PDF (1724KB) ( 6 )  
    The shuttle effect of polysulfides is a major challenge for the commercialization of lithium-sulfur battery. The systematic modification of separators has the potential to solve these problems by enhancing the adsorption and catalytic conversion of polysulfides. Herein, strong internal electric field bismuth oxycarbonate (Bi2O2CO3) nanoflowers decorated conductive carbon (DC + BOC) is proposed to be systematically modified on separator. This intermediate layer not only possesses a strong affinity for polysulfides, but also promotes the conversion of polysulfides and induces the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer, thereby improving the rate performance and cycling stability of the battery. As expected, the modified membrane achieved a high specific capacity of 713 mA h g-1 at 5 C. At 1 C, high reversibility of 719 mA h g-1 was achieved after 550 cycles with only 0.044% decay per cycle. More importantly, under the sulfur loading of 5.1 mg cm-2, the area specific capacity remained at 4.1 mA h cm-2 after 200 cycles, and the attenuation rate per cycle was only 0.056%. This work provides a new strategy to overcome the shuttle effect of polysulfide, and shows great potential in the application of high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.
    Capacitive energy storage from single pore to porous electrode identified by frequency response analysis
    Weiheng Li, Qiu-An Huang, Yu Li, Yuxuan Bai, Nan Wang, Jia Wang, Yongming Hu, Yufeng Zhao, Xifei Li, Jiujun Zhang
    2023, 77(2): 384-405.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.017
    Abstract ( 12 )   PDF (1287KB) ( 3 )  
    Rate capability, peak power, and energy density are of vital importance for the capacitive energy storage (CES) of electrochemical energy devices. The frequency response analysis (FRA) is regarded as an efficient tool in studying the CES. In the present work, a bi-scale impedance transmission line model (TLM) is firstly developed for a single pore to a porous electrode. Not only the TLM of the single pore is re-parameterized but also the particle packing compactness is defined in the bi-scale. Subsequently, the CES properties are identified by FRA, focused on rate capability vs. characteristic frequency, peak power vs. equivalent series resistance, and energy density vs. low frequency limiting capacitance for a single pore to a porous electrode. Based on these relationships, the CES properties are numerically simulated and theoretically predicted for a single pore to a porous electrode in terms of intra-particle pore length, intra-particle pore diameter, inter-particle pore diameter, electrolyte conductivity, interfacial capacitance & exponent factor, electrode thickness, electrode apparent surface area, and particle packing compactness. Finally, the experimental diagnosis of four supercapacitors (SCs) with different electrode thicknesses is conducted for validating the bi-scale TLM and gaining an insight into the CES properties for a porous electrode to a single pore. The calculating results suggest, to some extent, the inter-particle pore plays a more critical role than the intra-particle pore in the CES properties such as the rate capability and the peak power density for a single pore to a porous electrode. Hence, in order to design a better porous electrode, more attention should be given to the inter-particle pore.
    Recent advances in paired electrolysis coupling CO2 reduction with alternative oxidation reactions
    Deng Li, Jiangfan Yang, Juhong Lian, Junqing Yan, ShengzhongLiu
    2023, 77(2): 406-419.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.031
    Abstract ( 17 )   PDF (2387KB) ( 5 )  
    Electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) holds great promise in green energy conversion and storage. However, for current CO2 electrolyzers that rely on the oxygen evolution reaction, a large portion of the input energy is “wasted” at the anode due to the high overpotential requirement and the recovery of low-value oxygen. To make efficient use of the electricity during electrolysis, coupling CO2RR with anodic alternatives that have low energy demands and/or profitable returns with high-value products is then promising. Herein, we review the latest advances in paired systems for simultaneous CO2 reduction and anode valorization. We start with the cases integrating CO2RR with concurrent alternative oxidation, such as inorganic oxidation using chloride, sulfide, ammonia and urea, and organic oxidation using alcohols, aldehydes and primary amines. The paired systems that couple CO2RR with on-site oxidative upgrading of CO2-reduced chemicals are also introduced. The coupling mechanism, electrochemical performance and economic viability of these co-electrolysis systems are discussed. Thereby, we then point out the mismatch issues between the cathodic and anodic reactions regrading catalyst ability, electrolyte solution and reactant supply that will challenge the applications of these paired electrolysis systems. Opportunities to address these issues are further proposed, providing some guidance for future research.
    Heterostructured bimetallic phosphide nanowire arrays with latticetorsion interfaces for efficient overall water splitting
    Hua Zhang, Hongyi Li, Yintang Zhou, Fang Tan, Ruijie Dai, Xijun Liu, Guangzhi Hu, Laiming Jiang, Anran Chen, Renbing Wu
    2023, 77(2): 420-427.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.019
    Abstract ( 23 )   PDF (2003KB) ( 7 )  
    Designing cost-effective and high-efficiency electrocatalysts is critical to the water splitting performance during hydrogen generation. Herein, we have developed Fe2P-Co2P heterostructure nanowire arrays with excellent lattice torsions and grain boundaries for highly efficient water splitting. According to the microstructural investigations and theoretical calculations, the lattice torsion interface not only contributes to the exposure of more active sites but also effectively tunes the adsorption energy of hydrogen/oxygen intermediates via the accumulation of charge redistribution. As a result, the Fe2P-Co2P heterostructure nanowire array exhibits exceptional bifunctional catalytic activity with overpotentials of 65 and 198 mV at 10 mA cm-2 for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions, respectively. Moreover, the Fe2P-Co2P/NF-assembled electrolyzer can deliver 10 mA cm-2 at an ultralow voltage of 1.51 V while resulting in a high solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 19.8% in the solar-driven water electrolysis cell.
    Unraveling the degradation mechanism of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 at the high cut-off voltage for lithium ion batteries
    Liming Wang, Qingmei Su, Bin Han, Weihao Shi, Gaohui Du, Yunting Wang, Huayv Li, Lin Gu, Wenqi Zhao, Shukai Ding, Miao Zhang, Yongzhen Yang, Bingshe Xu
    2023, 77(2): 428-437.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.016
    Abstract ( 61 )   PDF (3209KB) ( 29 )  
    LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) layered oxides have been regarded as promising alternative cathodes for the next generation of high-energy lithium ion batteries (LIBs) due to high discharge capacities and energy densities at high operation voltage. However, the capacity fading under high operation voltage still restricts the practical application. Herein, the capacity degradation mechanism of NCM811 at atomic-scale is studied in detail under various cut-off voltages using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). It is observed that the crystal structure of NCM811 evolution from a layered structure to a rock-salt phase is directly accompanied by serious intergranular cracks under 4.9 V, which is distinguished from the generally accepted structure evolution of layered, disordered layered, defect rock salt and rock salt phases, also observed under 4.3 and 4.7 V. The electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis also confirms the reduction of Ni and Co from the surface to the bulk, not the previously reported only Li/Ni interlayer mixing. The degradation mechanism of NCM811 at a high cut-off voltage of 4.9 V is attributed to the formation of intergranular cracks induced by defects, the direct formation of the rock salt phase, and the accompanied reduction of Ni2+ and Co2+ phases from the surface to the bulk.
    Machine learning techniques for prediction of capacitance and remaining useful life of supercapacitors: A comprehensive review
    Vaishali Sawant, Rashmi Deshmukh, Chetan Awati
    2023, 77(2): 438-451.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.012
    Abstract ( 32 )   PDF (1894KB) ( 23 )  
    Supercapacitors are appealing energy storage devices for their promising features like high power density, outstanding cycling stability, and a quick charge-discharge cycle. The exceptional life cycle and ultimate power capability of supercapacitors are needed in the transportation and renewable energy generation sectors. Hence, predicting the capacitance and lifecycle of supercapacitors is significant for selecting the suitable material and planning replacement intervals for supercapacitors. In addition, system failures can be better addressed by accurately forecasting the lifecycle of SCs. Recently, the use of machine learning for performance prediction of energy storage materials has drawn increasing attention from researchers globally because of its superiority in prediction accuracy, time efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. This article presents a detailed review of the progress and advancement of ML techniques for the prediction of capacitance and remaining useful life (RUL) of supercapacitors. The review starts with an introduction to supercapacitor materials and ML applications in energy storage devices, followed by workflow for ML model building for supercapacitor materials. Then, the summary of machine learning applications for the prediction of capacitance and RUL of different supercapacitor materials including EDLCs (carbon based materials), pesudocapacitive (oxides and composites) and hybrid materials is presented. Finally, the general perspective for future directions is also presented.
    Conversion of lignin oil and hemicellulose derivative into high-density jet fuel
    Sichao Yang, Chengxiang Shi, Zhensheng Shen, Lun Pan, Zhenfeng Huang, Xiangwen Zhang, Ji-Jun Zou
    2023, 77(2): 452-460.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.050
    Abstract ( 35 )   PDF (1084KB) ( 14 )  
    Synthesizing high-density fuel from lignocellulose can not only achieve green and low-carbon development, but also expand the feedstock source of hydrocarbon fuel. Here, we reported a route of producing high-density fuel from lignin oil and hemicellulose derivative cyclopentanol through alkylation and hydrodeoxygenation. HY with SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of 5.3 was screened as the alkylation catalyst in the reaction of model phenolic compounds and mixtures, and the reaction conditions were optimized to achieve conversion of phenolic compounds higher than 87% and selectivity of bicyclic and tricyclic products higher than 99%. Then two phenolic pools simulating the composition of two typic lignin oils were studied to validate the alkylation and analyze the competition mechanism of phenolic compounds in mixture system. Finally, real lignin oil from depolymerized of beech powder was tested, and notably 80% of phenolic monomers in the oil were converted into fuel precursor. After hydrodeoxygenation, the alkylated product was converted to fuel blend with a density of 0.91 g/mL at 20 °C and a freezing point lower than -60 °C, very promising as high density fuel. This work provides a facile and energy-efficient way of synthesizing high-performance jet fuel directly from lignocellulosic derivatives, which decreases processing energy consumption and improve the utilization rate of feedstock.
    Element doping induced microstructural engineering enhancing the lithium storage performance of high-nickel layered cathodes
    Zhizhan Li, Xiao Huang, Jianing Liang, Jinlei Qin, Rui Wang, Jinguo Cheng, Deli Wang
    2023, 77(2): 461-468.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.002
    Abstract ( 7 )   PDF (1736KB) ( 3 )  
    The high-nickel layered cathodes Li[NixCoyMn1-x-y]O2 (x ≥ 0.8) with high specific capacity and long cycle life are considered as prospective cathodes for lithium-ion batteries. However, the microcrack formation and poor structural stability give rise to inferior rate performance and undesirable cycling life. Herein, we propose a dual modification strategy combining primary particle structure design and element doping to modify Li[Ni0.95Co0.025Mn0.025]O2 cathode by tungsten and fluorine co-doped (W-F-NCM95). The doping of W can convert the microstructure of primary particles to the unique rod-like shape, which is beneficial to enhance the reversibility of phase transition and alleviate the generation of microcracks. F doping is conducive to alleviating the surface side reactions. Thus, due to the synergistic effect of W, F co-doping, the obtained W-F-NCM95 cathodes deliver a high initial capacity of 236.1 mA h g-1 at 0.1 C and superior capacity retention of 88.7% over 100 cycles at 0.5 C. Moreover, the capacity still maintains 73.8% after 500 cycles at 0.5 C and the texture of primary particle is intact. This work provides an available strategy by W and F co-doping to enhance the electrochemistry performance of high-nickel cathodes for practical application.
    Bimetallic NiCo boride nanoparticles confined in a MXene network enable efficient ambient ammonia electrosynthesis
    Chuang Wang, Qin-Chao Wang, Ke-Xin Wang, Michiel De Ras, Kaibin Chu, Liang-Liang Gu, Feili Lai, Sheng-You Qiu, Hele Guo, Peng-Jian Zuo, Johan Hofkens, Xiao-Dong Zhu
    2023, 77(2): 469-478.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.010
    Abstract ( 12 )   PDF (1912KB) ( 5 )  
    Ambient electrocatalytic nitrogen fixation is an emerging technology for green ammonia synthesis, but the absence of optimized, stable and performant catalysts can render its practical application challenging. Herein, bimetallic NiCo boride nanoparticles confined in MXene are shown to accomplish high-performance nitrogen reduction electrolysis. Taking advantage of the synergistic effect in specific compositions with unique electronic d and p orbits and typical architecture of rich nanosized particles embedded in the interconnected conductive network, the synthesized MXene@NiCoB composite demonstrates extensive improvements in nitrogen molecule chemisorption, active area exposure and charge transport. As a result, optimal NH3 yield rate of 38.7 μg h-1 mgcat.-1 and Faradaic efficiency of 6.92% are acquired in 0.1 M Na2SO4 electrolyte. Moreover, the great catalytic performance can be almost entirely maintained in the cases of repeatedly-cycled and long-term electrolysis. Theoretical investigations reveal that the nitrogen reduction reaction on MXene@NiCoB catalyst proceeds according to the distal pathway, with a distinctly-reduced energy barrier relative to the Co2B counterpart. This work may inspire a new route towards the rational catalyst design for the nitrogen reduction reaction.
    Clarification of underneath capacity loss for O3-type Ni, co free layered cathodes at high voltage for sodium ion batteries
    Dong Zhou, De Ning, Jun Wang, Jiahua Liu, Gaoyuan Zhang, Yinguo Xiao, Jiaxin Zheng, Yongli Li, Jie Li, Xinzhi Liu
    2023, 77(2): 479-486.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.031
    Abstract ( 20 )   PDF (1629KB) ( 8 )  
    Earth abundant O3-type NaFe0.5Mn0.5O2 layered oxide is regarded as one of the most promising cathodes for sodium ion batteries due to its low cost and high energy density. However, its poor structural stability and cycle life strongly impede the practical application. Herein, the dynamic phase evolution as well as charge compensation mechanism of O3-type NaFe0.5Mn0.5O2 cathode during sodiation/desodiation are revealed by a systemic study with operando X-ray diffraction and X-ray absorption spectroscopy, high resolution neutron powder diffraction and neutron pair distribution functions. The layered structure experiences a phase transition of O3 → P3 → OP2 → ramsdellite during the desodiation, and a new O3′ phase is observed at the end of the discharge state (1.5 V). The density functional theory (DFT) calculations and nPDF results suggest that depletion of Na+ ions induces the movement of Fe into Na layer resulting the formation of an inert ramsdellite phase thus causing the loss of capacity and structural integrity. Meanwhile, the operando XAS clarified the voltage regions for active Mn3+/Mn4+ and Fe3+/Fe4+ redox couples. This work points out the universal underneath problem for Fe-based layered oxide cathodes when cycled at high voltage and highlights the importance to suppress Fe migration regarding the design of high energy O3-type cathodes for sodium ion batteries.
    Ultraviolet photodetectors based on ferroelectric depolarization field
    Xiaoyu Zhou, Qingqing Ke, Silin Tang, Jilong Luo, Zihan Lu
    2023, 77(2): 487-498.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.021
    Abstract ( 6 )   PDF (2788KB) ( 4 )  
    Ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors are extensively adopted in the fields of the Internet of Things, optical communications and imaging. Nowadays, with broadening the application scope of UV photodetectors, developing integrated devices with more functionalities rather than basic photo-detecting ability are highly required and have been triggered ever-growing interest in scientific and industrial communities. Ferroelectric thin films have become a potential candidate in the field of UV detection due to their wide bandgap and unique photovoltaic characteristics. Additionally, ferroelectric thin films perform excellent dielectric, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, acousto-optic effects, etc., which can satisfy the demand for the diversified development of UV detectors. In this review, according to the different roles of ferroelectric thin films in the device, the UV photodetectors based on ferroelectric films are classified into ferroelectric depolarization field driven type, ferroelectric depolarization field and built-in electric field co-driven type, and ferroelectric field enhanced type. These three types of ferroelectric UV photodetectors have great potential and are expected to promote the development of a new generation of UV detection technology. At the end of the paper, the advantages and challenges of three types of ferroelectric UV photodetectors are summarized, and the possible development direction in the future is proposed.
    Advances and challenges of methanol-tolerant oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts for the direct methanol fuel cell
    Muhammad Aizaz Ud Din, Muhammad Idrees, Sidra Jamil, Syed Irfan, Ghazanfar Nazir, Muhammad Ahmad Mudassir, Muhammad Shahrukh Saleem, Saima Batool, Nanpu Cheng, Rahman Saidur
    2023, 77(2): 499-513.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.023
    Abstract ( 12 )   PDF (3019KB) ( 9 )  
    Methanol cross-over effects from the anode to the cathode are important parameters for reducing catalytic performance in direct methanol fuel cells. A promising candidate catalyst for the cathode in direct methanol fuel cells must have excellent activity toward oxygen reduction reaction and resistance to methanol oxidation reaction. This review focuses on the methanol tolerant noble metal-based electrocatalysts, including platinum and palladium-based alloys, noble metal-carbon based composites, transition metal-based catalysts, carbon-based metal catalysts, and metal-free catalysts. The understanding of the correlation between the activity and the synthesis method, electrolyte environment and stability issues are highlighted. For the transition metal-based catalyst, their activity, stability and methanol tolerance in direct methanol fuel cells and comparisons with those of platinum are particularly discussed. Finally, strategies to enhance the methanol tolerance and hinder the generation of mixed potential in direct methanol fuel cells are also presented. This review provides a perspective for future developments for the scientist in selecting suitable methanol tolerate catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction and designing high-performance practical direct methanol fuel cells.
    In-depth understanding the effect of electron-withdrawing/-donating groups on the interfacial carrier dynamics in naphthalimide-treated perovskite solar cells
    Tai Wu, Rongjun Zhao, Donglin Jia, Linqin Wang, Xiaoliang Zhang, Licheng Sun, Yong Hua
    2023, 77(2): 514-520.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.030
    Abstract ( 16 )   PDF (1527KB) ( 10 )  
    Surface defect passivation of perovskite films through chemical interaction between specific functional groups and defects has been proven to be an effective technique for enhancing the performance and stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs). However, an in-depth understanding of how these passivation materials affect the intrinsic nature of charge-carrier transfer kinetics in PSCs remains shielded so far. Herein, we have designed two naphthalimide-based perovskite surface passivators having electron-withdrawing (-CF3, NSF) or electron-donating (-CH3, NSC) substituents for use in PSCs. Transient absorption spectroscopy (TA) measurements confirmed how the electron-withdrawing and electron-donating groups can efficiently turn the hot carriers (HCs) cooling and injection, and interface recombination in the device. We found that NSC-passivated perovskite samples exhibit faster hot-carriers (HCs) injection from the perovskite layer into carrier transport layers before cooling to the crystal lattice compared with the NSF-based and control ones with the order: NSC > NSF > control. Fast HCs injection is advantageous to minimize the charge-carriers recombination and improve PSCs performance. The carrier lifetime in NSC-treated device measured by nanosecond TA exhibits nearly ∼2 times longer than that of NSF-based device, which demonstrates the decreased charge-carrier recombination in NSC-treated device. As expected, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the NSC-treated PSCs is improved to 23.04% compared with that of the device treated with NSF (21.81%). Our findings provide invaluable guide for developing highly efficient passivators to further boost PSCs photovoltaic performance.
    Effects of fluorination on crystal structure and electrochemical performance of antiperovskite solid electrolytes
    Lei Gao, Manrong Song, Ruo Zhao, Songbai Han, Jinlong Zhu, Wei Xia, Juncao Bian, Liping Wang, Song Gao, Yonggang Wang, Ruqiang Zou, Yusheng Zhao
    2023, 77(2): 521-528.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.018
    Abstract ( 14 )   PDF (1972KB) ( 6 )  
    The development of all-solid-state lithium batteries (ASSLBs) depends on exploiting solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) with high ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability. Fluorination is generally considered to be an effective strategy to improve the ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability of inorganic SSEs. Here, we report the partial fluorination of the chlorine sites in an antiperovskite, by which the orthorhombic Li2OHCl was transformed into cubic Li2OHCl0.9F0.1, resulting in a fourfold increase in ionic conductivity at 30 °C. The ab initio molecular dynamics simulations suggest that both the crystal symmetry and the anions electronegativity influence the diffusion of Li+ in the antiperovskite structure. Besides, from the perspective of experiments and calculations, it is confirmed that fluorination is a feasible method to improve the electrochemical stability of antiperovskite SSEs. The LiFePO4 | Li cell based on Li2OHCl0.9F0.1 is also assembled and exhibits stable cycle performance, which indicates that fluorination of antiperovskite SSEs is an effective way to produce high-performance SSEs for practical application of ASSLBs.
    Spectroscopic characterization of chain-to-ring structural evolution in platinum carbide clusters
    Yu Zhang, Shihu Du, Zhi Zhao, Haiyan Han, Gang Li, Jinghan Zou, Hua Xie, Ling Jiang
    2023, 77(2): 529-534.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.033
    Abstract ( 7 )   PDF (1091KB) ( 2 )  
    Metal carbides play an important role in catalysis and functional materials. However, the structural characterization of metal carbide clusters has been proven to be a challenging experimental target due to the difficulty in size selection. Here we use the size-specific photoelectron velocity-map imaging spectroscopy to study the structures and properties of platinum carbide clusters. Quantum chemical calculations are carried out to identify the structures and to assign the experimental spectra. The results indicate that the cluster size of the chain-to-ring structural evolution for the PtCn- anions occurs at n = 14, whereas that for the PtCn neutrals at n = 10, revealing a significant effect of charge on the structures of metal carbides. The greatest importance of these building blocks is the strong preference of the Pt atom to expose in the outer side of the chain or ring, exhibiting the active sites for catalyzing potential reactions. These findings provide unique spectroscopic snapshots for the formation and growth of platinum carbide clusters and have important implications in the development of related single-atom catalysts with isolated metal atoms dispersed on supports.
    Investigation of the sodium storage mechanism of iron fluoride hydrate cathodes using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and mossbauer spectroscopy
    Ghulam Ali, Muhammad Akbar, Faiza Jan Iftikhar, Qamar Wali, Beata Kalska Szostko, Dariusz Satuła, Kyung Yoon Chung
    2023, 77(2): 535-542.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.10.025
    Abstract ( 10 )   PDF (2534KB) ( 4 )  
    Elucidation of a reaction mechanism is the most critical aspect for designing electrodes for high-performance secondary batteries. Herein, we investigate the sodium insertion/extraction into an iron fluoride hydrate (FeF3⋅0.5H2O) electrode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). The electrode material is prepared by employing an ionic liquid 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium-tetrafluoroborate, which serves as a reaction medium and precursor for F- ions. The crystal structure of FeF3⋅0.5H2O is observed as pyrochlore type with large open 3-D tunnels and a unit cell volume of 1129 Å3. The morphology of FeF3⋅0.5H2O is spherical shape with a mesoporous structure. The microstructure analysis reveals primary particle size of around 10 nm. The FeF3⋅0.5H2O cathode exhibits stable discharge capacities of 158, 210, and 284 mA h g-1 in three different potential ranges of 1.5-4.5, 1.2-4.5, and 1.0-4.5 V, respectively at 0.05 C rate. The specific capacities remained stable in over 50 cycles in all three potential ranges, while the rate capability was best in the potential range of 1.5-4.5 V. The electrochemical sodium storage mechanism is studied using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, indicating higher conversion at a more discharged state. Ex-situ Mössbauer spectroscopy strengthens the results for reversible reduction/oxidation of Fe. These results will be favorable to establish high-performance cathode materials with selective voltage window for SIBs.
    Inner-pore reduction nucleation of palladium nanoparticles in highly conductive wurster-type covalent organic frameworks for efficient oxygen reduction electrocatalysis
    Weiwen Wang, Lu Zhang, Tianping Wang, Zhen Zhang, Xiangnan Wang, Chong Cheng, Xikui Liu
    2023, 77(2): 543-552.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.032
    Abstract ( 28 )   PDF (2958KB) ( 14 )  
    Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) have emerged as a class of promising supports for electrocatalysis because of their advantages including good crystallinity, highly ordered pores, and structural diversity. However, their poor conductivity represents the main obstruction to their practical application. Here, we reported a novel synthesis strategy for synergistically endowing a triphenylamine-based COFs with improved electrical conductivity and excellent catalytic activity for oxygen reduction, via the in-situ redox deposition and confined growth of palladium nanoparticles inside the porous structure of COFs using reductive triphenylamine frameworks as reducing agent; meanwhile, the triphenylamine unit was oxidized to radical cation structure and affords radical cation COFs with conductivity as high as 3.2*10-1 S m-1. Such a uniform confine palladium nanoparticle on highly conductive COFs makes it an efficient electrocatalyst for four-electron oxygen reduction reaction (4e-ORR), showing excellent activities and fast kinetics with a remarkable half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.865 V and an ultralow Tafel slope of 39.7 mV dec-1 in alkaline media even in the absence of extra commercial conductive fillers. The generality of this strategy was proved by preparing the different metal and metal alloy nanoparticles supported on COFs (Au@COF, Pt@COF, AuPd@COF, AgPd@COF, and PtPd@COF) using reductive triphenylamine frameworks as reducing agent. This work not only provides a facile strategy for the fabrication of highly conductive COF supported ORR electrocatalysts, but also sheds new light on the practical application of Zn-air battery.
    A bi-functional strategy involving surface coating and subsurface gradient co-doping for enhanced cycle stability of LiCoO2 at 4.6 V
    Yun He, Xiaoliang Ding, Tao Cheng, Hongyu Cheng, Meng Liu, Zhijie Feng, Yijia Huang, Menghan Ge, Yingchun Lyu, Bingkun Guo
    2023, 77(2): 553-560.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.040
    Abstract ( 5 )   PDF (1790KB) ( 3 )  
    Layered LiCoO2 (LCO) acts as a dominant cathode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in 3C products because of its high compacted density and volumetric energy density. Although improving the high cut-off voltage is an effective strategy to increase its capacity, such behavior would trigger rapid capacity decay due to the surface or/and structure degradation. Herein, we propose a bi-functional surface strategy involving constructing a robust spinel-like phase coating layer with great integrity and compatibility to LiCoO2 and modulating crystal lattice by anion and cation gradient co-doping at the subsurface. As a result, the modified LiCoO2 (AFM-LCO) shows a capacity retention of 80.9% after 500 cycles between 3.0 and 4.6 V. The Al, F, Mg enriched spinel-like phase coating layer serves as a robust physical barrier to effectively inhibit the undesired side reactions between the electrolyte and the cathode. Meanwhile, the Al, F, Mg gradient co-doping significantly enhances the surficial structure stability, suppresses Co dissolution and oxygen release, providing a stable path for Li-ions mobility all through the long-term cycles. Thus, the surface bi-functional strategy is an effective method to synergistically improve the electrochemical performances of LCO at a high cut-off voltage of 4.6 V.
    Rational construction of Ag@MIL-88B(V)-derived hierarchical porous Ag-V2O5 heterostructures with enhanced diffusion kinetics and cycling stability for aqueous zinc-ion batteries
    Yibo Zhang, Zhihua Li, Liangjun Gong, Xuyu Wang, Peng Hu, Jun Liu
    2023, 77(2): 561-571.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.049
    Abstract ( 20 )   PDF (2424KB) ( 20 )  
    With the advantages of the multiple oxidation states and highly open crystal structures, vanadium-based composites have been considered as the promising cathode materials for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs). However, the inherent inferior electrical conductivity, low specific surface area, and sluggish Zn2+ diffusion kinetics of the traditional vanadium-based oxides have greatly impeded their development. Herein, a novel hierarchical porous spindle-shaped Ag-V2O5 with unique heterostructures was rationally designed via a simple MOF-assisted synthetic method and applied as stable cathode for aqueous ZIBs. The high specific surface area and hierarchically porous superstructures endowed Ag-V2O5 with sufficient electrochemical active sites and shortened the diffusion pathways of Zn2+, which was beneficial to accelerate the reversible transport of Zn2+ and deliver a high specific capacity (426 mA h g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and 96.5% capacity retention after 100 cycles). Meanwhile, the self-built-in electric fields at the heterointerface of Ag-V2O5 electrode could strengthen the synergistic coupling interaction between Ag and V2O5, which can effectively enhance the electric conductivity and maintain the structural integrity, resulting in superb rate capability (326.1 mA h g-1 at 5.0 A g-1) and remarkable cycling stability (89.7% capacity retention after 2000 cycles at 5.0 A g-1). Moreover, the reversible Zn2+ storage mechanism was further investigated and elucidated by kinetics analysis and DFT calculations.
    A stable anthraquinone-derivative cathode to develop sodium metal batteries: The role of ammoniates as electrolytes
    Débora Ruiz-Martínez, José M. Orts, Roberto Gómez
    2023, 77(2): 572-580.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.034
    Abstract ( 14 )   PDF (1496KB) ( 8 )  
    Rechargeable sodium metal batteries constitute a cost-effective option for energy storage although sodium shows some drawbacks in terms of reactivity with organic solvents and dendritic growth. Here we demonstrate that an organic dye, indanthrone blue, behaves as an efficient cathode material for the development of secondary sodium metal batteries when combined with novel inorganic electrolytes. These electrolytes are ammonia solvates, known as liquid ammoniates, which can be formulated as NaI·3.3NH3 and NaBF4·2.5NH3. They impart excellent stability to sodium metal, and they favor sodium non-dendritic growth linked to their exceedingly high sodium ion concentration. This advantage is complemented by a high specific conductivity. The battery described here can last hundreds of cycles at 10 C while keeping a Coulombic efficiency of 99% from the first cycle. Because of the high capacity of the cathode and the superior physicochemical properties of the electrolytes, the battery can reach a specific energy value as high as 210 W h kg-1IB, and a high specific power of 2.2 kW kg-1IB, even at below room temperature (4 °C). Importantly, the battery is based on abundant and cost-effective materials, bearing promise for its application in large-scale energy storage.
    Lithium nitrate regulated carbonate electrolytes for practical Li-metal batteries: Mechanisms, principles and strategies
    Kun Wang, Wenbing Ni, Liguang Wang, Lu Gan, Jing Zhao, Zhengwei Wan, Wei Jiang, Waqar Ahmad, Miaomiao Tian, Min Ling, Jun Chen, Chengdu Liang
    2023, 77(2): 581-600.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.017
    Abstract ( 24 )   PDF (8550KB) ( 13 )  
    Li-metal batteries (LMBs) regain research prominence owing to the ever-increasing high-energy requirements. Commercially available carbonate electrolytes exhibit unfavourable parasitic reactions with Li-metal anode (LMA), leading to the formation of unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and the breed of Li dendrites/dead Li. Significantly, lithium nitrate (LiNO3), an excellent film-forming additive, proves crucial to construct a robust Li3N/Li2O/LixNOy-rich SEI after combining with ether-based electrolytes. Thus, the given challenge leads to natural ideas which suggest the incorporation of LiNO3 into commercial carbonate for practical LMBs. Regrettably, LiNO3 demonstrates limited solubility (∼800 ppm) in commercial carbonate electrolytes. Thence, developing stable SEI and dendrite-free LMA with the incorporation of LiNO3 into carbonate electrolytes is an efficacious strategy to realize robust LMBs via a scalable and cost-effective route. Therefore, this review unravels the grievances between LMA, LiNO3 and carbonate electrolytes, and enables a comprehensive analysis of LMA stabilizing mechanism with LiNO3, dissolution principle of LiNO3 in carbonate electrolytes, and LiNO3 introduction strategies. This review converges attention on a point that the LiNO3-introduction into commercial carbonate electrolytes is an imperious choice to realize practical LMBs with commercial 4 V layered cathode.
    Rational design of MoS2-based catalysts toward lignin hydrodeoxygenation: Interplay of structure, catalysis, and stability
    Xinyong Diao, Na Ji
    2023, 77(2): 601-631.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.056
    Abstract ( 13 )   PDF (8960KB) ( 8 )  
    The MoS2-based materials are a vital class of heterogeneous catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of lignin and its model compounds to produce value-added chemicals especially because of their unique selectivity to aromatics. The rational design of MoS2-based catalyst greatly depends on the comprehensive understanding of its structure-activity relationship. However, an intensive summary and critical analysis are still scarce to date. In this review, we attempt to provide an in-depth understanding of the interplay of structure, catalysis, and stability of MoS2-based catalysts for lignin hydrodeoxygenation. The recognition of intrinsic active sites on MoS2 structure was firstly discussed, followed by the illustration of MoS2-catalyzed hydrodeoxygenation structural models. Afterward, based on the studies on the MoS2-catalyzed lignin model compounds hydrodeoxygenation, the current active site modification strategies including structural modification of monometallic MoS2 catalysts and collaborative modification were summarized and emphatically discussed, which aims to elucidate the structure-activity relationship at the atomic-level. The deactivation mechanism and stabilization strategies were also illustrated to provide instructive suggestion for the rational design of efficient and stable MoS2-based catalysts. Finally, the real lignin depolymerization over MoS2-based catalysts was summarized to point out the advantages and difficulties. This review attempts to highlight the remaining challenges and provide some perspectives for the future development of MoS2-based catalysts for lignin hydrodeoxygenation.
    Boosting Zn2+ kinetics via the multifunctional pre-desolvation interface for dendrite-free Zn anodes
    Bin Luo, Yang Wang, Leilei Sun, Sinan Zheng, Guosheng Duan, Zhean Bao, Zhizhen Ye, Jingyun Huang
    2023, 77(2): 632-641.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.005
    Abstract ( 23 )   PDF (2108KB) ( 6 )  
    Aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIBs) are an advanced secondary battery technology to supplement lithium-ion batteries. It has been widely concerned and developed recently based on the element abundance and safety advantages. However, AZIBs still suffer from serious problems such as dendrites Zn, hydrogen evolution corrosion, and surface passivation, which hinder the further commercial application of AZIBs. Herein, an in-situ ZnCr2O4 (ZCO) interface endows AZIBs with dendrite-free and ultra-low polarization by realizing Zn2+ pre-desolvation, constraining H2O-induced corrosion, and boosting Zn2+ transport/deposition kinetics. The ZCO@Zn anode harvests an ultrahigh cumulative capacity of ∼20000 mA h cm-2 (cycle time: over 4000 h) at a high current density of 10 mA cm-2, indicating excellent reversibility of Zn deposition. Such superior performance is among the best cyclability in AZIBs. Moreover, the multifunctional ZCO interface improves the Coulombic efficiency (CE) to 99.7% for more than 2600 cycles. The outstanding electrochemical performance is also verified by the long-term cycle stability of ZCO@Zn//α-MnO2 full cells. Notably, the as-proposed method is efficient and low-cost enough to enable mass production. This work provides new insights into the uniform Zn electrodeposition at the scale of interfacial Zn2+ pre-desolvation and kinetics improvement.
    Interface challenges and optimization strategies for aqueous zinc-ion batteries
    Hanwen Liu, Qianqin Zhou, Qingbing Xia, Yaojie Lei, Xiang Long Huang, Mike Tebyetekerwa, Xiu Song Zhao
    2023, 77(2): 642-659.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jechem.2022.11.028
    Abstract ( 42 )   PDF (4282KB) ( 23 )  
    Aqueous zinc-ion batteries have advantages over lithium-ion batteries, such as low cost, and good safety. However, their development is currently facing several challenges. One of the main critical challenges is their poor electrode-electrolyte interface. Addressing this requires understanding the physics and chemistry at the electrode-electrolyte interface, including the cathode-electrolyte interface and anode-electrolyte interface. This review first identifies and analyses the interfacial challenges of aqueous zinc-ion batteries. Then, it discusses the design strategies for addressing the defined interfacial issues from the perspectives of electrolyte optimization, electrode modification, and separator improvement. Finally, it provides corrective recommendations and strategies for the rational design of electrode-electrolyte interface in aqueous zinc-ion batteries towards their high-performance and reliable energy storage.