Controllable Fabrication of Coordination Polymer Particles (CPPs): A Bridge between Versatile Organic Building Blocks and Porous Copper-Based Inorganic Materials

Hierarchically micro-/nanostructured coordination polymer [Cu­(2,5-PDC)­H₂O]_<i>n</i> architectures with tunable morphologies have been successfully prepared by rationally adjusting the preparation parameters, such as the reactant concentration, solvent, surfactant, and reaction temperature. Using simple calcinations of chosen shaped [Cu­(2,5-PDC)­H₂O]_<i>n</i> architectures, we can obtain several porous copper-based inorganic motifs, which show potential applications for the antibacterial field and lithium ion batteries. Therein, CuO-1 can kill the Gram-positive bacteria <i>Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus</i> better than other materials. The value for initial discharge capacity of CuO-3 (1160 mAh g^–1) is higher than the theoretical capacity (674 mAh g^–1) and most copper oxide materials. Besides, Cu/C composites also show intense application in the antibacterial and Li-ions uptake-release field, which will provide a widely used method to prepare the nanosystem of carbon-coating or carbon-compositing materials by simple calcinations of shaped precursor coordination polymer particles used under the proper temperature

A Gradient Composite Structure Enables a Stable Microsized Silicon Suboxide-Based Anode for a High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery

The practical application of microsized anodes is hindered by severe volume changes and fast capacity fading. Herein, we propose a gradient composite strategy and fabricate a silicon suboxide-based composite anode (d-SiO@SiOx/C@C) consisting of a disproportionated microsized SiO inner core, a homogeneous composite SiOx/C interlayer (x ≈ 1.5), and a highly graphitized carbon outer layer. The robust SiOx/C interlayer can realize a gradient abatement of stress and simultaneously connect the inner SiO core and carbon outer layer through covalent bonds. As a result, d-SiO@SiOx/C@C delivers a specific capacity of 1023 mAh/g after 300 cycles at 1 A/g with a retention of >90% and an average Coulombic efficiency of >99.7%. A full cell assembled with a LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 cathode displays a remarkable specific energy density of 569 Wh/kg based on total active materials as well as excellent cycling stability. Our strategy provides a promising alternative for designing structurally and electrochemically stable microsized anodes with high capacity

A Gradient Composite Structure Enables a Stable Microsized Silicon Suboxide-Based Anode for a High-Performance Lithium-Ion Battery

The practical application of microsized anodes is hindered by severe volume changes and fast capacity fading. Herein, we propose a gradient composite strategy and fabricate a silicon suboxide-based composite anode (d-SiO@SiOx/C@C) consisting of a disproportionated microsized SiO inner core, a homogeneous composite SiOx/C interlayer (x ≈ 1.5), and a highly graphitized carbon outer layer. The robust SiOx/C interlayer can realize a gradient abatement of stress and simultaneously connect the inner SiO core and carbon outer layer through covalent bonds. As a result, d-SiO@SiOx/C@C delivers a specific capacity of 1023 mAh/g after 300 cycles at 1 A/g with a retention of >90% and an average Coulombic efficiency of >99.7%. A full cell assembled with a LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 cathode displays a remarkable specific energy density of 569 Wh/kg based on total active materials as well as excellent cycling stability. Our strategy provides a promising alternative for designing structurally and electrochemically stable microsized anodes with high capacity

Fabrication of Hierarchical Macroporous/Mesoporous Carbons via the Dual-Template Method and the Restriction Effect of Hard Template on Shrinkage of Mesoporous Polymers

A series of hierarchically ordered macro-<b>/</b>mesoporous polymer resins and macro-<b>/</b>mesoporous carbon monoliths were synthesized using SiO₂ opal as a hard template for the macropore, amphiphilic triblock copolymer PEO–PPO–PEO as a soft template for the mesopore, and phenolic resin as a precursor for the polymer or carbon. The obtained hierarchical macro-<b>/</b>mesoporous frameworks had highly periodic arrays of uniform macropores that were surrounded by walls containing the mesoporous structures. The mesoporous structure of the walls was adjusted using different precursors for the synthesis of FDU-14, FDU-15, and FDU-16. Results of the N₂ adsorption–desorption analysis showed that the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface areas, the pore volumes, and the mesopore sizes of the macro-<b>/</b>mesoporous carbons were much larger than those of the FDU-14, FDU-15, and FDU-16 carbon materials. The mesopore size of the samples clearly increased with the increasing heat-treatment temperature when the temperature was below 700 °C. The results indicate that the SiO₂ hard template successfully restricted the shrinkage of the framework during the thermosetting and carbonization process