Percolative Channels for Superionic Conduction in an Amorphous Conductor

All-solid-state batteries greatly rely on high-performance solid electrolytes. However, the bottlenecks in solid electrolytes are their low ionic conductivity and stability. Here we report a new series of amorphous xAgI·(1–x)Ag3PS4 (x = 0∼0.8 with interval of 0.1) conductors, among which the sample with x = 0.8 exhibits the highest ionic conductivity (about 1.1 × 10–2 S cm-1) and ultrahigh chemical stability. We discovered the existence of mixed disordered Ag3PS4 and AgI clusters in the amorphous conductors using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The high ionic conductivity was ascribed to the formation of the interconnecting AgI clusters, i.e., the percolative channels for superionic conduction. The composition dependence of the ionic conductivity for this series of amorphous conductors was clarified by a continuum percolation model. These findings provide fundamental guidance for designing and fabricating high-performance amorphous solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries

Percolative Channels for Superionic Conduction in an Amorphous Conductor

All-solid-state batteries greatly rely on high-performance solid electrolytes. However, the bottlenecks in solid electrolytes are their low ionic conductivity and stability. Here we report a new series of amorphous xAgI·(1–x)Ag3PS4 (x = 0∼0.8 with interval of 0.1) conductors, among which the sample with x = 0.8 exhibits the highest ionic conductivity (about 1.1 × 10–2 S cm-1) and ultrahigh chemical stability. We discovered the existence of mixed disordered Ag3PS4 and AgI clusters in the amorphous conductors using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The high ionic conductivity was ascribed to the formation of the interconnecting AgI clusters, i.e., the percolative channels for superionic conduction. The composition dependence of the ionic conductivity for this series of amorphous conductors was clarified by a continuum percolation model. These findings provide fundamental guidance for designing and fabricating high-performance amorphous solid electrolytes for all-solid-state batteries

Synergistic Effect Induced High Photothermal Performance of Au Nanorod@Cu₇S₄ Yolk–Shell Nanooctahedron Particles

Au nanorod (NR) which has strong LSPR (longitudinal surface plasmon resonance) effect in near-infrared (NIR) region was introduced into the Cu₇S₄ hollow NPs to form Au NR@Cu₇S₄ yolk–shell structured nanoparticles (YSNPs) for improving the photothermal property of NPs. The optimum photothermal conversion efficiency of the as-prepared YSNPs is 68.6%. The hybrid YSNPs had the highest photothermal property compared with the equivalent used Au NR and pure Cu₇S₄ because of the synergistic effect of metal and semiconductor. In this case, the synergistic effect in YSNPs was discussed by tuning sizes of the YSNPs and the thickness of Cu₇S₄ shell. The experimental results demonstrated that the NIR photoabsorption and the photothermal conversion performance of Au NR@Cu₇S₄ YSNPs were much dependent on the geometric change of YSNPs, since the electrical field interaction between inner Au NR core and outer Cu₇S₄ shell is closely effected by the distance of two materials and thickness of out-shell, as confirmed by the 3D finite-difference time domain simulation (FDTD) theory simulation. Moreover, we proved that the hollow yolk–shell structure of the YSNPs also endowed the NPs with a large potential in drug delivery

High Verdet Constant Glass for Magnetic Field Sensors

Due to the high transparency, high Verdet constant, as well as easy processing properties, rare-earth ion-doped glasses have demonstrated great potential in magneto-optical (MO) applications. However, the variation in the valence state of rare-earth ions (Tb3+ to Tb4+) resulted in the decreased effective concentration of the paramagnetic ions and thus degraded MO performance. Here, a strategy was proposed to inhibit the oxidation of Tb3+ into Tb4+ as well as improve the thermal stability by tuning the optical basicity of glass networks. Moreover, the depolymerization of the glass network was modulated to accommodate more Tb ions. Thus, a record high effective concentration (14.19 × 1021/cm3) of Tb ions in glass was achieved, generating a high Verdet constant of 113 rad/(T·m) at 650 nm. Lastly, the first application of MO glass for magnetic field sensors was demonstrated, achieving a sensitivity of 0.139 rad/T. We hope our work provides guidance for the fabrication of MO glass with high performance and thermal stability and could push MO glass one step further for magnetic sensing applications