4 research outputs found
Simple and Effective Gas-Phase Doping for Lithium Metal Protection in Lithium Metal Batteries
Increasing
demands for advanced lithium batteries with higher energy
density have resurrected the use of lithium metal as an anode, whose
practical implementation has still been restricted, because of its
intrinsic problems originating from the high reactivity of elemental
lithium metal. Herein, we explore a facile strategy of doping gas
phase into electrolyte to stabilize lithium metal and suppress the
selective lithium growth through the formation of stable and homogeneous
solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer. We find that the sulfur
dioxide gas additive doped in electrolyte significantly improves both
chemical and electrochemical stability of lithium metal electrodes.
It is demonstrated that the cycle stability of the lithium cells can
be remarkably prolonged, because of the compact and homogeneous SEI
layers consisting of Li–S–O reduction products formed
on the lithium metal surface. Simulations on the lithium metal growth
process suggested the homogeneity of the protective layer induced
by the gas-phase doping is attributable for the effective prevention
of the selective growth of lithium metal. This study introduces a
new simple approach to stabilize the lithium metal electrode with
gas-phase doping, where the SEI layer can be rationally tunable by
the composition of gas phase
Roll-to-Roll Laser-Printed Graphene–Graphitic Carbon Electrodes for High-Performance Supercapacitors
Carbon electrodes
including graphene and thin graphite films have been utilized for
various energy and sensor applications, where the patterning of electrodes
is essentially included. Laser scribing in a DVD writer and inkjet
printing were used to pattern the graphene-like materials, but the
size and speed of fabrication has been limited for practical applications.
In this work, we devise a simple strategy to use conventional laser-printer
toner materials as precursors for graphitic carbon electrodes. The
toner was laser-printed on metal foils, followed by thermal annealing
in hydrogen environment, finally resulting in the patterned thin graphitic
carbon or graphene electrodes for supercapacitors. The electrochemical
cells made of the graphene–graphitic carbon electrodes show
remarkably higher energy and power performance compared to conventional
supercapacitors. Furthermore, considering the simplicity and scalability
of roll-to-roll (R2R) electrode patterning processes, the proposed
method would enable cheaper and larger-scale synthesis and patterning
of graphene–graphitic carbon electrodes for various energy
applications in the future
High-Energy and Long-Lasting Organic Electrode for a Rechargeable Aqueous Battery
Redox-active
organic materials (ROMs) hold great promise as potential
electrode materials for eco-friendly, cost-effective, and sustainable
batteries; however, the poor cycle stability arising from the chronic
dissolution issue of the ROMs in generic battery systems has impeded
their practical employment. Herein, we present that a rational selection
of electrolytes considering the solubility tendency can unlock the
hidden full redox capability of the DMPZ electrode (i.e., 5,10-dihydro-5,10-dimethylphenazine)
with unprecedentedly high reversibility. It is demonstrated that a
multiredox activity of DMPZ/DMPZ+/DMPZ2+, which
has been previously regarded to degrade with repeated cycles, in the
newly designed electrolyte can be utilized with surprisingly robust
cycle stability over 1000 cycles at 1C. This work signifies that tailoring
the electrode–electrolyte compatibility can possibly unleash
the hidden potential of many common ROMs, catalyzing the rediscovery
of organic electrodes with long-lasting and high energy density
Tuning the Carbon Crystallinity for Highly Stable Li–O<sub>2</sub> Batteries
The Li–O<sub>2</sub> battery
is capable of delivering the
highest energy density among currently known battery chemistries and
is thus regarded as one of the most promising candidates for emerging
high-energy-density applications such as electric vehicles. Although
much progress has been made in the past decade in understanding the
reaction chemistry of this battery system, many issues must be resolved
regarding the active components, including the air electrode and electrolyte,
to overcome the presently insufficient cycle life. In this work, we
demonstrate that the degradation kinetics of both the air electrode
and electrolyte during cycles can be significantly retarded through
control of the crystallinity of the carbon electrode, the most frequently
used air electrode in current Li–O<sub>2</sub> batteries. Using <sup>13</sup>C-based air electrodes with various degrees of graphitic
crystallinity and in situ differential electrochemical mass spectroscopy
analysis, it is demonstrated that, as the crystallinity increases
in the carbon, the CO<sub>2</sub> evolution from the cell is significantly
reduced, which leads to a 3-fold enhancement in the cyclic stability
of the cell