• Energy Research

A solubilization and stabilization effect of trace ethylene carbonate solvent assisted by the varied molecule-ion interaction was discovered in ether-based electrolyte, enabling the 80 μm Li || LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 full-cell operate at 4.5 V stably.

AbstractThe lithium storage capacity of an iron oxide‐based anode of porous carbon–Fe3O4 (i.e., PC–Fe3O4) was investigated by varying the initial current and mass density of the electrode to achieve a good utilization coefficient of the oxide. It was confirmed that these factors largely affected the capacity of PC–Fe3O4 and a certain mass density of the electrode was key to achieve a high area capacity (μAh cm−2). Moreover, the chemical and electrochemical lithiation of PC–Fe3O4 were related to the lithiation time and pressure and both were both systemically studied. After optimization, a new battery of PC–Fe3O4/Li[Ni0.59Co0.16Mn0.25]O2 with a high area capacity of 748 μAh cm−2 (≈150 mAh g−1) and superior energy density of 483 Wh kg−1 (work voltage≈3.2 V) was developed. The battery showed reversible work ability in the rate window of 50–800 mA g−1, and also it could be charged/discharged for well over 1000 cycles with a capacity retention of 63.8 % under the high current value of 0.505 mA (current density, 50 mA g−1).

AbstractPreparation of uniform, spherical Li4Ti5O12 with high tap density is significant to achieve a high volumetric energy density in lithium‐ion batteries. Herein, Li4Ti5O12 microspheres with variable tap density and tunable size distribution were synthesized by a newly designed industrial spray‐drying approach. The slurry concentration, sintering time, sintering conditions after spraying, and the effect of lithium/titanium molar ratio on the lithium‐ion (Li+) storage capability were investigated. A narrow particle size distribution of around 10 μm and a high tap density close to 1.4 g cm−3 of the Li4Ti5O12 spheres can be obtained under the optimized conditions. The Li4Ti5O12 spheres can deliver a much higher capacity of 168 mAh g−1 at a rate of 1 C and show a high capacity retention of 97.7 % over 400 cycles. The synthetic conditions are confirmed to be critical for improving the electron conductivity and Li+ diffusivity by adjusting the crystal and spatial structures. As‐prepared high‐performance Li4Ti5O12 is an ideal electrode for lithium‐ion batteries or capacitors; meanwhile, the presented approach is also applicable for preparing other kind of spherical materials.

Abstract Seeking advanced and safer lithium-ion battery with sustainable characteristic is significant for the development of electronic devices and electric vehicles. Herein, a new porous TiO2 nanobundles (PTNBs) is synthesized though a scalable and green hydrothermal strategy from the TiO2 powders without using any high-cost and harmful organic titanium-based compounds. The PTNBs exhibits an extremely high lithium storage capacity of 296 mAh g−1 at 100 mA g−1, where the capacity can maintain over 146 mAh g−1 even after 500 cycles at 1000 mA g−1. To pursue more reliable Li-ion batteries, full batteries of PTNBs/LiNixMn1-xO4 (x = 0, 0.5) using spinel structured cathode are constructed. The batteries have the features of sustainability and deliver high capacities of 112 mAh gcathode−1 and 102 mAh gcathode−1 with stable capacity retentions of 99% and 90% over 140 cycles. Note that the energy densities can achieve as high as 267 and 270 Wh kgcathode−1 (535 and 540 Wh kganode−1) respectively, which is feasible to satisfy diverse requirements for energy storage products. We believe that the universal synthetic strategy, appealing structure and intriguing properties of PTNBs is applicable for wider applications, while the concept of sustainable strategy seeking reliable and safer Li-ion battery can attract broad interest.

AbstractA strategy to synthesize a Fe3O4@carbon nanotube (CNT) composite with high tap density of 1.22 g cm−3 and electronic conductivity of 4.1 S cm−1 is developed. The Fe3O4@CNT composite exhibits an extremely high capacity of over 1263 mAh g−1, even after 125 cycles at a current density of 100 mA g−1. Additionally, a lithium‐ion full battery of Fe3O4@CNT|LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 with an energy density of 2283 Wh kganode−1 (381 Wh kgcathode−1) is successfully configured. After optimization of the work voltage windows and electrolyte additives, it has a capacity retention of 71 % after more than 400 cycles. Using this synthetic strategy, additional metal oxide@CNT (e.g., Co3O4, MnO2, CuO, ZnO) composites with high lithium storage capability are explored, and their electrochemical differences versus the cathode of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 are investigated in light of their superior performances. Applying this type of metal oxide‐based composite in full cells is a significant step to the development of high‐energy lithium‐ion batteries and to further applications in current sodium‐ion batteries.

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