Are Sodiation/De-Sodiation Reactions Reversible in Two-Dimensional Metallic NbSe2?

The book titled “Recent Advances in Functional Materials and Devices” unveils the carefully curated proceedings from the 2nd International Conference on “Advanced Functional Materials and Devices”(AFMD-2023). The conference, AFMD-2023, was held online from 13–15 March 2023 and was organized by the Department of Physics and Internal Quality Assurance Cell of Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India. This publication showcases papers that highlight the remarkable progress made in the field of functional materials, encompassing electronic, magnetic, optical, adaptive, and dielectric materials, among others. These materials are crucial in developing new functionalities and enhancing performance in the current technological era. The book explores a wide range of topics, including materials for energy harvesting, biomedical applications, environmental monitoring, photonics and optoelectronic devices, strategic applications, and high-energy physics.With its comprehensive coverage, this book provides a valuable reference for beginners, researchers, and academicians interested in the latest functional materials for device applications. The conference comprised invited and technical sessions, facilitating discussions with respected speakers who shared their expertise in various subjects such as multifunctional materials, biomaterials, materials for environmental studies, Theoretical simulations based on density functional theory and solar simulation of materials, 2D materials, perovskite and double perovskite materials, smart materials, materials for energy conversion and storage, advanced functional …

Advanced Energy Materials

Like other aqueous batteries, aqueous rechargeable Al‐ion batteries (ARAIBs) have attracted much attention due to their high safety and low cost. However, the low energy density of ARAIBs limits its popularization and application. In order to solve this problem, in addition to choosing Al metal as the negative electrode, it is also necessary to choose a suitable positive electrode material. Here, a cubic phase cobalt hexacyanoferrate (CoHCF) with excellent rate and cycling performance is used as the positive electrode material. Due to the reversible catalysis of the Cl−/Cl0 reaction at high potential in saturated AlCl3 solution, it has the characteristics of high capacity up to 103.5 mAh g−1. Combined with the Al metal as negative electrode, an ARAIB with an average discharge voltage of 1.56 V and an energy density of 155 Wh kg−1 is constructed, which shows outstanding cycling and rate performances.

2D materials offer countless possibilities for the next-generation (opto)electronic devices because of their diverse and tailorable physicochemical characteristics. To bridge the gap between fundamental science and practical applications, simple-to-use universal approaches are essential for mass production of 2D materials with specific target properties. Electrochemical intercalation/exfoliation stands out from many up-scalable synthetic strategies thanks to its great time efficiency, mild working conditions and simple instrumentation. Besides the use for direct exfoliation of 2D materials, device-level controllable intercalation of guest species often results in rich phase diagrams with competing orders and ground states in 2D systems, giving rise to new exotic quantum phenomena. Therefore, making use of electrochemistry in the ion intercalation and host-guest interaction is crucial to expand the library as well as the …

Journal of Energy Chemistry

Safe batteries are the basis for next-generation application scenarios such as portable energy storage devices and electric vehicles, which are crucial to achieving carbon neutralization. Electrolytes, separators, and electrodes as main components of lithium batteries strongly affect the occurrence of safety accidents. Responsive materials, which can respond to external stimuli or environmental change, have triggered extensive attentions recently, holding great promise in facilitating safe and smart batteries. This review thoroughly discusses recent advances regarding the construction of high-safety lithium batteries based on internal thermal-responsive strategies, together with the corresponding changes in electrochemical performance under external stimulus. Furthermore, the existing challenges and outlook for the design of safe batteries are presented, creating valuable insights and proposing directions for the …

ACS Materials Letters

The design of donor–acceptor (D–A) conjugated polymers with narrow bandgaps remains a big challenge for achieving high-performance near-infrared (NIR) phototransistors. Herein, we report a novel D–A conjugated polymer (denoted as TBOPV-DT) based on a thiophene-fused benzodifurandione-based oligo(p-phenylenevinylene) (TBOPV) acceptor in conjugation with a 3,3′-dialkoxy-2,2′-dithiophene (DT) donor. Benefiting from the alkoxylation of the donor units, the TBOPV-DT conjugated polymer exhibits broad second NIR absorption and a narrow bandgap of 0.65 eV. When being used as the channel material in field-effect transistors, the TBOPV-DT conjugated polymer shows p-type semiconducting behavior with a hole mobility of 0.16 cm2 V–1 s–1. Besides, the resulting single-component polymer phototransistor displays ultrahigh sensitivity to a broad range of wavelengths (850–1450 nm) and a record …

MATERIALS CHEMISTRY FRONTIERS

All-solid state lithium metal batteries (ASSLMBs) with high energy density using lithium metal anodes (LMAs) and high safety all-solid-state electrolytes (ASSEs) are considered as a good choice for the next generation electrochemical energy storage devices. However, there are many challenges for their practical applications, especially the issues of the ASSE-LMA interface. In this review, the problems arising from the combination of LMAs and ASSEs and their modification strategies are summarized. We first introduce the current characterization techniques for the interface. Then the existing problems at the interface and analysis of the causes of these problems are presented. In addition, strategies to regulate the interface based on these problems are summarized. Finally, some further research directions for the interfaces of ASSLMBs are pointed out. In this review, the problems of the interface between lithium …

Zinc-air batteries have attracted more attentions due to their high energy density, high safety, low cost, and environmental friendliness. Nevertheless, sluggish oxygen reaction kinetics at the air electrode seriously compromises their power density and cyclic stability. As one of the main components, the catalyst significately impacts the performance of zinc-air batteries. Finding high-performance bifunctional catalysts for both oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction is of great importance to the practical application of zinc-air batteries. In this review, the history, merits and challenges of zinc-air batteries are introduced, the working principle of zinc-air batteries and the mechanism of ORR and OER in air electrodes are analyzed deeply, and the research status of bifunctional catalysts that promotes both ORR and OER kinetics are systematically reviewed. Finally, the pending problems that need to be …

With the increasing development of digital devices and electric vehicles, high energy-density rechargeable batteries are strongly required. As one of the most promising anode materials with an ultrahigh specific capacity and extremely low electrode potential, lithium metal is greatly considered an ideal candidate for next-generation battery systems. Nevertheless, limited Coulombic efficiency and potential safety risks severely hinder the practical applications of lithium metal batteries due to the inevitable growth of lithium dendrites and poor interface stability. Tremendous efforts have been explored to address these challenges, mainly focusing on the design of novel electrolytes. Here, we provide an overview of the recent developments of localized high-concentration electrolytes in lithium metal batteries. Firstly, the solvation structures and physicochemical properties of localized high-concentration electrolytes are …

Advanced Materials

Ammonium ions (NH4+) are emerging non‐metallic charge carriers for advanced electrochemical energy storage devices, due to their low cost, elemental abundance, and environmental benignity. However, finding suitable electrode materials to achieve rapid diffusion kinetics for NH4+ storage remains a great challenge. Herein, a 2D conjugated metal–organic framework (2D c‐MOF) for immobilizing iodine, as a high‐performance cathode material for NH4+ hybrid supercapacitors, is reported. Cu‐HHB (HHB = hexahydroxybenzene) MOF embedded with iodine (Cu‐HHB/I2) features excellent electrical conductivity, highly porous structure, and rich accessible active sites of copper‐bis(dihydroxy) (Cu─O4) and iodide species, resulting in a remarkable areal capacitance of 111.7 mF cm−2 at 0.4 mA cm−2. Experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the Cu─O4 species in Cu‐HHB play a critical role …

Journal of Materials Chemistry A

High-performance all-solid-state supercapacitors call for stable high capacitive anode materials, yet the selection of materials, currently, is limited to carbon and few inorganic materials. NbSe2, as one of the metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (TMD), has recently been explored as candidates due to its inherent metallicity, layered structure, and versatile tunability of electronic properties. However, the poor structure stability and fast degraded electrochemical properties still impede their practical application. Therefore, sandwich-structure NbSe2@PPy nanosheets have been synthesized by coating conductive polymer polypyrrole (PPy) on the surface of NbSe2 nanosheets which were prepared by a facile molecular assembly method. NbSe2@PPy nanosheets show a specific capacitance of 394 F g−1 as an active anode material and retain 97.0% of its initial capacitance after 10 000 charge/discharge cycles …

Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research

Lithium metal batteries have been attracting an abundance of attention recently as a powerful competitor of the next-generation advanced energy storage technologies. However, lithium dendrite formation can result in decreased battery lifespan and even safety issues, inhibiting the widespread application of lithium metal batteries. The conductive hosts of lithium metal anode are proven to be an effective method to prevent lithium dendrite formation and achieve outstanding electrochemical performance of lithium metal batteries. However, the surface deposition of Li ions decreases the utilization of the conductive host. Therefore, this Review introduces the design principle and recent advances to render the bottom-up deposition of a lithium metal anode. On one hand, conductivity and lithiophilicity gradient hosts are summarized to realize the “bottom-up” lithium deposition and efficiently limit the growth of lithium …

Nanoscale Horizons

To maintain the downscaling of microelectronic devices with footprints less than one square millimeter, next-generation microbatteries should occupy the same area and deliver adequate energy for running a new generation of multi-functional microautonomous systems. However, the current microbattery technology fails in accomplishing this task because the micrometer-sized electrodes are not compatible with on-chip integration protocols and technologies. To tackle this critical challenge, an on-chip Swiss-roll microelectrode architecture is employed that exploits the self-assembly of thin films into ultra-compact device architectures. A twin-Swiss-roll microelectrode on a chip occupies a footprint of 0.045 mm2 and delivers an energy density up to 458 μW h cm−2. After packaging, the footprint of a full cell increases to 0.11 mm2 with a high energy density of 181 μW h cm−2. The volumetric energy density excluding …

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Emerging rechargeable aluminium batteries (RABs) offer a sustainable option for next‐generation energy storage technologies with low cost and exemplary safety. However, the development of RABs is restricted by the limited availability of high‐performance cathode materials. Herein, we report two polyimide two‐dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D‐COFs) cathodes with redox‐bipolar capability in RAB. The optimal 2D‐COF electrode achieves a high specific capacity of 132 mAh g−1. Notably, the electrode presents long‐term cycling stability (with a negligible ≈0.0007 % capacity decay per cycle), outperforming early reported organic RAB cathodes. 2D‐COFs integrate n‐type imide and p‐type triazine active centres into the periodic porous polymer skeleton. With multiple characterizations, we elucidate the unique Faradaic reaction of the 2D‐COF electrode, which involves AlCl2+ and AlCl4− dual …

Next Energy

Aqueous rechargeable Zn batteries have been studied as promising energy storage devices because of their low cost, high safety, and environmental friendliness. However, due to the problems faced by Zn anodes, such as dendrites and parasitic reactions (hydrogen evolution reaction and corrosion), commercialization still has a long way to go. In this perspective, a discussion of Zn anodes' current challenges is presented. Starting from this overview Zn anode modification strategies are discussed, which include surface modification, structure optimization, and electrolyte modification. Finally, prospects of future research on Zn anode are outlined.

Journal of Energy Storage

Stable and accurate prediction of the remaining useful life (RUL) of supercapacitors is of great significance for the safe operation and economic maximization of the energy storage system based on supercapacitors. For the phenomenon of unstable discharge capacity of supercapacitor during the cycling, a multi-stage (MS) prediction model based on empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and gated recurrent unit (GRU) neural network is proposed. The prediction model is based on multi-feature inputs with high correlation, and the final output is obtained through EMD reconstruction. The modification process ensures the stability of the model to predict the discharge capacity during the cycling of the supercapacitor. Compared with the traditional seven prediction models, the root mean square error is reduced by 80 %, and the goodness of fit is increased by 6 %. Our method has higher stability and prediction accuracy …

Chemical Engineering Journal

Carbon-based metal-free electrocatalysts have been placed with great expectations since their very first emergence. As a promising alternative to the noble metal-based counterparts, significant advancements have been made in this exciting research field. Sizable amounts of efforts have been devoted to understanding the function and mechanism of metalloid dopants. It is believed that dopants induce asymmetric distribution of charge/spin densities, turning adjoining carbon atoms into catalytically active sites. However, the intrinsic structural imperfections/defects that ubiquitously exist in carbon materials have recently been demonstrated to outperform dopants in enhancing the catalytic properties of carbon catalysts. This new source of activity contributor has thus triggered considerable attention to dopant-free defect-rich carbon electrocatalysts. To follow up recent progress, we present a state-of-the-art and …

Advanced Science

The market demand for energy pushes researchers to pay a lot of attention to Li‐S batteries. However, the ‘shuttle effect’, the corrosion of lithium anodes, and the formation of lithium dendrites make the poor cycling performances (especially under high current densities and high sulfur loading) of Li‐S batteries, which limit their commercial applications. Here, a separator is prepared and modified with Super P and LTO (abbreviation SPLTOPD) through a simple coating method. The LTO can improve the transport ability of Li+ cations, and the Super P can reduce the charge transfer resistance. The prepared SPLTOPD can effectively barrier the pass‐through of polysulfides, catalyze the reactions of polysulfides into S2−, and increase the ionic conductivity of the Li‐S batteries. The SPLTOPD can also prevent the aggregation of insulating sulfur species on the surface of the cathode. The assembled Li‐S batteries with the …

The Li metal anode emerges as a formidable competitor among anode materials for lithium–sulfur (Li‐S) batteries; nevertheless, safety issues pose a significant hurdle in its path toward commercial viability. This review enumerates three historical challenges inherent to the Li metal anode: unavoidable volume expansion, multifunctional solid electrolyte interface formation, and uncontrollable lithium dendrite growth. In particular, when paired with a sulfur cathode, the Li anode presents an additional unique hurdle: the shuttle effect. To address these issues, this article offers a thorough examination of the latest innovations aimed at stabilizing the Li metal anode within Li‐S batteries. We categorize these approaches into five classifications: liquid electrolyte optimization, enhancement of non‐liquid‐state electrolytes, Li metal surface modification, Li anode architecture design, and Li alloy improvement. For several …

Energy & Environmental Science

The photocatalytic overall water splitting reaction provides a pathway to hydrogen fuel from sunlight. Photocatalysts must achieve the reaction without the application of an external bias, which requires an effective charge separation mechanism. Photolabeling studies and electrostatic simulations for the well-known CoOOH/Al:SrTiO3/Rh/Cr2O3 photocatalyst suggest that charge separation is driven by work function differences at the (100) and (110) facets of SrTiO3, which are electron and hole selective, respectively. Here we use hydrogen annealed SrTiO3−x single crystals to obtain the first quantitative assessment of the charge separation ability of the (100), or (110), or (111) facets during oxygen evolution. Under UV illumination (60 mW cm−2), the crystals exhibit variable water oxidation photocurrents (0.34, 0.82, 1.36 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V versus RHE) and photovoltage values of 1.40, 1.52 and 1.52 V for (100), (110 …

Energy & Environmental Science

Alkaline-based aqueous batteries have attracted intensive research interests due to their high voltage, low cost, and high safety. However, metal anodes in alkaline electrolytes usually possess poor stability and severe side reactions. Organics are potential alternatives to address these problems, but they are typically not negative enough as anodes. Herein, a group of organic phenazine derivatives including phenazine (PZ), 2-hydroxyphenazine (PZ-OH), and 1,2-dihydroxyphenazine (PZ-2OH) are developed as anode materials for alkaline-based batteries. It is revealed that introducing hydroxyl groups can lower the redox potential by 0.4 V, and fast ion transport channels formed by intramolecular hydrogen bonds can remarkably improve redox kinetics. The optimized PZ-2OH‖Ni (OH)2 batteries deliver a high capacity of 208 mA h g−1anode, a high energy density of 247 W h kg−1anode, and ultra-stable cyclability …

Energy & Environmental Science

Organic solar cells (OSCs) based on oligomer acceptors have garnered significant interest for their notable power conversion efficiency (PCE) and enduring stability. Despite their great potential, the development of oligomer acceptors remains behind traditional small molecule acceptors (SMA) -based systems, primarily due to a scarcity of effective oligomer materials. To address this gap, our study introduces a novel hybrid synthesis strategy for oligomer acceptors, integrating two distinct acceptor units. We synthesize the heterotrimer acceptor TQT and the single-acceptor-unit oligomers Tri-BT and Tri-Qx to assess the impact of our approach on OSC performance and durability. Notably, the crystallinity of the hybrid molecule TQT is significantly enhanced compared to the other two molecules. Consequently, the PCE of the PM6:TQT OSC reached 18.52%, marking the highest efficiency observed in OSCs composed of …

Energy & Environmental Science

Zn powder with large-scale production and well-tunability is promising for aqueous Zn-ion batteries, but its extremely short lifespan seriously hinders the practical application. Herein, we disclose that Zn powder anode failure is majorly caused by top-down plating and bottom-up stripping behaviors, and accordingly develop an iso-plating/stripping strategy to achieve an ultra-long lifetime practical Zn powder anode. The zincophilic Bi-metal nanosheets are anchored on the Zn powder surface, which could serve as preferred Zn nucleation sites and charge-aggregated protrusions, endowing homogeneous plating/stripping and gradient-free Zn2+ distribution throughout the powder electrode. Furthermore, the Bi has additional advantages including guiding Zn (002)-orientated growth and suppressing side reactions for further structural stability, permitting unprecedented stable cycling of over 5600 h at 1 mA cm-2 and …

Energy & Environmental Science

The world’s first demonstration of passive radiative cooling under the sun in 2014 attracted substantial attention due to its ubiquitous and passive nature. Numerous nanophotonic and metamaterials capable of radiative sky cooling have been reported over the past decade. However, the cooling power density of such materials is approximately one magnitude lower (100 W m-2) compared to terrestrial solar irradiation. Furthermore, improved optical characteristics could yield a modest increase in cooling power density due to the blackbody radiation limit. We report a rationally designed AsymSkyCool method (Asymmetrically-sized heat-source-on-radiative-Sky-Cooling-coated-substrate) for radiative sky cooling thermal concentration (tcRC). The tcRC concept yields over 2000 W m-2 at night and close to 1000 W m-2 at 493 W m-2 solar irradiation. The nearly tenfold improvement over the state-of-the-art sky cooling …

Energy & Environmental Science

Enabling green-solvent-processed large-area organic solar cells (OSCs) is of great significance to their industrialization. However, precisely controlling the temperature-dependent fluid mechanics and evaporation behavior of green solvents with high-boiling points is challenging. Controlling these parameters is essential to prevent the non-uniform distribution of active layer components and severe molecule aggregation, which collectively degrade the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of large-scale devices. In this study, we revealed that the temperature gradient distribution across a wet film is the root of the notorious Marangoni effect, which leads to the formation of a severely non-uniform active layer on a large scale. Thus, a rapid solidification strategy was proposed to accelerate the evaporation of toluene, a green solvent, at room temperature. This strategy simultaneously inhibits the Marangoni effect and …

Energy & Environmental Science

The design and synthesis of manganese oxide-based materials with high-rate performance and long cycle life is a major challenge for aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). This research reports the presence of a synergistic collaboration between vacancies, lattice water and nickel ions on enhancing the hydrated protons hopping via the Grotthuss mechanism for high-performance zinc ion batteries. The Grotthuss mechanism allows for the efficient transfer of a proton charge without the actual movement of the molecule over long distances, resulting in high ionic conductivity. NiMn3O7·3H2O achieves a capacity of 318 mA h g−1 under 200 mA g−1 and 121 mA h g−1 under 5 A g−1 with a retention of 91% after 4000 cycles. The relationship between the remarkable performance and Grotthuss topochemistry is investigated using techniques including synchrotron X-ray absorption spectroscopy and density functional …

Energy & Environmental Science

The electrocatalytic nitrate reduction reaction (NO3RR) holds tremendous potential for remediating NO3− pollution in groundwater and obtaining clean ammonia (NH3). However, the currently reported NO3RR catalysts face challenges in achieving high conversion efficiency at low NO3− concentrations due to sluggish reaction kinetics. Herein, we present a highly efficient Mott–Schottky electrocatalyst, composed of an amorphous Co–B nanochain embedded in amorphous CoOx nanosheets (Co–B@CoOx). In 100 ppm NO3−–N, the Co–B@CoOx catalyst exhibits remarkable performance, achieving over 95% NO3− removal within 40 min at −0.90 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode and nearly 100% NH3 selectivity at −0.80 V, surpassing the performance of both Co–B and CoOx catalysts. Furthermore, Co–B@CoOx demonstrates an ultra-low energy consumption of 0.39 kW h molNO3−1, establishing it as one of the …

Energy & Environmental Science

Electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2RR) offers an environmentally friendly method to transform and harness sequestered CO2. While gas-phase electrolysis systems provide high efficiency, gas-phase electrolysis systems face challenges related to carbonate precipitate formation and crossover. In response, liquid-phase (bi)carbonates electrolysis systems based on the use of bipolar membrane (BPM) electrode assemblies have emerged. These systems not only streamline the carbon-capture and conversion process but also present economic benefits. However, liquid-phase (bi)carbonate electrolysis cells suffer limited stability and selectivity at relevant operating current. Here, utilizing a Ni-based single-atom catalyst (Ni-SAC) and bicarbonate electrolyte, we demonstrate exceptional CO Faradaic efficiency (93%) at a partial current density of -186 mA cm-2 at -3.7 V for over 18 hours with an integrated carbon …

Energy & Environmental Science

Rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (RAZIBs) have the potential for large scale energy storage due to their environmental friendliness, high safety and low cost. The trade-off between charging/discharging kinetics and stability has been the bottleneck of most cathode materials, which impedes the rate performance and cycle life of RAZIBs. Here we break the trade-off by designing vacancy-rich and Al-doped birnessite-type MnO2 nanosheet (Alx–MnO2) electrodes, which are synthesized by electrochemically oxidizing manganese based layered double hydroxides (MnAl-LDHs). Rich Al cation vacancies formed during the process of electrochemical oxidation provide three-dimensional diffusion channels for the storage of Zn ions, and the remaining Al atoms benefit the structural stability by suppressing the Jahn–Teller distortion of Mn(III)O6 polyhedra during battery cycling. As a result, by employing the optimized …

Energy & Environmental Science

The recent tremendous progress in monolithic perovskite-based double-junction solar cells is just the start of a new era of ultra-high-efficiency multi-junction photovoltaics. We report on triple-junction perovskite–perovskite–silicon solar cells with a record power conversion efficiency of 24.4%. Optimizing the light management of each perovskite sub-cell (∼1.84 and ∼1.52 eV for top and middle cells, respectively), we maximize the current generation up to 11.6 mA cm−2. Key to this achievement was our development of a high-performance middle perovskite sub-cell, employing a stable pure-α-phase high-quality formamidinium lead iodide perovskite thin film (free of wrinkles, cracks, and pinholes). This enables a high open-circuit voltage of 2.84 V in a triple junction. Non-encapsulated triple-junction devices retain up to 96.6% of their initial efficiency if stored in the dark at 85 °C for 1081 h.

Energy & Environmental Science

Zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have emerged as a promising candidate due to the abundance, low cost and high energy density. However, the performance of ZIBs needs to be improved to meet the practical requirements of energy storage systems. This work probes the efficacy of co-intercalation as a strategy for enhancing the electrochemical performance of ZIBs through the fabrication of sodium and copper co-intercalated birnessite manganese oxide (NCMO) cathodes. The results show that the co-intercalation of sodium and copper ions catalyzes the activation of copper cations on the surface Mn2+/Mn4+ redox pair, leading to improved specific capacity and cycling stability. The NCMO cathode exhibits a remarkable specific capacity of 576 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles at a low loading of around ~1 mg cm-2 and a high areal capacity of 2.10 mAh cm-2 at a high loading of ~10.9 mg cm-2. The mechanism of copper ions to …

Energy & Environmental Science

Surface post-treatment using larger organic spacer cations is widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches to suppress the defects and reconstruct microstructures in perovskite films. However, larger organic spacer cations always cause structural transformation to an uncontrollable low-dimensional phase at the perovskite surface, significantly restricting charge transport across interfaces within perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, we introduce a bi-molecular competitive adsorption strategy using phenylmethylammonium iodide (PMAI) and octylammonium iodide (OAI) as co-modifiers from molecular dynamics perspectives. It is revealed that OA+ preferentially adsorbs on the surface of perovskite films owing to its much greater molecular polarity and steric hindrance effects, thereby inhibiting PMA+-induced surface layer transformation into a low-dimensional structural phase. This strategy therefore …

Energy & Environmental Science

Correction for ‘Mimicking ion and water management in poultry breeding for highly reversible zinc ion batteries’ by Shengli Zhai et al., Energy Environ. Sci., 2023, 16, 5479–5489, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3EE03045H.

Energy & Environmental Science

Contouring or structuring of the lithium/ceramic electrolyte interface and therefore increasing its surface area has been considered as a possible strategy to increase the charging current in solid-state batteries without lithium dendrite formation and short-circuit. By coupling together lithium deposition kinetics and the me chanics of lithium creep within calculations of the current distribution at the interface, and leveraging a model for lithium dendrite growth, we show that efforts to avoid dendrites on charging by increasing the interfacial surface area come with significant limitations associated with the topography of rough surfaces. These limitations are sufficiently severe such that it is very unlikely contouring could increase charging currents while avoiding dendrites and short-circuit to the levels required. For example, we show a sinusoidal surface topography can only raise the charging current before dendrites occur by …

Energy & Environmental Science

Surface post-treatment using larger organic spacer cations is widely recognized as one of the most effective approaches to suppress the defects and reconstruct microstructures in perovskite films. However, larger organic spacer cations always cause structural transformation to an uncontrollable low-dimensional phase at the perovskite surface, significantly restricting charge transport across interfaces within perovskite solar cells (PSCs). In this study, we introduce a bi-molecular competitive adsorption strategy using phenylmethylammonium iodide (PMAI) and octylammonium iodide (OAI) as co-modifiers from molecular dynamics perspectives. It is revealed that OA+ preferentially adsorbs on the surface of perovskite films owing to its much greater molecular polarity and steric hindrance effects, thereby inhibiting PMA+-induced surface layer transformation into a low-dimensional structural phase. This strategy therefore …

Energy & Environmental Science

Two-dimensional (2D) metallic transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are attracting increasing attention as promising electrode materials with fast ion/electron transport due to their ultrahigh electrical conductivities and layered structures. However, their further development is hindered by the inadequate understanding of energy storage mechanisms and electrochemistry upon charging/discharging processes. Herein, 2D metallic niobium diselenide (NbSe2) flakes are targeted to understand the underlying electrochemical reaction mechanism during sodiation/de-sodiation. The complementary characterizations, including operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and electron microscopy, are performed to investigate the structural evolution of 2D metallic NbSe2 under electrochemical conditions. Different from conventional wisdom that believes reversible …

Energy & Environmental Science

The recent tremendous progress in monolithic perovskite-based double-junction solar cells is just the start of a new era of ultra-high-efficiency multi-junction photovoltaics. We report on triple-junction perovskite–perovskite–silicon solar cells with a record power conversion efficiency of 24.4%. Optimizing the light management of each perovskite sub-cell (∼1.84 and ∼1.52 eV for top and middle cells, respectively), we maximize the current generation up to 11.6 mA cm−2. Key to this achievement was our development of a high-performance middle perovskite sub-cell, employing a stable pure-α-phase high-quality formamidinium lead iodide perovskite thin film (free of wrinkles, cracks, and pinholes). This enables a high open-circuit voltage of 2.84 V in a triple junction. Non-encapsulated triple-junction devices retain up to 96.6% of their initial efficiency if stored in the dark at 85 °C for 1081 h.

Energy & Environmental Science

The graphite anodes with solvent co-intercalation mechanism exhibit excellent kinetics and cycling stability in sodium-ion batteries. However, the dramatic volume changes caused by solvent participation are challenging for interphasial conformality. Herein, we reveal the intercalation compounds degradation and solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) evolution of graphite at different sodiated state via capacity loss and fluctuation of Coulombic efficiency (CE) induced by calendar aging. The abnormal calendar aging depended on sodiated states is found, which appears as more severe capacity loss and lower CE in partially sodiated graphite anode. The deteriorated performance results from its high-staged intercalated phase transition accompanied by huge volume shrinkage. Under the effect of different intercalation degradation, the growth/destruction of SEI coexists on the partially sodiated graphite, compared to growth …

Energy & Environmental Science

The cyclic instability of Si-based anodes can be effectively alleviated by adding carbon nanotube (CNT) networks. However, the ion diffusion and electrochemical performance vary significantly depending on the type of CNTs added, particularly single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), and the intrinsic mechanism remains unknown. Herein, we revealed that the large volume expansion of Si-based anodes leads to the acupuncture effect of short CNTs, with the compressive stress on the CNTs and the Li-ion (Li+) diffusion energy barriers in the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) exhibiting a linear correlation. Both the SEI and carbon-coating are penetrated by short, thick CNTs with gigapascal (GPa)-scale compressive stress, thereby accelerating electrolyte decomposition and leading to a LiF-rich SEI and an increased Li+ diffusion barrier. In contrast, long, slender CNTs …