Batteries & Supercaps最新文献

Spray-dried battery active materials exhibit high specific surface area and tap density, enhancing battery performance with superior rate capability and initial capacity. However, this morphological optimization induces severe interfacial side reactions, causing rapid capacity fading. Herein, this study reports a novel wet chemistry coating method using hydrogen peroxide as an activation agent. Inspired by niobium-based oxide coatings for lithium-ion battery materials, this method is adapted for the sodium system with P2-type Na_7/9Mn_6/9Cu_2/9Fe_1/9O₂ layered sodium oxides. Despite the adverse effect of hydrogen peroxide on active material performance, this coating method retains significant advantages in time efficiency and scalability with uniform coating on the active material surface. Consequently, the surface modified material achieves remarkable capacity retention of 97% after 200 cycles at a current rate of 120 mA g⁻¹ within a voltage window of 1.5–4.2 V with presodiated hard carbon electrode, much higher than that of pristine material (54%). Postmortem analysis of cycled electrodes and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results confirm the well-covered material surface with suppressed side reactions, extending the battery cycling life. Additionally, powder X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses validate the temperature-dependent coating and substitution behaviors of the coating material.

The performance of the negatively charged aspartic acid-functionalized naphthalene diimide (ASP-NDI) in a flow battery is investigated in this article. The high concentration ASP-NDI/ferrocyanide flow battery presented cycled for 79.8 days with an average coulombic efficiency of 99.9% and an energy efficiency of 87.5% at 20 mA cm⁻² while accessing an over 90% of the theoretical capacity of ASP-NDI with a capacity fade rate of 0.0275% per day that is the lowest reported for the NDI-based flow batteries to date.

Beyond active material intrinsic properties, the electrode manufacturing process is a crucial step to reach high energy density and long-life of Li-ion batteries. In particular, very high pressures are applied to the electrode during the calendering step, that directly influence the microstructure and the electrochemical performances. This article reports the first calendering simulation of a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode using a finite element method, including the post-fracturation behavior of the secondary NMC particles. Calibrated with nanoindentation experiments, the mechanical model provides stress–strain predictions fully consistent with experimental data. On assemblies up to 100 particles, simulations reveal three calendering regimes along compression: particle rearrangement, moderate-pressure fracturing, and complete crushing. The model shows the strong sensitivity of the electrode microstructure to the calendering pressure level, and can thus be used as a guidance in the multicriteria optimization of the manufacturing process.

Aluminum batteries (ABs) present a cost-effective, high-energy alternative to lithium-ion systems, owing to aluminum's abundance and high theoretical capacity. Here, it reports the synthesis of birch wood derived carbons (CBWs) via carbonization of sawdust followed by KOH activation and their evaluation as AB cathodes. Two samples CBW14 and CBW16 are prepared using biochar-to-KOH weight ratios of 1:4 and 1:6, respectively. Both materials are highly disordered, predominantly amorphous carbons, exhibiting Brunauer–Emmett–Teller-specific surface areas of 3015 m² g⁻¹ (CBW14) and 3306 m² g⁻¹ (CBW16). When cycled between 0.01 and 2.2 V at 0.1 A g⁻¹, CBW14 and CBW16 delivered discharge capacities of 120 and 140 mAh g⁻¹, respectively. Notably, CBW16 sustained 35 mAh g⁻¹ at a high rate of 10 A g⁻¹ and achieved energy densities of 155 Wh kg⁻¹ at 0.1 A g⁻¹ and 95 Wh kg⁻¹ at 1.0 A g⁻¹. These findings underscore the critical influence of KOH activation parameters on pore architecture and electrochemical performance, pointing the way toward scalable fabrication of efficient carbon cathodes for next-generation aluminum batteries.

Sodium-ion batteries have received considerable interest as a novel material for large-scale energy storage owing to their plentiful sodium resources and very low cost. Hard carbon (HC), the ideal anode material, presently faces an important drawback of poor cycling stability, mostly due to the instability of the solid-electrolyte interphases (SEI). This work systematically reviews the recent advancements in SEI modification strategies, emphasizing alterations in the composition, structure, and creation routes of SEI throughout cycling, alongside its correlation with cycling stability. It elucidates the mechanism via which the stability of SEI influences cycle stability. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the influence of electrode design (pore size regulation, coating alteration, doping modification) and electrolyte system optimization on SEI regulation. Present research has transitioned from “passive modification to mitigate SEI formation” to “active modification to generate high-quality SEI”. Notwithstanding a large number of research studies, the formation mechanism of SEI remains contentious and needs further elucidation in the future. This document serves as a systematic reference for SEI modification, significantly aiding the development and application of high-performance sodium-ion batteries (SIBs).

Li-rich Mn-based oxides (LRMOs) are highly attractive cathodes for next-generation lithium-ion batteries due to their substantial capacity enabled by anionic redox reactions (ARR). However, balancing ARR activity with structural stability remains a major bottleneck. Here, we identify oxygen partial pressure during synthesis as a decisive factor governing this balance. Using single-crystal Li_1.2Ni_0.13Co_0.13Mn_0.54O₂, we systematically regulate the calcination atmosphere—argon (LRMO-0), air (LRMO-20), and oxygen (LRMO-100)—to tune oxygen-vacancy levels, transition-metal valence states, and cation disorder. Low oxygen partial pressure results in excessive oxygen vacancies and suppressed reversible ARR, leading to poor capacity and rate performance. Conversely, high oxygen partial pressure over-activates ARR, triggering irreversible oxygen release and structural degradation. Notably, LRMO-20 synthesized in air achieves the optimal compromise, delivering a 259 mAh g⁻¹ initial discharge capacity, 90.1% retention after 500 cycles, and markedly reduced phase transformation. This work clarifies how atmospheric control modulates ARR and structural evolution, offering an effective strategy for developing high-performance Li-rich cathodes.

The powder aerosol deposition (PAD or aerosol deposition method [ADM]) and tape casting were used to manufacture Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃/C (NVP/C) electrodes from the same synthesized powder batch. We demonstrate that Na-based, binder-free and solvent-free thick PAD electrodes can be directly deposited onto aluminum current collectors. Tape-cast electrodes were fabricated on aluminum foil to serve as a reference for electrochemical benchmarking. Galvanostatic cycling was performed at a C-rate of C/10 between 1.5–4.5 and 2–4 V versus Na⁺/Na using a liquid electrolyte in coin cells. PAD electrodes with varying cathode active material (CAM) loadings were produced to evaluate the effect of loading and posttreatment on the electrochemical performance. While tape-cast electrodes show consistent capacities (∼90 mAh g⁻¹ at C/10), PAD electrodes delivered significantly lower specific capacities depending on CAM loading and posttreatment. By correlating delivered charge with active mass and thickness, we show that the charge extracted from PAD-NVP/C cathode exhibit a plateau at ∼0.15–0.18 mAh, independent of CAM loading. This indicates that only a thin fraction of surface region participates in de/-intercalation. These findings reveal the utilization limits in thick PAD cathodes and provide insight toward enabling their future industrialization.

Rechargeable aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) have attracted significant attention as a promising next-generation energy storage system following lithium-ion batteries, owing to their high energy density, cost-effectiveness, intrinsic safety, and environmental friendliness. However, the widespread adoption of AZIBs has been impeded by intrinsic issues associated with zinc foil anodes, such as dendrite growth and interfacial side reactions. Recently, zinc powder (Zn-P) has emerged as a compelling alternative due to its high utilization efficiency, scalability, and industrial viability. Despite these advantages, Zn-P anodes still encounter several critical challenges, including rapid voltage polarization during cycling, excessive gas evolution, battery swelling, electrode pulverization, and performance inconsistency stemming from diverse manufacturing processes. This review comprehensively summarizes the advantages and current limitations of Zn-P anodes, elucidating the fundamental mechanisms underlying these issues. Furthermore, it highlights recent advancements in structural optimization strategies, such as Zn-P modification, special structure design, and the construction of conductive scaffolds, to identify viable pathways for performance improvement. Finally, five key research directions are proposed to guide future studies and promote the practical implementation of Zn-P-based AZIBs.

The Front Cover illustrates the incorporation of potassium-containing poly(heptazine imide) (represented as triangles) into the pores of mesoporous carbon (hexagons). The resulting hybrid material exhibits higher electrical conductivity and a larger specific surface area than bulk ionic carbon nitride. This hybrid design enables the investigation of electric double-layer formation and interaction of K⁺ from the electrolyte at the PHI/electrolyte interface without the limiting effects of resistance. More information can be found in the Research Article by D. Leistenschneider and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/batt.202500285).

Aqueous zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) are a promising alternative to lithium-ion systems, offering intrinsic safety, environmental friendliness, and low cost. Among candidate cathode materials, manganese dioxide (MnO₂) stands out for its high theoretical capacity and abundance. However, translating MnO₂-based ZIBs from lab prototypes to practical devices remains challenging due to severe cycling stability issues. Key failure modes, including structural degradation of the MnO₂ cathode, manganese dissolution into the electrolyte with “dead” byproduct formation, sluggish Zn²⁺ diffusion and poor electronic conductivity, and unstable electrode/electrolyte interfaces, cause progressive capacity fade. These problems are further exacerbated under realistic operating conditions (thick electrodes, limited electrolyte, and prolonged cycling) required for commercial-level cells. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of these degradation mechanisms and critically surveys recent mitigation strategies such as MnO₂ nanostructuring and doping, protective surface coatings, and optimized aqueous electrolytes with additives. We also highlight the persistent performance gap between coin-cell demonstrations and real-world devices, emphasizing the need for in situ/operando diagnostic techniques, multiscale modeling, scalable electrode fabrication, and standardized testing protocols to better bridge that gap. By uniting fundamental insights with engineering solutions, this work offers guidelines to advance MnO₂-based ZIBs toward durable, high-performance energy storage devices suitable for broad application.