Batteries & Supercaps最新文献

Lithium titanium oxide (LTO) is a promising anode material due to its ability to store lithium through intercalation reactions. However, its electrochemical performance is limited by poor electron conductivity and side reactions with the electrolyte. In this study, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) is employed to introduce oxygen vacancies and self-doped Ti³⁺ into LTO to improve the internal conductivity. Subsequent carbon coating and aluminum-doped lithium lanthanum zirconate garnet (LLZO) layers resulted in a multi-layered composite denoted as LTO−L-x. Morphological analyses using SEM and TEM demonstrated the successful growth of Al-doped LLZO on carbon-coated LTO. Aluminum ions in LLZO cubic structure are crucial for stabilizing the high ionic conductive phase during cooling, as confirmed by X-ray diffraction. The dual coating layers have a significant impact on the rate capability, reducing polarization gaps and enabling higher capacities at various current rates. Long-term cycling tests reveal the robustness of the composite, with LTO−L-1.0 retaining 90.8 % capacity after 4000 cycles at 1.0 A g⁻¹. This underscores the sustained high electronic and ionic conductivity facilitated by the dual coating layers. The study contributes to the design of advanced anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, emphasizing the importance of tailored coating strategies to address conductivity and stability challenges.

Our ARTISTIC project was born in 2018 to improve the efficiency of lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing process through computational modelling, allowing the research and development of new digital tools to accelerate the optimization of this process. Thanks to the development and use of innovative numerical models, machine learning algorithms and virtual and mixed reality tools, we could significantly advance the understanding of manufacturing/battery cell performance relationships. However, scientific research by itself is not enough to bring innovations into practical applications for society. The creation of spin-offs or start-ups can ease the transition from research to application, since it allows scaling up the research outputs into products or services ready-to-use by the customers. In this Concept, we discuss the benefits of this transition, we introduce the research findings obtained in the last years within the framework of our ARTISTIC project, and our actions to move from our research to industrial products.

Lithium-sulfur (Li−S) batteries are recognized as one of the most promising next-generation battery systems. However, the severe shuttle effect poses a crucial challenge for its large scale application. Herein, through simple freeze-drying and subsequently annealing, the MnO was utilized to modify porous carbon and thereby form stable bond order toward lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), thus inhibiting the shuttle effect. Besides, the MnO nanoparticles can increase the reaction sites, accelerate the kinetic conversion of LiPSs, facilitate the formation and decomposition of Li₂S during discharging and charging. Benefit from the merits of MnO mentioned above together with the physical confinement derived from porous carbon, the Li−S battery assembled with S@MnO−C cathode delivers excellent performance both in rate capacity and long-cycling, with a high capacity of 555 mAh g⁻¹ after 200 cycles at 0.3 C. This work broadens the potential and enlightens the strategy for designing efficient cathodes toward Li−S sulfur batteries.

The high reactivity of water toward Na metal has raised a concern about keeping the electrolytes extra-dried. In this work, changes in water concentration in electrolytes (with and without fluoroethylene carbonate) show changes in overpotential and the surface chemistry of Na electrodes. In a symmetric cell test, the cell with pristine electrolyte (1 M NaClO₄ in ethylene carbonate:propylene carbonate) sustained only 22 cycles before reaching the safety limit (5 V) at 1 mA cm⁻². Meanwhile, controlling the water content (40 ppm) extended the cell's life by 3.5 times. In fluoroethylene-carbonate-containing electrolytes, the optimized water concentration (40 ppm) gave the minimum overpotential (12 mV) after 170 cycles. Ex situ X-ray photoemission spectroscopy showed that water hydrolyzed fluoroethylene carbonate, which changed the Na electrode's surface chemistry. The appropriate amount of product (NaF) stabilized the electrodes’ surfaces. Electrical impedance spectroscopy showed that the controlled traces amount of water (40 ppm) always gave the minimum values for resistances. For the pristine electrolytes, the resistances attributed to the charge-transfer process and the solid-electrolyte interface layer increased 51 times (from 45 Ω–2290 Ω) after cycling. Meanwhile, for the optimized sample, the resistances remarkably decreased by 93 % (from 264 Ω–19 Ω) after cycling.

Modern electronic devices necessitate the utilization of compact, wearable, and flexible substrates capable of simultaneously harvesting and storing energy by merging traditional energy harvesting techniques with storage mechanisms into a singular portable device. Here, we present the fabrication of a low-cost, sustainable, all-solid-state, self-powered flexible asymmetric supercapacitor (SPASC) device. This device features MOF-derived nickel-copper double hydroxide nanosheets coated stainless steel (SS) fabric sheet (NCDH@SS) as the positive electrode, while manganese dioxide decorated activated porous carbon on SS fabric sheet (MnO₂-APC@SS) acts as the negative electrode. The electrodes are isolated by a PVA-KOH gel electrolyte, while onion scale, a bio-piezoelectric separator, ensures effective separation. The self-charging ability of the device is demonstrated through mechanical deformation induced by finger imparting. This rectification-free SPASC device exhibits remarkable performance, achieving a charge up to ∼235.41 mV from the preliminary open circuit voltage of ∼20.89 mV within 180 s under ∼16.25 N of applied compressive force (charged up to ∼214.52 mV). Furthermore, three SPASC devices connected in series can power up various portable electronic devices like wristwatches, calculators, and LEDs upon frequent imparting. Our work thus demonstrates an innovative and advanced approach towards the development of sustainable, flexible, and advanced self-powered electronics.

The Cover Feature shows a stack of membraneless micro redox flow batteries (μRFB) with details of the single unit of the stack, the vanadium and organic chemistry involved in the operation of the membraneless μRFB as described by D. Perez-Antolin, A. E. Quintero and co-workers in their Research Article (DOI: 10.1002/batt.202400331), as well as the challenge posited for the control of the miscible interface, and the design of the micro reactor for the single unit.

The Cover Feature illustrates the applications and potential of aqueous aluminum-ion batteries. The vibrant colors and dynamic composition aim to capture the essence of energy storage and the future prospects of this technology. More information can be found in the Review by X. Yuan, Y. Wu and co-workers (DOI: 10.1002/batt.202400263).