Huan Li, Yupeng Wang, Xinzhi Wu, Kang Zhu, Shuaihua Wang, Mao Yu, Weishu Liu
Solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) convert solar heat into electricity, attracting interest in powering various Internet-of-Things devices. The conventional route to design a STEG involves separate considerations of thermal engineering and material science by using a thermal boundary condition of constant heat flux. This paper provides a more direct and convenient way to design solar thermoelectric generators. First, we proposed a general efficiency model and figure-of-merit (ZQ), which directly incorporates the thermal boundary condition, heat exchange thermal resistances, device architecture dimensions, and material performances. ZQ reveals an equivalent effect between the heat flux and leg height in determining efficiency. We have shown that ZQ provided a concise guideline to boost the efficiency of heat-concentrated STEGs through engineering the insulation materials, covering materials, heat-concentrated coefficient, and thermoelectric material height, and the efficiency of light-concentrated STEGs by tuning the light-concentrated coefficient, catalyst dose, and aerogel height. As a result, an efficiency enhancement of over five times was achieved in the as-fabricated STEG system. The potential applications of the proposed efficiency model and ZQ in other scenarios with constant heat flux conditions were extensively discussed according to different thermal resistance parameters, including STEGs with different cooling modes, waste heat harvesting from industry operations, photovoltaic-thermoelectric combined systems, etc. Our work highlights the significant progress in bridging between thermal engineering and materials science, advancing the thermoelectric power generation technology.
{"title":"General Route to Design Solar Thermoelectric Generators under the Constant Heat Flux Thermal Boundary","authors":"Huan Li, Yupeng Wang, Xinzhi Wu, Kang Zhu, Shuaihua Wang, Mao Yu, Weishu Liu","doi":"10.1039/d4ee04620j","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee04620j","url":null,"abstract":"Solar thermoelectric generators (STEGs) convert solar heat into electricity, attracting interest in powering various Internet-of-Things devices. The conventional route to design a STEG involves separate considerations of thermal engineering and material science by using a thermal boundary condition of constant heat flux. This paper provides a more direct and convenient way to design solar thermoelectric generators. First, we proposed a general efficiency model and figure-of-merit (<em>ZQ</em>), which directly incorporates the thermal boundary condition, heat exchange thermal resistances, device architecture dimensions, and material performances. <em>ZQ</em> reveals an equivalent effect between the heat flux and leg height in determining efficiency. We have shown that <em>ZQ</em> provided a concise guideline to boost the efficiency of heat-concentrated STEGs through engineering the insulation materials, covering materials, heat-concentrated coefficient, and thermoelectric material height, and the efficiency of light-concentrated STEGs by tuning the light-concentrated coefficient, catalyst dose, and aerogel height. As a result, an efficiency enhancement of over five times was achieved in the as-fabricated STEG system. The potential applications of the proposed efficiency model and <em>ZQ</em> in other scenarios with constant heat flux conditions were extensively discussed according to different thermal resistance parameters, including STEGs with different cooling modes, waste heat harvesting from industry operations, photovoltaic-thermoelectric combined systems, etc. Our work highlights the significant progress in bridging between thermal engineering and materials science, advancing the thermoelectric power generation technology.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143124422","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gel thermocell, as a green and clean energy conversion technology, has a high ionic thermopower, and it is capable of functioning for self-powered sensors near room temperature. However, ionic thermoelectric performance is currently limited and needs to be improved to meet the practical requirements. To date, it has been a major challenge to significantly improve performance, including ionic thermopower, output power density, and energy harvesting. Herein, we propose a “high-entropy” concept by controlling the gel compositions to achieve remarkable ionic thermoelectric performance. The high-entropy results from multi-ion coupling, especially for anions, to improve redox reaction entropy change, exchange current density, and ionic conductivity, pushing the performance to high levels. The fabricated high-entropy gel thermocell showed an ionic thermopower of 31 mV K−1, a normalized maximum output power density of 11.4 mW m−2 K−2, and a one-hour continuous discharge energy density of 4.3 J m−2 K−2. Moreover, a device assembled by twelve thermocells delivered a maximum output power density of 2.0 mW m−2 K−2. Thus, the strategy proposed in this work provides guidelines for designing other high-performance gels.
{"title":"Remarkable ionic thermoelectric performance of high-entropy gel thermocell near room temperature","authors":"Lijuan Yang, Jiawei Chen, Cheng-Gong Han, Yongbin Zhu, Chunxia Xie, Zhenbang Liu, Haoyu Wang, Yu Bao, Dongxue Han, Li Niu","doi":"10.1039/d4ee04247f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee04247f","url":null,"abstract":"Gel thermocell, as a green and clean energy conversion technology, has a high ionic thermopower, and it is capable of functioning for self-powered sensors near room temperature. However, ionic thermoelectric performance is currently limited and needs to be improved to meet the practical requirements. To date, it has been a major challenge to significantly improve performance, including ionic thermopower, output power density, and energy harvesting. Herein, we propose a “high-entropy” concept by controlling the gel compositions to achieve remarkable ionic thermoelectric performance. The high-entropy results from multi-ion coupling, especially for anions, to improve redox reaction entropy change, exchange current density, and ionic conductivity, pushing the performance to high levels. The fabricated high-entropy gel thermocell showed an ionic thermopower of 31 mV K<small><sup>−1</sup></small>, a normalized maximum output power density of 11.4 mW m<small><sup>−2</sup></small> K<small><sup>−2</sup></small>, and a one-hour continuous discharge energy density of 4.3 J m<small><sup>−2</sup></small> K<small><sup>−2</sup></small>. Moreover, a device assembled by twelve thermocells delivered a maximum output power density of 2.0 mW m<small><sup>−2</sup></small> K<small><sup>−2</sup></small>. Thus, the strategy proposed in this work provides guidelines for designing other high-performance gels.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143124421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The commercialization of aqueous zinc-ion batteries is still challenging due to the terrible dendrite growth and serious side reactions occurring at anode surface. In-situ construction of solid electrolyte interfaces (SEI) can effectively improve the stability of zinc anode. Herein, a bioinspired crust strategy implemented by eflornithine (DFMO) electrolyte additive is proposed to construct ZnF2-rich SEI, which can adjust the interfacial chemistry of zinc anode. Such functional SEI, akin to biological crust, can not only suppress side reactions by blocking direct contact between anode and electrolyte, but also enhance anode stability at high current via its high ionic conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. Additionally, the carbonyl group participates in regulating the solvated structure of Zn2+ and reconstructing hydrogen bond networks. Accordingly, with the existence of DFMO, a prolonged cycling lifespan and an ultrahigh average coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.87% at 5 mA cm–2 and 1 mAh cm–2 are realized for zinc anodes. Furthermore, the DFMO-based Zn//NVO pouch cell achieves excellent cycle stability, verifying the feasibility and superiority of bioinspired crust strategy. This work offers valuable insights into the construction of ZnF2-rich SEI by electrolyte additive and provides a novel perspective for the protection of zinc anodes.
{"title":"Biocrust-Inspired Interface Layer with Dual Functions towards Highly Reversible Zinc Metal Anode","authors":"Huanyu Li, Yu Li, Mingquan Liu, Ziyin Yang, Yuteng Gong, Ji Qian, Ripeng Zhang, Ying Bai, Feng Wu, Chuan Wu","doi":"10.1039/d4ee06048b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee06048b","url":null,"abstract":"The commercialization of aqueous zinc-ion batteries is still challenging due to the terrible dendrite growth and serious side reactions occurring at anode surface. In-situ construction of solid electrolyte interfaces (SEI) can effectively improve the stability of zinc anode. Herein, a bioinspired crust strategy implemented by eflornithine (DFMO) electrolyte additive is proposed to construct ZnF2-rich SEI, which can adjust the interfacial chemistry of zinc anode. Such functional SEI, akin to biological crust, can not only suppress side reactions by blocking direct contact between anode and electrolyte, but also enhance anode stability at high current via its high ionic conductivity and excellent mechanical properties. Additionally, the carbonyl group participates in regulating the solvated structure of Zn2+ and reconstructing hydrogen bond networks. Accordingly, with the existence of DFMO, a prolonged cycling lifespan and an ultrahigh average coulombic efficiency (CE) of 99.87% at 5 mA cm–2 and 1 mAh cm–2 are realized for zinc anodes. Furthermore, the DFMO-based Zn//NVO pouch cell achieves excellent cycle stability, verifying the feasibility and superiority of bioinspired crust strategy. This work offers valuable insights into the construction of ZnF2-rich SEI by electrolyte additive and provides a novel perspective for the protection of zinc anodes.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"9 4 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yu Deng, Qian Qin, Wencong He, Hengyu Guo, Jie Chen
As an electromechanical conversion technology, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are widely used in water electrolysis for hydrogen production. Nevertheless, the impedance mismatch between TENGs and conventional electrolysers significantly reduces energy utilization efficiency, necessitating the integration of power management circuits (PMCs) to mitigate lost energy. Herein, we propose a highly efficient electrolysis system that establishes a direct impedance matching between a charge migration triboelectric nanogenerator (CM-TENG) and series-connected electrolysers (SCEs). By leveraging the charge migration of polyurethane and repositioning tribo-material’s back-electrode, the surface charge density of CM-TENG is enhanced to 306.2 μC m-2. With systematic parameters optimization, the matched impedance of CM-TENG is reduced to 2.5 MΩ, delivering a peak power of 451.6 mW. Furthermore, through the serpentine-connected array of electrolytic cells, the impendence of 200 SCEs is tuned to perfectly match that of CM-TENG. Under motor-driven CM-TENG operation, this system achieves an energy utilization efficiency of 98.9%, along with a hydrogen production rate of 1851.9 μL min-1 m-2, which is 7.1 times higher than what is obtained using PMC. This work not only promotes the progress of green hydrogen production but also provides guidance for highly efficient triboelectric self-powered systems.
{"title":"A Highly Efficient Electrolysis System Enabled by Direct Impedance Matching Between Charge Migration Triboelectric Nanogenerator and Series Connected Electrolysers","authors":"Yu Deng, Qian Qin, Wencong He, Hengyu Guo, Jie Chen","doi":"10.1039/d4ee05522e","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee05522e","url":null,"abstract":"As an electromechanical conversion technology, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are widely used in water electrolysis for hydrogen production. Nevertheless, the impedance mismatch between TENGs and conventional electrolysers significantly reduces energy utilization efficiency, necessitating the integration of power management circuits (PMCs) to mitigate lost energy. Herein, we propose a highly efficient electrolysis system that establishes a direct impedance matching between a charge migration triboelectric nanogenerator (CM-TENG) and series-connected electrolysers (SCEs). By leveraging the charge migration of polyurethane and repositioning tribo-material’s back-electrode, the surface charge density of CM-TENG is enhanced to 306.2 μC m-2. With systematic parameters optimization, the matched impedance of CM-TENG is reduced to 2.5 MΩ, delivering a peak power of 451.6 mW. Furthermore, through the serpentine-connected array of electrolytic cells, the impendence of 200 SCEs is tuned to perfectly match that of CM-TENG. Under motor-driven CM-TENG operation, this system achieves an energy utilization efficiency of 98.9%, along with a hydrogen production rate of 1851.9 μL min-1 m-2, which is 7.1 times higher than what is obtained using PMC. This work not only promotes the progress of green hydrogen production but also provides guidance for highly efficient triboelectric self-powered systems.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"84 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The tunable bandgaps and facile fabrication of metal halide perovskites make them attractive for tandem solar cells. One of the main bottlenecks to achieve high-performance and stable perovskite-based tandems is the notorious light-induced phase segregation of wide bandgap (WBG) I/Br mixed perovskites in the front subcells. Herein, we find that cross-linked network polymers are effective at suppressing the light-induced phase segregation by passivating the defects and alleviating strain within the perovskite films, compared to the counterparts of small molecules and regular chain polymers. A co-polymerization strategy is employed to construct functional groups on the cross-linked polymers, which further reduces defects and increases the light/thermal stability of WBG perovskites. The as-fabricated WBG perovskite solar cells (PSCs) deliver a certified open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.37 V with a 1.77 eV perovskite absorber. The VOC deficit is only 0.40 V, which is among the lowest values for certified WBG PSCs. Also, this strategy enables the fabrication of efficient 2-terminal all-perovskite tandem solar cells with an efficiency of 28.3% with VOC of 2.17 V. The tandem device retains 80% of its initial efficiency after 520 hours of operation at maximum power point.
{"title":"Suppressing phase segregation and nonradiative losses by a multifunctional cross-linker for high-performance all-perovskite tandem solar cells","authors":"Xin Zheng, shaomin Yang, Jingwei Zhu, Ranran Liu, Lin Li, Miaomiao Zeng, Chunxiang Lan, Shangzhi Li, Jinghao Li, Yingying Shi, Cong Chen, Rui Guo, Ziwei Zheng, Jing Guo, Xiaoyu Wu, Tian Luan, Zaiwei Wang, Dewei Zhao, Yaoguang Rong, Xiong Li","doi":"10.1039/d4ee02898h","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee02898h","url":null,"abstract":"The tunable bandgaps and facile fabrication of metal halide perovskites make them attractive for tandem solar cells. One of the main bottlenecks to achieve high-performance and stable perovskite-based tandems is the notorious light-induced phase segregation of wide bandgap (WBG) I/Br mixed perovskites in the front subcells. Herein, we find that cross-linked network polymers are effective at suppressing the light-induced phase segregation by passivating the defects and alleviating strain within the perovskite films, compared to the counterparts of small molecules and regular chain polymers. A co-polymerization strategy is employed to construct functional groups on the cross-linked polymers, which further reduces defects and increases the light/thermal stability of WBG perovskites. The as-fabricated WBG perovskite solar cells (PSCs) deliver a certified open-circuit voltage (VOC) of 1.37 V with a 1.77 eV perovskite absorber. The VOC deficit is only 0.40 V, which is among the lowest values for certified WBG PSCs. Also, this strategy enables the fabrication of efficient 2-terminal all-perovskite tandem solar cells with an efficiency of 28.3% with VOC of 2.17 V. The tandem device retains 80% of its initial efficiency after 520 hours of operation at maximum power point.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Huiqun Wang, Yuxiang Mao, Peng Xu, Yu Ding, Huiping Yang, Jian-Feng Li, Yu Gu, Jiajia Han, Li Zhang, Bingwei Mao
Depositing a uniform lithium metal layer on a highly conductive current collector (CC) is essential for the development of next-generation Li metal batteries (LMBs). However, poor cycling stability, low Coulombic efficiency, and the potential safety hazards associated with Li dendrite growth remain major obstacles to their commercialization. Herein, a lithiophilic copper-zinc (Cu0.64Zn0.36) alloy “skin” is fabricated on commercial Cu CCs for LMBs using an adjustable and scalable ultrafast high-temperature (UHT) Joule heating method. The Cu0.64Zn0.36 alloy exhibits strong lithiophilicity, facilitating uniform nucleation and growth of Li metal on its surface, thereby enabling dendrite-free deposition. Density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations further convincingly support the experimental results. Benefiting from these enhancements, this modified Cu CC demonstrates excellent long-term stability in both LillCu half-cells and full-batteries paired with LiFePO4 or LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 cathodes. More importantly, the versatile UHT method can be extended to develop various metal-“skin”-coated CCs, offering ingenious strategy for creating composite lithiophilic materials. This work presents a viable pathway for the batch production of advanced Cu CCs for high-performance Li anodes, laying a significant foundation for the practical application of high-energy-density LMBs.
{"title":"Scalable Copper Current Collectors with Precisely Engineered Lithiophilic Alloy “Skins” for Durable Lithium-Metal Batteries","authors":"Huiqun Wang, Yuxiang Mao, Peng Xu, Yu Ding, Huiping Yang, Jian-Feng Li, Yu Gu, Jiajia Han, Li Zhang, Bingwei Mao","doi":"10.1039/d4ee05862c","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee05862c","url":null,"abstract":"Depositing a uniform lithium metal layer on a highly conductive current collector (CC) is essential for the development of next-generation Li metal batteries (LMBs). However, poor cycling stability, low Coulombic efficiency, and the potential safety hazards associated with Li dendrite growth remain major obstacles to their commercialization. Herein, a lithiophilic copper-zinc (Cu0.64Zn0.36) alloy “skin” is fabricated on commercial Cu CCs for LMBs using an adjustable and scalable ultrafast high-temperature (UHT) Joule heating method. The Cu0.64Zn0.36 alloy exhibits strong lithiophilicity, facilitating uniform nucleation and growth of Li metal on its surface, thereby enabling dendrite-free deposition. Density functional theory (DFT) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations further convincingly support the experimental results. Benefiting from these enhancements, this modified Cu CC demonstrates excellent long-term stability in both LillCu half-cells and full-batteries paired with LiFePO4 or LiNi0.9Co0.05Mn0.05O2 cathodes. More importantly, the versatile UHT method can be extended to develop various metal-“skin”-coated CCs, offering ingenious strategy for creating composite lithiophilic materials. This work presents a viable pathway for the batch production of advanced Cu CCs for high-performance Li anodes, laying a significant foundation for the practical application of high-energy-density LMBs.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"14 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Long Jiang, Zhenyue Xing, Yanfen Liu, Xiaodong Shi, Le Li, Yangyang Liu, Bingan Lu, Jiang Zhou
Dendrite growth and spontaneous corrosion of zinc (Zn) metal anodes pose significant challenges for their application in grid-scale energy storage, primarily due to the instability of the bulk phase characterized by enriched defects. This study introduces ytterbium (Yb) as a strategic additive to fundamentally improve the stability of the anode. Specifically, Yb preferably accumulates in defect regions, restricting the non-uniform nucleation of Zn on grain boundaries and facilitating compact electrodeposition along the (002) planes, while significantly suppressing intergranular corrosion. Taking the above synergetic effects, the addition of Yb can significantly reinforce the cycle stability of the Zn anode. The symmetric cells exhibit superior reversibility for over 2400 hours under the current density of 1 mA cm−2. Additionally, it sustains an extended lifespan of 125 hours even at an ultrahigh Zn utilization of 80%. Furthermore, the CaV8O20xH2O|Zn full cells deliver excellent cycle stability, showing negligible capacity fading for 1000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1. Targeting the practicalization, the Ah-scale pouch cell exhibits reliable stability over 65 cycles. Therefore, incorporating Yb as an additive not only resolves critical performance challenges but also catalyzes the practical implementation of zinc batteries into large-scale energy storage systems.
{"title":"Repairing the interfacial defect via preferable adsorption of ytterbium enables high-utilization and dendrite-free Zn metal anode","authors":"Long Jiang, Zhenyue Xing, Yanfen Liu, Xiaodong Shi, Le Li, Yangyang Liu, Bingan Lu, Jiang Zhou","doi":"10.1039/d4ee05382f","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee05382f","url":null,"abstract":"Dendrite growth and spontaneous corrosion of zinc (Zn) metal anodes pose significant challenges for their application in grid-scale energy storage, primarily due to the instability of the bulk phase characterized by enriched defects. This study introduces ytterbium (Yb) as a strategic additive to fundamentally improve the stability of the anode. Specifically, Yb preferably accumulates in defect regions, restricting the non-uniform nucleation of Zn on grain boundaries and facilitating compact electrodeposition along the (002) planes, while significantly suppressing intergranular corrosion. Taking the above synergetic effects, the addition of Yb can significantly reinforce the cycle stability of the Zn anode. The symmetric cells exhibit superior reversibility for over 2400 hours under the current density of 1 mA cm−2. Additionally, it sustains an extended lifespan of 125 hours even at an ultrahigh Zn utilization of 80%. Furthermore, the CaV8O20xH2O|Zn full cells deliver excellent cycle stability, showing negligible capacity fading for 1000 cycles at a current density of 5 A g−1. Targeting the practicalization, the Ah-scale pouch cell exhibits reliable stability over 65 cycles. Therefore, incorporating Yb as an additive not only resolves critical performance challenges but also catalyzes the practical implementation of zinc batteries into large-scale energy storage systems.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"38 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lingbo Yao, Yichao Wang, Lvzhang Jiang, Gege Wang, Xiaowei Chi, Yu Liu
Hydrogels offer promising avenues for developing advanced aqueous battery technology for sustainable energy storage and wearable electronic devices in future human/machine interactions. However, an excessively large liquid-phase region in the hydrogel often results in parasitic reactions, modulus mismatch, and low strength. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a new hydrogel system with denser structures that enable reduced water content and better-matched modulus. Herein, inspired by the bionic principles of mammalian joint structures, an ultra-dense (3.26% of porosity) and highly robust (30.82 MPa of tensile strength) biomimetic bone hydrogel (BBH) system was designed through a biomimetic densification process. Notably, the robust ‘bone/collagen’ and flexible ‘collagen/synovial fluid’-like interactions not only ensure excellent mechanical properties but also disrupted the strong crystallization tendency to realize a seamless and fast ion transfer process. BBH displayed an expanded electrochemical window of 3.26 V and superior cycling in aqueous batteries with a practical cathode loading of 33.8 mg cm−2 (N/P = 2.46), indicating its suitability for application as an electrode/electrolyte interface. Moreover, its application as a seamless human/machine interface for on-skin physiological monitoring with high fidelity was demonstrated. Overall, this biomimetic densification design provides a new direction for the development of advanced hydrogels for next-generation energy storage and interactive devices.
{"title":"Biomimetic bone hydrogel enables a seamless interface for aqueous battery and human/machine interaction","authors":"Lingbo Yao, Yichao Wang, Lvzhang Jiang, Gege Wang, Xiaowei Chi, Yu Liu","doi":"10.1039/d4ee05066e","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee05066e","url":null,"abstract":"Hydrogels offer promising avenues for developing advanced aqueous battery technology for sustainable energy storage and wearable electronic devices in future human/machine interactions. However, an excessively large liquid-phase region in the hydrogel often results in parasitic reactions, modulus mismatch, and low strength. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a new hydrogel system with denser structures that enable reduced water content and better-matched modulus. Herein, inspired by the bionic principles of mammalian joint structures, an ultra-dense (3.26% of porosity) and highly robust (30.82 MPa of tensile strength) biomimetic bone hydrogel (BBH) system was designed through a biomimetic densification process. Notably, the robust ‘bone/collagen’ and flexible ‘collagen/synovial fluid’-like interactions not only ensure excellent mechanical properties but also disrupted the strong crystallization tendency to realize a seamless and fast ion transfer process. BBH displayed an expanded electrochemical window of 3.26 V and superior cycling in aqueous batteries with a practical cathode loading of 33.8 mg cm<small><sup>−2</sup></small> (N/P = 2.46), indicating its suitability for application as an electrode/electrolyte interface. Moreover, its application as a seamless human/machine interface for on-skin physiological monitoring with high fidelity was demonstrated. Overall, this biomimetic densification design provides a new direction for the development of advanced hydrogels for next-generation energy storage and interactive devices.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"132 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xianwei Fu, Ruijuan Shi, Ye Liu, Xiaoxiao He, Qian Li, Yan Zhang, Yong Zhao, Shilong Jiao
Aqueous batteries (ABs) based on water-containing electrolytes are intrinsically safe and serve as promising candidates for the grid-scale energy storage and power supplies of wearable electronics. The severe temperature fluctuations due to fickle weather conditions across the world worsen the parasitic reactions during the electrochemical reactions, which limits the practical application scenarios of the aqueous batteries. Focusing on the electrolyte and electrode optimizations, substantial progress has been achieved to enhance the temperature adaptability of the aqueous batteries with various charge carriers by considering the kinetical and thermodynamical processes during the electrochemical reactions. Here in this review, we present a comprehensive discussion on the recent temperature-dependent electrochemical performance of aqueous batteries by providing experimental and theoretical mechanisms. The necessities to develop the aqueous batterie with superior temperature adaptability are firstly emphasized. The experimental approaches and corresponding physicochemical principles are summarized and classified. Then, recent progress to widen the temperature range for the stable operation of the aqueous batteries via electrolyte and electrode engineering is discussed in detail. Last but not least, we provide some perspectives on this important and prospering field from our point of view.
{"title":"Expanding the Temperature Range for Stable Aqueous Batteries: Strategies, Mechanisms and Perspectives","authors":"Xianwei Fu, Ruijuan Shi, Ye Liu, Xiaoxiao He, Qian Li, Yan Zhang, Yong Zhao, Shilong Jiao","doi":"10.1039/d4ee05304d","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee05304d","url":null,"abstract":"Aqueous batteries (ABs) based on water-containing electrolytes are intrinsically safe and serve as promising candidates for the grid-scale energy storage and power supplies of wearable electronics. The severe temperature fluctuations due to fickle weather conditions across the world worsen the parasitic reactions during the electrochemical reactions, which limits the practical application scenarios of the aqueous batteries. Focusing on the electrolyte and electrode optimizations, substantial progress has been achieved to enhance the temperature adaptability of the aqueous batteries with various charge carriers by considering the kinetical and thermodynamical processes during the electrochemical reactions. Here in this review, we present a comprehensive discussion on the recent temperature-dependent electrochemical performance of aqueous batteries by providing experimental and theoretical mechanisms. The necessities to develop the aqueous batterie with superior temperature adaptability are firstly emphasized. The experimental approaches and corresponding physicochemical principles are summarized and classified. Then, recent progress to widen the temperature range for the stable operation of the aqueous batteries via electrolyte and electrode engineering is discussed in detail. Last but not least, we provide some perspectives on this important and prospering field from our point of view.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"34 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083137","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Liyu Du, Yiming Zhang, Yiyang Xiao, Du Yuan, Meng Yao, Yun Zhang
The electrochemical performances of composite solid-state electrolytes (CSEs) cannot satisfy the application requirements of solid-state batteries (SSBs) due to the low concentration of movable cations with disordered and slow cation transportation. Herein, a designed CSE with a built-in interfacial electric field (D-CSE) is successfully constructed via defect engineering of electron-conducting carbon. The electrons would transfer and construct a built-in interfacial electric field (IEF) at the phase interface due to the different Fermi energy levels of the defect-rich carbon and polymer matrix. The built-in IEF would promote the dissociation of alkali-metal salts to release free cations, and provide an extra driving force to boost the transportation of cation. Additionally, the defect-rich carbon could regulate the distribution of electric field to enable rapid cation transfer. In terms of sodium, these coupling effects contribute to the high ionic conductivity (0.67 mS cm−1) and transference number (0.77) of D-CSE. Consequently, D-CSE-based solid-state sodium metal batteries exhibit remarkable cycling stability (0 °C, 80.9%, 500 cycles; 80 °C, 80.1%, 2500 cycles). This strategy of built-in IEF broadens the perspective achieving a uniform and rapid ion transportation and paves the way for achieving superior-stable SSBs.
{"title":"Defect-rich Carbon Induced Built-in Interfacial Electric Field Accelerating Ion-conduction towards Superior-stable Solid-state Batteries","authors":"Liyu Du, Yiming Zhang, Yiyang Xiao, Du Yuan, Meng Yao, Yun Zhang","doi":"10.1039/d4ee05966b","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1039/d4ee05966b","url":null,"abstract":"The electrochemical performances of composite solid-state electrolytes (CSEs) cannot satisfy the application requirements of solid-state batteries (SSBs) due to the low concentration of movable cations with disordered and slow cation transportation. Herein, a designed CSE with a built-in interfacial electric field (D-CSE) is successfully constructed via defect engineering of electron-conducting carbon. The electrons would transfer and construct a built-in interfacial electric field (IEF) at the phase interface due to the different Fermi energy levels of the defect-rich carbon and polymer matrix. The built-in IEF would promote the dissociation of alkali-metal salts to release free cations, and provide an extra driving force to boost the transportation of cation. Additionally, the defect-rich carbon could regulate the distribution of electric field to enable rapid cation transfer. In terms of sodium, these coupling effects contribute to the high ionic conductivity (0.67 mS cm−1) and transference number (0.77) of D-CSE. Consequently, D-CSE-based solid-state sodium metal batteries exhibit remarkable cycling stability (0 °C, 80.9%, 500 cycles; 80 °C, 80.1%, 2500 cycles). This strategy of built-in IEF broadens the perspective achieving a uniform and rapid ion transportation and paves the way for achieving superior-stable SSBs.","PeriodicalId":72,"journal":{"name":"Energy & Environmental Science","volume":"39 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":32.5,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143083136","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
京公网安备 11010802042870号
京ICP备2023020795号-1
扫码关注我们
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：