Haifu Huang

Direct Formation of Reduced Graphene Oxide and 3D Lightweight Nickel Network Composite Foam by Hydrohalic Acids and Its Application for High-Performance Supercapacitors

Here, a novel graphene composite foam with 3D lightweight continuous and interconnected nickel network was successfully synthesized by hydroiodic (HI) acid using nickel foam as substrate template. The graphene had closely coated on the backbone of the 3D nickel conductive network to form nickel network supported composite foam without any polymeric binder during the HI reduction of GO process, and the nickel conductive network can be maintained even in only a small amount of nickel with 1.1 mg/cm(2) and had replaced the traditional current collector nickel foam (35 mg/cm(2)). In the electrochemical measurement, a supercapacitor device based on the 3D nickel network and graphene composite foam exhibited high rate capability of 100 F/g at 0.5 A/g and 86.7 F/g at 62.5 A/g, good cycle stability with capacitance retention of 95% after 2000 cycles, low internal resistance (1.68 Ω), and excellent flexible properties. Furthermore, the gravimetric capacitance (calculated using the total mass of the electrode) was high up to 40.9 F/g. Our work not only demonstrates high-quality graphene/nickel composite foam, but also provides a universal route for the rational design of high performance of supercapacitors.

Synthesis of rGO/PS compound with sandwich structure on Ni foam as binder-free electrode for supercapacitor

Here, we demonstrate the design of a binder-free reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and polystyrene colloidal microsphere (PS) compound with rGO/PS/rGO sandwich structure and application for supercapacitors electrode. rGO and PS are alternately deposited into 3D Ni foam by a simple layer-by-layer assembly based on dip-coating. The interlayer space of rGO film expanded by PS microsphere and 3D structure of compound electrode can effectively shorten diffusion pathways of ions and accelerate the transport of ions into graphene sheets. The resulting rGO/PS compound electrode exhibits a high specific capacitance with 164.7F g−1, and outstanding rate capability. It is found that the specific capacitance is dependent on the number of rGO film layers in rGO/PS compound electrode.

Fabrication of spherical Fe-based magnetic powders via the in situ de-wetting of the liquid–solid interface

Spherical Fe-based magnetic powders were obtained by taking advantage of the surface tension of a molten metal and the de-wetting of metal droplets on a solid graphite sea. The surface carbides inhibit the interfacial reaction and suppress the wetting of the alloy in the graphite substrate. Cross-sectional micrographs of the spherical particles indicate that the particles are fully dense without pores and bulk inclusions. The amorphous degree of the spherical powder was improved by directly quenching in water compared to the raw materials, and the directly quenched sample exhibits excellent soft magnetic properties. Our strategy is expected to provide a new route for the fabrication of spherical insulation coated Fe-based magnetic powders for use in high frequency devices as magnetic core powders.

Dy substitution effect on the temperature dependences of magnetostriction in Pr1–x Dy x Fe1.9 alloys*

The temperature dependences of magnetostriction in Pr1−x Dy x Fe1.9 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) alloys between 5 K and 300 K were investigated. An unusual decrease of magnetostriction with temperature decreasing was found in Pr-rich alloys (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.2), due to the change of the easy magnetization direction (EMD). Dy substitution reduces the magnetostriction in high-magnetic field (10 kOe ≤ H ≤ 90 kOe) at 5 K, while a small amount of Dy substitution (x = 0.05) is beneficial to increasing the magnetostriction in low-magnetic field between 10 K and 50 K. This makes the alloys a potential candidate for low temperature applications.