Jue Liu

Removal of Interstitial H2O in Hexacyanometallates for a Superior Cathode of a Sodium-Ion Battery

Sodium is globally available, which makes a sodium-ion rechargeable battery preferable to a lithium-ion battery for large-scale storage of electrical energy, provided a host cathode for Na can be found that provides the necessary capacity, voltage, and cycle life at the prescribed charge/discharge rate. Low-cost hexacyanometallates are promising cathodes because of their ease of synthesis and rigid open framework that enables fast Na(+) insertion and extraction. Here we report an intriguing effect of interstitial H2O on the structure and electrochemical properties of sodium manganese(II) hexacyanoferrates(II) with the nominal composition Na2MnFe(CN)6·zH2O (Na2-δMnHFC). The newly discovered dehydrated Na2-δMnHFC phase exhibits superior electrochemical performance compared to other reported Na-ion cathode materials; it delivers at 3.5 V a reversible capacity of 150 mAh g(-1) in a sodium half cell and 140 mAh g(-1) in a full cell with a hard-carbon anode. At a charge/discharge rate of 20 C, the half-cell capacity is 120 mAh g(-1), and at 0.7 C, the cell exhibits 75% capacity retention after 500 cycles.

Cobalt Molybdenum Oxynitrides: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Catalytic Activity for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Here, we report the synthesis and characterization of CoxMo1 xOyNz compounds supported on carbon black as potential cathode catalysts for ORR. They were prepared by a conventional impregnation method. Their ORR activities in both acid and alkaline electrolytes were evaluated via half-cell measurements. The synthesis temperature and sample composition both strongly impacted their physical and chemical properties. Factors influencing their crystal structures, morphologies and ORR activities will be discussed based on the results of structural and spectroscopic studies.

Quantification of Honeycomb Number-Type Stacking Faults: Application to Na3Ni2BiO6 Cathodes for Na-Ion Batteries

Ordered and disordered samples of honeycomb-lattice Na3Ni2BiO6 were investigated as cathodes for Na-ion batteries, and it was determined that the ordered sample exhibits better electrochemical performance, with a specific capacity of 104 mA h/g delivered at plateaus of 3.5 and 3.2 V (vs Na(+)/Na) with minimal capacity fade during extended cycling. Advanced imaging and diffraction investigations showed that the primary difference between the ordered and disordered samples is the amount of number-type stacking faults associated with the three possible centering choices for each honeycomb layer. A labeling scheme for assigning the number position of honeycomb layers is described, and it is shown that the translational shift vectors between layers provide the simplest method for classifying different repeat patterns. It is demonstrated that the number position of honeycomb layers can be directly determined in high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM-HAADF) imaging studies. By the use of fault models derived from STEM studies, it is shown that both the sharp, symmetric subcell peaks and the broad, asymmetric superstructure peaks in powder diffraction patterns can be quantitatively modeled. About 20% of the layers in the ordered monoclinic sample are faulted in a nonrandom manner, while the disordered sample stacking is not fully random but instead contains about 4% monoclinic order. Furthermore, it is shown that the ordered sample has a series of higher-order superstructure peaks associated with 6-, 9-, 12-, and 15-layer periods whose existence is transiently driven by the presence of long-range strain that is an inherent consequence of the synthesis mechanism revealed through the present diffraction and imaging studies. This strain is closely associated with a monoclinic shear that can be directly calculated from cell lattice parameters and is strongly correlated with the degree of ordering in the samples. The present results are broadly applicable to other honeycomb-lattice systems, including Li2MnO3 and related Li-excess cathode compositions.

In Situ Neutron Diffraction Studies of the Ion Exchange Synthesis Mechanism of Li2Mg2P3O9N: Evidence for a Hidden Phase Transition

Motivated by predictions made using a bond valence sum difference map (BVS-DM) analysis, the novel Li-ion conductor Li2Mg2P3O9N was synthesized by ion exchange from a Na2Mg2P3O9N precursor. Impedance spectroscopy measurements indicate that Li2Mg2P3O9N has a room temperature Li-ion conductivity of about 10-6 S/cm (comparable to LiPON), which is 6 orders of magnitude higher than the extrapolated Na-ion conductivity of Na2Mg2P3O9N at this temperature. The structure of Li2Mg2P3O9N was determined from ex situ synchrotron and time-of-flight neutron diffraction data to retain the P213 space group, though with a cubic lattice parameter of a = 9.11176(8) Å that is significantly smaller than the a = 9.2439(1) Å of Na2Mg2P3O9N. The two Li-ion sites are found to be very substantially displaced (∼0.5 Å) relative to the analogous Na sites in the precursor phase. The non-molten salt ion exchange method used to prepare Li2Mg2P3O9N produces a minimal background in powder diffraction experiments, and was therefore exploited for the first time to follow a Li+/Na+ ion exchange reaction using in situ powder neutron diffraction. Lattice parameter changes during ion exchange suggest that the reaction proceeds through a Na2-xLixMg2P3O9N solid solution (stage 1) followed by a two-phase reaction (stage 2) to form Li2Mg2P3O9N. However, full Rietveld refinements of the in situ neutron diffraction data indicate that the actual transformation mechanism is more complex and instead involves two thermodynamically distinct solid solutions in which the Li exclusively occupies the Li1 site at low Li contents (stage 1a) and then migrates to the Li3 site at higher Li contents (stage 1b), a crossover driven by the different signs of the local volume change at these sites. In addition to highlighting the importance of obtaining full structural data in situ throughout the ion exchange process, these results provide insights into the general question of what constitutes a thermodynamic phase.