Lijun Fu

Nanostructured positive electrode materials for post-lithium ion batteries

Nanotechnology has opened up new frontiers in materials science and engineering in the past several decades. Considerable efforts on nanostructured electrode materials have been made in recent years to fulfill the future requirements of electrochemical energy storage. Compared to bulk materials, most of these nanostructured electrode materials improve the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of electrochemical reactions for achieving high energy and power densities. Here we briefly review the state-of-the-art research activities in the area of nanostructured positive electrode materials for post-lithium ion batteries, including Li–S batteries, Li–Se batteries, aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries, Li–O2 batteries, Na-ion batteries, Mg-ion batteries and Al-ion batteries. These future rechargeable battery systems may offer increased energy densities, reduced cost, and more environmental benignity. A particular focus is directed to the design principles of these nanostructured positive electrode materials and how nanostructuring influences electrochemical performance. Moreover, the recent achievements in nanostructured positive electrode materials for some of the latest emerging rechargeable batteries are also summarized, such as Zn-ion batteries, F- and Cl-ion batteries, Na–, K– and Al–S batteries, Na– and K–O2 batteries, Li–CO2 batteries, novel Zn–air batteries, and hybrid redox flow batteries. To facilitate further research and development, some future research trends and directions are finally discussed.

A Quasi-Solid-State Sodium-Ion Capacitor with High Energy Density

A quasi-solid-state sodium-ion capacitor is demonstrated with nanoporous disordered carbon and macroporous graphene as the negative and positive electrodes, respectively, using a sodium-ion-conducting gel polymer electrolyte. It can operate at a cell voltage as high as 4.2 V with an energy density of record high 168 W h kg(-1).

An Aqueous Rechargeable Zn//Co3O4 Battery with High Energy Density and Good Cycling Behavior

An aqueous rechargeable Zn//Co3 O4 battery is demonstrated with Zn@carbon fibers and Co3 O4 @Ni foam as the negative and positive electrodes, respectively, using an electrolyte of 1 m KOH and 10 × 10(-3) m Zn(Ac)2 . It can operate at a cell voltage as high as 1.78 V with an energy density of 241 W h kg(-1) and presents excellent cycling. The battery is also assembled into a flexible shape, which can be applied in flexible or wearable devices requiring high energy.

Electrode materials with tailored facets for electrochemical energy storage

In recent years, the design and morphological control of crystals with tailored facets have become hot spots in the field of electrochemical energy storage devices. For electrode materials, morphologies play important roles in their activities because their shapes determine how many facets of specific orientation are exposed and therefore available for surface reactions. This review focuses on the strategies for crystal facet control and the unusual electrochemical properties of electrode materials bound by tailored facets. Here, electrode materials with tailored facets include transition metal oxides such as SnO2, Co3O4, NiO, Cu2O, and MnO2, elementary substances such as Si and Au, and intercalation compounds such as Li4Ti5O12, LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, LiFePO4, and Na0.7MnO2 for various applications of Li-ion batteries, aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries, Na-ion batteries, Li-O2 batteries and supercapacitors. How these electrode materials with tailored facets affect their electrochemical properties is discussed. Finally, research opportunities as well as the challenges in this emerging research frontier are highlighted.

A Quasi-Solid-State Li-Ion Capacitor Based on Porous TiO2 Hollow Microspheres Wrapped with Graphene Nanosheets

The quasi-solid-state Li-ion capacitor is demonstrated with graphene nanosheets prepared by an electrochemical exfoliation as the positive electrode and the porous TiO2 hollow microspheres wrapped with the same graphene nanosheets as the negative electrode, using a Li-ion conducting gel polymer electrolyte. This device may be the key to bridging the gap between conventional lithium-ion batteries and supercapacitors, meanwhile meeting the safety demands of electronic devices.

A conductive polymer coated MoO3 anode enables an Al-ion capacitor with high performance

Electrochemical capacitors are becoming promising energy conversion/storage and power output devices. However, high cost and low energy density are two serious disadvantages. By integrating the advantages of Li-/Na-ion batteries and electrochemical capacitors, Li-/Na-ion capacitors have been explored recently. Al is very cheap and is the most abundant metal element on the earth. There are few reports on Al-ion capacitors due to the challenges in finding a suitable anode with large capacitance and good rate performance. Here, the feasibility of assembling an Al-ion capacitor with good electrochemical performance is demonstrated. The Al-ion capacitor is assembled by using a composite of MoO3 nanotubes coated by a conductive polypyrrole (PPy@MoO3) as an anode, which functions via a redox intercalation/deintercalation of Al3+ ions in aqueous solution. It delivers a capacitance of 693 F g−1, about 3 times higher than that of electrode materials for sodium-ion capacitors in aqueous solution. Combined with an activated carbon (AC) cathode, the Al-ion capacitor presents an energy density of 30 W h kg−1 and an excellent cycling life with 93% capacitance retention after 1800 cycles. This finding provides another energy storage device with low cost and promotes the application of capacitors.

Aqueous Rechargeable Zinc/Aluminum Ion Battery with Good Cycling Performance.

Developing rechargeable batteries with low cost is critically needed for the application in large-scale stationary energy storage systems. Here, an aqueous rechargeable zinc//aluminum ion battery is reported on the basis of zinc as the negative electrode and ultrathin graphite nanosheets as the positive electrode in an aqueous Al2(SO4)3/Zn(CHCOO)2 electrolyte. The positive electrode material was prepared through a simple electrochemically expanded method in aqueous solution. The cost for the aqueous electrolyte together with the Zn negative electrode is low, and their raw materials are abundant. The average working voltage of this aqueous rechargeable battery is 1.0 V, which is higher than those of most rechargeable Al ion batteries in an ionic liquid electrolyte. It could also be rapidly charged within 2 min while maintaining a high capacity. Moreover, its cycling behavior is also very good, with capacity retention of nearly 94% after 200 cycles.

A quasi-solid-state Li-ion capacitor with high energy density based on Li3VO4/carbon nanofibers and electrochemically-exfoliated graphene sheets

Electrochemical capacitors are playing increasing roles in our daily life but their low energy densities limit their wide applications. The appearance of Li-ion capacitors (LICs) is regarded as the beginning of a new era of increased energy densities in the field of electrochemical capacitors. However, it is a great challenge to find a suitable anode material with superior electrochemical performance. In addition, the intrinsic instability of the liquid electrolytes used in LICs can easily result in leakage of the electrolyte and causes a serious safety issue. Here, a quasi-solid-state LIC is fabricated by applying Li3VO4/carbon nanofibers as the anode and electrochemically-exfoliated graphene sheets as the cathode in a gel polymer electrolyte. It achieves an energy density of 110 W h kg−1 and a good cycling performance. Our results demonstrate that quasi-solid-state LICs provide a key system acting as a bridge between conventional Li-ion batteries and supercapacitors, while meeting the high safety demands of electronic devices.

Enhancing performance of sandwich-like cobalt sulfide and carbon for quasi-solid-state hybrid electrochemical capacitors

Metal sulfides (MSs) should be feasible candidates for hybrid electrochemical capacitors (HECs) due to their high theoretical specific capacitances. However, their performances are largely hampered by sluggish ion/electron transport kinetics and fast capacitance fading. Here, we provide a new approach to fabricate high-performance dual-structural MSs for long-life electrochemical energy storage devices. With robust, graphitic and nitrogen-doped porous carbon shells and highly conductive reduced graphene oxide (RGO) substrates, our cobalt sulfide-based composite shows 99.7% capacitance retention after 4000 cycles. We also present a sandwich-like carbon electrode with ultrahigh specific capacitance and excellent cycling stability. As a result, a quasi-solid-state HEC comprising the above-mentioned electrodes and a PVA–PAA membrane is fabricated. Its electrochemical performance is superior to those formerly reported for MSs, and our results for the first time provide a solid base for the application of MSs in HECs.

A lithium ion battery using an aqueous electrolyte solution

Energy and environmental pollution have become the two major problems in today’s society. The development of green energy storage devices with good safety, high reliability, high energy density and low cost are urgently demanded. Here we report on a lithium ion battery using an aqueous electrolyte solution. It is built up by using graphite coated with gel polymer membrane and LISICON as the negative electrode, and LiFePO4 in aqueous solution as the positive electrode. Its average discharge voltage is up to 3.1 V and energy density based on the two electrode materials is 258 Wh kg−1. It will be a promising energy storage system with good safety and efficient cooling effects.