Qishu Liao

In situ Ti3+-doped TiO2 nanotubes anode for lithium ion battery

In order to improve the electrical conductivity and electrochemical performances, three-dimensional oriented noncrystalline TiO2 nanotube arrays (TiO2NT) were modified with Ti3+ via one-step in situ electrochemical self-doping. The as-synthesized Ti3+-doped TiO2NT (Ti3+/TiO2NT) electrode was investigated in terms of XPS, SEM, EDX, galvanostatic charge/discharge, cycle stability, rate performance, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and AC impedance. As expected, Ti3+/TiO2NT electrode displayed higher discharge capacity, rate performance, cycle stability and Li+ diffusion coefficient than the bare one, possibly due to improved electrical conductivity.

Recycled tetrahedron-like CuCl from waste Cu scraps for lithium ion battery anode

The wide applications of metal Cu inevitably resulted in a large quantity of waste Cu materials. In order to recover the useful Cu under the mild conditions and reduce the environmental emission, waste Cu scraps were recycled in the form of CuCl powders with high economic value added (EVA) via the facile hydrothermal route. The recycled CuCl powders were characterized in terms of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results suggested that the recycled CuCl powders consisted of many regular tetrahedron-like micro-particles. Furthermore, in order to reduce the cost of lithium ion battery (LIB) anode and build the connection of waste Cu scraps and LIB, the recycled CuCl powders were evaluated as the anode active material of LIB. As expected, the reversible discharge capacity was about 171.8mAh/g at 2.0C even after 50 cycles, implying the satisfactory cycle stability. Clearly, the satisfactory results may open a new avenue to develop the circular economy and the sustainable energy industry, which would be very important in terms of both the resource recovery and the environmental protection.

Recycled hierarchical tripod-like CuCl from Cu-PCB waste etchant for lithium ion battery anode.

Hierarchical CuCl with high economic value added (EVA) was successfully recycled with 85% recovery from the acid Cu printed circuit board (Cu-PCB) waste etchant via facile liquid chemical reduction. The micro-structure and morphology of the recycled hierarchical CuCl were systematically characterized in terms of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). Furthermore, the corresponding electrochemical performances as lithium ion battery (LIB) anode were also investigated in terms of galvanostatic charge/discharge, cyclic voltammetry (CV) and AC impedance. As expected, the recycled CuCl displayed a hierarchical tripod-like structure and large specific surface area of 21.2m2/g. As the anode in LIB, the reversible discharge capacity was about 201.4 mAh/g even after 100 cycles, implying the satisfactory cycle performance. Clearly, the satisfactory results may open a new avenue to develop the sustainable industry, which is very important in terms of both the resource recovery and the environmental protection.

Reutilization of the expired tetracycline for lithium ion battery anode.

Waste antibiotics into the natural environment are the large challenges to the environmental protection and the human health, and the unreasonable disposal of the expired antibiotics is a major pollution source. Herein, to achieve the innocent treatment and the resource recovery, the expired tetracycline was tried to be reutilized as the electrode active material in lithium ion battery (LIB) for the first time. The micro-structure and element component of the expired tetracycline were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Furthermore, the corresponding electrochemical performances were also investigated by galvanostatic charge/discharge and cyclic voltammetry (CV). To be satisfactory, the expired-tetracycline-based electrode delivered the initial specific discharge capacity of 371.6mAh/g and the reversible specific capacity of 304.1mAh/g after 200cycles. The decent results will not only offer an effective strategy to recycle the expired tetracycline, but also shed a new light on the cyclic economy and the sustainable development.

Sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide)/Ti3+/TiO2 nanotube arrays membrane/electrode with high performances for lithium ion battery

Sulfonated poly(phenylene oxide) (SPPO) film was electrodeposited on Ti3+-doped TiO2 nanotube arrays (Ti3+/TiO2NT) electrode via the electropolymerization of sulfonated phenol. The as-synthesized SPPO/Ti3+/TiO2NT membrane/electrode was investigated in terms of SEM, FESEM, EDX, FTIR, XPS, galvanostatic charge/discharge, and cycle voltammetry (CV). As expected, the porous SPPO film did form on the surface of Ti3+/TiO2NT electrode; furthermore, the resultant SPPO/Ti3+/TiO2NT membrane/electrode delivered higher electrochemical performances than PPO/Ti3+/TiO2NT, mainly attributed to the contributions of the ionic conductivity induced by –SO3H groups within SPPO.