Shu-Lei Chou

Simply mixed commercial red phosphorus and carbon nanotube composite with exceptionally reversible sodium-ion storage.

Recently, sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have been given intense attention because they are the most promising alternative to lithium ion batteries for application in renewable power stations and smart grid, owing to their low cost, their abundant natural resources, and the similar chemistry of sodium and lithium. Elemental phosphorus (P) is the most promising anode materials for SIBs with the highest theoretical capacity of 2596 mA h g(-1), but the commercially available red phosphorus cannot react with Na reversibly. Here, we report that simply hand-grinding commercial microsized red phosphorus and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) can deliver a reversible capacity of 1675 mA h g(-1) for sodium ion batteries (SIBs), with capacity retention of 76.6% over 10 cycles. Our results suggest that the simply mixed commercial red phosphorus and CNTs would be a promising anode candidate for SIBs with a high capacity and low cost.

Hollow Structured Li3VO4 Wrapped with Graphene Nanosheets in Situ Prepared by a One-Pot Template-Free Method as an Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

To explore good anode materials of high safety, high reversible capacity, good cycling, and excellent rate capability, a Li3VO4 microbox with wall thickness of 40 nm was prepared by a one-pot and template-free in situ hydrothermal method. In addition, its composite with graphene nanosheets of about six layers of graphene was achieved. Both of them, especially the Li3VO4/graphene nanosheets composite, show superior electrochemical performance to the formerly reported vanadium-based anode materials. The composite shows a reversible capacity of 223 mAh g(-1) even at 20C (1C = 400 mAh g(-1)). After 500 cycles at 10C there is no evident capacity fading.

Ultrafine SnO2 nanoparticle loading onto reduced graphene oxide as anodes for sodium-ion batteries with superior rate and cycling performances

A structured SnO2–reduced graphene oxide (RGO) nanocomposite has been synthesized with SnO2 nanoparticles (∼5 nm) anchored on a RGO framework. It has been successfully applied as an anode material in sodium-ion batteries. The electrode delivers a reversible Na-storage capacity of 330 mA h g−1 with an outstanding capacity retention of 81.3% over 150 cycles. Moreover, it possesses a relatively good rate capability, exhibiting a capacity retention of 25.8% at high rate (1000 mA h g−1). With its combined advantages of low cost and environmental benignity, the SnO2–RGO nanocomposite would be a promising anode for Na-ion batteries.

High-surface-area α-Fe2O3/carbon nanocomposite: one-step synthesis and its highly reversible and enhanced high-rate lithium storage properties

Hollow-structured α-Fe2O3/carbon (HIOC) nanocomposite with a high surface area of around 260 m2 g−1 was synthesized by a one-step, in situ, and industrially-oriented spray pyrolysis method using iron lactate and sucrose solution as the precursors. The small α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals were highly dispersed inside amorphous carbon to form a carbon nanocomposite. Electrochemical measurements showed that the carbon played an important role in affecting both the cycle life and the rate capability of the electrode. The HIOC composites showed the best electrochemical performance in terms of high capacity (1210 mAh g−1 at a current density of 0.1 C), enhanced rate capability and excellent cycle stability (720 mAh g−1 at a current density of 2 C up to 220 cycles). HIOC nanocomposite can also be used in other potential applications, such as in gas sensors, catalysts, and biomedical applications because it is easily dispersed in water and has a high surface area.

Sn4+xP3 @ Amorphous Sn-P Composites as Anodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries with Low Cost, High Capacity, Long Life, and Superior Rate Capability

Sn4+x P3 @ amorphous Sn-P composites are a promising cheap anode material for sodium-ion batteries with high capacity (502 mA h g(-1) at a current density of 100 mA g(-1)), long cycling stability (92.6% capacity retention up to 100 cycles), and high rate capability (165 mA h g(-1) at the 10C rate).

Uniform yolk-shell iron sulfide–carbon nanospheres for superior sodium–iron sulfide batteries

Sodium–metal sulfide battery holds great promise for sustainable and cost-effective applications. Nevertheless, achieving high capacity and cycling stability remains a great challenge. Here, uniform yolk-shell iron sulfide–carbon nanospheres have been synthesized as cathode materials for the emerging sodium sulfide battery to achieve remarkable capacity of ∼545 mA h g−1 over 100 cycles at 0.2 C (100 mA g−1), delivering ultrahigh energy density of ∼438 Wh kg−1. The proven conversion reaction between sodium and iron sulfide results in high capacity but severe volume changes. Nanostructural design, including of nanosized iron sulfide yolks (∼170 nm) with porous carbon shells (∼30 nm) and extra void space (∼20 nm) in between, has been used to achieve excellent cycling performance without sacrificing capacity. This sustainable sodium–iron sulfide battery is a promising candidate for stationary energy storage. Furthermore, this spatially confined sulfuration strategy offers a general method for other yolk-shell metal sulfide–carbon composites.

High-performance sodium-ion batteries and sodium-ion pseudocapacitors based on MoS2/graphene composites

Sodium-ion energy storage, including sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) and electrochemical capacitive storage (NICs), is considered as a promising alternative to lithium-ion energy storage. It is an intriguing prospect, especially for large-scale applications, owing to its low cost and abundance. MoS2 sodiation/desodiation with Na ions is based on the conversion reaction, which is not only able to deliver higher capacity than the intercalation reaction, but can also be applied in capacitive storage owing to its typically sloping charge/discharge curves. Here, NIBs and NICs based on a graphene composite (MoS2 /G) were constructed. The enlarged d-spacing, a contribution of the graphene matrix, and the unique properties of the MoS2 /G substantially optimize Na storage behavior, by accommodating large volume changes and facilitating fast ion diffusion. MoS2 /G exhibits a stable capacity of approximately 350 mAh g(-1) over 200 cycles at 0.25 C in half cells, and delivers a capacitance of 50 F g(-1) over 2000 cycles at 1.5 C in pseudocapacitors with a wide voltage window of 0.1-2.5 V.

Silicon/Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Paper as a Flexible Anode Material for Lithium Ion Batteries

Flexible silicon/single-walled carbon nanotube (Si/SWCNT) composite paper was prepared using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method to deposit Si onto SWCNT paper. In the composite, Si mainly shows nanoworm-like morphology. Increasing deposition time results in an increased amount of Si microspheres. Electrochemical measurements show that the capacity of the composite paper is improved by the presence of Si. The Si/SWCNT composite with only 2.2% Si shows a capacity of 163 mA h g−1 at a current density of 25 mA g−1 up to 50 cycles, which is more than 60% improvement of the capacity of pristine CNT paper. The Si contribution in the 2.2%-Si/SWCNT sample is calculated to be higher than 3000 mA h g−1.

Cobalt‐Doped FeS2 Nanospheres with Complete Solid Solubility as a High‐Performance Anode Material for Sodium‐Ion Batteries

Considering that the high capacity, long-term cycle life, and high-rate capability of anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) is a bottleneck currently, a series of Co-doped FeS2 solid solutions with different Co contents were prepared by a facile solvothermal method, and for the first time their Na-storage properties were investigated. The optimized Co0.5 Fe0.5 S2 (Fe0.5) has discharge capacities of 0.220 Ah g(-1) after 5000 cycles at 2 A g(-1) and 0.172 Ah g(-1) even at 20 A g(-1) with compatible ether-based electrolyte in a voltage window of 0.8-2.9 V. The Fe0.5 sample transforms to layered Nax Co0.5 Fe0.5 S2 by initial activation, and the layered structure is maintained during following cycles. The redox reactions of Nax Co0.5 Fe0.5 S2 are dominated by pseudocapacitive behavior, leading to fast Na(+) insertion/extraction and durable cycle life. A Na3 V2 (PO4 )3 /Fe0.5 full cell was assembled, delivering an initial capacity of 0.340 Ah g(-1) .

A Metal‐Free, Free‐Standing, Macroporous Graphene@g‐C3N4 Composite Air Electrode for High‐Energy Lithium Oxygen Batteries

The nonaqueous lithium oxygen battery is a promising candidate as a next-generation energy storage system because of its potentially high energy density (up to 2-3 kW kg(-1)), exceeding that of any other existing energy storage system for storing sustainable and clean energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the consumption of nonrenewable fossil fuels. To achieve high energy density, long cycling stability, and low cost, the air electrode structure and the electrocatalysts play important roles. Here, a metal-free, free-standing macroporous graphene@graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) composite air cathode is first reported, in which the g-C3N4 nanosheets can act as efficient electrocatalysts, and the macroporous graphene nanosheets can provide space for Li2O2 to deposit and also promote the electron transfer. The electrochemical results on the graphene@g-C3N4 composite air electrode show a 0.48 V lower charging plateau and a 0.13 V higher discharging plateau than those of pure graphene air electrode, with a discharge capacity of nearly 17300 mA h g(-1)(composite) . Excellent cycling performance, with terminal voltage higher than 2.4 V after 105 cycles at 1000 mA h g(-1)(composite) capacity, can also be achieved. Therefore, this hybrid material is a promising candidate for use as a high energy, long-cycle-life, and low-cost cathode material for lithium oxygen batteries.