Tailin Wang

A Novel Mild Phase-Transition to Prepare Black Phosphorus Nanosheets with Excellent Energy Applications

Based on the phase transformation of phosphorus and Gibbs free energy theory, a new mild method to fabricate black phosphorus nanosheets from their red phosphorus microsphere counterparts is proposed. Interestingly, the as-prepared black phosphorus nanosheets, as a kind of novel metal-free photocatalyst, exhibit excellent photocatalytic H2 production performance owing to their intrinsic layered polycrystalline structure. Besides, the nanosheet is also a kind of potential anode material in lithium-ion batteries and shows good electrochemical performance.

Fabrication of CdS/BNNSs nanocomposites with broadband solar absorption for efficient photocatalytic hydrogen evolution

In this study, the nanocomposites of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles and hexagonal boron nitride nanosheets (BNNSs) were fabricated through in situ growing of CdS nanoparticles on BNNSs. The microstructure of the nanocomposites was clearly demonstrated. Compared with pure CdS nanoparticles, CdS/BNNSs nanocomposites show more efficient photocatalytic H2 production. The rate of H2 evolution can be doubled under the optimum conditions. The enhancement of photocatalytic H2 evolution is attributed to the ultrathin BNNSs. It is speculated that the BNNSs not only broaden the photo-absorption region, but also realized effective electronic communication through the connection between CdS nanoparticles and BNNSs. This new finding provides a promising way to design and fabricate more efficient photocatalysts based on BNNSs.

TiO2-B Nanoribbons Anchored with NiO Nanosheets as Hybrid Anode Materials for Rechargeable Lithium ion Batteries

A new type of TiO2-B nanoribbon anchored with NiO nanosheets (TiO2@NiO) is synthesized via a hydrothermal process and a subsequent homogeneous precipitation method. XRD analysis indicates that TiO2-B and cubic NiO phases exist in the composites. According to SEM images, the morphology of the TiO2@NiO hybrid material is unique, similar to that of leaf mosaic in biological systems. According to electrochemical investigations, the nanostructured hybrid material as an anode exhibits superior initial charge/discharge capacity and capacity retentions. The initial discharge capacity of the TiO2@NiO hybrid nanostructure is 395 mA h g−1, and the capacity remains 380 mA h g−1 after 50 charge/discharge cycles, which is about 96.2% capacity retention and 7.8% higher than that of pristine TiO2-B nanoribbons.

Graphene-Oxide-Assisted Synthesis of GaN Nanosheets as a New Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Battery

As the most-studied III-nitride, theoretical researches have predicted the presence of gallium nitride (GaN) nanosheets (NSs). Herein, a facile synthesis approach is reported to prepare GaN NSs using graphene oxide (GO) as sacrificial template. As a new anode material of Li-ion battery (LIBs), GaN NSs anodes deliver the reversible discharge capacity above 600 mA h g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 after 1000 cycles, and excellent rate performance at current rates from 0.1 to 10 A g-1. These results not only extend the family of 2D materials but also facilitate their use in energy storage and other applications.

Stable and Reversible Lithium Storage with High Pseudocapacitance in GaN Nanowires

In this work, gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires (NWs) were synthesized by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The hybrid electrode showed the capacity up to 486 mAh g-1 after 400 cycles at 0.1 A g-1. Even at 10 A g-1, the reversible capacity can stabilize at 75 mAh g-1 (after 1000 cycles). Pseudocapacitive capacity was defined by kinetics analysis. The dynamics analysis and electrochemical reaction mechanism of GaN with Li+ was also analyzed by ex situ XRD, HRTEM, and XPS results. These results not only cast new light on pseudocapacitance enhanced high-rate energy storage devices by self-assembled nanoengineering but also extend the application range of traditional binary III/V semiconductors.