Ya Chen

Effects of transition-metal ions on the morphology and electrochemical properties of δ-MnO2 for supercapacitors

Abstractδ-MnO2 materials doped with transition-metal cations (Zn, Co, and Ag) were successfully synthesized using a hydrothermal technique. The structures and morphologies of the obtained oxides were analyzed using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller measurements. Additionally, the electrochemical properties were evaluated through cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and galvanostatic cycling measurements. The results indicate that the pure and doped samples crystallize in the δ form with a layered structure and that the Mn/Zn, Mn/Co and Mn/Ag molar ratios are all approximately 1:0.09. Both the Zn-doped and pure MnO2 materials exhibit a petal-like morphology; however, the former has a higher specific surface area of up to 98.97m2 g−1. Furthermore, the Zn-doped MnO2 exhibits a near-rectangular cyclic voltammetry (CV) curve with broad quasi-reversible redox peaks and a specific capacitance of 182.9 F g−1 at a CV scan rate of 2 mV s−1. The Co-doped material exhibits a distinct spiny-fiber morphology, and the electrochemical performance of this material is significantly worse than that of pure MnO2. The average attenuation rate of the Ag-doped material is only 0.028% after 1000 cycles, which is lower than that of pure MnO2.

The study of carbon-based lead foam as positive current collector of lead acid battery

The carbon-based lead foam was produced by electrodepositing a uniform and dense lead coating on lightweight carbon foam in fluoborate system under appropriate conditions. The cyclic voltammetry showed that its electrochemical properties resembled the metallic pure lead. A lead acid battery equipped with the carbon-based lead foam as positive current collector undergone a charge–discharge test. The battery had a high discharge capacity and a good cycling stability, which indicated that the carbon-based lead foam could serve as positive current collector. The three-dimensional net structure of carbon-based lead foam provides larger surface area than traditional lead alloy grids, thus enhances the specific capacity of lead acid battery. The carbon-based lead foam might be a promising substitute for lead alloy grids.