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Sodium superionic conductor (NASICON)‐type materials are getting more and more attention due to their high capacity and good cycling ability compared with other cathode materials in aqueous zinc ion batteries (AZIB). The present paper was to study the synthesis and electrochemical properties of two NASICON compounds of Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃and Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂F₃and to understand the impacts of fluorine. Both Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃and Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂F₃are synthesized by hydrothermal growth followed with annealing at 800°C in inert gas. With 3 mol/L Zn(CF₃SO₃)₂in water as electrolyte, Na₃V₂(PO₄)₃offered a high storage capacity, while Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂F₃demonstrated a high discharge voltage though low storage capacity. It was also found that the storage capacity of Na₃V₂(PO₄)₂F₃increases with increased cycles; however, the compound undergoes a gradual phase transition. It is discussed possible approaches to attain both high discharge voltage and large capacity with good cycling stability.

 

Hydrated vanadates are promising layered cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries owing to their specific capacity as high as 400 mA h g −1 ; however, the structural instability causes serious cycling degradation through repeated intercalation/deintercalation reactions. This study reveals the chemically inserted Mn( ii ) cations act as structural pillars, expand the interplanar spacing, connect the adjacent layers and partially reduce pentavalent vanadium cations to tetravalent. The expanded interplanar spacing to 12.9 Å reduces electrostatic interactions, and transition metal cations collectively promote and catalyze fast and more zinc ion intercalation at higher discharge current densities with much enhanced reversibility and cycling stability. Manganese expanded hydrated vanadate (MnVO) delivers a specific capacity of 415 mA h g −1 at a current density of 50 mA g −1 and 260 mA h g −1 at 4 A g −1 with a capacity retention of 92% over 2000 cycles. The energy efficiency increases from 41% for hydrated vanadium pentoxide (VOH) to 70% for MnVO at 4 A g −1 and the open circuit voltage remains at 85% of the cutoff voltage in the MnVO battery on the shelf after 50 days. Expanded hydrated vanadate with other transition metal cations for high-performance aqueous zinc-ion batteries is also obtained, suggesting it is a general strategy for exploiting high-performance cathodes for multi-valent ion batteries. 

The ever‐increasing demand for clean sustainable energy has driven tremendous worldwide investment in the design and exploration of new active materials for energy conversion and energy‐storage devices. Tailoring the surfaces of and interfaces between different materials is one of the surest and best studied paths to enable high‐energy‐density batteries and high‐efficiency solar cells. Metal‐halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are one of the most promising photovoltaic materials due to their unprecedented development, with their record power conversion efficiency (PCE) rocketing beyond 25% in less than 10 years. Such progress is achieved largely through the control of crystallinity and surface/interface defects. Rechargeable batteries (RBs) reversibly convert electrical and chemical potential energy through redox reactions at the interfaces between the electrodes and electrolyte. The (electro)chemical and optoelectronic compatibility between active components are essential design considerations to optimize power conversion and energy storage performance. A focused discussion and critical analysis on the formation and functions of the interfaces and interphases of the active materials in these devices is provided, and prospective strategies used to overcome current challenges are described. These strategies revolve around manipulating the chemical compositions, defects, stability, and passivation of the various interfaces of RBs and PSCs.