Electrochemical performance of a nickel-rich LiNi_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)O_2 cathode material for lithium-ion batteries under different cut-off voltages

A spherical-like Ni_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)(OH)_2 precursor was tuned homogeneously to synthesize LiNi_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)O_2 as a cathode material for lithium-ion batteries.The effects of calcination temperature on the crystal structure,morphology,and the electrochemical performance of the as-prepared LiNi_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)O_2 were investigated in detail.The as-prepared material was characterized by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy,laser particle size analysis,charge–discharge tests,and cyclic voltammetry measurements.The results show that the spherical-like LiNi_(0.6)Co_(0.2)Mn_(0.2)O_2 material obtained by calcination at 900°C displayed the most significant layered structure among samples calcined at various temperatures,with a particle size of approximately 10 μm.It delivered an initial discharge capacity of 189.2 m Ah×g~(-1) at 0.2C with a capacity retention of 94.0% after 100 cycles between 2.7 and 4.3 V.The as-prepared cathode material also exhibited good rate performance,with a discharge capacity of 119.6 m Ah×g~(-1) at 5C.Furthermore,within the cut-off voltage ranges from 2.7 to 4.3,4.4,and 4.5 V,the initial discharge capacities of the calcined samples were 170.7,180.9,and 192.8 m Ah×g~(-1),respectively,at a rate of 1C.The corresponding retentions were 86.8%,80.3%,and 74.4% after 200 cycles,respectively.     

Lithium-ion full cell with high energy density using nickel-rich LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 cathode and SiO-C composite anode

A high-energy-density Li-ion battery with excellent rate capability and long cycle life was fabricated with a Ni-rich layered LiNi_0.8Mn_0.1Co_0.1O₂ cathode and SiO-C composite anode. The LiNi_0.8Mn_0.1Co_0.1O₂ and SiO-C exhibited excellent electrochemical performance in both half and full cells. Specifically, when integrated into a full cell configuration, a high energy density (280 Wh·kg-1) with excellent rate capability and long cycle life was attained. At 0.5C, the full cell retained 80% of its initial capacity after 200 charge/discharge cycles, and 60% after 600 cycles, indicating robust structural tolerance for the repeated insertion/extraction of Li+ ions. The rate performance showed that, at high rate of 1C and 2C, 96.8% and 93% of the initial capacity were retained, respectively. The results demonstrate strong potential for the development of high energy density Li-ion batteries for practical applications.     

Synthesis and modification of well-ordered layered cathode oxide LiNi<Subscript>2/3</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>1/3</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Oxalic-acid-based co-precipitation method was employed to prepare LiNi_2/3Mn_1/3O₂ sample with a high-ordered structure. Li⁺, Ni²⁺ and Mn²⁺ acetates were used as starting materials. The influence of the amount of lithium source in the starting materials on Li⁺ content, disorder of Li⁺-Ni²⁺ ions, and electrochemical performance has been investigated. Rietveld refinement shows that the sample prepared with 20% excess Li-source in the starting materials exhibits a perfect ordered structure. A specific discharge capacity is as high as 172 mAh/g at C/20 in the voltage range of 4.35–2.7 V. However, the cyclability is not satisfactory: about 25.3% fade in capacity was observed over 50 cycles. Chemically stable SiO2 was coated on the surface of LiNi_2/3Mn_1/3O₂ particles. A significant improvement in cyclability was attained with 3 wt% SiO2 coating, which is ascribable to the protection of LiNi_2/3Mn_1/3O₂ particles from being dissolved into the electrolyte.     

Electrochemical properties of LiNi<Subscript>0.5</Subscript>Mn<Subscript>1.3</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript>/Li<Subscript>4</Subscript>Ti<Subscript>5</Subscript>O<Subscript>12</Subscript> cells

Spinel compounds LiNi_0.5Mn_1.3Ti_0.2O₄ (LNMTO) and Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ (LTO) were synthesized by different methods. The particle sizes of LNMTO and LTO are 0.5–2 and 0.5–0.8 μm, respectively. The LNMTO/LTO cell exhibits better electrochemical properties at both a low current rate of 0.2C and a high current rate of 1C. When the specific capacity was determined based on the mass of the LNMTO cathode, the LNMTO/LTO cell delivered 137 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 0.2C and 118.2 mA·h·g⁻¹ at 1C, and the corresponding capacity retentions after 30 cycles are 88.5% and 92.4%, respectively.     

Synthesis of LiCo<Subscript>0.3</Subscript>Ni<Subscript>0.7</Subscript>O<Subscript>2</Subscript> as cathode materials for lithium ion batteries by citric acid-assisted sol-gel method

The synthesis process of LiCo0.3Ni0.7O2 was investigated by FT-IR, mass spectroscopy, elemental analysis, SEM, BET, TG/DTA and XRD in this paper. The results revealed that lithium and transition metal ions were trapped homogeneously on an atomic scale throughout the precursor. Li2CO3, NiO and CoO are the intermediate products obtained after decomposition of the precursor and Li2CO3 undergoes direct reactions with NiO and CoO to form LiCo0.3Ni0.7O2. Moreover, the kinetics of formation of LiCo0.3Ni0.7O2 by dtrate sol-gel method is faster than the case of the conventional solid-state reaction between lithium carbonate and corresponding reactants. The single phase of LiCo0.3Ni0.7O2 was synthesized at temperature as low as 550℃. The discharge capacity of LiCo0.3Ni0.7O2 increases from 127 to 185 mAh/g as the caldnation temperature increasing from 550 to 750℃. After 100 cycles, the discharge capacity of the sample calcined at 750℃ is 155 mAh/g. The electrochemical study shows that the LiCo0.3Ni0.7O2 has high discharge capacity and good cycling behavior for lithium ion batteries.     

Preparation and radar-absorbing properties of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Yb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> composite powder

Al₂O₃/TiO₂/Fe₂O₃/Yb₂O₃ composite powder was synthesized via the sol-gel method. The structure, morphology, and radar-absorption properties of the composite powder were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis and RF impedance analysis. The results show that two types of particles exist in the composite powder. One is irregular flakes (100-200 nm) and the other is spherical Al₂O₃ particles (smaller than 80 nm). Electromagnetic wave attenuation is mostly achieved by dielectric loss. The maximum value of the dissipation factor reaches 0.76 (at 15.68 GHz) in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz. The electromagnetic absorption of waves covers 2-18 GHz with the matching thicknesses of 1.5-4.5 mm. The absorption peak shifts to the lower-frequency area with increasing matching thickness. The effective absorption band covers the frequency range of 2.16-9.76 GHz, and the maximum absorption peak reaches -20.18 dB with a matching thickness of 3.5 mm at a frequency of 3.52 GHz.     

Preparation of nanocrystalline Co<Subscript>3</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> and its properties as supercapacitors

Electrochemical capacitors store the capacitance through faradic reaction, which is generally named psue-docapacitance or supercapacitance. They are currently extensively studied as novel energy storage devices. Due to their superb characteristics of high power density and long cycle life compared to the conventional batteries, their high pulse-power capability is very excellent. Inter-ests in supercapacitor energy-storage systems have arisen in recent years on account of possible applications…     

One-pot synthesis of PVP-coated Ni<Subscript>0.6</Subscript>Fe<Subscript>2.4</Subscript>O<Subscript>4</Subscript> nanocrystals

Novel poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP)-coated nickel ferrite nanocrystals were prepared by simultaneously pyrolyzing nickel(II) acetylacetonate (Ni(acac)₂) and iron(III) acetylacetonate (Fe(acac)₃) in N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP). The PVP coating was formed in situ through polymerization of NVP. The crystalline structure of the resultant nickel ferrite was analyzed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction patterns, and powder X-ray diffraction. In addition, the valence state of Ni and the metal contents of Ni and Fe in different valence states were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), atomic absorption and the phenanthroline method. The surface coating layer of PVP and its binding states were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy in combination with XPS. Colloidal stability experiments revealed that the nanocrystals could be dispersed well in both phosphate-buffered saline and Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium.     

Synthesis and characterization of wormhole-like mesoporous Ce0.6Zr0.35Y0.05O2 solid solutions

Nanoparticles of Ce0.6Zr0.35Y0.05O2 (CZY) solid solution have been prepared by the CTAB (hexadecyl-trimethyl ammonium bromide), CTAB-EG (ethylene glycol) templating, and CTAB-EG-NaCl (in which the pores of the precursor synthesized by the CTAB-EG method is filled by a certain amount of NaCl) method, respectively. The physical properties of these materials were characterized by means of tech-niques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and N2 adsorp-tion-desorption measurements. The CZY samples synthesized by the above three methods display wormhole-like mesoporous morphology and cubic crystal structures. The materials are narrow in pore size distribution (averaged pore diameter = 5.3―7.1 nm), high in surface areas (95―119 m2/g), and large in pore volumes (0.16―0.18 cm3/g). It has been demonstrated that the introduction of NaCl is capable of retaining the pore structures of solid nanomaterials at high-temperature calcination.     

Chemical quenching and inhibition of positronium in Cr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>/Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> catalysts

The pore structure of Cr2O3/Al2O3 catalysts and the surface chemical properties of these pores were characterized by positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening (CDB) measurements. Four lifetime components could be resolved from the positron lifetime spectrum, with two long lifetime components and two short lifetime components. The two long lifetimes τ4 and τ3 are attributed to ortho-positronium (o-Ps) annihilation in large pores and microvoids, respectively. With increasing Cr2O3 content, both τ4 and its intensity I4 show sharp decrease, while τ3 and its intensity I3 keep nearly unchanged. The Doppler broadening S parameters also show sharp decrease with increasing Cr2O3 content. Detailed analysis of the CDB spectrum reveals that the parapositronium (p-Ps) intensity also decreases with increasing Cr2O3 content. This indicates that the change of o-Ps lifetime τ4 is due to the chemical quenching by Cr2O3 but not spin-conversion of positronium. The decrease of o-Ps intensity I4 indicates that Cr2O3 also inhibits positronium formation.     

La<Subscript>2</Subscript>Zr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>7</Subscript> TBCs toughened by Pt particles prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition

La₂Zr₂O₇ thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) with dispersed Pt particles were prepared by cathode plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED) with ceramic balls added to the cathode region. Compared with the conventional CPED, when ceramic balls are used in the cathode region, the plasma discharge ignition current density decreases approximately 62-fold and the stable plasma discharges occur at the whole cathode surface. Such TBCs with a thickness of 100 μm exhibit a crack-free surface and are composed of pyrochlore-structured La₂Zr₂O₇. Cyclic oxidation, scratching, and thermal insulation capability tests show that such TBCs not only exhibit high resistance to oxidation and spallation but also provide good thermal insulation. These beneficial effects are attributed to the excellent properties of TBCs, such as good thermal insulation because of low thermal conductivity, high-temperature oxidation resistance because of low-oxygen diffusion rate, and good mechanical properties because of the toughening effect of Pt particles.     

Graphene-immobilized flower-like Ni<Subscript>3</Subscript>S<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanoflakes as a stable binder-free anode material for sodium-ion batteries

A binder-free Ni₃S₂ electrode was prepared directly on a graphene-coated Ni foam (G/Ni) substrate through surface sulfiding of substrate using thiourea as the sulfur source in this work. The Ni₃S₂ showed a flower-like morphology and was uniformly distributed on the G/Ni surface. The flower-like Ni₃S₂ was composed of cross-arrayed nanoflakes with a diameter and a thickness of 1-2 μm and~50 nm, respectively. The free space in the flowers and the thin feature of Ni₃S₂ buffered the volume changes and relieved mechanical strain during repeated cycling. The intimate contact with the Ni substrate and the fixing effect of graphene maintained the structural stability of the Ni₃S₂ electrode during cycling. The G/Ni-supported Ni₃S₂ maintained a reversible capacity of 250 mAh·g-1 after 100 cycles at 50 mA·g-1, demonstrating the good cycling stability as a result of the unique microstructure of this electrode material.     

Enhanced low-temperature performance of slight Mn-substituted LiFePO<Subscript>4</Subscript>/C cathode for lithium ion batteries

Low temperature performance of LiFePO₄/C cathode was remarkably improved by slight Mn-substitution. Electrochemical measurements showed that about 95% of the discharge capacity of LiFe_0.98Mn_0.02PO₄/C cathode at 20°C was obtained at 0°C, compared to 85% of that of LiFePO₄/C cathode. The LiFe_0.98Mn_0.02PO₄/C sample also presented enhanced rate performance at −20°C with the discharge capacities of 124.4 mA h/g (0.1C), 99.8 mA h/g (1C), 80.7mAh/g (2C) and 70 mA h/g (5C), respectively, while pristine LiFePO₄/C only delivered capacities of 120.5 mA h/g (0.1C), 90.7 mA h/g (1C), 70.4 mA h/g (2C) and 52.2 mA h/g (5C). Cyclic voltammetry measurements demonstrated an obvious improvement of the lithium insertion-extraction process of the LiFePO₄/C cathode by slight Mn-substitution. The results of FSEM observation and electrical conductivity measurement indicated that slight Mn-substitution minimized the particle size of LiFe_0.98Mn_0.02PO₄/C and also obviously improved the electrical conductivity of the compound, thus obviously enhances the interface reaction process on the cathode.     

Nonlinear optical properties of Eu<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> doped 5ZnO-20Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>5</Subscript>-75TeO<Subscript>2</Subscript> glasses

The third-order optical nonlinearities, including third-order nonlinear susceptibility X^(3), nonlinear refractive index (n2) and temporal response, were measured with forward DFWM using Nd:YAG mode-locked pulse laser. The results show that Eu203 doped 5ZnO-20Nb2O5-75TeO2 glasses have large n2 and ultra-fast temporal response. Raman spectra show that Eu2O3 dopant induces the changes in the local structure of glasses. The higher the dopant concentration, the larger the nonlinear refractive n2 and the faster the temporal response. The enhancement on the third-order optical nonlinearities can be attributed to the deformation of the electronic clouds in [TeO4] enhanced by Eu2O3 dopant.     

Effect of the synthesis route on the structural and dielectric properties of SrBi<Subscript>1.8</Subscript>Y<Subscript>0.2</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>9</Subscript> ceramics

This work is devoted to the synthesis and characterization of yttrium-doped SrBi₂Nb₂O₉ ceramics prepared by three methods: solid state reaction, co-precipitation, and hydrothermal. Multiple characterizations, specifically scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), were used to validate the structural feature. The crystallite size was estimated by Scherrer’s formula and the Williamson–Hall plot. The effect of the process on the band intensities of the FTIR spectra was investigated. The crystallite size and microstructure of ceramics prepared from different synthesis processes were strongly influenced by the sinterability. SEM images revealed nanograin ceramics for materials prepared by co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods and micrograin ceramics prepared by the solid state method. The synthesized compounds underwent phase transitions at 480–465°C. The dielectric and electrical properties of these Y-doped SrBi₂Nb₂O₉ ceramics appear to be dependent on the grain size.     

Electro-deoxidation of V<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> in molten CaCl<Subscript>2</Subscript>-NaCl-CaO

The electro-deoxidation of V₂O₃ precursors was studied. Experiments were carried out with a two-terminal electrochemical cell, which was comprised of a molten electrolyte of CaCl₂ and NaCl with additions of CaO, a cathode of compact V₂O₃, and a graphite anode under the potential of 3.0 V at 1173 K. The phase constitution and composition as well as the morphology of the samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). 3 g of V₂O₃ could be converted to vanadium metal powder within the processing time of 8 h. The kinetic pathway was investigated by analyzing the product phase in samples prepared at different reduction stages. CaO added in the reduction path of V₂O₃ formed the intermediate product CaV₂O₄.     

Synthesis and Magnetic Properties of Spin-Liquid Tb2Ti2O7

Polycrystalline samples of a novel spin-liquid compound Tb2Ti2O7 were prepared by a standard solid-state reaction. X-ray diffraction at room temperature confirms that the synthesized compound of Tb2Ti2O7 is single phase with cubic unit cell constant a0 of 1.015 44 nm. Magnetic susceptibility measurements in the temperature range between 100 and 300 K give an effective moment of 9.44 μB and Curie-Weiss temperature of 12.68 K, respectively, indicating the dominance of antiferromagnetic interactions. However, below 50 K, the magnetic behavior of Tb2Ti2O7 deviates from Curie-Weiss law, whose origin remains suspicion.     

Effect of Al2O3 and Y2O3 on the corrosion behavior of ZrO2-benzotriazole nanostructured coatings applied on AA2024 via a sol-gel method

zirconia-based nanostructured coatings were deposited on AA2024 to improve the corrosion resistance properties. Three different nanostructured coatings, namely, zirconia-benzotriazole, zirconia-alumina-benzotriazole, and zirconia-yttria-benzotriazole, were applied on AA2024 via a sol-gel method using the dip-coating technique. Next, the coatings were annealed at 150℃ after each dipping period. The phases and morphologies of the coatings were investigated using grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The corrosion properties were evaluated using electrochemical methods, including polarization and electrochemical impedance techniques in 3.5wt% NaCl solution. The obtained results confirm the formation of homogeneous and crack free zirconia-benzotriazole-based nanostructured coatings. The average roughness values for zirconia-benzotriazole, zirconia-alumina-benzotriazole, and zirconia-yttria-benzotriazole nanostructured coatings were 30, 8, and 6 nm, respectively. The presence of alumina as a stabilizer on zirconia coating was found to have a beneficial impact on the stability of the corrosion resistance for different immersion times. In fact, the addition of alumina resulted in the dominance of the healing behavior in competition with the corrosion process of zirconia-benzotriazole nanostructured coating.     

Synthesis, Characterization and Calorimetry of Ni（C4H8N2O3）2Cl2

A coordination complex was synthesized from NiCl2 and dipeptide glycylglycine（GG）. It was characterized by element analysis, NMR and TG methods, and then was determined to be Ni（C4HsN2O3）2Cl2. Using an isoperibolic reaction calorimeter, the standard molar enthalpy of formation of Ni（GG）2Cl2（solid） has been determined to be -（1 674.66±2.02） kJ · mol^-1 at 298.15 K.     

Dissolution of Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>5</Subscript> inclusions in CaO-SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript>-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> slags at 1823 K

Al-Ti-O inclusions always clog submerged nozzles in Ti-bearing Al-killed steel. A typical synthesized Al₂TiO₅ inclusion was immersed in a CaO-SiO₂-Al₂O₃ molten slag for different durations at 1823 K. The Al₂TiO₅ dissolution paths and mechanism were revealed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Decreased amounts of Ti and Al and increased amounts of Si and Ca at the dissolution boundary prove that inclusion dissolution and slag penetration simultaneously occur. SiO₂ diffuses or penetrates the inclusion more quickly than CaO, as indicated by the w(CaO)/w(SiO₂) value in the reaction region. A liquid product (containing 0.7–1.2 w(CaO)/w(SiO₂), 15wt%–20wt% Al₂O₃, and 5wt%–15wt% TiO₂) forms on the inclusion surface when Al₂TiO₅ is dissolved in the slag. Al₂TiO₅ initially dissolves faster than the diffusion rate of the liquid product toward the bulk slag. With increasing reaction time, the boundary reaches its largest distance, the Al₂TiO₅ dissolution rate equals the liquid product diffusion rate, and the dissolution process remains stable until the inclusion is completely dissolved.