Self-healing and flexibility are significant for many emerging applications of secondary batteries, which have attracted broad attention. Herein, a self-healing flexible quasi-solid Zn-ion battery composing of flexible all-in-one cathode (VS 2 nanosheets growing on carbon cloth) and anode (electrochemically deposited Zn nanowires), and a self-healing hydrogel electrolyte, is presented. The free-standing all-in-one electrodes enable a high capacity and robust structure during flexible transformation of the battery, and the hydrogel electrolyte possesses a good self-healing performance. The presented battery remains as a high retention potential even after healing from being cut into six pieces. When bending at 60°, 90°, and 180°, the battery capacities remain 124, 125, and 114 mAh g −1 , respectively, cycling at a current density of 50 mA g −1 . Moreover, after cutting and healing twice, the battery still delivers a stable capacity, indicating a potential use of self-healing and wearable electronics.
Among many types of batteries, Li-ion and Li-S batteries have been of great interest because of their high energy density, low self-discharge, and non-memory effect, among other aspects. Emerging applications require batteries with higher performance factors, such as capacity and cycling life, which have motivated many research efforts on constructing high-performance anode and cathode materials. Herein, recent research about cathode materials are particularly focused on. Low electron and ion conductivities and poor electrode stability remain great challenges. Three-dimensional (3D) porous nanostructures commonly exhibit unique properties, such as good Li+ ion diffusion, short electron transfer pathway, robust mechanical strength, and sufficient space for volume change accommodation during charge/discharge, which make them promising for high-performance cathodes in batteries. A comprehensive summary about some cutting-edge investigations of Li-ion and Li-S battery cathodes is presented. As demonstrative examples, LiCoO2, LiMn2O4, LiFePO4, V2O5, and LiNi1−x−yCoxMnyO2 in pristine and modified forms with a 3D porous structure for Li-ion batteries are introduced, with a particular focus on their preparation methods. Additionally, S loaded on 3D scaffolds for Li-S batteries is discussed. In addition, the main challenges and potential directions for next generation cathodes have been indicated, which would be beneficial to researchers and engineers developing high-performance electrodes for advanced secondary batteries.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.