Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) are the most popular and well-commercialized power source for portable electronics. They are gradually making their way to applications in electric vehicles (EVs) and smart grids system with the compelling advantages of high energy density and long cycle life. [1-3] However, the power and energy densities of LIBs are currently considered insufficient to meet the demanding requirements for EVs and other energy storage applications. [4-6] In most commercially available LIBs, graphite-based materials are the mainstream anodes. Nevertheless, the graphite-based anodes are facing a serious bottleneck, because a very limited energy output is delivered for LIBs due to their low theoretical capacity (372 mAh g −1). [7,8] As a consequence, it is vital to develop new types of anode materials with superior capacity performance to replace graphite anodes to build nextgeneration high-performance LIBs. Among the recently examined alternative anodes, the alloying-type anode materials (such as Si, Sn, Al), which operate
Nanostructured
polymer interfaces can play a key role in addressing
urgent challenges in water purification and advanced separations.
Conventional technologies for mercury remediation often necessitate
large energetic inputs, produce significant secondary waste, or when
electrochemical, lead to strong irreversibility. Here, we propose
the reversible, electrochemical capture and release of mercury, by
modulating interfacial mercury deposition through a sulfur-containing,
semiconducting redox polymer. Electrodeposition/stripping of mercury
was carried out with a nanostructured poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl)-carbon
nanotube composite electrode, coated on titanium (P3HT-CNT/Ti). During
electrochemical release, mercury was reversibly stripped in a non-acid
electrolyte with 12-fold higher release kinetics compared to nonfunctionalized
electrodes. In situ optical microscopy confirmed
the rapid, reversible nature of the electrodeposition/stripping process
with P3HT-CNT/Ti, indicating the key role of redox processes in mediating
the mercury phase transition. The polymer-functionalized system exhibited
high mercury removal efficiencies (>97%) in real wastewater matrices
while bringing the final mercury concentrations down to <2 μg
L–1. Moreover, an energy consumption analysis highlighted
a 3-fold increase in efficiency with P3HT-CNT/Ti compared to titanium.
Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of semiconducting redox polymers
for reversible mercury deposition and points to future applications
in mediating electrochemical stripping for various environmental applications.
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