3D printing, i.e., additive manufacturing, is being progressively applied in lithium batteries to fabricate various electrodes and electrolytes due to its precisely designing the structure from nanoscale to macroscale. By...

Electrocatalytic performance of low-cost graphitic carbon nitride (CN) is greatly limited by its limited conductivity and small specific surface area. Herein, a simple and cost-effective idea to produce novel nanocomposite is constructed by the CN and cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide functionalized carbon black (CB) anchored platinum nanoparticles as highly efficient oxygen reduction catalysts based on gamma irradiation. The assembled carbon nitride/positive carbon black anchoring PtNPs (Pt/CN2-CB+ 1) catalyst exhibits significantly improved specific surface area, high graphitization, and uniformly dispersed ultra-small platinum nanoparticles. For the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance, the catalyst shows more positive onset-potential (0.93 V versus RHE) and larger diffusion limiting current density (5.65 mA cm−2) compared with benchmark Pt/C catalysts in alkaline medium. Moreover, the Pt/CN2-CB+ 1 catalyst exhibits a small Tafel slope (92 mV dec−1). Besides, the catalyst was demonstrated the remarkable methanol tolerance and good long-term stability under working conditions. This work provides a new and effective γ-rays irradiation for synthesizing the carbon nitride catalysts for energy conversion and storage applications.

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Nonuniform Li+ flux and lithiophilic sites cause uneven lithium deposition, which impedes the application of lithium metal batteries. Herein, a reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/Ti3C2Tx lattice with periodic printed holes is fabricated by 3D printing. Mesoporous structures formed by regularly assembled nanosheets provide abundant lithiophilic sites. The Li+ flux is regulated by the periodic printed holes prepared by 3D printing. The deposition of lithium is homogenized by the synergistic effect of uniform Li+ flux and abundant lithiophilic sites. The resultant 3D‐printed Li anode has excellent cycling stability up to 3000 h and a high average Coulombic efficiency of 98% after a long lifespan of ≈1000 h. Our work highlights the effect of the correlation between macroscopic and microscopic pores formed by 3D printing on inhibiting lithium dendrites, providing a novel pathway for highly 3D‐printed stable lithium metal anode.

Sodium ion capacitors (SICs) show high energy/power densities owing to the special dual‐ion energy storage mechanism with cation intercalation and anion adsorption. However, the strong ion‐solvent interactions make it difficult for interfacial ion desolvation, which not only limits the ion transport kinetics, but also results in the solvent co‐intercalation into electrode materials. Here, an advanced zwitterionic gel polymer electrolyte (GPE) is developed to weaken the ion‐solvent interactions. The 3‐(1‐vinyl‐3‐imidazolio) propanesulfonate (VIPS) zwitterions help to lower the desolvation barriers, enabling fast ion transfer kinetics for constructing stable quasi‐solid‐state SICs. Furthermore, the decomposition of VIPS contributes to the formation of S‐ and N‐based inorganic interphase on the surface of hard carbon anode, which reduces the Na+ ion diffusion barriers and improves electrochemical compatibility. The designed Zwitterionic GPE can stabilize 4.0 V hard carbon//activated carbon SICs with 95.3% capacity retention after 9000 cycles, showing a high energy density of 140.2 Wh kg−1. This study highlights the regulation of ion‐solvent chemistry and provides a guiding principle in electrolyte design for advanced hybrid ion capacitors.

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