International audienceCarbon-oxide and carbon-sulfide nanocomposites have attracted tremendous interest as the anode materials for Li and Na ion batteries. Such composites are fascinating as they often show synergistic effect compared to their singular components. Carbon nanomaterials are often used as the matrix due to their high conductivity, tensile strength, and chemical stability under the battery condition. Metal oxides and sulfides are often used as active material fillers because of their large capacity. Numerous works have shown that by taking one step further into fabricating nanocomposites with rational structure design, much better performance can be achieved. The present review aims to present and discuss the development of carbon-based nanocomposite anodes in both Li ion batteries and Na ion batteries. The authors introduce the individual components in the composites, i.e., carbon matrices (e.g., carbon nanotube, graphene) and metal oxides/sulfides; followed by evaluating how advanced nanostructures benefit from the synergistic effect when put together. Particular attention is placed on strategies employed in fabricating such composites, with examples such as yolk–shell structure, layered-by-layered structure, and composite comprising one or more carbon matrices. Lastly, the authors conclude by highlighting challenges that still persist and their perspective on how to further develop the technologies

Laser pyrolyzed SnO nanoparticles with an option of nitrogen (N) doping are prepared using a cost-effective method. The electrochemical performance of N-doped samples is tested for the first time in Li-ion batteries where the sample with 3% of N-dopant exhibits optimum performance with a capacity of 522 mAh g that can be obtained at 10 A g (6.7C).

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International audienceTitania nanoparticles are widely studied for photoconversion processes where combining high surface area, charge transport properties, and chemical stability is meaningful. To enhance the conversion efficiency, new compounds with reduced band gap are actively researched to utilize the visible part of the solar spectrum. Some narrowing of the gap can be observed when doping titania with nitrogen, leading to suboxide species. Using laser pyrolysis, we have synthesized for the first time true titanium monoxide TiO nanoparticles with a rock-salt crystallographic structure. The as-formed nanoparticles of black color contain carbon which can be removed by soft annealing under air while maintaining the presence of the TiO phase. These nanoparticles exhibit a very large shift of the light absorption threshold, up to 1.2 eV toward visible range, compared to the anatase form of titania. XPS analysis allows discussion of the role of nitrogen in the formation of this phase and its optical properties. First results indicate efficient photoactivity under UV and visible irradiation

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Carbon-covered silicon nanoparticles (Si@C) were synthesized for the first time by a one-step continuous process in a novel two stages laser pyrolysis reactor. Crystallized silicon cores formed in a first stage were covered in the second stage by a continuous shell mainly consisting in low organized sp(2) carbon. At the Si/C interface silicon carbide is absent. Moreover, the presence of silicon oxide is reduced compared to materials synthesized in several steps, allowing the use of such material as promising anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIB). Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) analysis of the samples at both SiKLL and SiLVV edges proved the uniformity of the carbon coating. Cyclic voltammetry was used to compare the stability of Si and Si@C active materials. In half-cell configuration, Si@C exhibits a high and stable capacity of 2400 mAh g(-1) at C/10 and up to 500 mAh g(-1) over 500 cycles at 2C. The retention of the capacity is attributed to the protective effect of the carbon shell, which avoids direct contact between the silicon surface and the electrolyte.

TiO 2 nanoparticles show interesting catalytic and optical properties and are therefore highly demanded for several applications. In this paper, we show that pure and N-doped TiO 2 powders with an average diameter as low as 8 nm can be synthesized by laser pyrolysis, with the use of an aerosol of TTIP (titanium tetraisopropoxide) as the main precursor sensitized by C 2 H 4 . We demonstrate the possibility to control the anatase/rutile phase ratio over a large range, which was not achieved before, by tuning the experimental parameters.

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