Building Robust Architectures of Carbon and Metal Oxide Nanocrystals toward High-Performance Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

Design and fabrication of effective electrode structure is essential but is still a challenge for current lithium-ion battery technology. Herein we report the design and fabrication of a class of high-performance robust nanocomposites based on iron oxide spheres and carbon nanotubes (CNTs). An efficient aerosol spray process combined with vacuum filtration was used to synthesize such composite architecture, where oxide nanocrystals were assembled into a continuous carbon skeleton and entangled in porous CNT networks. This material architecture offers many critical features that are required for high-performance anodes, including efficient ion transport, high conductivity, and structure durability, therefore enabling an electrode with outstanding lithium storage performance. For example, such an electrode with a thickness of ∼35 μm could deliver a specific capacity of 994 mA h g(-1) (based on total electrode weight) and high recharging rates. This effective strategy can be extended to construct many other composite electrodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries.

How to improve the stability and rate performance of lithium-ion batteries with transition metal oxide anodes

“…The initial charge and discharge capacities are approximately 1187 and 1859 mA h/g, respectively, resulting in an initial coulombic efficiency of ;64%. The initial irreversible capacity loss of the Co 3 O 4 @C@PGC nanosheets could be associated with the inevitable formation of SEI and decomposition of electrolyte 8,9,85,89 and in good agreement with the above CV results. The discharge voltage plateau at ;1.1 V in the first cycle shift to ;1.2 V since the second cycle, just corresponding to the shift of reduce peak in CV curves from 0.97 V to 1.15 V. The areas under the charge and discharge curves are comparable, indicating a very low energy loss during charge/discharge.…”

“…At most of specific current density except of 20C, the reversible capacity of the Co 3 O 4 @C@PGC electrode is larger than the theoretical capacity of a commercial graphite anode (;372 mA h/g). 89 Even at 20C, the average reversible capacity (345 mA h/g) is still very close to the theoretical capacity of graphite. When the current rate finally returns to the initial value of 1C after 61 cycles, the electrode can recover its initial capacity of 1030 mA h/g with a little bit loss.…”

Fabrication and characterization of nanostructured Fe3S4, an isostructural compound of half-metallic Fe3O4

“…In addition to interests in its electric properties, greigite has also attracted considerable attention for its potential application in high-energy storage based on reversible redox reactions in alkaline electrolytes, and to catalytic and biomedical fields. [9][10][11][12] Ascribed to the larger ion radius of sulfur than oxygen, the lattice constant of Fe 3 S 4 (9.876 Å ) is larger than that of Fe 3 O 4 (8.397 Å ). Similar to Fe 3 O 4 , the magnetic configuration of Fe 3 S 4 is expected to be ferrimagnetic ((Fe 3þ ) A (Fe 2þ Fe 3þ ) B S 4 ), 13,14 with the iron spin moments on tetrahedral (A) sites antiparallel to the ones on octahedral (B) sites.…”

One-pot synthesis of core–shell-structured tin oxide–carbon composite powders by spray pyrolysis for use as anode materials in Li-ion batteries

“…However, LIB applications generally require composite powders with spherical shape, dense structure, and fine particle size to achieve an electrode with high tab density [20][21][22][23][24].…”