Dendritic Nanostructured Waste Copper Wires for High-Energy Alkaline Battery

Abstract

HIGHLIGHTS • Electronic waste Cu wires were successfully used as a cost-effective current collector for high-energy wire-type rechargeable alkaline batteries. • The scalable approach was applied to reduce, reuse, and recycle electronic waste. • A developed wire-type rechargeable alkaline battery exhibited a high-energy-density of 82.42 Wh kg −1 with long-term cycling stability. ABSTRACT Rechargeable alkaline batteries (RABs) have received remarkable attention in the past decade for their high energy, low cost, safe operation, facile manufacture, and ecofriendly nature. To date, expensive electrode materials and current collectors were predominantly applied for RABs, which have limited their real-world efficacy. In the present work, we propose a scalable process to utilize electronic waste (e-waste) Cu wires as a cost-effective current collector for high-energy wire-type RABs. Initially, the vertically aligned CuO nanowires were prepared over the waste Cu wires via in situ alkaline corrosion. Then, both atomiclayer-deposited NiO and NiCo-hydroxide were applied to the CuO nanowires to form a uniform dendritic-structured NiCo-hydroxide/ NiO/CuO/Cu electrode. When the prepared dendritic-structured electrode was applied to the RAB, it showed excellent electrochemical features, namely high-energy-density (82.42 Wh kg −1), excellent specific capacity (219 mAh g −1), and long-term cycling stability (94% capacity retention over 5000 cycles). The presented approach and material meet the requirements of a cost-effective, abundant, and highly efficient electrode for advanced eco-friendly RABs. More importantly, the present method provides an efficient path to recycle e-waste for value-added energy storage applications.

Folic Acid Coordinated Cu–Co Site N-Doped Carbon Nanosheets for Oxygen Reduction Reaction

“…The four-electron ORR mechanism in an alkaline environment is generally as follows: , (1) O 2 (g) + * + H 2 O (l) + e – → OOH* + OH – ; (2) OOH* + e – → O* + OH – ; (3) O* + H 2 O (l) + e – → OH* + OH – ; and (4) OH* + e – → * + OH – . The asterisk (*) indicates the active center on the surface of the catalyst; O*, OH*, and OOH* are intermediates that are adsorbed during the electrochemical reaction. , According to the Sabatier principle, the best catalyst at the apex of the volcano should not be too strong or too weak to bond the reaction intermediates . Studies have found that the ORR behavior of the catalyst can be significantly improved by optimizing the morphological structure, surface structure, electronic structure, and nanostructure strategies of the catalyst.…”

“…The four-electron ORR mechanism in an alkaline environment is generally as follows: 11,12 the catalyst; O*, OH*, and OOH* are intermediates that are adsorbed during the electrochemical reaction. 11,12 According to the Sabatier principle, the best catalyst at the apex of the volcano should not be too strong or too weak to bond the reaction intermediates.…”

“…The four-electron ORR mechanism in an alkaline environment is generally as follows: 11,12 the catalyst; O*, OH*, and OOH* are intermediates that are adsorbed during the electrochemical reaction. 11,12 According to the Sabatier principle, the best catalyst at the apex of the volcano should not be too strong or too weak to bond the reaction intermediates. 13 Studies have found that the ORR behavior of the catalyst can be significantly improved by optimizing the morphological structure, surface structure, electronic structure, and nanostructure strategies of the catalyst.…”

Cancer nanotechnology: current status and perspectives

“…However, radiation-stimulated immune responses have shown limited efficacy, particularly when tumors exhibit low X-ray absorption and energy deposition capacities [ 342 , 343 ]. Disjoint oxygen supply and demand within tumors result in hypoxic areas with high levels of hydrogen peroxide, which induce adaptive antioxidant mechanisms [ 344 , 345 ]. Subsequently, high concentrations of reducing substances, such as glutathione, quench •OH generated by RT, ultimately reducing its efficacy [ 346 ].…”

Electronic work function modulation of phosphorene by thermal oxidation

“…The work function is an electronic property typically considered for the characterization of layered heterostructures [6], field emission devices [7] and energy conversion and storage devices [8,9]. Similarly, the difference in work function between one metal and one semiconductor is used to explain the basic characteristics of heterojunctions and the formation or absence of potential barriers and depletion regions that describe the formation of Schottky or ohmic contacts (figure 2).…”