Functionalized Halloysite Scaffold Controls Sodium Dendrite Growth

Abstract

Sodium metal is one of the most promising anodes for the prospective low-cost rechargeable batteries. Nevertheless, the commercialization of Na metal anodes remains restricted by sodium dendrite growth. Herein, halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) were chosen as the insulated scaffolds, and Ag nanoparticles were introduced as sodiophilic sites to achieve uniform sodium deposition from bottom to top under the synergistic effect. Density functional theory (DFT) calculation results demonstrated that the presence of Ag greatly increased the binding energy of sodium on HNTs/Ag (−2.85 eV) vs HNTs (−0.85 eV). Meanwhile, thanks to the opposite charges on the inner and outer surfaces of HNTs, faster Na+ transfer kinetics and selective adsorption of SO3CF3 – on the inner surface of HNTs were achieved, thus avoiding the formation of space charge. Accordingly, the coordination between HNTs and Ag afforded a high Coulombic efficiency (about 99.6% at 2 mA cm–2), long lifespan in a symmetric battery (for over 3500 h at 1 mA cm–2), and remarkable cycle stability in Na metal full batteries. This work offers a novel strategy to design a sodiophilic scaffold by nanoclay for dendrite-free Na metal anodes.

Tubular Nanoclay-Enhanced Calcium Phosphate Mineralization and Assembly to Impart High Stiffness and Antimicrobial Properties

“…The acidic PAA solution activated HNT, as indicated by a broad peak at 3400 cm −1 in the FTIR, signifying the appearance of Si−OH species after Al leaching (Figure S11). 38,39 This activation led to the coexistence of Al−OH, Al−O−Si, and Si−OH on the inner surface of HNT, forming an interface, a common occurrence during acid activation chemistry. 38,39 DFT calculations revealed binding energies of −0.43 and −8.81 eV for the acidified HNT inner surface with PAA/ACP and HNT, respectively, supporting the thermodynamic feasibility of PAA/ ACP adsorption on the HNT inner surface with and without acid activation (Figure S12).…”

“…38,39 This activation led to the coexistence of Al−OH, Al−O−Si, and Si−OH on the inner surface of HNT, forming an interface, a common occurrence during acid activation chemistry. 38,39 DFT calculations revealed binding energies of −0.43 and −8.81 eV for the acidified HNT inner surface with PAA/ACP and HNT, respectively, supporting the thermodynamic feasibility of PAA/ ACP adsorption on the HNT inner surface with and without acid activation (Figure S12). This comprehensive understanding of nanocomposite formation through DFT calculations contributed valuable insights into the intricate processes governing the interactions between organic and inorganic components.…”

Molecule Isolation Protective Interface Formed by Planar Additive for Stable Sodium Metal Anodes

“…29,30 Furthermore, the surface of the Na anode after 50 cycles was evaluated by SEM and EDS. As shown in Figure 1e, the Na anode circulating in the blank electrolyte presents a typical dendritic deposition morphology, 31,32 which results in more contact with the electrolyte and more serious interfacial side reactions. In sharp contrast, the morphology of the Na anode cycling in the electrolyte with ZnPc is dense and smooth (Figure 1f), indicating that ZnPc can induce the uniform and dense deposition of sodium.…”

Recent Progress on the Catalysts and Device Designs for (Photo)Electrochemical On‐Site H2O2 Production

“…However, the corresponding studies are still at its infancy. To date, the reported photoelectrocatalysts mainly include organic semiconductors (hydrogen‐bonded organic semiconductor [ 177 ] and polyterthiophene polymeric semiconductor [ 178 ] ), inorganic semiconductor (CuBi 2 O 4 , [ 179,180 ] Cu 3 BiS 3 , [ 181 ] and CuS/MnS [ 182 ] ). The recent progress on these photoelectrocatalysts will be discussed in below.…”