General Formation of Complex Tubular Nanostructures of Metal Oxides for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction and Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Three-dimensional-networked NiCo2S4 nanosheet array/carbon cloth anodes for high-performance lithium-ion batteries

“…This 3D network structure is concluded to be superior for use in LIB anodes because (1) it provides better mechanical strength and excellent transport properties for both Li + ions and electrons 24,25 and (2) the abundant empty space between the nanosheets may promote electrolyte penetration, facilitating the lithiation and delithiation of electrodes. 6,29 Moreover, NiCo 2 S 4 NSAs are ultrathin (~10-nm thick), which greatly increases the specific surface area and promotes electrochemical reactions between electrode and electrolyte. Figure 1e presents the X-ray diffraction pattern of NiCo 2 S 4 NSAs scratched from carbon cloth.…”

“…The loading density of the NiCo 2 S 4 NSAs (that is, the active material) was calculated to be 1.02-1.36 ± 4% mg. To allow electrochemical measurements of the control sample, the working electrode was prepared by mixing the NiCo 2 S 4 flowers, conductive agent (carbon black) and binder (sodium alginate) in a weight ratio of 70:20:10. Coin-type cells (CR2032) were fabricated using lithium metal as the counter electrode, Celgard 2400 (Charlotte, NC, USA) as the separator and LiPF 6 (1 M) in ethylene carbonate-dimethyl carbonate (1:1 vol%) as the electrolyte. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurements were conducted at 0.1 mV s − 1 over the range of 0.01-3.0 V (vs Li/Li + ) on a CHI 600D (Shanghai, China) electrochemical workstation.…”

“…1-3 The increasing applications of LIBs in daily electronic devices-along with industry demands for further improvement in energy density, durability, rate capability and safety-have driven the development of new electrode materials and new electrode structures. [4][5][6][7] Among the great variety of anode materials studied, metal oxides (MOs) and metal sulfides ( 21 have been synthesized and offer superior electrochemical energy storage capacity compared with bulk MSs. However, the large volumetric change of MS nanostructures during electrochemical reactions leads to reduced capacity and poor cycling stability.…”

“…[1][2][3] The increasing applications of LIBs in daily electronic devices-along with industry demands for further improvement in energy density, durability, rate capability and safety-have driven the development of new electrode materials and new electrode structures. [4][5][6][7] Among the great variety of anode materials studied, metal oxides (MOs) and metal sulfides (MSs) such as Co 3 2 15 comprise an important class of materials that can be charged and discharged through redox reactions. Compared with their MO counterparts, MSs generally feature higher electrical conductivity, better mechanical and thermal stability, and richer redox chemistry, making them attractive anode materials for high-performance LIBs.…”

Porous nanoarchitectures of spinel-type transition metal oxides for electrochemical energy storage systems

“…In particular, the shape and size control of the spinel-type transition metal oxides has been regarded as a useful strategy to improve the electrochemical performance of ESSs. To date, various spineltype transition metal oxides with diverse shapes in micro-and nano-scale forms, including nanoparticles, [46][47][48] nanoneedles, 49 nanosheets, [49][50][51] nanowires, [52][53][54][55][56] nanorods, 57 nanocubes, 58,94 nanofibres, 59 nanotubes, 60,61 polyhedral structures, 62,63,93 hierarchical structures, 58,92 hollow structures, 58,64,97 and core-shell structures, 65,96,97 have been synthesised and utilised as electroactive materials for ESSs. 98 The porous nanoarchitectures constructed by various morphological strategies have proved to be highly desirable for energy storage materials used for practical ESSs.…”