Research Advances of Amorphous Metal Oxides in Electrochemical Energy Storage and Conversion

Abstract

possess lower hardness, higher strength, higher elasticity, higher tensile strength, lower internal energy, higher interatomic forces, lower viscosity coefficient, larger surface area, higher chemical stability, and strong corrosion resistance compared with their crystalline counterparts. [1][2][3] Based on the anionic constituents, amorphous materials could be categorized as oxides, sulfides, phosphates, etc. Among them, amorphous metal oxide family is of great importance owing to its widespread applications in a variety of areas such as batteries, supercapacitors, electronics, conducting films, multilayered transistors, electrochromic displays, nonvolatile memories, and the like. [4][5][6] As the basic building blocks, metaloxide (M-O) polyhedra are responsible for the essential features of the electronic band structure in amorphous metal oxides (AMOs). [3] AMO materials differ from their crystalline counterparts in the arrangement of M-O polyhedra, in which a random network arrangement of distorted polyhedra with short-range ordering is presented rather than maintaining perfect periodicity. [7,8] The coordination number of the M-O polyhedra, namely, the number of anions bonded to the metal cation, constitutes a crucially decisive factor for the unique properties of AMOs. Multiple polyhedra are interconnected through different types of sharing configurations known as edge sharing, corner sharing, and face sharing of the oxygen atoms. The combination of different sharing geometries also affects the properties of AMOs. [9] In other words, AMOs are formed by the superposition of the distorted M-O polyhedra to form network arrays through a random package. Long-range structural disorder in the AMO reduces scattering mean free path, and the lack of grain boundaries makes the electronic properties identical within large areas. These unique characteristics make them suitable for flexible electronics such as flexible films, intervening layers, thin film transistors, etc. [10][11][12] In recent years, there are numerous reports pointing out the advantages of AMOs over the crystalline counterparts in many electrochemical applications. [13][14][15][16][17] For example, the inherent disorderliness in the structural arrangement and rich defects are evidenced to be highly constructive to improve the alkali ion diffusion through the lattice. [18,19] As for intercalation-type electrodes in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), amorphous materials Amorphous metal oxides (AMOs) have aroused great enthusiasm across multiple energy areas over recent years due to their unique properties, such as the intrinsic isotropy, versatility in compositions, absence of grain boundaries, defect distribution, flexible nature, etc. Here, the materials engineering of AMOs is systematically reviewed in different electrochemical applications and recent advances in understanding and developing AMO-based high-performance electrodes are highlighted. Attention is focused on the important roles that AMOs play in various energy storage and conversion technologies...

Surface Amorphization of Vanadium Dioxide (B) for K‐Ion Battery

“…The formed heterointerface in SA‐VO 2 could substantially reduce the surface energy, narrow the band gap, and lower the diffusion barrier of K + , which could endow it with much improved electrochemical performance. [ 15 ] These advantages clearly imply that VO 2 with a crystalline core/amorphous shell heterostructure is a promising anode material for PIBs, as thereafter verified by experimental investigations.…”

A Flexible Solid Electrolyte with Multilayer Structure for Sodium Metal Batteries

“…With the rapid increases of energy demand and serious environmental issues caused by conventional fossil fuel, the renewable sustainable clean energy, such as wind, water, geothermal energy, has been widely regarded as most promising candidates . Meanwhile, the advanced electrochemical energy storage and conversion systems have showed a great significance in the high‐efficiency utilization of these sustainable energy . Owing to the low cost and rich abundance of sodium resource, the rechargeable Na‐ion batteries have attracted more and more attention for large‐scale stationary energy storage .…”

A General Strategy to Glassy M‐Te (M = Ru, Rh, Ir) Porous Nanorods for Efficient Electrochemical N2 Fixation

“…No significant fluctuations in NH 3 yield rate and corresponding FE were found after 20 consecutive cycles, which is a result of the outstanding chemical stability and strong corrosion resistance of glassy materials as well as a synergistic effect between Ir and Te. [16] The relatively high catalytic durability was also confirmed by chronoamperometry measurements, where limited current change was observed after 40 h at −0.2 V versus RHE ( Figure S27, Supporting Information). Moreover, the yield of NH 3 increased with increasing electrolysis time, further demonstrating the relatively high stability of IrTe 4 PNRs ( Figures S28 and S29, Supporting Information).…”