Facile synthesis of V2O3@N-doped carbon nanosheet arrays on nickel foam as free-standing electrode for high performance lithium ion batteries

Investigating composite electrode materials of metal oxides for advanced energy storage applications

Electrochemical energy systems mark a pivotal advancement in the energy sector, delivering substantial improvements over conventional systems. Yet, a major challenge remains the deficiency in storage technology to effectively retain the energy produced. Amongst these are batteries and supercapacitors, renowned for their versatility and efficiency, which depend heavily on the quality of their electrode materials. Metal oxide composites, in particular, have emerged as highly promising due to the synergistic effects that significantly enhance their functionality and efficiency beyond individual components. This review explores the application of metal oxide composites in the electrodes of batteries and SCs, focusing on various material perspectives and synthesis methodologies, including exfoliation and hydrothermal/solvothermal processes. It also examines how these methods influence device performance. Furthermore, the review confronts the challenges and charts future directions for metal oxide composite-based energy storage systems, critically evaluating aspects such as scalability of synthesis, cost-effectiveness, environmental sustainability, and integration with advanced nanomaterials and electrolytes. These factors are crucial for advancing next-generation energy storage technologies, striving to enhance performance while upholding sustainability and economic viability.

Metal Oxide Nanosheet: Synthesis Approaches and Applications in Energy Storage Devices (Batteries, Fuel Cells, and Supercapacitors)

In recent years, the increasing energy requirement and consumption necessitates further improvement in energy storage technologies to obtain high cycling stability, power and energy density, and specific capacitance. Two-dimensional metal oxide nanosheets have gained much interest due to their attractive features, such as composition, tunable structure, and large surface area which make them potential materials for energy storage applications. This review focuses on the establishment of synthesis approaches of metal oxide nanosheets (MO nanosheets) and their advancements over time, as well as their applicability in several electrochemical energy storage systems, such as fuel cells, batteries, and supercapacitors. This review provides a comprehensive comparison of different synthesis approaches of MO nanosheets, as well their suitability in several energy storage applications. Among recent improvements in energy storage systems, micro-supercapacitors, and several hybrid storage systems are rapidly emerging. MO nanosheets can be employed as electrode and catalyst material to improve the performance parameters of energy storage devices. Finally, this review outlines and discusses the prospects, future challenges, and further direction for research and applications of metal oxide nanosheets.

Precise Construction of Sn/C Composite Membrane with Graphene-Like Sn-in-Carbon Structural Units toward Hyperstable Anode for Lithium Storage

A new-type binder-free Sn/C composite membrane with densely stacked Sn-in-carbon nanosheets was prepared by vacuum-induced self-assembly of graphene-like Sn alkoxide and following in situ thermal conversion. The successful implementation of this rational strategy is based on the controllable synthesis of graphene-like Sn alkoxide by using Na-citrate with the critical inhibitory effect on polycondensation of Sn alkoxide along the a and b directions. Density functional theory calculations reveal that graphene-like Sn alkoxide can be formed under the joint action of oriented densification along the c axis and continuous growth along the a and b directions. The Sn/C composite membrane constructed by graphene-like Sn-in-carbon nanosheets can effectively buffer volume fluctuation of inlaid Sn during cycling and much enhance the kinetics of Li⁺ diffusion and charge transfer with the developed ion/electron transmission paths. After temperature-controlled structure optimization, Sn/C composite membrane displays extraordinary Li storage behaviors, including reversible half-cell capacities up to 972.5 mAh g^-1 at a density of 1 A g^-1 for 200 cycles, 885.5/729.3 mAh g^-1 over 1000 cycles at large current densities of 2/4 A g^-1, and terrific practicability with reliable full-cell capacities of 789.9/582.9 mAh g^-1 up to 200 cycles under 1/4 A g^-1. It is worthy of noting that this strategy may open up new opportunities to fabricate advanced membrane materials and construct hyperstable self-supporting anodes in lithium ion batteries.

Intercalation pseudocapacitance in 2D N-doped V2O3 nanosheets for stable and ultrafast lithium-ion storage

2D N-doped V2O3 (N-V2O3) is synthesized as an anode material for Li-ion batteries by a facile strategy. Benefiting from the 3D V–V tunnel structure, sufficient active sites and N modifications, N-V2O3 exhibits stable and ultrafast Li-ion storage.