Enhanced reversible Li-ion storage in Si@Ti3C2 MXene nanocomposite

Silicon Monoxide Anodes Co-Modified with ZnS and Nitrogen-Doped Carbon via Facile Synthesis: Toward High-Energy Lithium-Ion Battery Applications

Silicon monoxide (SiO) has emerged as a promising silicon-based anode material owing to its high theoretical specific capacity and extended cycle life. Nevertheless, its practical application is hindered by significant volume expansion and insufficient cycling stability. In this study, a composite material of SiO coated with zinc sulfide and nitrogen-doped carbon (ZnS&NC/SiO) was successfully prepared via a developed method of in situ conversing MOFs into nitrogen-doped carbon and ZnS. As an anode of lithium-ion batteries, the ZnS&NC/SiO composite exhibited superior reversible capacity (748 mAh·g-1 after 1000 cycles at 1.0 A·g-1) and ultralower electrochemical impedance spectra (Rct = 62 Ω). The performance is much superior to that of the reported SiO-based anode materials, which is attributed to the special coating structure that relieves volume expansion and improves the inherently low electrical conductivity, the doped N atoms that provide more active sites, and the SiO and ZnS enables one of them to serve as a buffer medium for more stable structure due to the different lithium intercalation potential. The designed structure could provide a promising strategy for other electrode materials.

New binary and ternary SiO2 composites with Fe2O3 and Co2.74O4 and the evaluation of their γ-radiation shielding properties

A new series of binary and ternary nanocomposites contains cobalt oxide or iron/cobalt oxides were manufactured to increase silicon dioxide γ shielding power. XRD indicated the presence of Co as Co2.74O4 (COD: 1528446) and the presence of iron as Fe3O4 (COD: 9002318 and 9005814). Using Profex, the Rietveld refinements were carried out. The Rw, Rex, x2, and Gof were 4.49, 4.34, 1.07, and 1.03, respectively, indicating good refinement parameters. XPS indicated the presence of Si ([Formula: see text]), Fe (Fe[Formula: see text]O[Formula: see text]) and cobalt ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]). TEM analysis showed that all metal oxide@SBA-15 solids have characteristic and well-organized SBA-15 structures. The γ-radiation shielding for the prepared samples were investigated via the Monte-Carlo code (MCN) and Phy-X software. The results confirmed that, adding high concentrations of cobalt-oxide and hematite increases the linear attenuation significantly. The SiCoFe-3 sample, which contains the highest content of cobalt-oxide and hematite, has the best γ-radiation shielding capability among all the synthesized SiCo/SiCoFe samples.

Exploring the potential of 2D beryllonitrene as a lithium-ion battery anode: a theoretical study

The development of new and high-capacity anode materials for Li-ion batteries (LIBs) can lead to significant improvements in energy storage technology, promoting sustainable practices, and enabling a wider adoption of clean energy solutions. Herein, the recently synthesized 2D beryllonitrene has been studied computationally to evaluate its Li+ capacity and feasibility as an anode material in LIBs. 2D BeN4 can load a single layer of Li above and below the plane giving a theoretical capacity of 824 mA h g-1. Upon binding with BeN4, the Li become monocationic and the average adsorption energy per Li+ is -1.522 eV, lesser than the cohesive energy of bulk Li. The Li+ diffusion in BeN4 is facilitated by low barrier energies of ∼0.4-0.8 eV and is consistent when an implicit solvent model is applied for ethylene carbonate. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations reveal that Li+ have high diffusivity (4.5 × 10-12 m2 s-1) in BeN4, comparable to commercially available anodes. The surface intercalation density of BeN4 is higher (1.00) compared to that calculated for graphite and single-walled carbon nanotubes. Thus, BeN4 shows promising Li+ loading and diffusivity behaviour, is thermally and mechanically stable, and is predicted to be a high-capacity anode material for LIBs.

Polydopamine-modified 3D flower-like ZnMoO4 integrated MXene-based label-free electrochemical immunosensor for the food-borne pathogen Listeria monocytogenes detection in milk and seafood

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive bacterium that causes listeriosis in humans. This contaminates the ready-to-eat food products and compromises their safety. Thus, detecting its presence in food samples with high sensitivity and reliability is necessary. Herein, we propose a label-free electrochemical immunosensor based on a mussel-inspired polydopamine-modified zinc molybdate/MXene (PDA@ZnMoO4/MXene) composite for effective and rapid detection of L. monocytogenes in food products. Spectrophotometry approaches were employed to examine the resulting composites. Voltammetry and impedimetry techniques were used to confirm the step-by-step assembly of the immunosensor and its sensitive detection of L. monocytogenes in various food products, such as milk and smoked seafood. The results demonstrated the practicality of the constructed immunosensor, with an appreciable linearity of 10-107 CFU/ml and a reasonably low detection limit (LOD, 12 CFU/ml). Moreover, the immunosensor exhibited excellent selectivity for microbial cocktails and acceptable repeatability, reproducibility, and storage stability. Thus, we believe that the proposed sensitive, reliable, and label-free immunosensor based on the PDA surface modification technique for detecting L. monocytogenes can be extended to monitor various food-borne pathogens to ensure food safety.

Recent progress in Si/Ti3C2Tx MXene anode materials for lithium-ion batteries

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major global health issue, causing significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Early diagnosis and continuous monitoring of physiological signals are crucial for managing cardiovascular diseases, necessitating the development of lightweight and cost-effective wearable devices. These devices should incorporate portable energy storage systems, such as lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). To enhance the durability and consistency of the monitoring systems, there is a need to develop LIBs with high energy density. Silicon-based materials hold great promise for future LIBs anodes due to their high theoretical capacity and cost-efficiency. Despite their potential, silicon-based materials encounter challenges like substantial volume fluctuations and sluggish kinetics. Transition metal carbide, MXene, features a two-dimensional structure, offering advantages in silicon-based anode materials. This review initially presents the potential of silicon-based anodes and then addresses their challenges. Subsequently, the advantages of MXene are systematically reviewed, including unique structure, abundant surface functional groups, excellent electrical conductivity, and excellent ion transport performance. Next, the detailed discussion covers recent advancements in Si/Ti3C2Tx MXene anode materials for LIBs, with a focus on their synthesis methods. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of synthesizing Si/Ti3C2Tx nanocomposites are examined, aiming to provide a foundational resource for designing advanced materials for high-energy LIBs.

In Situ Growth of W2C/WS2 with Carbon-Nanotube Networks for Lithium-Ion Storage

The combination of W2C and WS2 has emerged as a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries. W2C possesses high conductivity but the W2C/WS2-alloy nanoflowers show unstable performance because of the lack of contact with the leaves of the nanoflower. In this study, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were employed as conductive networks for in situ growth of W2C/WS2 alloys. The analysis of X-ray diffraction patterns and scanning/transmission electron microscopy showed that the presence of CNTs affected the growth of the alloys, encouraging the formation of a stacking layer with a lattice spacing of ~7.2 Å. Therefore, this self-adjustment in the structure facilitated the insertion/desertion of lithium ions into the active materials. The bare W2C/WS2-alloy anode showed inferior performance, with a capacity retention of ~300 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles. In contrast, the WCNT01 anode delivered a highly stable capacity of ~650 mAh g-1 after 100 cycles. The calculation based on impedance spectra suggested that the presence of CNTs improved the lithium-ion diffusion coefficient to 50 times that of bare nanoflowers. These results suggest the effectiveness of small quantities of CNTs on the in situ growth of sulfides/carbide alloys: CNTs create networks for the insertion/desertion of lithium ions and improve the cyclic performance of metal-sulfide-based lithium-ion batteries.

Electrostatic Interactions Leading to Hierarchical Interpenetrating Electroconductive Networks in Silicon Anodes for Fast Lithium Storage

Recently, the frequency of combining MXene, which has unique properties such as metal-level conductivity and large specific surface area, with silicon to achieve excellent electrochemical performance has increased considerably. There is no doubt that the introduction of MXene can improve the conductivity of silicon and the cycling stability of electrodes after elaborate structure design. However, most exhaustive contacts can only improve the electrode conductivity on the plane. Herein, a MXene@Si/CNTs (HIEN-MSC) composite with hierarchical interpenetrating electroconductive networks has been synthesized by electrostatic self-assembly. In this process, the CNTs are first combined with silicon nanoparticles and then assembled with MXene nanosheets. Inserting CNTs into silicon nanoparticles can not only reduce the latter's agglomeration, but also immobilizes them on the three-dimensional conductive framework composed of CNTs and MXene nanosheets. Therefore, the HIEN-MSC electrode shows superior rate performance (high reversible capacity of 280 mA h^-1 even tested at 10 A g^-1 ), cycling stability (stable reversible capacity of 547 mA h g^-1 after 200 cycles at 1 A g^-1 ) and applicability (a high reversible capacity of 101 mA h g^-1 after 50 cycles when assembled with NCM622 into a full cell). These results may provide new insights for other electrodes with excellent rate performance and long-cycle stability.

Variation in the interface strength of silicon with surface engineered Ti3C2 MXenes

Current advancements in battery technologies require electrodes to combine high-performance active materials such as Silicon (Si) with two-dimensional materials such as transition metal carbides (MXenes) for prolonged cycle stability and enhanced electrochemical performance. More so, it is the interface between these materials, which is the nexus for their applicatory success. Herein, the interface strength variations between amorphous Si and Ti3C2Tx MXenes are determined as the MXene surface functional groups (Tx) are changed using first principles calculations. Si is interfaced with three Ti3C2 MXene substrates having surface -OH, -OH and -O mixed, and -F functional groups. Density functional theory (DFT) results reveal that completely hydroxylated Ti3C2 has the highest interface strength of 0.6 J m-2 with amorphous Si. This interface strength value drops as the proportion of surface -O and -F groups increases. Additional analysis of electron redistribution and charge separation across the interface is provided for a complete understanding of underlying physico-chemical factors affecting the surface chemistry and resultant interface strength values. The presented comprehensive analysis of the interface aims to develop sophisticated MXene based electrodes by their targeted surface engineering.

N-Doped carbon coated NiCo2O4 nanorods for efficient electrocatalytic oxygen evolution

Hybrid architectures composed of NiCo₂O₄ nanorods coated N-doped carbon (NiCo₂O₄@NC) are synthesized through the pyrolysis of Bi-metallic MOFs, which exhibit excellent electrochemical performance for oxygen evolution reaction.

Three-Dimensional Hierarchical Porous Structures Constructed by Two-Stage MXene-Wrapped Si Nanoparticles for Li-Ion Batteries

As the demand for batteries increases with the development of electric vehicles, the energy density of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) should be continuously enhanced. Due to the excellent theoretical specific capacity, silicon (Si) is the most promising anode material for LIBs. Nevertheless, the application of Si-based anodes is constrained by critical problems such as low conductivity and extreme volume change. Herein, we demonstrate an effective strategy for the fabrication of a three-dimensional (3D) hierarchical porous-structured Si-based anode with dual MXene protection (namely, SiNP@MX1/MX2). By electrostatic force induced self-assembly between modified Si with a positive charge and MXene nanosheets with a negative charge on the surface, Si nanoparticles are riveted to the MXene nanosheets (namely, SiNP@MX1), and then embedded into the 3D MXene skeleton (MX2) via a hydrothermal reaction and freeze-drying. Through the tailored and reasonable design, the internal MX1 coating can accommodate the volume expansion and avoid particle aggregation. The external MX2 allows for rapid electron transport and ion transfer while further buffering volume changes. Most importantly, by preventing Si from directly contacting the electrolyte, the double MXene-wrapped protection design benefits from the formation of a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) film. The SiNP@MX1/MX2 anode material has a high capacity of 1422 mA h g^-1 at a current density of 0.5 A g^-1 after 200 cycles, excellent cycle stability, and good rate performance. At the same time, the method proposed in this study is expected to be applied to the preparation of other alloy anodes/MXene hybrids for storage batteries.

Minimizing two-dimensional Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheet loading in carbon-free silicon anodes

Silicon anodes are promising for high energy batteries because of their excellent theoretical gravimetric capacity (3579 mA h g-1). However, silicon's large volume expansion and poor conductivity hinder its practical application; thus, binders and conductive additives are added, effectively diluting the active silicon material. To address this issue, reports of 2D MXene nanosheets have emerged as additives for silicon anodes, but many of these reports use high MXene compositions of 22-66 wt%, still presenting the issue of diluting the active silicon material. Herein, this report examines the question of what minimal amount of MXene nanosheets is required to act as an effective additive while maximizing total silicon anode capacity. A minimal amount of only 4 wt% MXenes (with 16 wt% sodium alginate and no carbon added) yielded silicon anodes with a capacity of 900 mA h gSi-1 or 720 mA h gtotal-1 at the 200th cycle at 0.5 C-rate. Further, this approach yielded the highest specific energy on a total electrode mass basis (3100 W h kgtotal-1) as comapared to other silicon-MXene constructs (∼115-2000 Wh kgtotal-1) at a corresponding specific power. The stable electrode performance even with a minimal MXene content is attributed to several factors: (1) highly uniform silicon electrodes due to the dispersibility of MXenes in water, (2) the high MXene aspect ratio that enables improved electrical connections, and (3) hydrogen bonding among MXenes, sodium alginate, and silicon particles. All together, a much higher silicon loading (80 wt%) is attained with a lower MXene loading, which then maximizes the capacity of the entire electrode.

Assembly of MXene/PP Separator and Its Enhancement for Ni-Rich LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 Electrochemical Performance

In this work, a few-layer MXene is prepared and sprinkled on a commercial polypropylene (PP) separator by a facile spraying method to enhance the electrochemistry of the Ni-rich LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811) cathode. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) are used to characterize the morphology and structure of MXene. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and a contact angle tester are used to measure the bond structure and surface wettability PP and MXene/PP separator. The effect of the MXene/PP separator on the electrochemical performance of ternary NCM811 material is tested by an electrochemical workstation. The results show that the two-dimensional MXene material could improve the wettability of the separator to the electrolyte and greatly enhance the electrochemical properties of the NCM811 cathode. During 0.5 C current density cycling, the Li/NCM811 cell with MXene/PP separator remains at 166.2 mAh/g after the 100 cycles with ~90.7% retention. The R_ct of MXene/PP cell is measured to be ~28.0 Ω. Combining all analyses results related to MXene/PP separator, the strategy by spraying the MXene on commercial PP is considered as a simple, convenient, and effective way to improve the electrochemical performance of the Ni-rich NCM811 cathode and it is expected to achieve large-scale in high-performance lithium-ion batteries in the near future.

A green strategy for the preparation of a honeycomb-like silicon composite with enhanced lithium storage properties

The high-performance silicon (Si) composite electrodes are being widely developed due to their considerable theoretical capacity. Coating with carbon-based materials is an efficient way to solve the common issues of Si-based materials. Currently, most of the reported strategies are complicated, pollutive, or uneconomic, which hamper their practical applications. Herein, a honeycomb-like Si-based composite was prepared to address these issues via a facile and green reduction approach at room temperature. The pre-anchored Si nanoparticles could be packed and interconnected through a three-dimensional graphene network to further enhance the electrochemical properties of the active materials. As an electrode, this composite shows good rate capabilities upon lithium storage and cycling stability. The continued cycling measurement delivers a -0.049% capacity decay rate per cycle within 600 cycles. A direct comparison further exhibits the obviously improved performance between the as-designed Si-based composite and naked Si, suggesting a potential application of this convenient strategy for other high-performance electrode materials.

Ti3C2Tx MXene Nanosheets as a Robust and Conductive Tight on Si Anodes Significantly Enhance Electrochemical Lithium Storage Performance

Exploring Si-based anode materials with high electrical conductivity and electrode stability is crucial for high-performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, we propose the fabrication of a Si-based composite where Si porous nanospheres (Si p-NSs) are tightly wrapped by Ti₃C₂T_x (T_x stands for the surface groups such as -OH, -F) MXene nanosheets (TNSs) through an interfacial assembly strategy. The TNSs as a conductive and robust tight of the Si p-NSs can effectively improve electron transport and electrode stability, as revealed by substantial characterizations and mechanical simulations. Moreover, the TNSs with rich surface groups enable strong interfacial interactions with the Si p-NS component and a pseudocapacitive behavior, beneficial for fast and stable lithium storage. Consequently, the Si p-NS@TNSs electrode with a high Si content of 85.6% exhibits significantly enhanced battery performance compared with the Si p-NSs electrode such as high reversible capacity (1154 mAh g^-1 at 0.2 A g^-1), long cycling stability (up to 2000 cycles with a 0.026% capacity decay rate per cycle), and excellent rate performances. Notably, the Si p-NS@TNSs electrode-based LIB full cell delivers a high energy uptake of 405 Wh kg^-1, many-times higher than that of the Si p-NSs full cell. This work offers a strategy to develop advanced Si-based anode materials with desirable properties for high-performance LIBs.

Recent advances in MXenes and their composites in lithium/sodium batteries from the viewpoints of components and interlayer engineering

An up-to-date review about MXenes based on their distinguishing properties, namely, large interlayer spacing and rich surface chemistry.

Room-temperature sodium thermal reaction towards electrochemically active metals for lithium storage

Due to the superior capacity for lithium storage, metallic tin and germanium are considered as one of the candidate anodes for the next generation of lithium ion batteries. Herein, metallic tin and germanium particles are successfully prepared by using a mild replacement reaction between metallic sodium and the corresponding tetrachloride under room temperature. The as-obtained metals exhibit nanocrystals of several nanometers. Used as anode of lithium-ion batteries, the as-obtained metallic nanocrystals display improved cycling stability, superior rate performance and high reversible capacity as well. Furthermore, it provides a facile approach to fabricate other electrochemically active metallic nanocrystals by using this mild and environmental benignity replacement reaction.

Electrostatic Self-assembly of 0D-2D SnO2 Quantum Dots/Ti3C2Tx MXene Hybrids as Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

MXenes, a new family of two-dimensional (2D) materials with excellent electronic conductivity and hydrophilicity, have shown distinctive advantages as a highly conductive matrix material for lithium-ion battery anodes. Herein, a facile electrostatic self-assembly of SnO2 quantum dots (QDs) on Ti3C2Tx MXene sheets is proposed. The as-prepared SnO2/MXene hybrids have a unique 0D-2D structure, in which the 0D SnO2 QDs (~ 4.7 nm) are uniformly distributed over 2D Ti3C2Tx MXene sheets with controllable loading amount. The SnO2 QDs serve as a high capacity provider and the "spacer" to prevent the MXene sheets from restacking; the highly conductive Ti3C2Tx MXene can not only provide efficient pathways for fast transport of electrons and Li ions, but also buffer the volume change of SnO2 during lithiation/delithiation by confining SnO2 QDs between the MXene nanosheets. Therefore, the 0D-2D SnO2 QDs/MXene hybrids deliver superior lithium storage properties with high capacity (887.4 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1), stable cycle performance (659.8 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1 after 100 cycles with a capacity retention of 91%) and excellent rate performance (364 mAh g-1 at 3 A g-1), making it a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Porosity controlled synthesis of nanoporous silicon by chemical dealloying as anode for high energy lithium-ion batteries

Silicon is regarded as the most promising electrode material to meet the high-capacity demand for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Nevertheless, the large volume expansion during charging/discharging process restricts its practical application. In this report, a facile chemical dealloying method is conducted to prepare porous silicon materials from Al-Si alloys with different proportions at ambient temperature. The porosity of anode materials could buffer the huge volume change of Si anode and enhance the ion transport. Finally, the optimized Si20 sample delivers a capacity of 1662 mAh g^-1 after 145 cycles at 500 mA g^-1 and a high rate capability up to 908 mAh g^-1 at 5000 mA g^-1.