Enhanced Cycling Stability of Sulfur Cathode Surface-Modified by Poly(N-methylpyrrole)

Nanoengineering of Boron-Based Materials for Lithium Batteries: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects

Owing to its electron deficiency, boron opens new nanostructures, enabling material science breakthroughs. Boron-based nanoengineering has become a focus of theoretical research since the discovery of graphene, especially in energy storage structures with extraordinary qualities. The instability of boron nanostructures makes their use in modern battery technologies difficult. New nanoengineering methods are improving the redox kinetics, ion adsorption, and structural stability of boron to solve these challenges. Critical knowledge gaps remain despite these efforts, emphasizing the necessity for a synergistic strategy that integrates theoretical and experimental advances. This review emphasizes boron-based nanoengineering at the forefront of next-generation battery electrode design for transformational Li-ion and Li-S batteries. This work explores novel methods such as boron doping in nanocarbons, surface functionalization, and 3D porous borophene structures to improve the stability and electrochemical performance. Additionally, it critically evaluates the scalability, safety, and robustness of borophene-an emergent 2D material set to change the energy landscape. The present study addresses these difficulties to fill gaps and promote innovative research. Borophene could lead to innovations that could change energy storage and beyond.

Lignin Nanoparticle-Coated Celgard Separator for High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Tremendous efforts have been made toward the development of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries as one of the most reasonable solutions to the rapidly increasing demand for portable electronic devices and electric vehicles, owing to their high cost-efficiency and theoretical energy density. However, the shuttle effect caused by soluble polysulfides is generally considered to be an insurmountable challenge, which can significantly reduce the battery lifecycle and sulfur utilization. Here, we report a lignin nanoparticle-coated Celgard (LC) separator to alleviate this problem. The LC separator enables abundant electron-donating groups and is expected to induce chemical binding of polysulfides to hinder the shuttle effect. When a sulfur-containing commercially available acetylene black (approximately 73.8 wt% sulfur content) was used as the cathode without modification, the Li–S battery with the LC separator presented much enhanced cycling stability over that with the Celgard separator for over 500 cycles at a current density of 1 C. The strategy demonstrated in this study is expected to provide more possibilities for the utilization of low-cost biomass-derived nanomaterials as separators for high-performance Li–S batteries.