Suppressing the dry bed-lake fracture of silicon anode via dispersant modification in electrode processing

Mechanistic insights into soil heavy metals desorption by biodegradable polyelectrolyte under electric field

In this study, we firstly used alginate to enhance an electrokinetic technology to remediate soil contaminated with divalent heavy metals (Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, Zn²⁺). The mechanisms of alginate-associated migration of metal ions in electric field were confirmed. Alginate resulted in a high electrical current during electrokinetic process, and soil conductivity also increased after remediation. Obvious changes in both electroosmotic flow and soil pH were observed. Moreover, these factors were affected by increasing alginate dosage. The highest Cu (95.82%) and Zn (97.33%) removal efficiencies were obtained by introducing 1 wt% alginate. Alginate can desorb Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions from soil by forming unstable gels, which could be dissociated through electrolysis. However, Pb²⁺ ions did not easily migrate out of the contaminated soil. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations show Pb²⁺ ions could form a more stable coordination sphere in metal complexes than Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ ions. The metal removal efficiency was decreased by increasing alginate dosage at a high level. More alginate could provide more carboxyl ligands for divalent metal ions to stabilize gels, which were difficult to dissociate by electrolysis. In summary, the results indicate it is potential for introducing alginate into an electrokinetic system to remediate Cu- and Zn- contaminated soil.

In Situ Developed Si@Polymethyl Methacrylate Capsule as a Li-Ion Battery Anode with High-Rate and Long Cycle-Life

The development of Si-based lithium-ion batteries is restricted by the large volume expansion of Si materials and the unstable solid electrolyte interface film. Herein, a novel Si capsule with in situ developed polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) shell is prepared via microemulsion polymerization, in which PMMA has high lithium conductivity, high elasticity, certain viscosity in electrolytes, as well as good electrolyte retention ability. Taking advantage of the microcapsule structure with the PMMA capsid, the novel Si capsule anode retains 1.2 mA h/cm² at a current density of 2 A/g after 200 electrochemical cycles and delivers higher than 66% of its initial capacity at 42 A/g.

In Situ Transformed Solid Electrolyte Interphase by Implanting a 4-Vinylbenzoic Acid Nanolayer on the Natural Graphite Surface

A solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on a graphite anode plays a crucial role in deciding electrochemical properties of the electrode including the first Coulombic efficiency, rate capability, operating temperature, and long-term cycling stability. However, the ultrathin functional SEI layer is always naturally grown via electrolyte reduction decomposition reactions. Herein, we report a new strategy of in situ transformed solid electrolyte interphase of high stability by implanting a 4-vinylbenzoic acid (4-VBA) nanolayer on a mildly oxidized graphite surface. A 4-VBA layer of 40 nm contributes to the transformation of a robust and stable SEI layer, which not only significantly enhances the overall electrochemical performances of the natural graphite electrode but also greatly prolongs the cycle life of the full cell with the LiNi_0.6Co_0.2Mn_0.2O₂ cathode. The effectively suppressed surface evolution aroused from the stable organic SEI transformed from the implanted 4-VBA nanolayer explains the enhanced electrochemical properties.