Realizing High-Performance Lithium Storage by Fabricating FeTiO3 Nanoparticle-Impregnated Multichannel Carbon Nanofibers with Promoted Reaction Kinetics

Construction of Lunar Soil Simulants-Based Aluminum-Ion Battery Systems

With the development of space technology, in situ resource utilization (ISRU) of lunar resources holds great potential for constructing lunar bases. This study, for the first time, proposes the in situ construction of lunar soil simulants-based battery systems. When novel ilmenite cathode materials are applied in aqueous aluminum-ion batteries (AAIBs), a facile ball milling treatment is used to simulate the natural characteristics of lunar-based ilmenite with proper electrochemical performance. The in situ constructed lunar soil-based batteries demonstrated a practical capacity of 68.1 mAh g-1 at 1.0 A g-1 with a capacity retention rate of 89.6% after 100 cycles. Even at a high current density of 5.0 A g-1, the as-prepared batteries still maintained a capacity of 41.7 mAh g-1. This study provides a promising energy storage solution for lunar bases and promotes sustainable energy technologies through in situ utilization of lunar resources.

Multichannel Carbon Nanofibers: Pioneering the Future of Energy Storage

Multichannel carbon nanofibers (MCNFs), characterized by complex hierarchical structures comprising multiple channels or compartments, have attracted considerable attention owing to their high porosity, large surface area, good directionality, tunable composition, and low density. In recent years, electrospinning (ESP) has emerged as a popular synthetic technique for producing MCNFs with exceptional properties from various polymer blends, driven by phase separation between polymers. These interactions, including van der Waals forces, covalent bonding, and ionic interactions, are crucial for MCNF production. Over time, the applications of MCNFs have expanded, making them one of the most intriguing topics in material research. MCNFs with tailored porous channels, controllable dimensions, confined spaces, high surface areas, designed architectures, and easy electrolyte access to active walls are considered optimal for electrochemical energy storage (EES) technologies. This review provides an exhaustive overview of the working principle, synthesis methods, and structural properties of MCNFs, and examines their advantages, limitations, and potential for producing multichannel architectures. Furthermore, this review explores the relationship between the composition of MCNF electrode materials for EES devices (supercapacitors and batteries) and their electrochemical performance. This review also addresses future directions and challenges in the development and utilization of MCNFs and provides insights into potential research avenues for advancing this exciting field.

Hydrothermal synthesis of iron titanate hexagonal nanoplates for electrochemical detection of nitrofurazone

An electrochemical sensor is established using an iron titanate (FeTiO3) modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) to detect nitrofurazone. Various microscopic and spectroscopic analysis was performed to reveal the properties of the prepared FeTiO3 hexagonal nanoplates. The FeTiO3/GCE presents enhanced electrochemical response to nitrofurazone at the peak reduction potential of - 0.471 V with a larger peak current than the bare GCE due to high electrical conductivity, enhanced specific surface area, and abundant active sites. The superior nitrofurazone detection performance includes the low limit of detection of 0.002 μM and the sensitivity of 0.551 µA µM-1 cm-2 in the linear concentration range of 0.01-162.2 μM. The reproducibility and selectivity studies of the FeTiO3/GCE show excellent results with a relative standard deviation of < 5%. The practicability of FeTiO3/GCE is confirmed by monitoring nitrofurazone in actual samples. This work demonstrates that perovskite-type FeTiO3 has great potential in real-world sample analysis, and provides a new way to develop high-performance electrochemical sensors.

Zero-Strain Sodium Lanthanum Titanate Perovskite Embedded in Flexible Carbon Fibers as a Long-Span Anode for Lithium-Ion Batteries

"High-capacity" graphite and "zero-strain" spinel Li4Ti5O12 (LTO) occupy the majority market of anode materials for Li+ storage in commercial applications. Nevertheless, their intrinsic drawbacks including the unsafe potential of graphite and unsatisfactory capacity of LTO limit the further development of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which is unable to satisfy the ever-increasing demands. Here, a novel Na0.35La0.55TiO3 perovskite embedded in multichannel carbon fibers (NLTO-NF) is rationally designed and synthesized through an electrospinning method. It not only has the advantages of a respectable specific capacity of 265 mAh g-1 at 0.1 A g-1 and superb rate capability, but it also possesses the zero-strain characteristic. Impressively, an ultralong cycling life with 96.3% capacity retention after 9000 cycles at 2 A g-1 is achieved in the half cell, and 90.3% of capacity retention ratio is obtained after even 2500 cycles at 1 A g-1 in the coupled LiFePO4/NLTO-NF full cell. This study introduces a new member with excellent performance to the zero-strain materials family for next-generation LIBs.