Structure and electrochemical performance of electrospun-ordered porous carbon/graphene composite nanofibers

Batch preparation of nanofibers containing nanoparticles by an electrospinning device with multiple air inlets

With the increasing application of electrospun nanofibers, the batch preparation of high-performance functional nanofibers containing nanoparticles has become a research hotspot. As the distribution uniformity of nanoparticles in functional nanofibers has a great impact on their performance, an electrospinning device with multiple air inlets, which has a copper porous spinneret, is proposed to obtain functional nanofibers with higher yield and more uniform distribution of nanoparticles. The mechanism of batch preparation of functional nanofibers containing ZnO nanoparticles by the device was studied through experiments and theoretical analysis. The experimental data are in good agreement with the theoretical analysis results, which showed that under the appropriate voltage (50 kV) and air flow (50 m3/h), the device could keep ZnO nanoparticles contained in the spinning solution evenly dispersed during the spinning process, thus obtaining functional nanofibers with more uniform distribution of ZnO nanoparticles, whose quality and yield were higher than those prepared by other high-yield electrospinning devices.

Flexible electrodes with high areal capacity based on electrospun fiber mats

The ever-growing portable, flexible, and wearable devices impose new requirements from power sources. In contrast to gravitational metrics, areal metrics are more reliable performance indicators of energy storage systems for portable and wearable devices. For energy storage devices with high areal metrics, a high mass loading of the active species is generally required, which imposes formidable challenges on the current electrode fabrication technology. In this regard, integrated electrodes made by electrospinning technology have attracted increasing attention due to their high controllability, excellent mechanical strength, and flexibility. In addition, electrospun electrodes avoid the use of current collectors, conductive additives, and polymer binders, which can essentially increase the content of the active species in the electrodes as well as reduce the unnecessary physically contacted interfaces. In this review, the electrospinning technology for fabricating flexible and high areal capacity electrodes is first highlighted by comparing with the typical methods for this purpose. Then, the principles of electrospinning technology and the recent progress of electrospun electrodes with high areal capacity and flexibility are elaborately discussed. Finally, we address the future perspectives for the construction of high areal capacity electrodes using electrospinning technology to meet the increasing demands of flexible energy storage systems.