Polyacrylonitrile Separator for High-Performance Aluminum Batteries with Improved Interface Stability

Herein we report, for the first time, an overall evaluation of commercially available battery separators to be used for aluminum batteries, revealing that most of them are not stable in the highly reactive 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride:aluminum trichloride (EMIMCl:AlCl₃) electrolyte conventionally employed in rechargeable aluminum batteries. Subsequently, a novel highly stable polyacrylonitrile (PAN) separator obtained by the electrospinning technique for application in high-performance aluminum batteries has been prepared. The developed PAN separator has been fully characterized in terms of morphology, thermal stability, and air permeability, revealing its suitability as a separator for battery applications. Furthermore, extremely good compatibility and improved aluminum interface stability in the highly reactive EMIMCl:AlCl₃ electrolyte were discovered. The use of the PAN separator strongly affects the aluminum dissolution/deposition process, leading to a quite homogeneous deposition compared to that of a glass fiber separator. Finally, the applicability of the PAN separator has been demonstrated in aluminum/graphite cells. The electrochemical tests evidence the full compatibility of the PAN separator in aluminum cells. Furthermore, the aluminum/graphite cells employing the PAN separator are characterized by a slightly higher delivered capacity compared to those employing glass fiber separators, confirming the superior characteristics of the PAN separator as a more reliable separator for the emerging aluminum battery technology.

Perylene-Based All-Organic Redox Battery with Excellent Cycling Stability

Organic materials derived from biomass can constitute a viable option as replacements for inorganic materials in lithium-ion battery electrodes owing to their low production costs, recyclability, and structural diversity. Among them, conjugated carbonyls have become the most promising type of organic electrode material as they present high theoretical capacity, fast reaction kinetics, and quasi-infinite structural diversity. In this letter, we report a new perylene-based all-organic redox battery comprising two aromatic conjugated carbonyl electrode materials, the prelithiated tetra-lithium perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylate (PTCLi6) as negative electrode material and the poly(N-n-hexyl-3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic)imide (PTCI) as positive electrode material. The resulting battery shows promising long-term cycling stability up to 200 cycles. In view of the enhanced cycling performances, the two organic materials studied herein are proposed as suitable candidates for the development of new all-organic lithium-ion batteries.

Dispersion of luminescent nanoparticles in different derivatives of poly(ethyl methacrylate)

Gd2O3:Tb(5%) nanoparticles were prepared via the polyol route and dispersed without any stabilizer in several ethyl methacrylate derivatives matrices such as poly(ethyl methacrylate), poly(2-methoxyethyl methacrylate) and poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA). Nanocomposites were obtained via free-radical polymerization of methacrylic monomers with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinker and colloidal solution of Gd2O3:Tb(5%) nanoparticles. Best results are obtained with PHEMA in which the dispersed Gd2O3:Tb(5%) nanoparticles are spherical with a mean diameter of 15 nm, as measured by TEM. The obtained solid Gd2O3:Tb(5%)/PHEMA nanocomposites are highly transparent (in the visible spectral range) and exhibit characteristic photoluminescence of Tb3+ 5D4-7F(J) (J = 6-3), with 5D4-7F5 strong green emission at 536 nm upon UV excitation. The nanoparticles and nanocomposites have been well characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscope (TEM), UV/Vis transmission spectra, photoluminescence excitation, and emission spectra.