High Capacity and Fast Kinetics Enabled by Metal-Doping in Prussian Blue Analogue Cathodes for Sodium-Ion Batteries

Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) have gained tremendous attention as promising low-cost electrochemically-tunable electrode materials, which can accommodate large Na+ ions with attractive specific capacity and charge-discharge kinetics. However, poor cycling stability caused by lattice strain and volume change remains to be improved. Herein, metal-doping strategy has been demonstrated in FeNiHCF, Na1.40Fe0.90Ni0.10[Fe(CN)6]0.85·1.3H2O, delivering a capacity as high as 148 mAh g‒1 at 10 mA g‒1. At an exceptionally high rate of 25.6 A g‒1, a reversible capacity of ~55 mAh g‒1 still can be obtained with a very small capacity decay rate of 0.02% per cycle for 1000 cycles, considered one of the best among all metal-doped PBAs. This exhibits the stabilizing effect of Ni doping which enhances structural stability and long-term cyclability. In situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction reveals an extremely small (~1%) change in unit cell parameters. The Ni substitution is found to increase the electronic conductivity and redox activity, especially at the low-spin (LS) Fe center due to inductive effect. This larger capacity contribution from LS Fe2+C6/Fe3+C6 redox couple is responsible for stable high-rate capability of FeNiHCF. The insight gained in this work may pave the way for the design of other high-performance electrode materials for sustainable sodium-ion batteries.

Porous Structural Properties of K or Na-Co Hexacyanoferrates as Efficient Materials for CO2 Capture

The stoichiometry of the components of hexacyanoferrate materials affecting their final porosity properties and applications in CO₂ capture is an issue that is rarely studied. In this work, the effect that stoichiometry of all element components and oxidation states of transition metals has on the structures of mesoporous K or Na-cobalt hexacyanoferrates (CoHCFs) and CO₂ removal is reported. A series of CoHCFs model systems are synthesized using the co-precipitation method with varying amounts of Co ions. CoHCFs are characterized by N₂ adsorption, TGA, FTIR-ATR, XRD, and XPS. N₂ adsorption results reveal a more developed external surface area (72.69-172.18 m²/g) generated in samples containing mixtures of K⁺/Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ions (system III) compared to samples with Na⁺/Fe²⁺ ions (systems I, II). TGA results show that the porous structure of CoHCFs is affected by Fe and Co ions oxidation states, the number of water molecules, and alkali ions. The formation of two crystalline cells (FCC and triclinic) is confirmed by XRD results. Fe and Co oxidation states are authenticated by XPS and allow for the confirmation of charges involved in the stabilization of CoCHFs. CO₂ removal capacities (3.04 mmol/g) are comparable with other materials reported. CO₂ adsorption kinetics is fast (3-6 s), making CoHCFs attractive for continuous operations. Q_st (24.3 kJ/mol) reveals a physical adsorption process. Regeneration effectiveness for adsorption/desorption cycles indicates ~1.6% loss and selectivity (~47) for gas mixtures (CO₂:N₂ = 15:85). The results of this study demonstrate that the CoHCFs have practical implications in the potential use of CO₂ capture and flue gas separations.

Polyethylenimine as a Non-Innocent Ligand for Hexacyanoferrates Immobilization

To understand how polyethyleneimine (PEI), as a ligand, affects structure and properties of the transition metals hexacyanoferrates (HCFs) immobilized in cross-linked PEI matrix, we have synthesized Cu(II), Zn(II), and Fe(III) HCFs via successive ion-exchange reactions with metal salts and K₄[Fe^II(CN)₆] or K₃[Fe^III(CN)₆]. The structure and properties of the obtained materials in comparison with the crystalline HCF analogs were investigated with FT-IR, Mössbauer, and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Complete reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II) by PEI in HCF(III) was confirmed. When synthesis was performed at pH favoring binding of precursor metal ions by PEI, cyano-bridged hybrids rather than polymer-HCFs composites were formed. Although the obtained hybrids did not demonstrate sorption activity toward cesium ions, known for crystalline HCFs, they are of interest for the other applications. SQUID measurements revealed a significant difference in magnetic properties of PEI-HCFs hybrids in comparison with crystalline HCFs. Due to the Fe(III) to Fe(II) reduction in HCF ions, Cu(II) and Fe(III) HCFs(III) lost the molecular magnets properties in PEI matrix, but magnetic ordering, including ferromagnet-antiferromagnet interactions, was observed in all hybrids over the broad temperature range.