A facile ultrasonic method was used to synthesize CoO/graphene nanohybrids by employing Co4（CO）12 as a cobalt precursor. The nanohybrids were characterized by SEM, TEM and XPS, and the results show that CoO nanopart...A facile ultrasonic method was used to synthesize CoO/graphene nanohybrids by employing Co4（CO）12 as a cobalt precursor. The nanohybrids were characterized by SEM, TEM and XPS, and the results show that CoO nanoparticles （3-5 nm） distribute uniformly on the surface of graphene. The CoO/graphene nanohybrids display high performance as an anode material for lithium-ion battery, such as high reversible lithium storage capacity （650 mA-h/g after 50 cycles, almost twice that of commercial graphite anode）, high coulombic efficiency （over 95%） and excellent cycling stability. The extraordinary performance arises from the structure of the nanohybrids： the nanosized CoO particles with high dispersity on conductive graphene substrates are beneficial for lithium-ion insertion/extraction, shortening diffusion length for lithium ions and improving conductivity, thus the lithium storage performance was improved.展开更多
Flower-like CuO and flower-like CuO/graphene composite were prepared successfully by hydrothermal method. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, temperature-pr...Flower-like CuO and flower-like CuO/graphene composite were prepared successfully by hydrothermal method. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, temperature-programmed reduction, and thermogravimetric analysis. It is found that the flower-like CuO microspheres, which are composed of CuO nanosheets, possess an average diameter of 4.2 μm and a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 12.6 m2/g. Compared with the flower-like CuO, the obtained flower-like CuO/graphene composite shows an enhanced electrochemical performance with a higher capacity of 603 mA-h/g at 0.1 C rate and 382 mA-h/g at 1 C rate, and exhibits a better cycle stability with a high capacity retention of 95.5 % after 50 cycles even though at 1 C rate.展开更多
The graphite was modified using pitch through dynamical melt-carbonization, and the effects of modification temperature and the amount of pitch on the characteristics of graphite were investigated. The structure and c...The graphite was modified using pitch through dynamical melt-carbonization, and the effects of modification temperature and the amount of pitch on the characteristics of graphite were investigated. The structure and characteristics of the graphite were determined by X-ray diffractometry(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), particle size analysis and electrochemical measurements. The results show that the modified graphite has a disordered carbon/graphite composite structure, larger average particle diameter, greater tap density, and better electrochemical characteristics than the untreated graphite. The sample coated with 10% pitch dynamical melt-carbonized at 400 ℃ for 3 h and heat-treated at 850 ℃ for 2 h has better electrochemical performances with a reversible capacity of 360.5 mA·h/g, a irreversible capacity of 41.0 mA·h/g, and an initial coulombic efficiency of 89.8% compared with natural graphite and disordered carbon. The cycling stability of the Li/C cell with modified graphite as anodes is improved, and its capacity retention ratio at the 30th cycle is up to 94.37%.展开更多
Shuttle effect,poor conductivity and large volume expansion are the main factors that hinder the practical application of sulfur cathodes.Currently,rational structure designing of carbon-based sulfur hosts is the most...Shuttle effect,poor conductivity and large volume expansion are the main factors that hinder the practical application of sulfur cathodes.Currently,rational structure designing of carbon-based sulfur hosts is the most effective strategy to address the above issues.However,the preparation process of carbon-based sulfur hosts is usually complex and costly.Therefore,it is necessary to develop an efficient and cost-effective method to fabricate carbon hosts for high-performance sulfur cathodes.Herein,we reported the fabrication of a bio-derived nitrogen doped porous carbon materials(BNPC)via a molten-salt method for high performance sulfur cathodes.The long-range-ordered honeycomb structure of BNPC is favorable for the trapping of polysulfide(PS)species and accommodates the volumetric variation of sulfur during cycling,while the high graphitization degree of BNPC favors the redox kinetics of sulfur cathodes.Moreover,the nitrogen doping content not only enhances the electrical conductivity of BNPC,but also provides ample anchoring sites for the immobilization of PS,which plays a key role in suppressing the shuttle effect.As a result,the S@BNPC cathode exhibits a high initial specific capacity of 1189.4 mA·h/g at 0.2C.After 300 cycles,S@BNPC still maintains a capacity of 703.2 mA·h/g which corresponds to a fading rate of 0.13%per cycle after the second cycle.This work offers vast opportunities for the large-scale application of high performance carbon-based sulfur hosts.展开更多
PAN-based graphite felt （PGF） treated in 98% sulphuric acid for 5 h and then kept at 450 ℃ for 2 h was evaluated for their electrochemical performance as electrodes of vanadium redox battery （VRB）. Structure and ...PAN-based graphite felt （PGF） treated in 98% sulphuric acid for 5 h and then kept at 450 ℃ for 2 h was evaluated for their electrochemical performance as electrodes of vanadium redox battery （VRB）. Structure and characteristic of treated PAN-based graphite felt （TPGF） were determined by means of Fourier Transform Infi-ared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis and VRB test system. The results show that the acid and heat synergistic effect increase the number of --COOH functional groups on the PGF surface, and the PGF is eroded by sulphuric acid oxidation, resulting in the surface area increases from 0.31 m^2/g to 0.45 m^2/g. The V（ Ⅱ ）/V（Ⅲ） redox reaction is electrochemically reversible on the TPGF electrode, while the V（Ⅳ）/V（Ⅴ） couple is a quasi reversible process. The diffusion coefficients of the oxidation for V（Ⅳ）/V（Ⅴ） obtained from the scope of peak current Ip vs scan rate v^1/2 is 4.4×10^-5 cm^2/s. The improvement of electrochemical activity for the electrode is mainly ascribed to the increase of the number of ---COOH groups on the TPGF, which behaves as active sites catalyzing the vanadium species reactions and accelerating electron transfer reaction and oxygen transfer.展开更多
The graphite was modified by mild oxidation, and the effects of modification temperature and soaking time on the characteristics of graphite were investigated. The structure and characteristics of the graphite were de...The graphite was modified by mild oxidation, and the effects of modification temperature and soaking time on the characteristics of graphite were investigated. The structure and characteristics of the graphite were determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, BET surface area, particle size analysis and electrochemical measurements. The results show that the modified graphite has a better-developed crystallite structure, larger average particle diameter, smaller surface area, and better electrochemical characteristics than the untrented graphite. The sample mild-oxidized at 600℃ for 3h has the best electrochemical performances with a reversible capacity of 304.5mA·h/g, a irreversible capacity of 66.4mA·h/g, and a initial coulombic efficiency of 82.1%. The charge/discharge properties and a cycling stability of the prototype lithium ion batteries with modified graphite as anodes are improved. Its capacity retention ratio at the 200th cycle is enhanced from 66.75% to 90.15%.展开更多
Electrode materials have an important effect on the property of microbial fuel cell(MFC). Carbon foam is utilized as an anode and further modified by urea to improve its performance in marine benthic microbial fuel ce...Electrode materials have an important effect on the property of microbial fuel cell(MFC). Carbon foam is utilized as an anode and further modified by urea to improve its performance in marine benthic microbial fuel cell(BMFC) with higher voltage and output power. The electrochemical properties of plain carbon foam(PC) and urea-modified carbon foam(UC) are measured respectively. Results show that the UC obtains better wettability after its modification and higher anti-polarization ability than the PC. A novel phenomenon has been found that the electrical potential of the modified UC anode is nearly 100 m V lower than that of the PC, reaching-570 ±10 m V(vs. SCE), and that it also has a much higher electron transfer kinetic activity, reaching 9399.4 m W m-2, which is 566.2-fold higher than that from plain graphite anode(PG). The fuel cell containing the UC anode has the maximum power density(256.0 m W m-2) among the three different BMFCs. Urea would enhance the bacteria biofilm formation with a more diverse microbial community and maintain more electrons, leading to a lower anodic redox potential and higher power output. The paper primarily analyzes why the electrical potential of the modified anode becomes much lower than that of others after urea modification. These results can be utilized to construct a novel BMFC with higher output power and to design the conditioner of voltage booster with a higher conversion ratio. Finally, the carbon foam with a bigger pore size would be a potential anodic material in conventional MFC.展开更多
An investigation was performed on the suitability of carbon materials, metallic lead and its alloys as substrates for zinc negative electrode in acid PbO2-Zn single flow batteries. The zinc deposition process was carr...An investigation was performed on the suitability of carbon materials, metallic lead and its alloys as substrates for zinc negative electrode in acid PbO2-Zn single flow batteries. The zinc deposition process was carried out in the mediumofl mol.L 1H2SO4 at room temperature. No maximum current appears on the potentiostatic current transients for the zinc deposition on lead and its alloys. With increasing overpotential, the progressive nucleation turns to be a 3D-instantaneous nucleation process for the resin-graphite composite. Hydrogen evolution on the graphite composite is effectively suppressed with the doping of a polymer resin. The hydrogen evolution reaction on the lead is relatively weak, while on the lead alloys, it becomes serious to a certain degree. Although the ex- change current density of zinc deposition and dissolution process on the graphite composite is relatively low, the zinc corrosion is weakened to a great extent. With the increase of deposition time, zinc deposits are more compact. The cyclings of zinc galvanostatic charge-discharge on the graphite composite provide more than 90% of coulombic and 80% of energy efficiencies, and exhibit superior cycling stability during the first 10 cycles.展开更多
In order to enhance the power output of microbial fuel cell as well as its stability, the development of a new type of anode is essential. The purpose of this work is to modify a stainless steel foam, using the layer-...In order to enhance the power output of microbial fuel cell as well as its stability, the development of a new type of anode is essential. The purpose of this work is to modify a stainless steel foam, using the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique, with rGO （reduced grapbene oxide） and PEI （polyethyleneimine）. The efficiency of this kind of modification has been investigated to determine the supply of graphene in term of electricity generation and stability. Under an applied voltage, which is used to form an electroactive biofilm, the modified stainless steel foam （SSF/（PE1/rGO）5） exhibited a current 50 times higher than the blank anode. The roughness of the SSF/（PEI/rGO）5 observed by SEM （scanning electron microscopy） is more favorable to attach more bacteria on it. Also, graphene improved the stability of the electrode as no response where observed for the blank anode after 18 days meanwhile the SSF/（PEI/rGO）5 was still running after 54 days.展开更多
基金Project (4340142501) supported by Start-up Funds of Chair Professor, Tongji University, ChinaProject (51173135) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘A facile ultrasonic method was used to synthesize CoO/graphene nanohybrids by employing Co4（CO）12 as a cobalt precursor. The nanohybrids were characterized by SEM, TEM and XPS, and the results show that CoO nanoparticles （3-5 nm） distribute uniformly on the surface of graphene. The CoO/graphene nanohybrids display high performance as an anode material for lithium-ion battery, such as high reversible lithium storage capacity （650 mA-h/g after 50 cycles, almost twice that of commercial graphite anode）, high coulombic efficiency （over 95%） and excellent cycling stability. The extraordinary performance arises from the structure of the nanohybrids： the nanosized CoO particles with high dispersity on conductive graphene substrates are beneficial for lithium-ion insertion/extraction, shortening diffusion length for lithium ions and improving conductivity, thus the lithium storage performance was improved.
基金Project (20110490594) supported by China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
文摘Flower-like CuO and flower-like CuO/graphene composite were prepared successfully by hydrothermal method. They were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, temperature-programmed reduction, and thermogravimetric analysis. It is found that the flower-like CuO microspheres, which are composed of CuO nanosheets, possess an average diameter of 4.2 μm and a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 12.6 m2/g. Compared with the flower-like CuO, the obtained flower-like CuO/graphene composite shows an enhanced electrochemical performance with a higher capacity of 603 mA-h/g at 0.1 C rate and 382 mA-h/g at 1 C rate, and exhibits a better cycle stability with a high capacity retention of 95.5 % after 50 cycles even though at 1 C rate.
基金Project(50302016) supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘The graphite was modified using pitch through dynamical melt-carbonization, and the effects of modification temperature and the amount of pitch on the characteristics of graphite were investigated. The structure and characteristics of the graphite were determined by X-ray diffractometry(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), particle size analysis and electrochemical measurements. The results show that the modified graphite has a disordered carbon/graphite composite structure, larger average particle diameter, greater tap density, and better electrochemical characteristics than the untreated graphite. The sample coated with 10% pitch dynamical melt-carbonized at 400 ℃ for 3 h and heat-treated at 850 ℃ for 2 h has better electrochemical performances with a reversible capacity of 360.5 mA·h/g, a irreversible capacity of 41.0 mA·h/g, and an initial coulombic efficiency of 89.8% compared with natural graphite and disordered carbon. The cycling stability of the Li/C cell with modified graphite as anodes is improved, and its capacity retention ratio at the 30th cycle is up to 94.37%.
基金Project(2018YFB0104300)supported by the National Key R&D Program of ChinaProject(51774150)supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China
文摘Shuttle effect,poor conductivity and large volume expansion are the main factors that hinder the practical application of sulfur cathodes.Currently,rational structure designing of carbon-based sulfur hosts is the most effective strategy to address the above issues.However,the preparation process of carbon-based sulfur hosts is usually complex and costly.Therefore,it is necessary to develop an efficient and cost-effective method to fabricate carbon hosts for high-performance sulfur cathodes.Herein,we reported the fabrication of a bio-derived nitrogen doped porous carbon materials(BNPC)via a molten-salt method for high performance sulfur cathodes.The long-range-ordered honeycomb structure of BNPC is favorable for the trapping of polysulfide(PS)species and accommodates the volumetric variation of sulfur during cycling,while the high graphitization degree of BNPC favors the redox kinetics of sulfur cathodes.Moreover,the nitrogen doping content not only enhances the electrical conductivity of BNPC,but also provides ample anchoring sites for the immobilization of PS,which plays a key role in suppressing the shuttle effect.As a result,the S@BNPC cathode exhibits a high initial specific capacity of 1189.4 mA·h/g at 0.2C.After 300 cycles,S@BNPC still maintains a capacity of 703.2 mA·h/g which corresponds to a fading rate of 0.13%per cycle after the second cycle.This work offers vast opportunities for the large-scale application of high performance carbon-based sulfur hosts.
基金Project (03GKY3015) supported by the Foundation of Hunan Provincial Department of Science and Technology
文摘PAN-based graphite felt （PGF） treated in 98% sulphuric acid for 5 h and then kept at 450 ℃ for 2 h was evaluated for their electrochemical performance as electrodes of vanadium redox battery （VRB）. Structure and characteristic of treated PAN-based graphite felt （TPGF） were determined by means of Fourier Transform Infi-ared Spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area analysis and VRB test system. The results show that the acid and heat synergistic effect increase the number of --COOH functional groups on the PGF surface, and the PGF is eroded by sulphuric acid oxidation, resulting in the surface area increases from 0.31 m^2/g to 0.45 m^2/g. The V（ Ⅱ ）/V（Ⅲ） redox reaction is electrochemically reversible on the TPGF electrode, while the V（Ⅳ）/V（Ⅴ） couple is a quasi reversible process. The diffusion coefficients of the oxidation for V（Ⅳ）/V（Ⅴ） obtained from the scope of peak current Ip vs scan rate v^1/2 is 4.4×10^-5 cm^2/s. The improvement of electrochemical activity for the electrode is mainly ascribed to the increase of the number of ---COOH groups on the TPGF, which behaves as active sites catalyzing the vanadium species reactions and accelerating electron transfer reaction and oxygen transfer.
基金Project (2002 87) surported by Key Problem Study Plan of Science and Technology of Hunan Province
文摘The graphite was modified by mild oxidation, and the effects of modification temperature and soaking time on the characteristics of graphite were investigated. The structure and characteristics of the graphite were determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, BET surface area, particle size analysis and electrochemical measurements. The results show that the modified graphite has a better-developed crystallite structure, larger average particle diameter, smaller surface area, and better electrochemical characteristics than the untrented graphite. The sample mild-oxidized at 600℃ for 3h has the best electrochemical performances with a reversible capacity of 304.5mA·h/g, a irreversible capacity of 66.4mA·h/g, and a initial coulombic efficiency of 82.1%. The charge/discharge properties and a cycling stability of the prototype lithium ion batteries with modified graphite as anodes are improved. Its capacity retention ratio at the 200th cycle is enhanced from 66.75% to 90.15%.
基金supported by the Key Project of Natural Science Fund of Shandong Province,China(ZR2011 BZ008)the Special Fund of Marine Renewable Energy from State Ocean Bureau,China(GHME2011GD 04)
文摘Electrode materials have an important effect on the property of microbial fuel cell(MFC). Carbon foam is utilized as an anode and further modified by urea to improve its performance in marine benthic microbial fuel cell(BMFC) with higher voltage and output power. The electrochemical properties of plain carbon foam(PC) and urea-modified carbon foam(UC) are measured respectively. Results show that the UC obtains better wettability after its modification and higher anti-polarization ability than the PC. A novel phenomenon has been found that the electrical potential of the modified UC anode is nearly 100 m V lower than that of the PC, reaching-570 ±10 m V(vs. SCE), and that it also has a much higher electron transfer kinetic activity, reaching 9399.4 m W m-2, which is 566.2-fold higher than that from plain graphite anode(PG). The fuel cell containing the UC anode has the maximum power density(256.0 m W m-2) among the three different BMFCs. Urea would enhance the bacteria biofilm formation with a more diverse microbial community and maintain more electrons, leading to a lower anodic redox potential and higher power output. The paper primarily analyzes why the electrical potential of the modified anode becomes much lower than that of others after urea modification. These results can be utilized to construct a novel BMFC with higher output power and to design the conditioner of voltage booster with a higher conversion ratio. Finally, the carbon foam with a bigger pore size would be a potential anodic material in conventional MFC.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program(973 Program)of China(2010CB227201)the State Key Program of National Natural Science of China(21236003)+2 种基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21476022)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(JD1515 and YS1406)Beijing Higher Education Young Elite Teacher Project(YETP0509)
文摘An investigation was performed on the suitability of carbon materials, metallic lead and its alloys as substrates for zinc negative electrode in acid PbO2-Zn single flow batteries. The zinc deposition process was carried out in the mediumofl mol.L 1H2SO4 at room temperature. No maximum current appears on the potentiostatic current transients for the zinc deposition on lead and its alloys. With increasing overpotential, the progressive nucleation turns to be a 3D-instantaneous nucleation process for the resin-graphite composite. Hydrogen evolution on the graphite composite is effectively suppressed with the doping of a polymer resin. The hydrogen evolution reaction on the lead is relatively weak, while on the lead alloys, it becomes serious to a certain degree. Although the ex- change current density of zinc deposition and dissolution process on the graphite composite is relatively low, the zinc corrosion is weakened to a great extent. With the increase of deposition time, zinc deposits are more compact. The cyclings of zinc galvanostatic charge-discharge on the graphite composite provide more than 90% of coulombic and 80% of energy efficiencies, and exhibit superior cycling stability during the first 10 cycles.
文摘In order to enhance the power output of microbial fuel cell as well as its stability, the development of a new type of anode is essential. The purpose of this work is to modify a stainless steel foam, using the layer-by-layer self-assembly technique, with rGO （reduced grapbene oxide） and PEI （polyethyleneimine）. The efficiency of this kind of modification has been investigated to determine the supply of graphene in term of electricity generation and stability. Under an applied voltage, which is used to form an electroactive biofilm, the modified stainless steel foam （SSF/（PE1/rGO）5） exhibited a current 50 times higher than the blank anode. The roughness of the SSF/（PEI/rGO）5 observed by SEM （scanning electron microscopy） is more favorable to attach more bacteria on it. Also, graphene improved the stability of the electrode as no response where observed for the blank anode after 18 days meanwhile the SSF/（PEI/rGO）5 was still running after 54 days.
