Inorganic Electrode Materials in High-Performance Energy Storage Devices

A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2024 | Viewed by 5920

Special Issue Editor

International Center of Future Science, Jilin University, Changchun, China
Interests: Inorganic materials; energy storage; electrode chemistry; high-performance batteries

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Electrochemical energy storage (EES) has become the spotlight in the research field on a global scale. Since the first battery commercialization in 1991, inorganic materials are widely investigated in all kinds of the state-of-art EES devices to elaborate the relationships between their working mechanisms, physical and chemical properties and performance by experimental and computational methods. Especially, far more advanced characterizations (in-situ spectroscopy, synchrotron radiation, etc.) and sophisticated simulations are required to understand how the local physical and chemical properties in the interfaces affect the overall performance. In this Special Issue, we wish to cover the most recent advances and progresses of inorganic materials in EES by hosting a mix of original research articles and critical reviews.

Dr. Ting Deng
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • electrochemical energy storage
  • inorganic materials
  • electrode chemistry
  • interfacial properties

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 7696 KiB  
Article
A Novel Spinel High-Entropy Oxide (Cr0.2Mn0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Zn0.2)3O4 as Anode Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries
by Changqing Jin, Yulong Wang, Haobin Dong, Yongxing Wei, Ruihua Nan, Zengyun Jian, Zhong Yang and Qingping Ding
Inorganics 2024, 12(7), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics12070198 - 21 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 735
Abstract
In this study, we synthesized spinel high-entropy oxide (HEO) (Cr0.2Mn0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Zn0.2)3O4 nanoparticles by a simple solution combustion method. These particles were investigated for their performance as anodes in lithium-ion batteries. The [...] Read more.
In this study, we synthesized spinel high-entropy oxide (HEO) (Cr0.2Mn0.2Co0.2Ni0.2Zn0.2)3O4 nanoparticles by a simple solution combustion method. These particles were investigated for their performance as anodes in lithium-ion batteries. The reversible capacity is 132 mAh·g−1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g−1, 107 mAh·g−1 after 1000 cycles at a current density of 1 A g−1, and 96 mAh·g−1 rate capacity at a high current density of 2 A g−1. The outstanding cycle stability under high current densities and remarkable rate performance can be attributed to the stable structure originating from the high entropy of the material. Full article
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14 pages, 3552 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical Investigation of Lithium Perchlorate-Doped Polypyrrole Growing on Titanium Substrate
by Yibing Xie, Jing Xu, Lu Lu and Chi Xia
Inorganics 2024, 12(4), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics12040125 - 22 Apr 2024
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1077
Abstract
Lithium perchlorate-doped polypyrrole growing on titanium substrate (LiClO4-PPy/Ti) has been fabricated to act as electroactive electrode material for feasible electrochemical energy storage. A theoretical and experimental investigation is adopted to disclose the conductivity, electroactivity properties and interfacial interaction-dependent capacitance of LiClO [...] Read more.
Lithium perchlorate-doped polypyrrole growing on titanium substrate (LiClO4-PPy/Ti) has been fabricated to act as electroactive electrode material for feasible electrochemical energy storage. A theoretical and experimental investigation is adopted to disclose the conductivity, electroactivity properties and interfacial interaction-dependent capacitance of LiClO4-PPy/Ti electrode. The experimental measurement results disclose that LiClO4-PPy/Ti reveals lower ohmic resistance (0.2226 Ω cm−2) and charge transfer resistance (2116 Ω cm−2) to exhibit higher electrochemical conductivity, a more reactive surface, and feasible ion diffusion to present higher double-layer capacitance (0.1930 mF cm−2) rather than LiClO4/Ti (0.3660 Ω cm−2, 65,250 Ω cm−2, 0.0334 mF cm−2). LiClO4-PPy/Ti reveals higher Faradaic capacitance caused by the reversible doping and dedoping process of perchlorate ion on PPy than the electrical double-layer capacitance of LiClO4/Ti caused by the reversible adsorption and desorption process of the LiClO4 electrolyte on Ti. Theoretical simulation calculation results prove that a more intensive electrostatic interaction of pyrrole N···Ti (2.450 Å) in LiClO4-PPy/Ti rather than perchlorate O···Ti (3.537 Å) in LiClO4/Ti. LiClO4-PPy/Ti exhibits higher density of states (57.321 electrons/eV) at Fermi energy and lower HOMO-LUMO molecule orbital energy gap (0.032 eV) than LiClO4/Ti (9.652 electrons/eV, 0.340 eV) to present the enhanced electronic conductivity. LiClO4-PPy/Ti also exhibits a more declined interface energy (−1.461 × 104) than LiClO4/Ti (−5.202 × 103 eV) to present the intensified interfacial interaction. LiClO4-PPy/Ti accordingly exhibits much higher specific capacitances of 0.123~0.0122 mF cm−2 at current densities of 0.01~0.10 mA cm−2 rather than LiClO4/Ti (0.010~0.0095 mF cm−2, presenting superior electroactivity and electrochemical capacitance properties. LiClO4-PPy/Ti could well act as the electroactive supercapacitor electrode for feasible energy storage. Full article
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10 pages, 3681 KiB  
Article
An Electrochemically Prepared Mixed Phase of Cobalt Hydroxide/Oxyhydroxide as a Cathode for Aqueous Zinc Ion Batteries
by Fuwei Li, Yunbo Zhu, Hiroshi Ueno and Ting Deng
Inorganics 2023, 11(10), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics11100400 - 12 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1714
Abstract
Cobalt hydroxide is a widely studied electrode material for supercapacitor and alkaline zinc ion batteries. The large interlayer spacing of Co(OH)2 is also attractive to store Zn ions. However, Co(OH)2 is quite unstable in the acidic ZnSO4 electrolyte due to [...] Read more.
Cobalt hydroxide is a widely studied electrode material for supercapacitor and alkaline zinc ion batteries. The large interlayer spacing of Co(OH)2 is also attractive to store Zn ions. However, Co(OH)2 is quite unstable in the acidic ZnSO4 electrolyte due to its amphoteric nature. Herein, we synthesized a mixed phase of Co(OH)2/CoOOH via a two-step electrochemical preparation. As the cathode material for an aqueous zinc ion battery (AZIB), Co(OH)2/CoOOH delivered a maximum capacity of 164 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 and a high energy density of 275 Wh kg−1. Benefiting from the low charge-transfer resistance, a capacity of 87 mAh g−1 was maintained at 1.6 A g−1, showing a good rate performance of the mixed phase. Various spectroscopy analyses and simulations based on the density functional theory (DFT) suggested a higher thermal stability of the mixed phase than pure Co(OH)2, due to its less local structural disorder. The reduced Co-Co and Co-O shells increased the mechanical strength of the mixed phase to accommodate Zn2+ ions and endure the electrostatic repulsion, resulting in an enhanced cycling stability. The mixed phased also delivered a good stability at the current density of 0.05 A g−1. After 200 cycles, a capacity retention of 78% was retained, with high Coulombic efficiencies. These results provide a new route to synthesize high-performance LDH for aqueous zinc ion batteries. Full article
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10 pages, 2884 KiB  
Article
Two Birds with One Stone: Ammonium-Induced Carbon Nanotube Structure and Low-Crystalline Cobalt Nanoparticles Enabling High Performance of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries
by Qi Tan, Hongliang Liu, Guozhu Liang, Kaigui Jiang, Hangxuan Xie, Weijie Si, Jiajv Lin and Xiongwu Kang
Inorganics 2023, 11(7), 305; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics11070305 - 18 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1310
Abstract
The electrochemical performance of lithium–sulfur batteries (LiSBs) has been hampered by the slow redox kinetics and shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), which require the rational design and synthesis of highly active electrocatalysts towards this reaction. Herein, worm-like N-doped porous carbon nanotube-supported low-crystalline [...] Read more.
The electrochemical performance of lithium–sulfur batteries (LiSBs) has been hampered by the slow redox kinetics and shuttle effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), which require the rational design and synthesis of highly active electrocatalysts towards this reaction. Herein, worm-like N-doped porous carbon nanotube-supported low-crystalline Co nanoparticles (a-Co-NC@C) were derived from binary Zn–Co ZIF via a two-step thermal annealing method. Initial thermal annealing 950 °C in Ar + H2 atmosphere results in the carbonization of binary Zn–Co ZIF and the formation of high crystalline Co nanoparticles. Thermal annealing in ammonia atmosphere at 350 °C not only results in the reduced crystallinity of cobalt nanoparticles; it also promotes the growth of highly graphitized and heavily N-doped intertwined carbon nanotubes. The enlarged porous carbon nanotube structure offers accommodation for sulfur content, while the doped carbon and Co nanoparticles with reduced crystallinity facilitate the redox kinetics of LiPSs, improving the cycling stability, rate performance and capacity of LiSBs batteries. As a result, the a-Co-NC@C cathode displays a specific capacity of 559 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 1 C, and a specific capacity of 572 mAh g−1 at 3 C. It delivers a specific capacity of 579 mAh g−1 at high sulfur loading of a 2.55 mg cm−2 at 1 C after 400 cycles. This work highlights the importance of phase engineering of carbon matrix and transition metal nanoparticles in electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries. Full article
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Encapsulating ultrafine In2O3 particles in carbon nanofiber framework as superior electrode for lithium ion batteries
Author: Wenhe Xie, Zhe An, Xuefeng Li, Qian Wang, Chen Hu, Yuanxiao Ma, Shenghong Liu, Haibin Sun, and Xiaolei Sun
Abstract: Indium oxide (In2O3) is a promising anode material for next-generation lithium-ion batteries, prized for its high electrical conductivity, environmental friendliness, and high theoretical capacity. However, its practical application is significantly limited by severe volume expansion and contraction during the lithium insertion/extraction process. This volume change disrupts the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and degrades contact with the current collector, undermining battery performance. Although nano-structured design of In2O3 can mitigate the volume effect to some extent, pure In2O3 nanomaterials are prone to agglomeration during frequent charging and discharging. In this study, we embed ultrafine In2O3 particles uniformly within a carbon nanofiber framework using electrospinning and thermal annealing. The 1D carbon nanofiber structure provides an effective electronic conductive network and reduces lithium ion diffusion length, which enhances the reactivity of the nanocomposite and improves electrode kinetics. Additionally, the carbon nanofiber framework isolates the ultrafine In2O3 particles, preventing their aggregation. The small volume changes due to the ultrafine size of the In2O3 are buffered by the carbon materials, allowing the overall structure of the In2O3/C composite nanofiber to remain relatively intact during charging and discharging cycles. This stability helps avoid electrode fracture and excessive SEI growth, resulting in superior cycle and rate performances compared to pure In2O3 nanofiber electrodes.

Title: NiCo₂O₄ Electrodes prepared by Inkjet Printing on Kapton substrates for flexible supercapacitor applications
Authors: Α. Βanti, P. Pardalis, Ε. Μantsiou, Μ. Charalampakis, V. Binas, S. Sotiropoulos
Abstract: Flexible pseudocapacitive supercapacitors are essential for advancing modern portable and wearable electronics. NiCo₂O₄ has emerged as a promising electrode material due to its high electrical conductivity, excellent pseudocapacitive behavior, and remarkable electrochemical stability (Αlshanableh et al., 2023). Although various flexible substrates like carbon cloth, graphene, and polymer films are used with NiCo₂O₄ electrodes, Kapton tape (a polyimide film) stands out as the most promising due to its exceptional thermal stability, mechanical flexibility, and chemical resistance (Wang et al., 2021). Research typically focuses on various deposition methods such as electrodeposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition, and hydrothermal synthesis. However, the superiority of inkjet printing—in terms of precision, scalability, material efficiency, and costeffectiveness—makes it an excellent choice for fabricating high performance, flexible supercapacitors (Banti et al., 2023).
This study investigates the development and electrochemical performance of flexible NiCo₂O₄ electrodes on insulating Kapton substrates, prepared by inkjet printing for supercapacitor applications. Electrodes were prepared both without and with a thin Au interlayer; the latter improves electrode conductivity. The effect of NiCo2O4 active material loading-film thickness was studied in the 0.1-0.5 mg cm-2 range. The optimum electrode was found to be that with a Au-interlayer and a mass loading of 0.3 mg cm-2 achieving a mass-specific capacitance of 520 F g-1 at a 3 A g-1 discharge rate and an energy density of 18 Wh kg-1, while retaining their performance under a 900 bending angle. These findings show the possibility of using NiCo2O4 in combination with insulating flexible substrates (such as Kapton).
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