Thin Film-Electrode Based on Nanomaterials

A special issue of Nanomaterials (ISSN 2079-4991). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy and Catalysis".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 January 2023) | Viewed by 4012

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Guest Editor
National−Provincial Laboratory of Special Function Thin Film Materials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan 411105, China
Interests: lithium/sodium ion batteries; solid-state lithium batteries; electrode nanomaterials; chemo-mechanical coupling; thermal safety behavior
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Dear Colleagues,

The traditional fossil energies, such as coal, oil, and natural gas, have caused serious environmental pollution and global warming. With the increasing intensification of energy and environmental issues, green renewable energies have become research foci. Electrochemical energy storage technology is not restricted by geographical and topographical environments and can directly store and release electrical energy, thus attracting widespread attention in emerging markets and scientific research fields. There are many types of electrochemical energy storage technologies, such as lithium/sodium/potassium ion batteries, flow batteries, lithium/sodium-sulfur batteries, solid-state lithium batteries, fuel cells, and supercapacitors. Thin film-electrodes based on nanomaterials and their structures play key roles in supporting a multitude of coupled physicochemical processes that include electronic, ionic, and diffusive transport in electrode and electrolyte phases, electrochemical reactions, and material phase changes, as well as mechanical and thermal stresses, thus determining the storage energy density and power density, conversion efficiency, performance lifetime, and system cost and safety. The purpose of this Special Issue of Nanomaterials is to promote outstanding research concerning all aspects in the realm of thin film -electrodes based on nanomaterials for electrochemical energy storage technologies, focusing on state-of-the-art progress, developments, and new trends.

Dr. Zengsheng Ma
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • lithium/sodium/potassium ion batteries
  • flow batteries
  • lithium/sodium-sulfur batteries
  • solid-state lithium batteries
  • fuel cells
  • supercapacitors
  • electrode nanomaterials
  • chemo-mechanical coupling
  • thermal safety behavior
  • in situ/ex situ testing/characterization technology and methods for electrodes and batteries

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 6216 KiB  
Article
Superhydrophobic and Electrochemical Performance of CF2-Modified g-C3N4/Graphene Composite Film Deposited by PECVD
by Dayu Li, Yuling Lu and Chao Zhang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(24), 4387; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12244387 - 9 Dec 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1595
Abstract
The physicochemical properties of functional graphene are regulated by compositing with other nano-carbon materials or modifying functional groups on the surface through plasma processes. The functional graphene films with g-C3N4 and F-doped groups were produced by controlling the deposition steps [...] Read more.
The physicochemical properties of functional graphene are regulated by compositing with other nano-carbon materials or modifying functional groups on the surface through plasma processes. The functional graphene films with g-C3N4 and F-doped groups were produced by controlling the deposition steps and plasma gases via radio frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (RF-PECVD). The first principles calculation and electrochemistry characteristic of the functional graphene films were performed on Materials Studio software and an electrochemical workstation, respectively. It is found that the nanostructures of functional graphene films with g-C3N4 and F-doped groups were significantly transformed. The introduction of fluorine atoms led to severe deformation of the g-C3N4 nanostructure, which created gaps in the electrostatic potential of the graphene surface and provided channels for electron transport. The surface of the roving fabric substrate covered by pure graphene is hydrophilic with a static contact angle of 79.4°, but the surface is transformed to a hydrophobic state for the g-C3N4/graphene film with an increased static contact angle of 131.3° which is further improved to 156.2° for CF2-modified g-C3N4/graphene film exhibiting the stable superhydrophobic property. The resistance of the electron movement of CF2-modified g-C3N4/graphene film was reduced by 2% and 76.7%, respectively, compared with graphene and g-C3N4/graphene. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film-Electrode Based on Nanomaterials)
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10 pages, 3952 KiB  
Article
Study on Ultrathin Silver Film Transparent Electrodes Based on Aluminum Seed Layers with Different Structures
by Dong Li, Yongqiang Pan, Huan Liu, Yan Zhang, Zhiqi Zheng and Fengyi Zhang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(19), 3540; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12193540 - 10 Oct 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1777
Abstract
Ag has the lowest electrical resistivity among all metals, and at the same time, the best optical properties in the visible and near-IR spectral range; it is therefore the most widely employed material for thin-metal-film-based transparent conductors. In this work, an ultra-thin transparent [...] Read more.
Ag has the lowest electrical resistivity among all metals, and at the same time, the best optical properties in the visible and near-IR spectral range; it is therefore the most widely employed material for thin-metal-film-based transparent conductors. In this work, an ultra-thin transparent silver film electrode with aluminum as seed layer was prepared by a resistive thermal evaporation technique. Using a range of electrical, optical and surface morphology techniques, it can be noted that the presence of the thin layer of aluminum changes the growth kinetics (nucleation and evolution) of the thermal evaporation of Ag, leading to silver films with smooth surface morphology and high electrical conductivity, and the threshold thickness of the silver film is reduced. It is inferred that the aluminum layer showed a good infiltration effect on the ultra-thin silver film, by analyzing the transmittance spectrum, sheet resistance and surface morphology. Moreover, the average transmittance of silver film with 10 nm is 40% in the 400–2500 nm band, whereas the sheet resistance is 13 Ωsq −1. A series of experiments show that the introduction of Al seed layer has certain effect on improving the properties of transparent conductive silver films. Then, a new method for deposition of 1 nm Al seed layer was proposed; that is, the 1 nm aluminum infiltrated layer is divided into two or more layers, and the average transmittance of silver film with 5 nm is 60% in the 400–2500 nm band, whereas the sheet resistance does not exceed 100 Ω sq1. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film-Electrode Based on Nanomaterials)
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12 pages, 3657 KiB  
Article
Improvement of the Interface between the Lithium Anode and a Garnet-Type Solid Electrolyte of Lithium Batteries Using an Aluminum-Nitride Layer
by Wen Jiang, Lingling Dong, Shuanghui Liu, Bing Ai, Shuangshuang Zhao, Weimin Zhang, Kefeng Pan and Lipeng Zhang
Nanomaterials 2022, 12(12), 2023; https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12122023 - 12 Jun 2022
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3196
Abstract
The next generation of all-solid-state batteries can feature battery safety that is unparalleled among conventional liquid batteries. The garnet-type solid-state electrolyte Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO), in particular, is widely studied because of its high Li-ion conductivity and stability [...] Read more.
The next generation of all-solid-state batteries can feature battery safety that is unparalleled among conventional liquid batteries. The garnet-type solid-state electrolyte Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO), in particular, is widely studied because of its high Li-ion conductivity and stability in air. However, the poor interface-contact between Li and the electrolyte (garnet) severely limits the development of solid electrolytes. In this study, we synthesize cubic phase Li6.4La3Zr1.4Ta0.6O12 (LLZTO) using a secondary sintering method. In addition, a thin aluminum nitride (AlN) layer is introduced between the metal (Li) and the solid electrolyte. Theoretical calculations show that AlN has a high affinity for Li. Furthermore, it is shown that the AlN coating can effectively reduce the interface impedance between Li and the solid electrolyte and improve the lithium-ion transport. The assembled symmetric Li cells can operate stably for more than 3600 h, unlike the symmetric cells without AlN coating, which short-circuited after only a few cycles. The hybrid solid-state battery with a modified layer, which is assembled using LiFePO4 (LFP), still has a capacity of 120 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles, with a capacity retention rate of 98%. This shows that the introduction of an AlN interlayer is very helpful to obtain a stable Li/solid-electrolyte interface, which improves the cycling stability of the battery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Thin Film-Electrode Based on Nanomaterials)
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