CuI Encapsulated within Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Networks with High Current Carrying Capacity and Excellent Conductivity

High current carrying capacity and high conductivity are two important indicators for materials used in microscale electronics and inverters. However, it is challenging to obtain high conductivity and high current carrying capacity at the same time since high conductivity requires a weakly bonded system to provide free electrons, while high current carrying capacity requires a strongly bonded system. In this paper, CuI@SWCNT networks by filling the single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with CuI is ingeniously prepared. CuI@SWCNT shows good stability due to the confinement protection of SWCNTs. Through the host-guest hybridization, CuI@SWCNT networks exhibit a current carrying capacity of 2.04 × 10⁷ A cm⁻² and a conductivity of 31.67 kS m⁻¹. Their current carrying capacity and conductivity are significantly improved compared with SWCNT. The Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements show a drop of surface potential energy after SWCNT filled with CuI, indicating that the CuI guest molecules regulate the position of the Fermi level of SWCNTs, increasing carrier concentration, achieving high conductivity and high current carrying capacity. This study offers ideas and solutions for the regulation of high-performance carbon tube networks, which hold great promise for future applications in carbon-based electronic devices.     

一维纳米材料在锂离子电池中的研究进展

主要评述了近年来纳米棒、纳米管、纳米带、纳米纤维等一维纳米材料在锂离子电池正负极、隔膜及全固态电池固态电解质中的应用。一维纳米材料的比表面积大、孔隙率高,能为锂离子提供更短的嵌入脱出路径,还能有效缓解电池工作时产生的体积效应,从而大大提高锂离子电池的性能。介绍了不同方法制备的一维纳米材料在锂离子电池中对电化学性能的优化及提升,并重点介绍了具有产业化前景的静电纺丝法制备用于锂离子电池的一维材料近年的发展;展示了一维纳米材料在锂离子电池中的研究进展,并展望了其发展方向。     

化学气相沉积法制备氮化硼纳米管的研究进展:反应装置、气源材料、催化剂

氮化硼纳米管(BNNTs)具有优良的耐高温、抗氧化、防辐射、绝缘和导热性能,因此,在航空航天、辐射屏蔽、热界面材料以及深紫外发射等领域具有潜在的应用前景。然而,高品质BNNTs的可控制备和批量生产仍然是学术和工业界的重大挑战。在BNNTs的众多制备方法中,化学气相沉积法(CVD)是最有潜力实现其可控制备的方法之一。但是,科学家们对于CVD法制备BNNTs的催化机理和影响因素尚未形成共识。鉴于此,文章从反应装置、氮源、硼源和催化剂4个方面对CVD法制备BNNTs进行了综述,并系统总结了相应的规律。在此基础上,分析了目前BNNTs可控制备中存在的问题,并对CVD法在BNNTs可控制备中的作用进行了展望,以期对今后BNNTs的制备起到借鉴作用。     

Improved cycling stability of the capping agent-free nanocrystalline FeS<Subscript>2</Subscript> cathode via an upper cut-off voltage control

Transition metal chalcogenides such as FeS₂ are promising electrode materials for energy storage. However, poor rate performance and low cycling stability hinder the practical application of FeS₂ cathode in secondary batteries. In this study, highly pure pyrite FeS₂ nanocrystals (NCs) with octahedral shape and 200–300 nm size have been synthesized via a facile and environmentally benign approach based on a surfactant-free aqueous reaction. Combined with a compatible ether electrolyte, the prepared FeS₂ NCs, despite their dimension far beyond the quantum confined regime, could achieve high utilization and reversibility as a cathode active material due to the well-defined crystal structure and the uncapped rough surfaces. Furthermore, we find that the last charging voltage step of FeS₂ only contributes a minor capacity but caused severe capacity fading due to the formation of soluble polysulfides. By suppressing this step through setting a proper upper cut-off voltage, the cycle life of the Li/FeS₂ cell is dramatically improved. The Li/FeS₂ cell running over a voltage window of 1.0–2.4 V at 1C delivers an initial capacity of 486.1 mA h g^?1, slightly lower than that running over 1.0–3.0 V (561.1 mA h g^?1), but outperforms the latter substantially after 500 cycles (367 mA h g^?1 vs 315 mA h g^?1), corresponding to a capacity decay rate as low as 0.048% per cycle. Our results provide a meaningful approach for the development of not only the advanced FeS₂ material for long-life rechargeable batteries, but also other transition metal chalcogenide nanomaterials for a variety of potential applications.     

A bio-inspired multi degree of freedom actuator based on a novel cylindrical ionic polymer–metal composite material

In this work, we explore a promising electroactive polymer (EAP), called ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) as a material to use as a multi degree of freedom actuator. Configuration of our interest is a cylindrical IPMC with 2-DOF electromechanical actuation capability. The desired functionality was achieved by fabricating unique inter-digitated electrodes. First, a 3D finite element (FE) model was introduced as a design tool to validate if the concept of cylindrical actuators would work. The FE model is based upon the physical transport processes—field induced migration and diffusion of ions. Second, based upon the FE modeling we fabricated a prototype exhibiting desired electromechanical output. The prototype of cylindrical IPMC has a diameter of 1 mm and a 20 mm length. We have successfully demonstrated that the 2-DOF bending of the fabricated cylindrical IPMCs is feasible. Furthermore, the experimental results have given new insight into the physics that is behind the actuation phenomenon of IPMC.     

A low-cost and low-temperature processable zinc oxide-polyethylenimine (ZnO:PEI) nano-composite as cathode buffer layer for organic and perovskite solar cells

Nanocomposite buffer layer based on metal oxide and polymer is merging as a novel buffer layer for organic solar cells, which combines the high charge carrier mobility of metal oxide and good film formation properties of polymer. In this work, a nanocomposite of zinc oxide and a commercialized available polyethylenimine (PEI) was developed and used as the cathode buffer layer (CBL) for the inverted organic solar cells and p-i-n heterojunction perovskite solar cells. The cooperation of PEI in nano ZnO offers a good film forming ability of the composite material, which is an advantage in device fabrication. In addition, power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the ZnO:PEI CBL based device was also improved when compared to that of ZnO-only and PEI-only devices. The highest PCE of P3HT:PC₆₁BM and PTB7-Th:PC₆₁BM devices reached to 3.57% and 8.16%, respectively. More importantly, there is no obvious device performance loss with the increase of the layer thickness of ZnO:PEI CBL to 60 nm in organic solar cells, which is in contrast to the PEI based devices, whose device performance decreases dramatically when the PEI layer thickness is higher than 6 nm. Such a nano composite material is also applicable in inverted heterojunction perovskite solar cells. A PCE of 11.76% was achieved for the perovskite solar cell with a thick ZnO:PEI CBL (150 nm) CBL, which is around 1.71% higher than that of the reference cell without CBL, or with ZnO CBL. In addition, stability of the organic and perovskite solar cells having ZnO:PEI CBL was also found to be improved in comparison with that of PEI based device.     

Effects of europium content on structures and luminescence properties of tunable light-emitting silicon oxynitride phosphors

A series of europium (Eu)-activated silicon oxynitride samples with various atomic ratios x of Eu/Si from 0.001 to 0.057 was prepared by employing the polymer-derived method with polycarbosilane and Eu acetylacetonate as starting materials. Chemical compositions, phase structures, morphologies, and luminescence properties of the samples were investigated. It was found that all samples contained a dominated β-Si₃N₄-like phase, and had emission spectra with two peaks. The emission colors of the samples under near-UV excitation were tunable from blue to white, and then to yellow as x in the samples increased from 0.009 to 0.030, and then to 0.057. The white emitting sample with x = 0.030 was in the β-Si₃N₄-like single phase with its particles being single-crystallized in two space groups P6₃ and P6₃/m. Eu²⁺ ions located at interstitial sites of lattices and were coordinated by nine N/O atoms with different average bond lengths for the two space groups. A discussion was given to attribute the difference in the lattice environments for Eu²⁺ ions in two space groups P6₃ and P6₃/m to the appearance of two emission peaks at the lower (597 nm) and higher (454 nm) energy levels for the sample with x = 0.030.     

Electrical conductivity and interlaminar shear strength enhancement of carbon fiber reinforced polymers through synergetic effect between graphene oxide and polyaniline

Utilizing synergetic effect of different ingredients is an important strategy to design new multi-functional composites. In this work, high-strength graphene oxide and conductive polyaniline were selected to dope into divinylbenzene to fabricate a new type carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates, where a cooperative improvement of through-thickness electrical conductivity and interlaminar shear strength was observed. With addition of 15 wt% of PANI-GO at the optimized weight ratio of 60:1 in the CF/DVB-PANI-GO, 150% enhancement of the electrical conductivity compared to the CF/DVB-PANI, and 76% enhancement of the ILSS compared to the CF/DVB-GO were realized. Our laminates reach 66% in ILSS of that for the conventional CFRP made of epoxy, but the former features about 103 times higher AC conductivity. The mechanism for such a synergic enhancement for both electrical and mechanical performance was investigated by rheology measurement and scanning electron microscopy, where uniform 3-D network formed by PANI/GO has been clearly observed.     

Electronic transport in composites of graphite oxide with carbon nanotubes

We show that the presence of electrically insulating graphite oxide (GO) within a single wall carbon nanotube (SWCNT) network strongly enhances electrical conductivity, whereas reduced graphite oxide, even though electrically conductive, suppresses electrical conductivity within a composite network with SWCNTs. Measurements of Young’s modulus and of Raman spectra strongly support our interpretation of the “indirect” role of the oxide groups, present in GO within the SWCNT-GO composite, through electronic doping of metallic SWCNTs.