Incombustible Polymer Electrolyte Boosting Safety of Solid-State Lithium Batteries: A Review

Lithium-ion batteries with their portability, high energy density, and reusability are frequently used in today's world. Under extreme conditions, lithium-ion batteries leak, burn, and even explode. Therefore, improving the safety of lithium-ion batteries has become a focus of attention. Researchers believe using a solid electrolyte instead of a liquid one can solve the lithium battery safety issue. Due to the low price, good processability and high safety of the solid polymer electrolytes, increasing attention have been paid to them. However, polymer electrolytes can also decompose and burn under extreme conditions. Moreover, lithium dendrites are formed continuously due to the uneven charge distribution on the surface of the lithium metal anode. A short circuit caused by a lithium dendrite can cause the battery to thermal runaway. As a result, the safety of polymer solid-state batteries remains a challenge. In this review, the thermal runaway mechanism of the batteries is summarized, and the batteries abuse test standard is introduced. In addition, the recent works on the high-safety polymer electrolytes and the solution strategies of lithium anode problems in polymer batteries are reviewed. Finally, the development direction of safe polymer solid lithium batteries is prospected.     

Polyether-b-Amide Based Solid Electrolytes with Well-Adhered Interface and Fast Kinetics for Ultralow Temperature Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries

Solid-state lithium metal batteries (SSLMBs) are highly desirable for energy storage because of the urgent need for higher energy density and safer batteries. However, it remains a critical challenge for stable cycling of SSLMBs at low temperature. Here, a highly viscoelastic polyether-b-amide (PEO-b-PA) based composite solid-state electrolyte is proposed through a one-pot melt processing without solvent to address this key process. By adjusting the molar ratio of PEO-b-PA to lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulphonyl)imide (ethylene oxide:Li = 6:1) and adding 20 wt.% succinonitrile, fast Li⁺ transport channel is conducted within the homogeneous polymer electrolyte, which enables its application at ultra-low temperature (−20 to 25 °C). The composite solid-state electrolyte utilizes dynamic hydrogen-bonding domains and ion-conducting domains to achieve a low interfacial charge transfer resistance (<600 Ω) at −20 °C and high ionic conductivity (25 °C, 3.7 × 10⁻⁴ S cm⁻¹). As a result, the LiFePO₄|Li battery based on composite electrolyte exhibits outstanding electrochemical performance with 81.5% capacity retention after 1200 cycles at −20 °C and high discharge specific capacities of 141.1 mAh g⁻¹ with high loading (16.1 mg cm⁻²) at 25 °C. Moreover, the solid-state SNCM811|Li cell achieves excellent safety performance under nail penetration test, showing great promise for practical application.     

In Situ Polymerizing Internal Encapsulation Strategy Enables Stable Perovskite Solar Cells toward Lead Leakage Suppression

Despite the outstanding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) achieved over the years, unsatisfactory stability and lead toxicity remain obstacles that limit their competitiveness and large-scale practical deployment. In this study, in situ polymerizing internal encapsulation (IPIE) is developed as a holistic approach to overcome these challenges. The uniform polymer internal package layer constructed by thermally triggered cross-linkable monomers not only solidifies the ionic perovskite crystalline by strong electron-withdrawing/donating chemical sites, but also acts as a water penetration and ion migration barrier to prolong shelf life under harsh environments. The optimized MAPbI₃ and FAPbI₃ devices with IPIE treatment yield impressive efficiencies of 22.29% and 24.12%, respectively, accompanied by remarkably enhanced environmental and mechanical stabilities. In addition, toxic water-soluble lead leakage is minimized by the synergetic effect of the physical encapsulation wall and chemical chelation conferred by the IPIE. Hence, this strategy provides a feasible route for preparing efficient, stable, and eco-friendly PSCs.     

基于改进的CKF低轨卫星多普勒定位解算

针对低轨卫星多普勒定位中最小二乘法(the least squar method, LSM)和扩展卡尔曼滤波(extended Kalman filter, EKF)带来的解算误差,采用容积卡尔曼滤波(cubature Kalmanfilter, CKF)算法的思想来进行定位解算。首先设计了一种基于GeoSOT剖分网格的初值搜索方法进行粗定位,避免迭代发散;在解算过程中,对CKF进行改进,用QR分解代替其中的Cholesky分解,防止误差协方差矩阵非正定导致计算终止;最后以铱星星座对地面站的静态定位为例,通过STK 进行仿真验证算法的有效性。结果表明,改进的CKF(improvedCKF, ICKF)算法对于目标的定位误差在百米以内;且相较于LSM 和EKF,定位精度大约可以提高17%。     

Defect Engineering of MOF-Based Membrane for Gas Separation

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are highly versatile materials that have been identified as promising candidates for membrane-based gas separation applications due to their uniformly narrow pore windows and virtually unlimited structural and chemical features. Defect engineering of MOFs has opened new opportunities for manipulating MOF structures, providing a simple yet efficient approach for enhancing membrane separation. However, the utilization of this strategy to tailor membrane microstructures and enhance separation performance is still in its infancy. Thus, this summary aims to provide a guideline for tailoring defective MOF-based membranes. Recent developments in defect engineering of MOF-based membranes will be discussed, including the synthesis strategies for defective MOFs, the effects of defects on the gas adsorption properties, gas transport mechanisms, and recently reported defective MOF-based membranes. Furthermore, the emerging challenges and future prospects will be outlined. Overall, defect engineering offers an exciting opportunity to improve the performance of MOF-based gas membranes. However, there is still a long way to go to fully understand the influence of defects on MOF properties and optimize the design of MOF-based membranes for specific gas separation applications. Nonetheless, continued research in this field holds great promise for the development of next-generation membrane-based gas separation technologies.     

Efficient Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells with a Fill Factor Over 86% via Surface Modification of the Nickel Oxide Hole Contact

The poor interface quality between nickel oxide (NiO_x) and halide perovskites limits the performance and stability of NiO_x-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs). Here a reactive surface modification approach based on the in situ decomposition of urea on the NiO_x surface is reported. The pyrolysis of urea can reduce the high-valence state of nickel and replace the adsorbed hydroxyl group with isocyanate. Combining theoretical and experimental analyses, the treated NiO_x films present suppressed surface states and improved transport energy level alignment with the halide perovskite absorber. With this strategy, NiO_x-based PSCs achieve a champion power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 23.61% and a fill factor of over 86%. The device's efficiency remains above 90% after 2000 h of thermal aging at 85 °C. Furthermore, perovskite solar modules achieve PCE values of 18.97% and 17.18% for areas of 16 and 196 cm², respectively.     

Selenium Substitution in Bithiophene Imide Polymer Semiconductors Enables High-Performance n-Type Organic Thermoelectric

Designing n-type polymers with high electrical conductivity remains a major challenge for organic thermoelectrics (OTEs). Herein, by devising a novel selenophene-based electron-deficient building block, the pronounced advantages of selenium substitution in simultaneously enabling advanced n-type polymers is demonstrated with high mobility (≈2 orders of magnitude higher versus their sulfur-based analogues due to both intensified intra- and inter-chain interactions) and much improved n-doping efficiency (enabled by the largely lowered LUMO level with a ≈0.2 eV margin) of the resulting polymers. Via side chain optimization and donor engineering, the selenium-substituted polymer, f-BSeI2TEG-FT, achieves a highest conductivity of 103.5 S cm⁻¹ and power factor of 70.1 µW m⁻¹ K⁻², which are among the highest values reported in literature for n-type polymers, and f-BSeI2TEG-FT greatly outperformed the sulfur-based analogue polymer by 40% conductivity increase. These results demonstrate that selenium substitution is a very effective strategy for improving n-type performance and provide important structure-property correlations for developing high-performing n-type OTE materials.     

Nano-Engineered Carbon Fibre-Based Piezoelectric Smart Composites for Energy Harvesting and Self-Powered Sensing

The integration of piezoelectric materials onto carbon fiber (CF) can add energy harvesting and self-power sensing capabilities enabling great potential for “Internet of Things” (IoT) applications in motion tracking, environmental sensing, and personal portable electronics. Herein, a CF-based smart composite is developed by integrating piezoelectric poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT)/CuSCN-coated ZnO nanorods onto the CF surfaces with no detrimental effect on the mechanical properties of the composite, forming composites using two different polymer matrices: highly flexible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and more rigid epoxy. The PDMS-coated piezoelectric smart composite can serve as an energy harvester and a self-powered sensor for detecting variations in impact acceleration with increasing output voltage from 1.4 to 7.6 V under impact acceleration from 0.1 to 0.4 m s⁻². Using epoxy as the matrix for a CF-reinforced plastic (CFRP) device with sensing and detection functions produces a voltage varying from 0.27 to 3.53 V when impacted at acceleration from 0.1 to 0.4 m s⁻², with a lower output compared to the PDMS-coated device attributed to the greater stiffness of the matrix. Finally, spatially sensitive detection is demonstrated by positioning two piezoelectric structures at different locations, which can identify the location as well as the level of the impacting force from the fabricated device.     

A Polymer Defect Passivator for Efficient Hole-Conductor-Free Printable Mesoscopic Perovskite Solar Cells

Due to the low cost and excellent potential for mass production, printable mesoscopic perovskite solar cells (p-MPSCs) have drawn a lot of attention among other device structures. However, the low open-circuit voltage (V_OC) of such devices restricts their power conversion efficiency (PCE). This limitation is brought by the high defect density at perovskite grain boundaries in the mesoporous scaffold, which results in severe nonradiative recombination and is detrimental to the V_OC. To improve the perovskite crystallization process, passivate the perovskite defects, and enhance the PCE, additive engineering is an effective way. Herein, a polymeric Lewis base polysuccinimide (PSI) is added to the perovskite precursor solution as an additive. It improves the perovskite crystallinity and its carbonyl groups strongly coordinate with Pb²⁺, which can effectively passivate defects. Additionally, compared with its monomer, succinimide (SI), PSI serves as a better defect passivator because the long-chained macromolecule can be firmly anchored on those defect sites and form a stronger interaction with perovskite grains. As a result, the champion device has a PCE of 18.84%, and the V_OC rises from 973 to 1030 mV. This study offers a new strategy for fabricating efficient p-MPSCs.     

An Efficient One-Arrow-Two-Hawks Strategy Achieves High Efficiency and Stable Batch Variance for Benzodifuran-based Polymer Solar Cells

With the development of organic solar cells (OSCs), the high-performance and stable batch variance are becoming a new challenge for designing polymer donors. To obtain high photovoltaic performance, adopting polymers with high molecular weight as donors is an ordinary strategy. However, the high molecular weight need to subtly control the reaction time and state, inevitably caused batch-to-batch variations. Herein, a strategy of steric effect is applied to benzodifuran (BDF)-based polymer by introducing different positions of Cl atom, producing two polymers PBDFCl-1 and PBDFCl-2. The more twisted side chains conformation not only achieve the control of moderate molecular weight for PBDFCl-2, but also easily form molecular stacking through adopting BDF unit and maintain sufficient polymeric crystallinity. Due to the optimized stacking mode and good blend miscibility, PBDFCl-2-based device exhibitsa more elegant power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 17.00% compared to PBDFCl-1-based device. This is the highest efficiency record for BDF-based binary OSCs. Meanwhile, the PCE device variation of the different molecular weights for PBDFCl-2 is little, indicating the reduction of the batch variation. Therefore, smartly using steric effect of Cl atom in strong crystalline BDF unit can form efficient molecular stacking regulations and realize the coordination of high-performance and stable batch variance.