Enhancing Li-ion capacity and rate capability in cation-defective vanadium ferrite aerogels via aluminum substitution.

Cation-defective iron oxides have proven to be effective Li-ion charge-storage hosts in nonaqueous electrolytes, particularly when expressed in disordered, nanoscale forms such as aerogels. Replacing a fraction of Fe sites in ferrites with high-valent cations such as V5+ introduces cation-vacancy defects that increase Li-ion capacity. Herein, we show that compositional substitution with electroinactive Al3+ further increases Li-ion capacity by 30% when incorporated within a disordered VFe2Ox aerogel, as verified by electrochemical tests in a two-terminal Li half-cell. We use electroanalytical techniques to show that both Al-VFe2Ox and VFe2Ox aerogels exhibit many of the hallmarks of pseudocapacitive materials, including fast charge-discharge and surface-controlled charge-storage kinetics. These disordered, substituted ferrites also provide the high specific capacity expected from battery-type electrode materials, up to 130 mA h g-1 for Al-VFe2Ox. Our findings are discussed in the context of related Li-insertion hosts that blur the distinctions between battery-like and capacitor-like behavior.

Electroanalytical Assessment of the Effect of Ni:Fe Stoichiometry and Architectural Expression on the Bifunctional Activity of Nanoscale NiyFe1-yOx.

Electrocatalysis of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was assessed for a series of Ni-substituted ferrites (NiyFe1-yOx, where y = 0.1 to 0.9) as expressed in porous, high-surface-area forms (ambigel and aerogel nanoarchitectures). We then correlate electrocatalytic activity with Ni:Fe stoichiometry as a function of surface area, crystallite size, and free volume. In order to ensure in-series comparisons, calcination at 350 °C/air was necessary to crystallize the respective NiyFe1-yOx nanoarchitectures, which index to the inverse spinel structure for Fe-rich materials (y ≤ 0.33), rock salt for the most Ni-rich material (y = 0.9), and biphasic for intermediate stoichiometry (0.5 ≤ y ≤ 0.67). In the intermediate Ni:Fe stoichiometric range (0.33 ≤ y ≤ 0.67), the OER current density at 390 mV increases monotonically with increasing Ni content and increasing surface area, but with different working curves for ambigels versus aerogels. At a common stoichiometry within this range, ambigels and aerogels yield comparable OER performance, but do so by expressing larger crystallite size (ambigel) versus higher surface area (aerogel). Effective OER activity can be achieved without requiring supercritical-fluid extraction as long as moderately high surface area, porous materials can be prepared. We find improved OER performance (η decreases from 390 to 373 mV) for Ni0.67Fe0.33Ox aerogel heat-treated at 300 °C/Ar, owing to an increase in crystallite size (2.7 to 4.1 nm). For the ORR, electrocatalytic activity favors Fe-rich NiyFe1-yOx materials; however, as the Ni-content increases beyond y = 0.5, a two-electron reduction pathway is still exhibited, demonstrating that bifunctional OER and ORR activity may be possible by choosing a nickel ferrite nanoarchitecture that provides high OER activity with sufficient ORR activity. Assessing the catalytic activity requires an appreciation of the multivariate interplay among Ni:Fe stoichiometry, surface area, crystallographic phase, and crystallite size.

Transient Optical and Terahertz Spectroscopy of Nanoscale Films of RuO2.

Solution-deposited nanoscale films of RuO2 ("nanoskins") are effective transparent conductors once calcined to 200 °C. Upon heating the nanoskins to higher temperature the nanoskins show increased transmission at 550 nm. Electronic microscopy and X-ray diffraction show that the changes in the optical spectrum are accompanied by the formation of rutile RuO2 nanoparticles. The mechanism for the spectral evolution is clearly observed with ultrafast optical measurements. Following excitation at 400 nm, nanoskins calcined at higher temperatures show increased transmission above 650 nm, consistent with the photobleaching of a surface-plasmon resonance (SPR) band. Calculations based on the optical constants of RuO2 substantiate the presence of SPR absorption. Sheet resistance and transient terahertz photoconductivity measurements establish that the nanoskins electrically de-wire into separated particles. The plasmonic behavior of the nanoskins has implications their use in a range of optical and electrochemical applications.

Rechargeable nickel-3D zinc batteries: An energy-dense, safer alternative to lithium-ion.

The next generation of high-performance batteries should include alternative chemistries that are inherently safer to operate than nonaqueous lithium-based batteries. Aqueous zinc-based batteries can answer that challenge because monolithic zinc sponge anodes can be cycled in nickel-zinc alkaline cells hundreds to thousands of times without undergoing passivation or macroscale dendrite formation. We demonstrate that the three-dimensional (3D) zinc form-factor elevates the performance of nickel-zinc alkaline cells in three fields of use: (i) >90% theoretical depth of discharge (DODZn) in primary (single-use) cells, (ii) >100 high-rate cycles at 40% DODZn at lithium-ion-commensurate specific energy, and (iii) the tens of thousands of power-demanding duty cycles required for start-stop microhybrid vehicles.

Competitive Oxygen Evolution in Acid Electrolyte Catalyzed at Technologically Relevant Electrodes Painted with Nanoscale RuO2.

Using a solution-based, non-line-of sight synthesis, we electrolessly deposit ultrathin films of RuO2 ("nanoskins") on planar and 3D substrates and benchmark their activity and stability for oxygen-evolution reaction (OER) in acid electrolyte under device-relevant conditions. When an electrically contiguous ∼9 nm thick RuO2 nanoskin is expressed on commercially available, insulating SiO2 fiber paper, the RuO2@SiO2 electrode exhibits high current density at low overpotential (10 mA cm-2 @ η = 280 mV), courtesy of a catalyst amplified in 3D; however, the mass-normalized activity falls short of that achieved for films deposited on planar, metallic substrates (Ti foil). By wrapping the fibers with a <100 nm thick graphitic carbon layer prior to RuO2 deposition (RuO2@C@SiO2), we retain the high mass activity of the RuO2 (40-60 mA mg-1 @ η = 330 mV) and preserve the desirable macroscale properties of the 3D scaffold: porous, lightweight, flexible, and inexpensive. The RuO2@C@SiO2 anodes not only achieve the 10 mA cm-2 figure of merit at a low overpotential (η = ∼270 mV), but more importantly they do so while (1) minimizing the mass of catalyst needed to achieve this metric, (2) incorporating the catalyst into a practical electrode design, and (3) improving the long-term stability of the catalyst. Our best-performing anodes achieve state-of-the-art or better performance on the basis of area and mass, and do so with a catalyst density 300-580× less than that of bulk RuO2. By limiting the oxidizing potential required to evolve O2 at the electrode, even at 10 mA cm-2, we achieve stable activity for 100+ h.

CAD/CAM-designed 3D-printed electroanalytical cell for the evaluation of nanostructured gas-diffusion electrodes.

The ability to effectively screen and validate gas-diffusion electrodes is critical to the development of next-generation metal-air batteries and regenerative fuel cells. The limiting electrode in a classic two-terminal device such as a battery or fuel cell is difficult to discern without an internal reference electrode, but the flooded electrolyte characteristic of three-electrode electroanalytical cells negates the prime function of an air electrode-a void volume freely accessible to gases. The nanostructured catalysts that drive the energy-conversion reactions (e.g., oxygen reduction and evolution in the air electrode of metal-air batteries) are best evaluated in the electrode structure as-used in the practical device. We have designed, 3D-printed, and characterized an air-breathing, thermodynamically referenced electroanalytical cell that allows us to mimic the Janus arrangement of the gas-diffusion electrode in a metal-air cell: one face freely exposed to gases, the other wetted by electrolyte.

Retaining the 3D framework of zinc sponge anodes upon deep discharge in Zn-air cells.

We fabricate three-dimensional zinc electrodes from emulsion-cast sponges of Zn powder that are thermally treated to produce rugged monoliths. This highly conductive, 3D-wired aperiodic scaffold achieves 740 mA h gZn(-1) when discharged in primary Zn-air cells (>90% of theoretical Zn capacity). We use scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction to monitor the microstructural evolution of a series of Zn sponges when oxidized in Zn-air cells to specific depths-of-discharge (20, 40, 60, 80% DOD) at a technologically relevant rate (C/40; 4-6 mA cm(-2)). The Zn sponges maintain their 3D-monolithic form factor at all DOD. The cell resistance remains low under all test conditions, indicating that an inner core of metallic Zn persists that 3D-electrically wires the electrode, even to deep DOD.

Redox deposition of nanoscale metal oxides on carbon for next-generation electrochemical capacitors.

Transition metal oxides that mix electronic and ionic conductivity are essential active components of many electrochemical charge-storage devices, ranging from primary alkaline cells to more advanced rechargeable Li-ion batteries. In these devices, charge storage occurs via cation-insertion/deinsertion mechanisms in conjunction with the reduction/oxidation of metal sites in the oxide. Batteries that incorporate such metal oxides are typically designed for high specific energy, but not necessarily for high specific power. Electrochemical capacitors (ECs), which are typically composed of symmetric high-surface-area carbon electrodes that store charge via double-layer capacitance, deliver their energy in time scales of seconds, but at much lower specific energy than batteries. The fast, reversible faradaic reactions (typically described as "pseudocapacitance") of particular nanoscale metal oxides (e.g., ruthenium and manganese oxides) provide a strategy for bridging the power/energy performance gap between batteries and conventional ECs. These processes enhance charge-storage capacity to boost specific energy, while maintaining the few-second timescale of the charge-discharge response of carbon-based ECs. In this Account, we describe three examples of redox-based deposition of EC-relevant metal oxides (MnO2, FeOx, and RuO2) and discuss their potential deployment in next-generation ECs that use aqueous electrolytes. To extract the maximum pseudocapacitance functionality of metal oxides, one must carefully consider how they are synthesized and subsequently integrated into practical electrode structures. Expressing the metal oxide in a nanoscale form often enhances electrochemical utilization (maximizing specific capacitance) and facilitates high-rate operation for both charge and discharge. The "wiring" of the metal oxide, in terms of both electron and ion transport, when fabricated into a practical electrode architecture, is also a critical design parameter for achieving characteristic EC charge-discharge timescales. For example, conductive carbon must often be combined with the poorly conductive metal oxides to provide long-range electron pathways through the electrode. However, the ad hoc mixing of discrete carbon and oxide powders into composite electrodes may not support optimal utilization or rate performance. As an alternative, nanoscale metal oxides of interest for ECs can be synthesized directly on the surfaces of nanostructured carbons, with the carbon surface acting as a sacrificial reductant when exposed to a solution-phase, oxidizing precursor of the desired metal oxide (e.g., MnO4(-) for MnO2). These redox deposition methods can be applied to advanced carbon nanoarchitectures with well-designed pore structures. These architectures promote effective electrolyte infiltration and ion transport to the nanoscale metal oxide domains within the electrode architecture, which further enhances high-rate operation.

Making the most of a scarce platinum-group metal: conductive ruthenia nanoskins on insulating silica paper.

Subambient thermal decomposition of ruthenium tetroxide from nonaqueous solution onto porous SiO(2) substrates creates 2-3 nm thick coatings of RuO(2) that cover the convex silica walls comprising the open, porous structure. The physical properties of the resultant self-wired nanoscale ruthenia significantly differ depending on the nature of the porous support. Previously reported RuO(2)-modified SiO(2) aerogels display electron conductivity of 5 x 10(-4) S cm(-1) (as normalized to the geometric factor of the insulating substrate, not the conducting ruthenia phase), whereas RuO(2)-modified silica filter paper at approximately 5 wt % RuO(2) exhibits approximately 0.5 S cm(-1). Electron conduction through the ruthenia phase as examined from -160 to 260 degrees C requires minimal activation energy, only 8 meV, from 20 to 260 degrees C. The RuO(2)(SiO(2)) fiber membranes are electrically addressable, capable of supporting fast electron-transfer reactions, express an electrochemical surface area of approximately 90 m(2) g(-1) RuO(2), and exhibit energy storage in which 90% of the total electron-proton charge is stored at the outer surface of the ruthenia phase. The electrochemical capacitive response indicates that the nanocrystalline RuO(2) coating can be considered to be a single-unit-thick layer of the conductive oxide, as physically stabilized by the supporting silica fiber.

Nickel ferrite aerogels with monodisperse nanoscale building blocks--the importance of processing temperature and atmosphere.

Using two-step (air/argon) thermal processing, sol-gel-derived nickel-iron oxide aerogels are transformed into monodisperse, networked nanocrystalline magnetic oxides of NiFe(2)O(4) with particle diameters that can be ripened with increasing temperature under argon to 4.6, 6.4, and 8.8 nm. Processing in air alone yields poorly crystalline materials; heating in argon alone leads to single phase, but diversiform, polydisperse NiFe(2)O(4), which hampers interpretation of the magnetic properties of the nanoarchitectures. The two-step method yields an improved model system to study magnetic effects as a function of size on the nanoscale while maintaining the particles within the size regime of single domain magnets, as networked building blocks, not agglomerates, and without stabilizing ligands capping the surface.