Enhanced charge capacity and stability of Germanium(IV) Sulfide-Based anodes through Triton X100-Assisted synthesis and polysulfide shuttle mitigation.

Highly soluble germanium oxide,an amorphous macroreticular form of germanium oxide, was used as a precursor for the deposition of GeS2on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) through a low-temperature, wet-chemistry process. Thermal treatment of the solid provided an ultrathin rGO - supported amorphous GeS2coating. The GeS2@rGO composite was tested as a lithium ion battery (LIB) anode. Leveraging the versatility of wet chemistry processing, we employed strategies initially developed for mitigating polysulfide shuttle effects in lithium-sulfur batteries to enhance anode performance. The anode exhibited exceptional stability, surpassing 1000 cycles, with charge capacities exceeding 1220 and 870 mAh.g-1 at rates of 2 and 5 A.g-1, respectively. Performance improvements were achieved by minimizing GeS2 grain size using the non-ionic surfactant Triton X-100 during synthesis and preventing polysulfide shuttle effects through a negatively charged thick glass fiber separator, fluoroethylene carbonate additive (FEC) in EC:DEC (ethylene carbonate: diethyl carbonate) solvent, and a polyacrylic acid (PAA) binder. These cumulative modifications more than tripled the charge capacity of the germanium sulfide LIB anode. Feasibility was further demonstrated through full cell studies using a LiCoO2 counter electrode.

Organoantimony Dihydroperoxides: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, and Hydrogen Bonding Networks.

Despite growing interest in the potential applications of p-block hydroperoxo complexes, the chemistry of inorganic hydroperoxides remains largely unexplored. For instance, single-crystal structures of antimony hydroperoxo complexes have not been reported to date. Herein, we present the synthesis of six triaryl and trialkylantimony dihydroperoxides [Me3Sb(OOH)2, Me3Sb(OOH)2·H2O, Ph3Sb(OOH)2·0.75(C4H8O), Ph3Sb(OOH)2·2CH3OH, pTol3Sb(OOH)2, pTol3Sb(OOH)2·2(C4H8O)], obtained by the reaction of the corresponding dibromide antimony(V) complexes with an excess of highly concentrated hydrogen peroxide in the presence of ammonia. The obtained compounds were characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopies, and thermal analysis. The crystal structures of all six compounds reveal hydrogen-bonded networks formed by hydroperoxo ligands. In addition to the previously reported double hydrogen bonding, new types of hydrogen-bonded motifs formed by hydroperoxo ligands were found, including infinite hydroperoxo chains. Solid-state density functional theory calculation of Me3Sb(OOH)2 revealed reasonably strong hydrogen bonding between OOH ligands with an energy of 35 kJ/mol. Additionally, the potential application of Ph3Sb(OOH)2·0.75(C4H8O) as a two-electron oxidant for the enantioselective epoxidation of olefins was investigated in comparison with Ph3SiOOH, Ph3PbOOH, t-BuOOH, and H2O2.

Electrochemical Behavior of Reduced Graphene Oxide Supported Germanium Oxide, Germanium Nitride, and Germanium Phosphide as Lithium-Ion Battery Anodes Obtained from Highly Soluble Germanium Oxide.

Germanium and germanium-based compounds are widely used in microelectronics, optics, solar cells, and sensors. Recently, germanium and its oxides, nitrides, and phosphides have been studied as active electrode materials in lithium- and sodium-ion battery anodes. Herein, the newly introduced highly soluble germanium oxide (HSGO) was used as a versatile precursor for germanium-based functional materials. In the first stage, a germanium-dioxide-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite was obtained by complete precipitation of GeO2 nanoparticles on the GO from an aqueous solution of HSGO and subsequent thermal treatment in argon at low temperature. The composition of the composite, GeO2-rGO (20 to 80 wt.% of crystalline phase), was able to be accurately determined by the HSGO to GO ratio in the initial solution since complete deposition and precipitation were achieved. The chemical activity of germanium dioxide nanoparticles deposited on reduced graphene oxide was shown by conversion to rGO-supported germanium nitride and phosphide phases. The GeP-rGO and Ge3N4-rGO composites with different morphologies were prepared in this study for the first time. As a test case, composite materials with different loadings of GeO2, GeP, and Ge3N4 were evaluated as lithium-ion battery anodes. Reversible conversion-alloying was demonstrated in all cases, and for the low-germanium loading range (20 wt.%), almost theoretical charge capacity based on the germanium content was attained at 100 mA g-1 (i.e., 2595 vs. 2465 mAh g-1 for Ge3N4 and 1790 vs. 1850 mAh g-1 for GeP). The germanium oxide was less efficiently exploited due to its lower conversion reversibility.

Triphenyllead Hydroperoxide: A 1D Coordination Peroxo Polymer, Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Disproportionation to a Superoxo/Hydroxo Complex, and Application in Catalysis.

The synthesis, transformation, and application in catalysis of triphenyllead hydroperoxide, the first dioxygen lead complex, are described. Triphenyllead hydroperoxide is characterized by 207Pb nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, revealing the first one-dimensional (1D) coordination peroxo polymer. Photolytic isomorphous transformation of Ph3PbOOH yields a mixed hydroxo/superoxo crystalline structure, the first nonalkali superoxo crystalline metal salt, which is stable up to 100 °C. Upon further photolysis, another isomorphous transformation of the superoxide to hydroxide is observed. These are the first single-crystal-to-single-crystal hydroperoxide-to-superoxide and then to hydroxide transformations reported to date. Photolysis of triphenyllead hydroperoxide yields two forms of superoxide-doped crystalline structures that are distinguished by widely different characteristic relaxation times. The use of Ph3PbOOH as an easy-to-handle solid two-electron oxidant for the highly enantioselective epoxidation of olefins is described.

Identification of Barium Hydroxo-Hydroperoxostannate Precursor for Low-Temperature Formation of Perovskite Barium Stannate.

A breakthrough "superoxide colloidal solution route" for low-temperature synthesis of barium and strontium stannate perovskites and their doped analogues was recently introduced. The synthesis starts from hydrogen peroxide-rich stannate solutions and yields a so-called "crystalline superoxide molecular cluster" that is converted by low temperature (<300 °C) to the respective perovskites. In this paper, the so-called "crystalline superoxide molecular cluster" is identified as a superoxide-free, barium trihydroxo(hydroperoxo)peroxostannate, BaSn(OH)3(OOH)(OO) phase (BHHPS). EPR and Raman spectroscopy studies reveal the absence of superoxide in this crystalline phase. FTIR of the deuterated sample, 119Sn NMR, and elemental analysis uncovered the empirical formula, H4O7SnBa with two peroxides per each tin element. Rietveld refinement of the XRD confirms the BHHPS cubic phase with replacement of the perovskite oxygen atoms by the OH- and OOH-ligands and peroxobridging groups.

dl-Piperidinium-2-carboxyl-ate bis-(hydrogen peroxide): unusual hydrogen-bonded peroxide chains.

The title compound, C6H11NO2·2H2O2, is the richest (by molar ratio) in hydrogen peroxide among the peroxosolvates of aliphatic α-amino acids. The asymmetric unit contains a zwitterionic pipecolinic acid mol-ecule and two hydrogen peroxide mol-ecules. The two crystallographically independent hydrogen peroxide mol-ecules form a different number of hydrogen bonds: one forms two as donor and two as acceptor ([2,2] mode) and the other forms two as donor and one as acceptor ([2,1] mode). The latter hydrogen peroxide mol-ecule forms infinite hydrogen-bonded hydro-peroxo chains running along the c-axis direction, which is unusual for aliphatic α-amino acid peroxosolvates.

Crystalline Ammonium Peroxogermanate as a Waste-Free, Fully Recyclable Versatile Precursor for Germanium Compounds.

High, nearly 100%, yield synthesis of ammonium peroxogermanate (APG), (NH4)6[Ge6(µ-OO)6(µ-O)6(OH)6]·6H2O, is presented, and its crystal structure is determined by single crystal X-ray study. It comprises centrosymmetric hexanuclear peroxogermanate anions [Ge6(µ-OO)6(µ-O)6(OH)6]6- with six µ-oxo- and six µ-peroxo groups forming negatively charged layers. The space between these layers is filled by ammonium cations and water molecules, forming a highly stable structure due to hydrogen bonding. Highly soluble macroporous amorphous germanium oxide (HSGO) is then synthesized by mild treatment of APG. The compound forms highly oversaturated metastable germanium oxide solution with a solubility of 100 g/L, over 20 times higher than the solubility of amorphous germanium oxide. HSGO solution is a versatile reagent that can react with basic and acidic reagents to give a diverse range of salts including, e.g., germanium sulfide, germanium hydrophosphate, and potassium germanate. In the absence of acid or base, the aqueous HSGO solution yields hexagonal germanium oxide under ambient conditions.

Vanadium Oxide Thin Film Formation on Graphene Oxide by Microexplosive Decomposition of Ammonium Peroxovanadate and Its Application as a Sodium Ion Battery Anode.

Formation of vanadium oxide nanofilm-coated graphene oxide (GO) is achieved by thermally induced explosive disintegration of a microcrystalline ammonium peroxovanadate-GO composite. GO sheets isolate the microcrystalline grains and capture and contain the microexplosion products, resulting in the deposition of the nanoscale products on the GO. Thermal treatment of the supported nanofilm yields a sequence of nanocrystalline phases of vanadium oxide (V3O7, VO2) as a function of temperature. This is the first demonstration of microexplosive disintegration of a crystalline peroxo compound to yield a nanocoating. The large number of recently reported peroxide-rich crystalline materials suggests that the process can be a useful general route for nanofilm formation. The V3O7@GO composite product was tested as a sodium ion battery anode and showed high charge capacity at high rate charge-discharge cycling (150 mAh g-1 at 3000 mA g-1 vs 300 mAh g-1 at 100 mA g-1) due to the nanomorphology of the vanadium oxide.

Synthesis of high volumetric capacity graphene oxide-supported tellurantimony Na- and Li-ion battery anodes by hydrogen peroxide sol gel processing.

High-charge-capacity sodium-ion battery anodes made of Sb2Te3@reduced graphene oxide are reported for the first time. Uniform nano-coating of graphene oxide is carried out from common sol of peroxotellurate and peroxoantimonate under room temperature processing. Reduction by hydrazine under glycerol reflux yields Sb2Te3@reduced graphene oxide. The electrodes exhibit exceptionally high volumetric charge capacity, above 2300mAhcm-3 at 100mAg-1 current density, showing very good rate capabilities and retaining 60% of this capacity even at 2000mAg-1. A comparison of sodiation and lithiation shows that lithiation exhibits better volumetric charge capacity, but surprisingly only marginally better relative rate capability retention at 2000mAg-1. Tellurium-based electrodes are attractive due to the high volumetric charge capacity of Te, its very high electric conductivity, and the low relative expansion upon lithiation/sodiation.

Hydrogen Peroxide Insular Dodecameric and Pentameric Clusters in Peroxosolvate Structures.

Peroxosolvates of 2-aminonicotinic acid (I) and lidocaine N-oxide (II) including the largest insular hydrogen peroxide clusters were isolated and their crystal structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. An unprecedented dodecameric hydrogen peroxide insular cluster was found in I. An unusual cross-like pentameric cluster was observed in the structure of II. The topology of the (H2 O2 )12 assembly was never observed for small-molecule clusters. In I and II new double and triple cross-orientational disorders of H2 O2 were found. Cluster II is the first example of a peroxosolvate crystal structure containing H2 O2 molecules with a homoleptic hydrogen peroxide environment. In II, a hydrogen bond between an H2 O2 molecule and a peptide group -CONH⋅⋅⋅O2 H2 was observed for the first time.

GeO2 Thin Film Deposition on Graphene Oxide by the Hydrogen Peroxide Route: Evaluation for Lithium-Ion Battery Anode.

A peroxogermanate thin film was deposited in high yield at room temperature on graphene oxide (GO) from peroxogermanate sols. The deposition of the peroxo-precursor onto GO and the transformations to amorphous GeO2, crystalline tetragonal GeO2, and then to cubic elemental germanium were followed by electron microscopy, XRD, and XPS. All of these transformations are influenced by the GO support. The initial deposition is explained in view of the sol composition and the presence of GO, and the different thermal transformations are explained by reactions with the graphene support acting as a reducing agent. As a test case, the evaluation of the different materials as lithium ion battery anodes was carried out revealing that the best performance is obtained by amorphous germanium oxide@GO with >1000 mAh g-1 at 250 mA g-1 (between 0 and 2.5 V vs Li/Li+ cathode), despite the fact that the material contained only 51 wt % germanium. This is the first demonstration of the peroxide route to produce peroxogermanate thin films and thereby supported germanium and germanium oxide coatings. The advantages of the process over alternative methodologies are discussed.

Peroxide Coordination of Tellurium in Aqueous Solutions.

Tellurium-peroxo complexes in aqueous solutions have never been reported. In this work, ammonium peroxotellurates (NH4 )4 Te2 (µ-OO)2 (µ-O)O4 (OH)2 (1) and (NH4 )5 Te2 (µ-OO)2 (µ-O)O5 (OH)⋅1.28 H2 O⋅0.72 H2 O2 (2) were isolated from 5 % hydrogen peroxide aqueous solutions of ammonium tellurate and characterized by single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction analysis, by Raman spectroscopy and thermal analysis. The crystal structure of 1 comprises ammonium cations and a symmetric binuclear peroxotellurate anion [Te2 (µ-OO)2 (µ-O)O4 (OH)2 ](4-) . The structure of 2 consists of an unsymmetrical [Te2 (µ-OO)2 (µ-O)O5 (OH)](5-) anion, ammonium cations, hydrogen peroxide, and water. Peroxotellurate anions in both 1 and 2 contain a binuclear Te2 (µ-OO)2 (µ-O) fragment with one µ-oxo- and two µ-peroxo bridging groups. (125) Te NMR spectroscopic analysis shows that the peroxo bridged bitellurate anions are the dominant species in solution, with 3-40 %wt H2 O2 and for pH values above 9. DFT calculations of the peroxotellurate anion confirm its higher thermodynamic stability compared with those of the oxotellurate analogues. This is the first direct evidence for tellurium-peroxide coordination in any aqueous system and the first report of inorganic tellurium-peroxo complexes. General features common to all reported p-block element peroxides could be discerned by the characterization of aqueous and crystalline peroxotellurates.