Ultrastable Li-ion battery anodes by encapsulating SnS nanoparticles in sulfur-doped graphene bubble films.

As an anode electrode material for lithium-ion batteries, SnS has high specific capacity and has received widespread attention, but its practical application is still hindered by the low reversibility of the conversion reaction and the large irreversible capacity caused by the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). In this paper, SnS nanoparticles are encapsulated into a sulfur-doped graphene bubble film (SnS@G) by a scalable electrostatic self-assembly of SnS2/graphene oxide and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide, followed by the thermal decomposition of SnS2 and sulfur doping in graphene. Due to electrostatic attraction, the SnS nanoparticles are tightly wrapped in multilayer graphene sheets to form a flake-graphite-like structure. Compared with the disordered stacked SnS/graphene sheet composite, the closely packed SnS@G shows a much lower specific surface area and smaller irreversible Li+ consumption and surface film resistance after lithiation. The SnS@G composite anode exhibits great initial coulombic efficiency (83.2%), which is the highest value among the chemically synthesized SnS anodes. It also presents unprecedented cycling stability (1462 mA h g-1 after 200 cycles at 0.1 A g-1 and 1020 mA h g-1 after 500 cycles at 1 A g-1) and superior rate capabilities (750 mA h g-1 at 5 A g-1) upon Li storage, which demonstrates its excellent electrochemical performance and great potential as a negative electrode material for lithium-ion batteries.

Sandwich-like SnS2/Graphene/SnS2 with Expanded Interlayer Distance as High-Rate Lithium/Sodium-Ion Battery Anode Materials.

SnS2 materials have attracted broad attention in the field of electrochemical energy storage due to their layered structure with high specific capacity. However, the easy restacking property during charge/discharge cycling leads to electrode structure instability and a severe capacity decrease. In this paper, we report a simple one-step hydrothermal synthesis of SnS2/graphene/SnS2 (SnS2/rGO/SnS2) composite with ultrathin SnS2 nanosheets covalently decorated on both sides of reduced graphene oxide sheets via C-S bonds. Owing to the graphene sandwiched between two SnS2 sheets, the composite presents an enlarged interlayer spacing of ∼8.03 Šfor SnS2, which could facilitate the insertion/extraction of Li+/Na+ ions with rapid transport kinetics as well as inhibit the restacking of SnS2 nanosheets during the charge/discharge cycling. The density functional theory calculation reveals the most stable state of the moderate interlayer spacing for the sandwich-like composite. The diffusion coefficients of Li/Na ions from both molecular simulation and experimental observation also demonstrate that this state is the most suitable for fast ion transport. In addition, numerous ultratiny SnS2 nanoparticles anchored on the graphene sheets can generate dominant pseudocapacitive contribution to the composite especially at large current density, guaranteeing its excellent high-rate performance with 844 and 765 mAh g-1 for Li/Na-ion batteries even at 10 A g-1. No distinct morphology changes occur after 200 cycles, and the SnS2 nanoparticles still recover to a pristine phase without distinct agglomeration, demonstrating that this composite with high-rate capabilities and excellent cycle stability are promising candidates for lithium/sodium storage.

Preparation of 1D Hierarchical Material Mesosilica/Pal Composite and Its Performance in the Adsorption of Methyl Orange.

This paper highlights the synthesis of a one-dimensional (1D) hierarchical material mesosilica/palygorskite (Pal) composite and evaluates its adsorption performance for anionic dye methyl orange (MO) in comparison with Pal and Mobile crystalline material-41 (MCM-41). The Mesosilica/Pal composite is consisted of mesosilica coated Pal nanorods and prepared through a dual template approach using cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) and Pal as soft and hard templates, respectively. The composition and structure of the resultant material was characterized by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmissionelectron microscopy (TEM), N2 adsorption-desorption analysis, small-angle X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD), and zeta potential measurement. Adsorption experiments were carried out with different absorbents at different contact times and pH levels. Compared with Pal and MCM-41, the mesosilica/Pal composite exhibited the best efficiency for MO adsorption. Its adsorption ratio is as high as 70.4%. Its adsorption equilibrium time is as short as 30 min. Results testify that the MO retention is promoted for the micro-mesoporous hierarchical structure and positive surface charge electrostatic interactions of the mesosilica/Pal composite. The regenerability of the mesosilica/Pal composite absorbent was also assessed. 1D morphology makes it facile to separate from aqueous solutions. It can be effortlessly recovered and reused for up to nine cycles.