The disodium salt of 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone has been prepared and proposed as anode material for rechargeable sodium ion batteries for the first time, showing an average operation voltage of ∼1.2 V, a reversible capacity of ∼265 mA h g(-1), a long cycle life (300 cycles), and high rate capability.

As a representative natural polymer with abundant functionalities, humic acid was creatively explored as an anode material for lithium ion batteries and sodium ion batteries with high storage capacities, and satisfactory cycling stabilities. Most impressively, this work provides a promising and effective strategy for developing organic energy storage devices from natural sources.

We developed a very low resistivity RPC-type detector, the anode of which was a plate made from materials with resistivity up to 5x107 Ωcm, the cathode being a metallic mesh preceded by a drift region. In such detector it was actually possible to combine the versatility and high counting-rate capability of metallic PPACs with the extreme robustness and "protectiveness" of Resistive Plate Chambe...

We investigated the reversible electromigration in Pd-Pt nanobridges by means of in situ electron microscopy. Real-time nanometer-scale imaging with scanning transmission electron microscopy was used to determine the material transport. For high current densities (3-5 × 10(7) A cm(-2)), material transport occurs from the cathode towards the anode side, indicating a negative effective charge. Th...

Identifying dual role electrode materials capable of storing both lithium and sodium are thought to be highly relevant, as these materials could find potential applications simultaneously in lithium and sodium ion batteries. In this regard, the concept of dual alkali storage is demonstrated in Fe(3)O(4) anode material undergoing conversion reaction. To enable improved storage, a rational active...

Tin sulfide−reduced graphene oxide (SnS2rGO) composite material is investigated as an advanced anode material for Na-ion batteries. It can deliver a reversible capacity of 630 mAh g−1 with negligible capacity loss and exhibits superb rate performance. Here, the energy storage mechanism of this SnS2-rGO anode and the critical mechanistic role of rGO will be revealed in detail. A synergistic mech...

Between the sheets: Sodium-ion batteries are an attractive, low-cost alternative to lithium-ion batteries. Nitrogen-doped porous carbon sheets are prepared by chemical activation of polypyrrole-functionalized graphene sheets. When using the sheets as anode material in sodium-ion batteries, their unique compositional and structural features result in high reversible capacity, good cycling stabil...

Novel hierarchically porous and nitrogen, sulfur-codoped graphene-like microspheres (3D NS-GSs) are synthesized using Ni microspheres as the template and using poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and (NH4)2S2O8 as the carbon and nitrogen precursor, respectively. As an anode material in lithium ion batteries, the 3D NS-GS electrode displays a superior capacity with excellent cycling stability.