Ultrathin Na2Ti2O4(OH)2 nanosheets of ∼8 nm thickness were prepared by a facile method for the first time. The resulting material was also used as a conducting agent and binder-free anode, both for sodium-ion batteries and lithium-ion batteries, for the first time. The Na2Ti2O4(OH)2 nanosheets exhibited excellent Na/Li-ion storage performance. A long-term cycling performance of the ultrathin Na...

The magnesium-metal battery, which consists of a cathode, a Mg-metal anode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte, is a safer and less expensive alternative to the popular Li-ion battery. However, the performance of Mg batteries is greatly limited by the low electrochemical oxidative stability of nonaqueous electrolytes, the slow Mg diffusion into the cathode, and the irreversibility of Mg striping and ...

To the average person, lithium-ion technology, at least until the last year or so, was represented by the black-box-like batteries in high-end consumer devices such as laptop computers. Mobile phone batteries use similar chemistry, although in that case the batteries are often lithium-polymer types that are frequently described as if they constitute an entirely different technology. The mystiqu...

As high capacity cathodes for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries, carbon bonded and encapsulated selenium composites (C/Se) with a high loading content of 54% Se were synthesized by the in situ carbonization of a mixture of perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and selenium (Se) in a sealed vacuum glass tube. Because Se is physically encapsulated and chemically bonded by carbon, the sh...

Rechargeable batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries, play an important role in the emerging sustainable energy landscape. Mechanical degradation and resulting capacity fade in high-capacity electrode materials critically hinder their use in high-performance lithium-ion batteries. This paper presents an overview of recent advances in understanding the electrochemically-induced mechanical behav...

Aviation continues to rapidly develop through ground-breaking technological and manufacturing feats. Specifically, the aircraft being delivered and manufactured today are evolving at an exponential rate, demanding innovative technology and manufacturing. From inflight wireless internet (Wi-Fi) to a light weight fuselage made with advanced composites to cabins that mimic living rooms of the rich...

Nickel Cadmium batteries are popular because they have a relatively low cost and offer a mature technology. Nickel Metal Hydride batteries have improved volumetric efficiency and have less environmental concerns than Nickel Cadmium. Lithium-Ion batteries are emerging as a leader in the portable market due to their high energy density. Lithium-Ion batteries have the highest initial cost, however...

Li-ion batteries were first commercialized by Sony in 1991 and have been used widely in portable electronic devices, electric vehicles and grid applications. Although Li-ion batteries have achieved a phenomenon commercial success and become so pervasive and indispensable in our modern life, their development has been sluggish and fallen way behind the rapid advancement of electronic technologie...

Potential applications of sodium-ion batteries in grid-scale energy storage, portable electronics and electric vehicles have revitalized research interest in these batteries. However, the performance of sodium-ion electrode materials has not been competitive with that of lithium-ion electrode materials. Here we present sodium manganese hexacyanomanganate (Na2MnII[MnII(CN)6]), an open-framework ...

Li-air batteries have attracted interest as energy storage devices due to their high energy and power density. Li-air batteries are expected to revolutionize the automobile industry (for use in electric and hybrid vehicles) and electrochemical energy storage systems by surpassing the energy capacities of conventional Li-ion batteries. However, the practical implementation of Li-air batteries is...