Zeolite-Templated Carbon as the Cathode for a High Energy Density Dual-Ion Battery

Sustainable Dual-Ion Batteries beyond Li

The limitations of resources used in current Li-ion batteries may hinder their widespread use in grid-scale energy storage systems, prompting the search for low-cost and resource-abundant alternatives. "Beyond-Li cation" batteries have emerged as promising contenders; however, they confront noteworthy challenges due to the scarcity of suitable host materials for these cations. In contrast, anions, the other crucial component in electrolytes, demonstrate reversible intercalation capacity in specific materials like graphite. The convergence of anion and cation storage has given rise to a new battery technology known as dual-ion batteries (DIBs). This comprehensive review presents the current status, advancements, and future prospects of sustainable DIBs beyond Li. Notably, most DIBs exhibit similar cathode reaction mechanisms involving anion intercalation, while the distinguishing factor lies in the cation types functioning at the anode. Accordingly, the review is organized into sections by various cation types, including Na-, K-, Mg-, Zn-, Ca-, Al-, NH4 + -, and proton-based DIBs. Moreover, a perspective on these novel DIBs is presented, along with proposed protocols for investigating DIBs and promising future research directions. It is envisioned that this review will inspire fresh concepts, ideas, and research directions, while raising important questions to further tailor and understand sustainable DIBs, ultimately facilitating their practical realization.

Methodological Studies of the Mechanism of Anion Insertion in Nanometer-Sized Carbon Micropores

Dual-ion hybrid capacitors (DIHCs) are a promising class of electrochemical energy storage devices intermediate between batteries and supercapacitors, exhibiting both high energy and power density, and generalizable across wide chemistries beyond lithium. In this study, a model carbon framework material with a periodic structure containing exclusively 1.2 nm width pores, zeolite-templated carbon (ZTC), was investigated as the positive electrode for the storage of a range of anions relevant to DIHC chemistries. Screening experiments were carried out across 21 electrolyte compositions within a common stable potential window of 3.0-4.0 V vs. Li/Li⁺ to determine trends in capacity as a function of anion and solvent properties. To achieve fast rate capability, a binary solvent balancing a high dielectric constant with a low viscosity and small molecular size was used; optimized full-cells based on LiPF₆ in binary electrolyte exhibited 146 Wh kg^-1 and >4000 W kg^-1 energy and power densities, respectively.

Recent Advancements in Devising Computational Strategies for Dual-Ion Batteries

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) have been considered a viable alternative to increasingly costly and hazard-prone lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), which have reached a level of saturation. DIBs differ from LIBs in the way that the cations and anions originate from the electrolyte, thus signifying the active role played by electrolyte. In this Review, the major developments in research in the field of DIBs are summarized with a major emphasis on computational approaches in this direction. The various computational methods for understanding and designing electrodes are discussed. The advancements in electrode and electrolyte design for efficient DIBs are highlighted. Further, the ways to investigate solid-electrolyte interphase formation through simulations to comprehend the role of various components are discussed. Finally, directions are given on which future computational research can be carried out to design futuristic DIBs to provide useful guidelines to the researchers to understand and design DIBs.

A montmorillonite-modification strategy enabling long cycling stability of dual-ion batteries

Lithium‖graphite dual-ion batteries (DIBs) have received widespread attention due to their low cost and high operating voltage (nearly 5 V). However, DIBs face several challenges such as decomposition of the electrolyte under high voltage and structural deterioration of graphite. Herein, montmorillonite (MMT) is employed to generate a favorable and robust cathode electrolyte interface (CEI) layer on the graphite surface. As a result, the DIBs exhibit a 100% capacity retention for 500 cycles at 2C. Even after 1000 cycles at 5C, the capacity retention is still as high as 99%.

Critical assessment of the performance of next-generation carbon-based adsorbents for CO2 capture focused on their structural properties

Carbon dioxide emissions and their sharply rising effect on global warming have encouraged research efforts to develop efficient technologies and materials for CO₂ capture. Post-combustion CO₂ capture by adsorption using solid materials is considered an attractive technology to achieve this goal. Templated materials, such as Zeolite Templated-Carbons and MOF-Derived Carbons, are considered as the next-generation carbon adsorbent materials, owing to their outstanding textural properties (high surface areas of ca. 4000 m² g^-1 and micropore volumes of ca. 1.7 cm³ g^-1) and their versatility for surface functionalization. These materials have demonstrated remarkable CO₂ adsorption capacities and CO₂/N₂ selectivities up to ca. 5 mmol g^-1 and 100, respectively, at 298 K and 1 bar, and low isosteric heat of adsorption at zero coverage of ca. 12 kJ mol^-1. Herein, a review of the advances in preparation of ZTCs and MDCs for CO₂ capture is presented, followed by a critical analysis of the effects of textural properties and surface functionality on CO₂ adsorption, including CO₂ uptake, CO₂/N₂ selectivity, and isosteric heat of adsorption. This analysis led to the introduction of a V_microx N-content factor to evaluate the interplay between N-content and textural properties to maximize the CO₂ uptake. Despite their promising performance in CO₂ uptake, further testing using mixtures and impurities, and studies on adsorbent regeneration, and cyclic operation are desirable to demonstrate the stability of the MDCs and ZTCs for large scale processes. In addition, advances in scale-up syntheses and their economics are needed.

Current Collector-Free Reduced Graphene Oxide Aerogel Cathode for High Energy Density Dual-Ion Batteries

As an important indicator to evaluate battery performance, the energy density of commercial lithium ion batteries is close to the limit. Herein, for the first time, we reported that the reduced oxide graphene (rGO) aerogel can be directly used for the cathode of a dual-ion battery to achieve a superior specific energy density by reducing the dead weight of the battery. The porous structure of an rGO aerogel facilitates the penetration of the electrolyte and provides more active sites for energy storage. At the same time, the continuous graphene network benefits the electron transport. The lithium-rGO battery shows a discharge specific capacity of 94 mA h g^-1 at 1 A g^-1 and a superior specific energy density of 213 W h kg^-1 at 2141 W kg^-1. It is worth noting that this current collector-free electrode design would promote the development and application of graphene-based batteries with a high energy density.

Locally Ordered Graphitized Carbon Cathodes for High-Capacity Dual-Ion Batteries

Dual-ion batteries (DIBs) inherently suffer from limited energy density. Proposed here is a strategy to effectively tackle this issue by employing locally ordered graphitized carbon (LOGC) cathodes. Quantum mechanical modeling suggests that strong anion-anion repulsions and severe expansion at the deep-charging stage raise the anion intercalation voltage, therefore only part of the theoretical anion storage sites in graphite is accessible. The LOGC interconnected with disordered carbon is predicted to weaken the interlaminar van der Waals interactions, while disordered carbons not only interconnect the dispersed nanographite but also partially buffer severe anion-anion repulsion and offer extra capacitive anion storage sites. As a proof-of-concept, ketjen black (KB) with LOGC was used as a model cathode for a potassium-based DIB (KDIB). The KDIB delivers an unprecedentedly high specific capacity of 232 mAh g^-1 at 50 mA g^-1 , a good rate capability of 110 mAh g^-1 at 2000 mA g^-1 , and excellent cycling stability of 1000 cycles without obvious capacity fading.

Revival of Zeolite-Templated Nanocarbon Materials: Recent Advances in Energy Storage and Conversion

Nanocarbon materials represent one of the hottest topics in physics, chemistry, and materials science. Preparation of nanocarbon materials by zeolite templates has been developing for more than 20 years. In recent years, novel structures and properties of zeolite-templated nanocarbons have been evolving and new applications are emerging in the realm of energy storage and conversion. Here, recent progress of zeolite-templated nanocarbons in advanced synthetic techniques, emerging properties, and novel applications is summarized: i) thanks to the diversity of zeolites, the structures of the corresponding nanocarbons are multitudinous; ii) by various synthetic techniques, novel properties of zeolite-templated nanocarbons can be achieved, such as hierarchical porosity, heteroatom doping, and nanoparticle loading capacity; iii) the applications of zeolite-templated nanocarbons are also evolving from traditional gas/vapor adsorption to advanced energy storage techniques including Li-ion batteries, Li-S batteries, fuel cells, metal-O2 batteries, etc. Finally, a perspective is provided to forecast the future development of zeolite-templated nanocarbon materials.

Zeolite-Templated Carbon as a Stable, High Power Magnesium-Ion Cathode Material

One strategy to overcome the slow kinetics associated with electrochemical magnesium ion storage is to employ a permanently porous, capacitive cathode material together with magnesium metal as the anode. This strategy has begun to be employed, for example, using framework solids like Prussian blue analogues or porous carbons derived from metal-organic frameworks, but the cycling stability of an ordered, bottom-up synthesized, three-dimensional carbon framework toward magnesiation and demagnesiation in a shuttle-type battery remains unexplored. Zeolite-templated carbons (ZTCs) are a class of ordered porous carbonaceous framework materials with numerous superlative properties relevant to electrochemical energy storage. Herein, we report that ZTCs can serve as high-power cathode materials for magnesium-ion hybrid capacitors (MHCs), exhibiting high specific capacities (e.g., 113 mA h g^-1 after 100 cycles) with an average discharge voltage of 1.44 V and exceptional capacity retention (e.g., 76% after 200 cycles). ZTC-based MHCs meet or exceed the gravimetric energy densities of state-of-the-art batteries functioning on the Mg²⁺ shuttle, while simultaneously displaying far superior rate capabilities (e.g., 834 W kg^-1 at 600 mA g^-1).