A high performance lithium metal anode enabled by CF4 plasma treated carbon paper

Advances in anode current collectors with a lithiophilic gradient for lithium metal batteries

The practical application of lithium metal batteries (LMBs) is inevitably associated with serious safety risks due to the uncontrolled growth of lithium dendrites. Thus, to inhibit the formation of lithium dendrites, many researchers have focused on constructing three-dimensional porous current collectors with a high specific surface area. However, the homogeneous structure of porous collectors does not effectively guide the deposition of lithium metal to the bottom, leading to a phenomenon known as "top-growth." Recently, the construction of 3D porous current collectors with a lithiophilic gradient has been widely reported and regarded as an effective approach to inhibit lithium top-growth, thus improving battery safety. In this review, we summarize the latest research progress on such anode current collector design strategies, including surface modification of different base materials, design of gradient structures, and field factors, emphasizing their lithium-affinity mechanism and the advantages and disadvantages of different collector designs. Finally, we provide a perspective on the future research directions and applications of gradient affinity current collectors.

Applications of Plasma Technologies in Recycling Processes

Plasmas are reactive ionised gases, which enable the creation of unique reaction fields. This allows plasmas to be widely used for a variety of chemical processes for materials, recycling among others. Because of the increase in urgency to find more sustainable methods of waste management, plasmas have been enthusiastically applied to recycling processes. This review presents recent developments of plasma technologies for recycling linked to economical models of circular economy and waste management hierarchies, exemplifying the thermal decomposition of organic components or substances, the recovery of inorganic materials like metals, the treatment of paper, wind turbine waste, and electronic waste. It is discovered that thermal plasmas are most applicable to thermal processes, whereas nonthermal plasmas are often applied in different contexts which utilise their chemical selectivity. Most applications of plasmas in recycling are successful, but there is room for advancements in applications. Additionally, further perspectives are discussed.

F-Doped Carbon Nanoparticles-Based Nucleation Assistance for Fast and Uniform Three-Dimensional Zn Deposition

Aqueous Zn metal-based batteries have considerable potential as energy storage system; however, their application is extremely limited by dendrite development and poor reversibility. In this study, to overcome both challenges, F-doped carbon nanoparticles (FCNPs) are uniformly constructed on substrates (Ti, Zn, Cu, and steel) by a plasma-assisted surface modification, which endows reversible and uniform deposition of Zn metal. FCNPs with high surface charge density act as nucleation assistors and form numerous homogenous Zn nucleation sites toward Zn 3D growth, which improves Zn plating kinetic and results in uniform Zn deposition. Furthermore, the ZnF₂  solid electrolyte interface generated during cycling contributes to rapid mass transfer and enhances Zn reversibility, but also suppresses the side reaction. Accordingly, the half-cell of P-Ti coupled with Zn exhibits an average Coulombic efficiency of 99.47% with 500 cycles. The symmetric cell of the P-Zn anode presents a lifespan of over 1500 h at the current density of 5 mA cm^-2 . Notably, the cell works for 100 h at 50 mA cm^-2 . It is believed that this ingenious surface modification broadens revolutionary methods for uniform metallic deposition, as well as the dendrite-free rechargeable batteries system.