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Replacing conductive carbon black with commercial carbon-coated iron nanoparticles yields an effective contrast-enhancing agent to differentiate between active material, conductive additive, and binder in lithium-ion battery electrodes. Nano-XCT resolved the carbon-binder domain with 126 nm voxel resolution, showing partial coatings around the active material particles and interparticle bridges. In a complementary analysis, SEM/EDS determined individual distributions of conductive additives and binder. Surprisingly, the contrast-enhancing agents showed that the effect of preparation parameters on the heterogeneity of conductive additives was weaker than on the binder. Incorporation of such contrast-enhancing additives can improve understanding of processing-structure-function relationships in a multitude of devices for energy conversion and storage.

This article explores the behavior of short beam specimens made from a titanium/fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) hybrid sandwich material. The study compares the flexural characteristics of specimens with FRP skins and titanium skins, which were manufactured using additive manufacturing processes. Three-point bending tests were conducted to evaluate the mechanical properties of the specimens. The results provide insights into the fracture mechanisms and performance of the hybrid sandwich material. The study found that titanium-skinned specimens had the highest strength, while aramid and carbon fiber skins had comparable mechanical characteristics. The article also includes micrographs of the fracture surfaces and compares the performance indexes of the different specimens. [Extracted from the article]

This article explores the optimization of isogrid structures by selecting appropriate materials. Isogrid structures are prone to buckling under compressive loads, so strengthening them is crucial. The study compares the mechanical capabilities of isogrid structures made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and titanium alloy, using a numerical model to analyze their behavior. The results indicate that the CFRP structure has the highest specific rigidity and specific strength, making it efficient in terms of performance to weight ratio. The study also suggests that hybrid structures made with different materials have interesting properties. [Extracted from the article]

The semimetallic 1T′ and 1T phases of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have been attracting considerable attention as promising materials for electrochemical technologies owing to their intrinsic electrical conductivity and exceptionally high ion-intercalation properties. Achieving the 1T′ phase of MoS2 in high concentration and preserving it during device operation are still pressing challenges as the phase is metastable. Herein, we demonstrate 3D printed electrodes of 1T′/1T MoS2/TiS2 nanosheets for microsupercapacitors. The highly concentrated water-based inks of exfoliated 1T′/1T MoS2/TiS2 nanosheets were suitable for the printing of 3D architectures with arbitrary geometry, micron-sized features and spatial uniformity. Such architectures are used as microsupercapacitor electrodes which exhibit an areal capacitance of 448.16 mF cm−2 at a current density of 0.1 mA cm−2. TMD-based microsupercapacitors with high-mass loading (up to 100 mg cm−2) 3D electrodes also exhibited excellent cycling stability and coulombic efficiency over 100 000 cycles, while retaining the 1T′ phase. Overall, the high mass loading of the printed electrode and the conductivity and the geometry of the electrodes contribute to achieving energy and power density (3.89 μW h cm−2 and 250 μW cm−2, respectively) which are prime amongst those of the TMD-based supercapacitors. This work demonstrates the possibility of formulating and processing inks of 2D TMDs without conductive additives, paving the way towards the manufacturability of electrically conductive device components based on metastable materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]