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Limited by the size of microelectronics, as well as the space of electrical vehicles, there are tremendous demands for lithium-ion batteries with high volumetric energy densities. Current lithium-ion batteries, however, adopt graphite-based anodes with low tap density and gravimetric capacity, resulting in poor volumetric performance metric. Here, by encapsulating nanoparticles of metallic tin in mechanically robust graphene tubes, we show tin anodes with high volumetric and gravimetric capacities, high rate performance, and long cycling life. Pairing with a commercial cathode material LiNi0.6Mn0.2Co0.2O2, full cells exhibit a gravimetric and volumetric energy density of 590 W h Kg-1 and 1,252 W h L-1, respectively, the latter of which doubles that of the cell based on graphite anodes. This work provides an effective route towards lithium-ion batteries with high energy density for a broad range of applications.

In the current challenging energy storage and conversion landscape, solid‐state lithium metal batteries with high energy conversion efficiency, high energy density, and high safety stand out. Due to the limitations of material properties, it is difficult to achieve the ideal requirements of solid electrolytes with a single‐phase electrolyte. A composite solid electrolyte is composed of two or more different materials. Composite electrolytes can simultaneously offer the advantages of multiple materials. Through different composite methods, the merits of various materials can be incorporated into the most essential part of the battery in a specific form. Currently, more and more researchers are focusing on composite methods for combining components in composite electrolytes. The ion transport capacity, interface stability, machinability, and safety of electrolytes can be significantly improved by selecting appropriate composite methods. This review summarizes the composite methods used for the components of composite electrolytes, such as filler blending, embedded framework, and multilayer bonding. It also discusses the future development trends of all‐solid‐state lithium batteries (ASSLBs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Replacing synthetic fertilizer by organic manure has been shown to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), but the specific roles of ammonia oxidizing microorganisms and gross nitrogen (N) transformation in regulating N2O remain unclear. Here, we examined the effect of completely replacing chemical fertilizer with organic manure on N2O emissions, ammonia oxidizers, gross N transformation rates using a 13‐year field manipulation experiment. Our results showed that organic manure reduced cumulative N2O emissions by 16.3%–210.3% compared to chemical fertilizer. The abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was significantly lower in organic manure compared with chemical fertilizer during three growth stages of maize. Organic manure also significantly decreased AOB alpha diversity and changed their community structure. However, organic manure substitution increased the abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea and the alpha diversity of comammox Nitrospira compared to chemical fertilizer. Interestingly, organic manure decreased organic N mineralization by 23.2%–32.9%, and autotrophic nitrification rate by 10.5%–45.4%, when compared with chemical fertilizer. This study also found a positive correlation between AOB abundance, organic N mineralization and gross autotrophic nitrification rate with N2O emission, and their contribution to N2O emission was supported by random forest analysis. Our study highlights the key roles of ammonia oxidizers and N transformation rates in predicting cropland N2O. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a facile and effective aerosol-spray strategy toward high-performance anodes for lithium-ion batteries by incorporating mesoporous SnO2 spheres of high-capacity materials with surface-modified carbon nanotubes (MCNTs). SnO2 nanocrystals are self-assembled into mesoporous spheres, and MCNTs with abundant carboxylic groups serve as a conductive scaffold. Driven by the strong interaction between the surface of metal oxide and the carboxylic groups on CNTs, a robust nanocomposite architecture is in situ formed. Such nanocomposite architecture possesses several advantages as an anode for lithium-ion batteries. First, mesoporous SnO2 spheres inherit the advantageous features of conventional nanoparticles, such as the capability to accommodate volume expansion and reduce Li+ diffusion distance. Second, the robust interface between nanocrystals in the SnO2 spheres provides the high structural stability that would prolong the life span of the electrode. Third, MCNTs that strongly bind to SnO2 spheres serve as a three-dimensional network, offering both improved electronic transport and mechanical strength of the electrode. Therefore, as-prepared nanocomposite delivers high capacity of 963 mAh g−1 at 0.1 C and 701 mAh g−1 at 5 C, respectively. Significantly improved cycling performance is achieved over the bare SnO2 spheres counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A VO2(B) nanowire/CNT nanocomposite was fabricated with a stable lithium storage performance resulting in an interpenetrating porous network. This material demonstrated an enhanced Li-ion storage capacity with a significantly improved cycling stability. The capacity of the composite faded by only 6% after 100 cycles at 1 C, suggesting great promise for better lithium-ion cathodes. These results demonstrated that the CNT’s network could effectively harvest the charges during the reaction. Moreover, these further prove a general approach to achieve high-capacity electrode materials with long-term cycling stability using intertwined network structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lithium-ion batteries with transition metal sulfides (TMSs) anodes promise a high capacity, abundant resources, and environmental friendliness, yet they suffer from fast degradation and low Coulombic efficiency. Here, a heterostructured bimetallic TMS anode is fabricated by in situ encapsulating SnS 2 /MoS 2 nanoparticles within an amphiphilic hollow double-graphene sheet (DGS). The hierarchically porous DGS consists of inner hydrophilic graphene and outer hydrophobic graphene, which can accelerate electron/ion migration and strongly hold the integrity of alloy microparticles during expansion and/or shrinkage. Moreover, catalytic Mo converted from lithiated MoS 2 can promote the reaction kinetics and suppress heterointerface passivation by forming a building-in-electric field, thereby enhancing the reversible conversion of Sn to SnS 2 . Consequently, the SnS 2 /MoS 2 /DGS anode with high gravimetric and high volumetric capacities achieves 200 cycles with a high initial Coulombic efficiency of >90%, as well as excellent low-temperature performance. When the commercial Li(Ni 0.8 Co 0.1 Mn 0.1 )O 2 (NCM811) cathode is paired with the prelithiated SnS 2 /MoS 2 /DGS anode, the full cells deliver high gravimetric and volumetric energy densities of 577 Wh kg -1 and 853 Wh L -1 , respectively. This work highlights the significance of integrating spatial confinement and atomic heterointerface engineering to solve the shortcomings of conversion-/alloying typed TMS-based anodes to construct outstanding high-energy LIBs., (© 2024 The Author(s). Advanced Science published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Replacing synthetic fertilizer by organic manure has been shown to reduce emissions of nitrous oxide (N 2 O), but the specific roles of ammonia oxidizing microorganisms and gross nitrogen (N) transformation in regulating N 2 O remain unclear. Here, we examined the effect of completely replacing chemical fertilizer with organic manure on N 2 O emissions, ammonia oxidizers, gross N transformation rates using a 13-year field manipulation experiment. Our results showed that organic manure reduced cumulative N 2 O emissions by 16.3%-210.3% compared to chemical fertilizer. The abundance of ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was significantly lower in organic manure compared with chemical fertilizer during three growth stages of maize. Organic manure also significantly decreased AOB alpha diversity and changed their community structure. However, organic manure substitution increased the abundance of ammonia oxidizing archaea and the alpha diversity of comammox Nitrospira compared to chemical fertilizer. Interestingly, organic manure decreased organic N mineralization by 23.2%-32.9%, and autotrophic nitrification rate by 10.5%-45.4%, when compared with chemical fertilizer. This study also found a positive correlation between AOB abundance, organic N mineralization and gross autotrophic nitrification rate with N 2 O emission, and their contribution to N 2 O emission was supported by random forest analysis. Our study highlights the key roles of ammonia oxidizers and N transformation rates in predicting cropland N 2 O., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

We report a facile and effective inorganic polycondensation combined with aerosol-spray strategy towards high-performance photocatalyst by fabricating mesoporous Ti 1-x Sn x O 2 (0 < x < 1) solid solution. Such Ti 1-x Sn x O 2 nanocrystals with high Sn-doped contents are self-assembled into mesoporous spheres can effectively promote visible-light harvest and high quantum yield, leading a longer lifetime of the photoelectron-hole pairs and less recombination. Such the photocatalysts enhanced photocatalytic activity for the degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB). The representative Ti 0.9 Sn 0.1 O 2 and Ti 0.8 Sn 0.2 O 2 compounds reach an optimum degradation of ≈50% and 70%, respectively, after 120 min irradiation under visible irradiation. The mesoporous Ti 1-x Sn x O 2 solid solution could inhibit the recombination of electron-hole pairs, which promote reaction thermodynamics and kinetics for RhB degradation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Yu, Geng, Han, Yu and Peng.)