Self-Assembled Nanoparticle Supertubes as Robust Platform for Revealing Long-Term, Multiscale Lithiation Evolution

• DOI: 10.1016/j.matt.2019.04.009
• Publication Date: 2019-09-11T14:31:50Z
• Authors: Tongtao Li; Biwei Wang; Jing Ning; Wei Li; Guannan Guo; Dandan Han; Bin Xue; Jinxiang Zou; Guanhong Wu; Yuchi Yang; Angang Dong; Dongyuan Zhao
• Keywords: Nanotechnology; 02 engineering and technology; 0210 nano-technology; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; 0104 chemical sciences

Summary Herein, free-standing supertubes, composed of a single layer of close-packed carbon-coated nanoparticles, are fabricated by a confined-epitaxial-assembly strategy. Benefiting from the tubular geometry, monolayer superlattice structure, and uniform and conformal carbon coating, such free-standing supertubes promise high electrochemical performance while simultaneously serving as a robust platform for reliably elucidating the structure-performance relationship of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). As a model, Fe3O4 supertubes, when used as LIB anodes, can deliver a capacity of ∼800 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 5 A g−1, outperforming most Fe3O4-based materials reported previously. More importantly, the structural evolution of Fe3O4 supertubes is revealed at meso-/nano-/atomic scales simultaneously upon lithiation and delithiation, which correlates well with the battery's capacity reactivation, stabilization, and degradation behaviors during the course of 500 cycles.