Advertisement
Advertise Here
-
July 25, 2011 - Volume 89, Number 30
- p. 38
Science & Technology Concentrates
More Science & Technology Concentrates
- A More Stable Silyl Ether
- Making more robust silyl ethers just got easier, thanks to a protecting group developed by Harvard University
- Making Better Sodium-Ion Batteries
- The performance of sodium-ion batteries can be markedly improved by substituting common carbon-based anode materials
- Getting FlaK
- The first X-ray structure of a membrane aspartyl protease helps explain how the enzyme does its difficult job
- Electrical DNA Sequencing Unveiled
- A light-free DNA sequencing method harnesses the same semiconductor manufacturing technology used to make computer chips
- Isotope Effects On Acidity Resolved
- The answer to a 50-year-old question about the origin of secondary isotope effects on acidity could lead to new insights on molecular structure and reactivity
- Computing A Four-Atom Reaction
- Pushing the envelope of what can be calculated by using the Schrödinger equation
- Grubbs Ruthenium Catalysts Explained
- In a bid to solve a long-standing chemical mystery and to help improve catalyst design
- Improving Polymer Tandem Solar Cells
- Blending gold nanoparticles into the layer connecting the two subcells of a polymer tandem solar cell boosts the device’s performance
Topics Covered
The performance of sodium-ion batteries can be markedly improved by substituting common carbon-based anode materials with a templated carbon featuring pores and channels on the micro- and nanometer scales, according to researchers in Germany ( Energy Environ. Sci., DOI: 10.1039/c1ee01744f). Similarities between sodium- and lithium-ion electrochemistry coupled with sodium’s abundance relative to lithium have motivated researchers to develop experimental sodium-ion cells. Such batteries could provide a low-cost way to store electricity generated by wind turbines and solar farms. Until now, however, sodium-ion batteries have exhibited weak charge-discharge behavior except when operated at high temperatures (>60 °C)—an indication of sluggish sodium-storage kinetics in standard carbon anodes. To speed up ion transport in and out of the anode, Sebastian Wenzel, Philipp Adelhelm, and coworkers at Justus Liebig University, Giessen, used porous silica as a template to prepare carbon with interconnected pores in two size ranges. Battery tests comparing the templated carbon anode with ones made from a series of commercial porous and reference carbons show that the new material provides improved charge-storage capacity and recyclability and a 15-fold increase in room-temperature charge-discharge rates.
Energy Environ. Sci.
Pores and channels on the low –micrometer scale make the porous carbon shown in these SEM images promising for electrode use.
- Chemical & Engineering News
- ISSN 0009-2347
- Copyright © 2011 American Chemical Society
Services & Tools
ACS Resources
ACS Careers
ACS is the leading employment source for recruiting scientific professionals. ACS Careers and C&EN Classifieds provide employers direct access to scientific talent both in print and online. Jobseekers | Employers
» Join ACS
Join more than 161,000 professionals in the chemical sciences world-wide, as a member of the American Chemical Society.
» Join Now!
Popular Sections
ACS, Analytical SCENE, Business, Careers, Economy, Editor, Education, Employment, Environmental SCENE, Letters, Government, Photo Galleries, Policy, Movies, Multimedia, Nanotechnology, Newscripts, Reel Science, Safety Letters, Science, Stem Cells, Stimulus Funds, Technology, Vaccines, Videos, What's That Stuff
Advertisements
