Structural instability and sluggish lithium-ion(Li+) kinetics of spinel NiCo_(2)O_(4) anodes severely hinder their applications in high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.Mesocrystalline structures exhibit promising...Structural instability and sluggish lithium-ion(Li+) kinetics of spinel NiCo_(2)O_(4) anodes severely hinder their applications in high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.Mesocrystalline structures exhibit promising potential in balancing structural stability and enhancing reaction kinetics.However,their controlled synthesis mechanisms remain elusive.Herein,a substrate interface engineering strategy is developed to achieve controllable synthesis of mesocrystalline and polycrystalline NiCo_(2)O_(4) nanorods.Remarkably,mesocrystalline NiCo_(2)O_(4) exhibits a high capacity retention rate of 85.7% after 500 cycles at 2 A/g,attributed to its porous structure facilitating Li^(+) transport kinetics and unique stress-buffering effect validated by ex-situ TEM.Theoretical calculations and interfacial chemical analysis reveal that substratecrystal surface engineering regulates the nucleation-growth pathways:Acid-treated nickel foam enables epitaxial growth via lattice matching,acting as a low-interfacial-energy template to reduce nucleation barriers and promote low-temperature oriented crystallization.In contrast,carbon cloth requires hightemperature thermal activation to overcome surface diffusion barriers induced by elevated interfacial energy.This substrate-driven crystallization kinetic modulation overcomes the limitations of random nucleation in conventional hydrothermal synthesis.The established substrate-crystal interfacial interaction model not only clarifies the kinetic essence of crystal orientation regulation but also provides a universal theoretical framework for lattice-matching design and mesostructural optimization of advanced electrode materials.展开更多
基金financially supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No.52401273)Science and Technology Department of Henan (Nos.242102241007,252102320178 and 252102321067)Training Program for Young Backbone Teachers in Higher Education Institutions in Henan Province (No.2024GGJS101)。
文摘Structural instability and sluggish lithium-ion(Li+) kinetics of spinel NiCo_(2)O_(4) anodes severely hinder their applications in high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries.Mesocrystalline structures exhibit promising potential in balancing structural stability and enhancing reaction kinetics.However,their controlled synthesis mechanisms remain elusive.Herein,a substrate interface engineering strategy is developed to achieve controllable synthesis of mesocrystalline and polycrystalline NiCo_(2)O_(4) nanorods.Remarkably,mesocrystalline NiCo_(2)O_(4) exhibits a high capacity retention rate of 85.7% after 500 cycles at 2 A/g,attributed to its porous structure facilitating Li^(+) transport kinetics and unique stress-buffering effect validated by ex-situ TEM.Theoretical calculations and interfacial chemical analysis reveal that substratecrystal surface engineering regulates the nucleation-growth pathways:Acid-treated nickel foam enables epitaxial growth via lattice matching,acting as a low-interfacial-energy template to reduce nucleation barriers and promote low-temperature oriented crystallization.In contrast,carbon cloth requires hightemperature thermal activation to overcome surface diffusion barriers induced by elevated interfacial energy.This substrate-driven crystallization kinetic modulation overcomes the limitations of random nucleation in conventional hydrothermal synthesis.The established substrate-crystal interfacial interaction model not only clarifies the kinetic essence of crystal orientation regulation but also provides a universal theoretical framework for lattice-matching design and mesostructural optimization of advanced electrode materials.